Mental Floss

11 Obscure Regional Phrases to Describe the Cold

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It's very cold, and we're running out of ways to say that. So we reached out to the editors of the incredible Dictionary of American Regional English for some suggestions.

1. "It's so cold, milk cows gave icicles"

Editor Roland Berns dove into the DARE freezer to find phrases survey recipients used to describe frigid weather over the years.

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2. "Whizzing cold"/3. "Cold as whiz"

Some of these may have been popular in the past in certain regions.
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4. "It gives a body the flesh-creep"

Others, like this one meaning "the shivers," never caught on.

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5. "It's so cold, ager bumps a-poppin’ out all over me"

Some are overdue for a comeback.

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6. "Cold as blixen"

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7. "Colder than the hinges of hell"

This was also the title of an article by Hank Green.

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8. "Hasn't been this cold since eighteen-hundred-and-froze-to-death"

Probably hasn't been used since then, either.

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9. "Cold as Blue Flujin, where sailors say fire freezes"

According to Herman Melville.

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10. "As cold as Finnegan’s feet the day they buried him"

From the Raymond Chandler novel Farewell, My Lovely.
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11. "Colder than a brass toilet seat in the Yukon"

Thanks to Dr. Joan Hall and DARE science editor Roland Berns for their assistance! You can keep up with the Dictionary of American Regional English on Twitter and Facebook.

All images via Getty