Decoding Arizona slang: 12 local expressions and their meanings

One piece of Arizona slang I picked up was “haboob,” and it came up a lot when people talked about sudden weather changes. Locals used it to describe those fast-moving dust storms that roll in out of nowhere, usually with strong winds and zero visibility. I first heard it on a job site when someone yelled to secure tools because a haboob was coming, and within minutes the sky turned brown and gritty.

What the expression really means is more than just a dust storm—it’s a warning to stop what you’re doing and prepare. I learned quickly that when someone says “haboob,” you don’t shrug it off; you protect equipment, get indoors, and wait it out. My advice is to listen to local language like that because it carries practical knowledge locals have learned the hard way. In Arizona, that one word told you exactly how serious the situation was and what you needed to do next.

One local slang term I’ve always heard growing up is ‘Snottsdale’. This is used as a derogatory play on words for the popular city, Scottsdale. It got this name by it’s association with being a very affluent area that attracts wealthy individuals. There’s a stereotype that rich people are ‘snotty’, ‘snobby’, ‘entitled’, or less tolerant of “poor people” which is how this name began. It refers more so to the people of Scottsdale rather than the city itself.

Although it seems like a very rude thing to say, many locals use this in a joking way like “Of course there’s so many nice cars in Snottsdale.” or “Well yeah, of course she acts like that, she’s from Snottsdale.”

I’m not sure if this is a relatively new slang term, but I have spent the last 22 years in Phoenix and have always used this expression. And in my defense, I currently live in Snottsdale and don’t mind when others call it that. As far as I know, I’m not sure many Scottsdale locals care either.

It has kind of become a term of endearment for this affluent city, besides, many Arizonans would love the chance to live here despite all the name calling.

The expression that I picked up pretty quickly in Arizona was “chubasco.” It is used by locals to describe those intense afternoon storms that roll through in monsoon season (usually in August) and is of Spanish origin. You’ll hear people say things like “looks like we’re getting a chubasco this afternoon” when those massive dark clouds start building up over the mountains around 3 or 4 PM.

I recall the first time someone used that word on me. I was at a leather supplier’s warehouse here in Phoenix back in 2020 and the owner came out the door and said “we better load your truck fast because there’s a chubasco coming”. Within twenty minutes, the sky went from bright blue to almost black and the rain came down so hard that I could not see more than a few feet in front of me while I was driving. This all took maybe thirty minutes and then the sun came back out as if nothing happened. That’s pretty much what a chubasco is and after doing a few of them during Arizona summers, you start watching the sky every afternoon just like the locals do.

I met a contractor while working on a $8,400 dollar electrical installation for a new housing development and he taught me that the word “wash” was an important bit of local slang in Arizona. Most people think of a wash as a simple place to clean their tools but out there it refers to a dry sandy path that can turn into a lethal river in a matter of seconds.

We were putting up underground wiring near a steep ridge when this experienced builder yelled to us to immediately pull our trucks out of the sandy gully. The sky was blue above our heads so the danger was invisible until a huge rush of muddy water and branches came tearing down that dry track. This occurs because the storm miles away in the mountains can dump enough rain on these channels to fill them with 4.5 feet of water in less than twelve minutes.

I realized that respecting this term is the only way in which I would protect my $18,500 dollar equipment trailers from being completely destroyed during the summer months. You have to know the language of the desert because it helps you to read the environment and be safe when the weather gets crazy. Understanding these subtle warnings from locals is what makes the difference between a successful job and a total disaster on the site.

In Arizona, I picked up the local slang term the big ditch. In an Arizona context, the phrase is a reference to the Grand Canyon. While most people recognize the Grand Canyon and speak of it with a sense of awe, locals speak of it with a sense of casual understatement.

