|
Term
|
Meaning |
|
Going
Outside:
|
Leaving
the state for any reason. |
|
Lower 48:
|
The 48 states
south of here. (Guess we don't know how to refer to
Hawaii) |
|
Cheechako:
|
Anyone new to
Alaska |
|
Sourdough:
|
Anyone old to
Alaska |
|
Cache (cash):
|
A
very
small, food storage cabin - elevated out of reach of animals and
your kids. |
|
Ice
Fog:
|
A
dense, winter fog of suspended ice particles that can sparkle all
around you when there's a little sun. |
|
Ice Worm:
|
Small,
very tiny worms that actually live in glacial ice. |
|
Bear
Insurance:
|
Handguns .357
or better, 12 gauge shotguns, or small, handheld, nuclear weapons. |
| Snowmachine
or |
| Tin
Dog: (by
Jeff Nations) |
|
Snowmobile |
|
Musher:
|
A
person who travels in winter by dog sled. Yells 'mush' a
lot. |
|
Permanent
Fund:
|
Money we get
from the state for living here. |
|
Ulu Knife:
|
A
native, half-moon, all-purpose knife - pretty cool actually. |
|
Bullchitna:
|
Bet
you've guessed this one already .......... it means BS. |
| Stampled: |
| (submitted
by TJR) |
|
Being
trampled to death by an elk but popular among the Southeast
Alaskans to include stomped on, crushed, flattened, chewed on, or otherwise clomped upon. |
|
Moose
Nuggets:
|
Moose
droppings found in everyone's yard AND in all the gift shops believe
it or not ..... dried and cured. |
|
Bear
Insurance #2:
|
It's
the best protection of all ...... always be with someone you
can outrun. |
| Mukluk: |
No ... it's
not something you just stepped in out there on the tundra but rather very warm, fur boots
usually knee high. |
| The Bush: |
Places in Alaska you can
only get to by plane or boat (that's almost the entire state) and
the villages that are located there. |
| Termination
Dust: |
The first,
light dusting of snow on just the
mountain tops. It's a
- the first, really big snow is just around the
corner. This of course, triggers
an huge shopping frenzy. |
| Cabin Fever: |
When
Alaskans start bouncing off the walls, from being inside those walls,
way too long in winter. |
| Ditch
Divers: |
| (submitted
by John Zutz) |
|
4-wheel
drive owners learning the hard way - they have to drive
slow on ice and snow .... just like the rest of us! |
| Arctic
Entry: |
A
pre-entry to your home where dirty, slushy boots, winter gear, mud
boots, work clothes, etc. can be taken off before they're taken
off 'inside' your clean house. |
| Mosquito
Dope: |
| (aka
Bug Juice): |
| (submitted
by Jackie) |
|
Mosquito
repellant: spray, liquid, and roll
on. Patches, bracelets, smoke rings, and citronella
anything. We do have a sketter problem here. |
| Alaskan
Sneakers: |
| (submitted
by Bill) |
|
Waders
- leg, hip, or chest waders |
|
Permafrost:
|
From
about 2-5 feet under the surface - ground that is frozen year
round. Probably should be called perma-ice. |
|
A Three Dog
Night:
|
It's so cold,
that two dogs ain't keepin' ya warm enough. |
| Combat
Fishing: |
| (submitted by Wendy Hackett) |
|
Casting a fishing line
where 1500 other people are doing the same thing at the same
time. Oh! and you only have six inches between you and those
on either side of you. |
| Twofers: |
| (submitted by Robert C.) |
|
Necker
Bay sockeye salmon are usually much smaller than other salmon. The old timers used to get a dollar for sockeye but had to have two Necker
Bay sockeye for that same dollar. |
| Sing
Song: |
Any concert, recital, or
competition for singing. |
| Breakup: |
The
process by which all snow and ice
finally melts away but all at once. Just a little sloppy for
about 2/3 weeks. For Alaskans, it means the end of winter and the beginning of tourist
season. |
| Borough: |
Alaska's
answer to the "county". We have to be different
don't you know. |
| Two
Seasons: |
We have
two - winter and road construction. Actually it's road
"fixing" construction. |
| Sundog: |
A large,
noticeable circle around the sun on very cold days. Sun
glasses realy help here. |
| Bunny
Boots: |
Big,
fat, white rubber boots that keep your feet warm to -65.
But it looks like you're wearing small boats. |
| Heater
Plugs: |
An
electrical plug protruding from the grill of your
car/truck. Plug it into an outside outlet at home to keep
your engine block warm overnight. Very handy! |
| Fireweed: |
The
weed everyone loves. Grows anywhere it wants to in
Alaska. Has pink flowers and in fall the leaves turn a fiery
red. |
| Dip
Netting: |
Holding
a large fishnet on the end of a long poll in a river waiting for
fish to swim into it. |
| Spenard
Divorce: |
A loud
and sometimes fatal way of ending a relationship made famous in
the Spenard section of Anchorage. Involves a gun. |
| Moose
Gooser: |
Similar
to a cow catcher on the front of a train. We goose here
rather than catch. |
|
|
|
