Although it has only come to the attention of the American media in recent years, Norwegians have been using the word "Texas" as slang meaning "wild" or "crazy" for decades. The etymology of this colloquialism is thought to come from Norwegians' popular (if stereotypical) image of Texas during the days of the Wild West, complete with the cattle stampedes, gunslingers, and barroom brawls depicted in movies. So the use of "Texas" in seemingly random contexts, as in "That party was totally Texas!" or "Things got really Texas during that football game" makes sense in Norway -- even if it might not be politically correct in Texas. While some Texans are rather insulted that the reputation of their state has been reduced to an old-fashioned cowboy stereotype, others view this turn of phrase more positively, with its connotations of action, excitement, and (out-of-control) fun.
Everything's "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.
- It is thought that the "Texas" idiom has been in use in Norway since the 1970s.