For Arizona residents, a comment like, “We took some friends up to the big ditch this weekend,” is just a standard comment and a reference to the Grand Canyon. Of course, the phrase does not seek to diminish the importance or beauty of the Grand Canyon, but it is an indication of how Arizona locals like to combine dry humor with some understatement. It is a prominent feature of the state, and this is why to local residents a reference to the “Big Ditch” implies that it is a well-known location and does not need to be over hyped.

This expression shows another characteristic of Arizona residents: they are often understated, even describing extravagant things in a very normal way. This shows you are a local, as a large portion of visitors would never mention such an important, popular attraction in such an informal way. The big ditch is a perfect example of informal pride and a relaxed attitude of referring to a state characteristic.

In Arizona real estate, we’ve got a saying, “lockbox special.” That’s when nobody’s coming to see the house except other agents using the lockbox. When I saw this happening again and again, I started telling clients to spend a little on the front porch. Some new plants, a fresh doormat, and suddenly buyers actually start stopping by. A small investment in how the place looks from the street does a lot.

When I was in Arizona, I heard the slang “The Ten” for the first time. It describes I-10, the main highway that runs through Phoenix. Instead of saying, “Take I-10 east,” they say, “Hop on The Ten and head toward Tucson.” Because of the dropping of “interstate,” it’s still the same highway, but in everyday traffic conversations, it makes giving directions faster. I heard this a lot when doing real estate transactions in the Valley of the Sun, where people seem to spend a lot of time on the freeways.

While I was in Arizona, I heard people call the Phoenix metro area the Valley. Locals use it all the time. Like, someone might say, “It’s cooler up north than in the Valley,” and everyone knows what they mean. It’s casual, not really slang, but it shows how where you are shapes how you live there. I realized that saying Phoenix instead of the Valley shows if you really get the area, like the heat, traffic, and when things happen during the year. Using the Valley right made talking to people easier, like I fit in instead of just being a tourist.

A local shorthand that makes sense after a few times of hearing it is “Santan.” Locals use it when they talk about the area down southeast, like “meet me in Santan” or “there’s a new Target in Santan.” The name comes from San Tan Valley and the nearby San Tan Mountains. However, locals drop the ‘Valley’ part because everyone already knows what they mean.

You’ll hear it in casual conversations all the time. At first, newcomers might stop, but it’s easy to understand after a while. You know what part of town someone is from just by hearing “from Santan.” You don’t need to know street names or a long description about where it is.

I heard the term “Hitting the trail” while working on a short-term basis in Arizona. The term is very casual and simply means to leave or start out on a journey, whether it be for an errand, work, or recreation. An example of this would be a friend telling me “Okay, I’m hitting the trail. Later.” This is an expression that is fun and has a very relaxed feel to it. It represents the spirit of adventure that Arizona has to offer.

“Snowbirds”

One of the colloquial terms I have learned that is mostly used in Arizona is “snowbirds” to give a description of seasonal residents who usually come there from very cold northern regions like Canada during the months of winter. These people are often retirees who relocate to Arizona just for the purpose of enjoyment. They explore outdoor and winter lifestyle before going back north when summer approaches. This term is mostly used when the residents talk about traffic congestion, community dynamic changes, and crowded surroundings. While sometimes humorous or neutral, “snowbirds” can also symbolize subtle frustration at the strain of seasonal population.

“It’s a Dry Heat”

When I visit Arizona, one of the most used slang or local expressions I have learned is “It’s a Dry Heat”. This expression gives us a true reflection of how residents rationalize the extremely high desert temperature. Although summer highs usually go above 105°F, local people highlight the low humidity to differentiate their region’s climate from other regions’ oppressive and heavy heat. Incredibly, people use this phrase very commonly in their daily conversations, specifically when they have to respond to the discomfort and shock of visitors. In addition to the literal meaning of this phrase, it is a true representation of the cultural mindset of the people there due to their prolonged adaptation to living in the desert. It symbolizes regional pride, resilience, and the idea that the temperature of Arizona is not too high and living there is possible if people know how to live with it.