Salt Lake City, Utah is unique in many different ways. These unique factors include its twist on the English language through slang terms, food, and many different interesting facts. From biffing it, and Sugahood to fry sauce and the Great Salt Lake, this list offers a complete look at SLC’s most interesting facts and slang !
English School Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City’s Slang Terms
- Biffing it – This slang term means to trip or fall, especially in a dramatic way. This word is especially used on the slopes while skiing or snowboarding. Wow, Carl really biffed it while skiing!
- Sluffing – This word is used when you skip class or when you are being lazy. This is like sloughing off your responsibilities. I sluffed my last class, today. I hope my parents won’t be mad.
- Sugahood – Another name for Sugarhouse, this slang term shows the funky side of a popular neighborhood and shopping district in Salt Lake City. Do you want to head into Sugahood to see a movie?
- Pie and Beer Day – You might think this is just a play on words for the Utah-only holiday, Pioneer Day, but it is actually a real thing! Many people prefer to celebrate the 24th of July with a nice pie and a case of beer instead of attending the Pioneer Day Parade. I can’t wait to eat pie on Pie and Beer Day!
- The 801 – If anyone ever tells you that they are from the 801, this means they are from Salt Lake City. The number itself comes from the Salt Lake City area code for phone numbers. This number is so popular that some people even get tattoos of it. I’m from the 801.
- The Valley – Since Salt Lake and its surrounding areas are in a valley, many people often refer to the areas from Salt Lake City to Draper as just the Valley. It snowed in the Valley this weekend.
- Heck – This word is just one of many euphemisms for swear words in Salt Lake City. Many people here do not like to use curses like hell and choose to replace it with heck. What the heck!
- Frick – This is another replacement for a curse word. In this case, the “f-word”! You can also use fudge, or heck in place of frick. Frick off!
- Lake Smell/Lake Stink – Everyonce in a while, Salt Lake City starts to smell incredibly bad, like rotten eggs. This strange smell is completely normal, however, and it comes from this city’s namesake, the Great Salt Lake! The smell comes from gasses being released from the lake’s floor. The lake stink is really bad today.
- Hurricane – This is the name of a little town just outside of St. George, Utah. When you see this word, you might think it should be pronounced her-i-cain, but you would be wrong! The locals in this little town prefer that you pronounce it her-a-kin. I got chastised for saying Hurricane, Utah wrong.
- The Trax and the Frontrunner – Salt Lake City has a great public transit system called the UTA (Utah Transit Authority). UTA offers bus services and train services. There are two train systems: The intercity system is called the Trax, and the long distance train is called theFrontrunner. The Trax are great for getting around in downtown Salt Lake City and if you have to get somewhere a little bit farther away, you can take the Frontrunner. The Frontrunner can take you from Salt Lake City all the way to Ogden. People often use the Trax and the Frontrunner instead of the word train. I’m taking the Trax to school today.
Interesting Facts about Salt Lake City
- The Greatest Snow on Earth! – The snow in Salt Lake City is regarded as some of the best in the United States, and to the locals, it is the greatest in the world! The snow is light and fluffy which is due to the unique nature of Salt Lake’s dry air. Salt Lake City is so proud of this powder-like snow that this phrase is printed on every Utah license plate, and is the motto of the local ski resorts. You can find more information here.
- Lights, Camera, Action! – Salt Lake City is a location favored by filmmakers for its idyllic mountain views, and clean city streets. Movies filmed here include High School Musical, Hereditary, Dumb and Dumber, and the Sandlot to name a few. Thirty minutes up the mountain is Park City, which hosts the famous film festival, Sundance. While studying in Salt Lake City, you may see some movies being filmed or even a celebrity! You can find more information here.
- Temple Square – Many people think of the Latter Day Saints or Mormons when they think of Salt Lake City, and who can blame them? Utah’s capital is also the capital for this world wide religion! The Church allows tourists to visit just outside the iconic LDS temple and take in the beautiful architecture. You can also visit the Lion House, a restaurant that used to be Brigham Young’s home. If you’re more interested in history, you can go to the visitor center and learn more. You can find more information here.
- The Great Salt Lake – What’s a list about Salt Lake City without talking about the Great Salt Lake? As you might have guessed, Salt Lake City is named after this amazing piece of nature. Just like the name suggests, this lake is made of saltwater and it is so salty, you can float in the water without any effort! This beautiful landmark also offers a unique state park called Antelope Island. On this island you can find bison, and of course, antelopes. You can find more information here.
- There is a mini ocean in the Utah Desert – That’s right, there is a tiny, little ocean in the Utah Desert. This wonder was caused by a warm water spring coming up through the ground in the desert which has the perfect levels of salt to host ocean life. You can visit Bonneville Seabase and SCUBA dive with tropical fish, and even octopi. You can find more information about the little ocean here.
- Fry Sauce – This popular condiment got its start in the 1940’s at a local fast food joint called Arctic Circle. All you need to do is mix ketchup and mayonnaise and then you will have fry sauce! This delicious sauce goes well with fries, hamburgers, and hot dogs. You can find more information about the history here.
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