Only in Texas: These Hilarious Acronyms Will Make You Smile

Is it just me, or does it feel like everyone’s talkin’ in code these days, especially over texts? I’m talking about acronyms. Most folks know the usual ones like LOL, OMG, IDK, KMA (which I thought stood for Kids Mom & Animals, but it doesn't), and, well, we’ll leave WTF off this list, because it's not nice.

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Texas Talk Ain’t Like the Rest

But in Texas, we’ve got our own set of Lone Star acronyms. However if you are not from around here, these acronyms just might leave you scratching your head, saying IDK what y'all are trying to tell me here.

Military Roots, Country Wisdom

I grew up around military men, so acronyms like SNAFU, TARFU, and FUBAR weren’t new to me. But when I married my sweet Texas-born wife, raised by real country grandparents, I learned a whole new set of Texas-coded phrases. And y’all, they’re as colorful as a West Texas sunset in spring.

Go Ahead and Print This Out

Here are some of my favorite Texas-style acronyms. Feel free to laugh, learn, or adopt a few. After all, we Texans are SAAW, Smart As A Whip. Furthermore, I highly recommend you print these out and keep a list handy at your desk, by your bedside, and your car in the event you hear one and don't know what it means, because I did.

The Texas Acronym Starter Pack

• AHNC – All Hat No Cattle:
  That boy ain’t got nothin’ he’s all hat, no cattle.
• AGO – All Git Out:
  He was madder than all git out!
• EAAT – Evrythang And All That:
  He thinks he’s everything and all that.
• YEY – Y’all Eat Yet?:
  “YEY?” is practically a greeting around here.
• SASA – Shake A Stick At:
  They had more skeeters than you could shake a stick at.
• AGU – All Gussied Up:
  He’s tryin’ to impress her, so he got all gussied up.
• Born and Raised the Texas Way:
  TB – Texas Born Her folks may be Yankees, but she’s for real TB.
• BAAB – Big As A Brahman:
  When his wife got pregnant, he turned big as a Brahman bull.
• BAD – Big As Dallas:
  That boy grew up to be big as Dallas.
• ITC – In Tall Cotton:
  My wife’s family is living in tall cotton now.
• ASU – All Stove Up:
  He ain’t feeling too well—he’s all stove up.

Sass, Smarts, and Good Ol’ Texas Wisdom

• SAAW - Smart As A Whip:
  That kid’s sharp, he’s smart as a whip.
• FAS - Fat And Sassy:
  Ever since they got hitched, she’s fat and sassy.
• TLT - Two Left Turns:
  He ain’t welcome here, better make two left turns.
• MTWH - Madder Than a Wet Hen:
  When grandma saw the mess, she was madder than a wet hen.
• PYUBS - Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps:
  Time to quit whining and pull yourself up by your bootstraps.
• SFCH - Sic’em From Come Here:
  That city fella don’t have a clue. He don’t know SFCH.

Wrappin’ It Up

Whether you’re new to Texas or just need a little translation help, these acronyms give you a peek into how we talk, laugh, and live in Texas. We might sound like we’re speakin’ code, but really, it’s just Texas talk, y’all. Keep in mind, if someone says you're AHNC, you might want to work on that cattle part.