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Las Vegas Local Expressions
Some can be confusing for a newcomer, and the meaning isn't always obvious. Others require that you understand the context, before they make sense. Some are just the natural language of a fast growing city built around the business of gambling. "I just put in an RO." "Have you ridden a CAT Deuce yet?" "That's all BLM land." When we first moved here, I wouldn't have known what any of that meant. Now that I do, I'll pass it along to you. I'll try to cover the everyday local expressions here, but there are a couple of categories that I'll put on their own page. This section will continue to grow, as I think of, or hear, more local expressions.
BLM: Bureau of Land Management. Your tax dollars at work. The best numbers I can find, indicate the BLM owns about 86% of the land in Nevada, and about 89% in Clark County. The land in outlying areas seems to be used mostly for shooting at, or housing military installations. I'm not sure what they do with the Clark County Land. CAT: Citizens Area Transit. Our local bus system. Deuce: Not a low value or wild playing card, but one of the double deck buses that run on The Strip. Good Luck: Unlike some places, where this is a sarcastic expression, in Las Vegas it's considered good manners. No doubt, it migrated from the casinos into everyday usage. Gentleman's Club: As you might expect, a little different from a club in New York, or Boston. These clubs provide female entertainment for gentlemen (and the occasional Lady). Las Vegan: Anyone who calls Las Vegas home. Native: Just what you'd think ... someone born in Las Vegas. I only included it here, because it is extremely rare. "So where are you from?": With 5000 or more people moving to Las Vegas every month, the natural assumptions is everyone is from someplace else. That, by the way, is not true. Since 2002, I have met 6 people who were born here. Update (February 2008): I just met another one, so I now know 7. Tourist: Not always used in a complimentary way, a tourist is one of those very wonderful people who's money stays in Las Vegas to help keep taxes low. Be nice to them. R.O.: A reverse osmosis filtering system used generally on individual sinks and ice makers. A very effective, if somewhat wasteful device for turning Las Vegas city water into something drinkable.
The first time someone suggested I take DI to Paradise, I had no idea what he was talking about. He was actually suggesting a pretty good route to McCarran Airport. Take a look at Place Names, to avoid the same kind of confusion.
For those of you who are not big time gamblers, I've also added a list of some
Gaming Terms.
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