A Colorado slang term is among the most hated in America

By Shawn Patrick on March 6, 2024

I am a Colorado native, born and raised, and never left the state. Yet if you asked me to name one slang term from Colorado, I probably wouldn’t have an answer. Turns out we have at least one slang term, and the rest of America hates it… 

The site WordTips just put out a comprehensive report on regional slang throughout the U.S., covering 14 areas with distinct dialects:  Hawaii, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, New Orleans, Texas, Chicago, Denver, California, New Jersey, Mississippi, Seattle, Pittsburgh, and “Midwestern.”

Here are some things they found:

Our “most-loved” slang WORD overall comes from Texas.  It’s “conniption,” which is, “a fit of rage or a tantrum.” “Wicked” from the Boston area is second, followed by “kin,” also out of Texas.

America’s “most-hated” slang term is from Chicago.  It’s “slashie,” which is a hybrid bar / liquor store establishment.  The party word “ripper” from the Boston area is the second most-hated, followed by the Denver-area term “Colorado Kool-Aid,” which is slang for Coors.

I don’t know that he created it, but the only reason I even know the term is because country artist Johnny Paycheck released a song “Colorado Kool-Aid” on his 1975 album Take This Job and Shove It.