Are These 7 Popular Montana Terms Actually Used By The Locals?

As you travel across the country, you're more than likely to hear a few terms that might seem a little "foreign" to you, but it's just part of the local dialect.

For instance, what I always called a water fountain (the thing you get a drink out of) is apparently referred to as a "bubbler" in places like Wisconsin. Down south, folks tend to combine or abbreviate words like "ya'll" and "fixin". In the northeast, the term "wicked" is a popular phrase as well.

So does Montana have its own version of terms or words that non-locals might not understand or struggle with?  Apparently, we do.

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The website Enjoy Travel has a list of 7 Montana Slang Words To Sound Like A Local. Now, I'm not sure that any of the folks from Enjoy Travel has actually spent much time in Montana.

Now granted, I wasn't born and raised in Big Sky Country, but I've spent several years here, and with the exception of a couple of these, I'm not familiar at all. So, I decided to ask some locals, and they weren't familiar with most of these either.

So which "slang words" make the list? Let's take a look at them.

Prarie Maggots.  According to the website, this is a slang term for Sheep. They also say that "Meadow Maggots" is also another term for the animal.

A Buck Ninety-Eight. Supposedly a Montana term used to describe something expensive.

Rocky Mountain Oysters. Ok, so we're all familiar with this term and while I've never tried them, I'm told that they're delicious.

Barrow Pit. Enjoy Travel says this is a term that we Montanans use for a ditch.

Chicken Foot. Of course, we're not actually talking about a foot of a chicken. It seems the term chicken foot is used to describe a fork in the road.

Big Stick. Big Timber is a small town located in Sweet Grass Country with a population of under 2000 people, and has the nickname "Big Stick".

Caboodle. Here's another term we supposedly use often in Montana. Caboodle means a full amount.

So what do you think?  If you're a local, are these terms you use on a regular basis? Or is the list way off base? Is there a term or two that we missed?  Let us know by sending us a message on our radio station app.