Norwegians have used “Texas” as slang for “wild” or “crazy” for decades, possibly due to the Wild West stereotype. The phrase is common in Norway, but may not be politically correct in Texas.
Although it has only come to American media attention in recent years, Norwegians have used the word “Texas” as a slang meaning “wild” or “crazy” for decades. The etymology of this colloquialism is thought to come from the popular (albeit stereotypical) image of Texas Norwegians during the Wild West days, complete with cattle stampedes, gunslingers, and bar brawls depicted in the films. Hence the use of “Texas” in seemingly casual contexts, as in “That party was totally Texas!” or “Things really went down in Texas during that football game” makes sense in Norway, even though it might not be politically correct in Texas. While some Texans are quite offended that their state’s reputation has been reduced to an old cowboy stereotype, others view this turn of phrase more positively, with its connotations of action, excitement, and (out of control) fun.
Everything is “Texas” in Norway:
In Norway, you might hear the phrase Det var helt Texas!, meaning “That was totally Texas!”
In 2015, the phrase helt Texas, meaning “completely crazy” was used at least 50 times in Norwegian newspapers.
The “Texas” idiom is thought to have been in use in Norway since the 1970s.
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