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Norwegians Say ‘Texas’ As Slang For ‘Crazy’ – And The Internet Is Going Crazy Over This

an.no/Avisa Nordland
This screengrab from a Norwegian media website shows 'Texas' in a headline.

Five stories that have North Texas talking: Norwegians are crazy for Texas; a Plano family sleeps in one big bed; Fort Worth police stop a DeLorean – kind of; and more.  

When Norwegians like to say something is “crazy,” they say something is “Texas.”

Wait … huh? Oh, Norway, you so crazy! 

Texas Monthly did some research, examining news stories: A police chief tells a Norwegian newspaper about truck drivers traveling recklessly through northern Norway: “It is absolutely Texas.” A soccer match is described as “totally Texas.”

Texas Monthly reports: “The expression dates back several decades, and speaks to how the mythos of Texas has been interpreted in one Scandinavian country: ‘Texas’ = ‘cowboys’ = ‘Wild West’ = ‘an unpredictable, exciting, sometimes scary atmosphere.’”

Anne Ekern with the Norwegian Consulate in Houston explained this craziness to NPR’s All Things Considered.

“This, historically, goes back to watching cowboy movies and reading literature of the Wild West,” she said. “The Wild West held, I think with most Norwegians, held strong Texas associations. So when we use the expression ‘Texas,’ most of us think about a lot of action, a lot of fun and a lot of things going on.”

The Houston Chronicle found some other examples: “A Norwegian band named Plumbo even released a country-tinged rock song called ‘Helt Texas.’ A pizza brand referred to their barbecue beef topping as ‘Helt Texas.’”

As Norwegians might say in the Upper Midwest: Uff da!

  • One of the leading philanthropists in North Texas has died. Margot Winspear was the namesake for the opera house in the Dallas Arts District. She died Tuesday at age 83. Scott Cantrell, a former critic with The Dallas Morning News, told KERA the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House transformed the city’s opera scene. Bill Winspear died in 2007, two years before the opening of the opera hall they helped fund. Their gift -- $42 million – was one of the biggest one-time philanthropic donations in the city’s history. The Dallas Morning News has more details. [KERA]

  • A spokeswoman says Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is recusing himself from some duties of his office. The news comes after his indictment on securities fraud charges. The decision is one of the first examples of how the criminal case against Paxton is impacting his job as the top prosecutor in Texas. He has pleaded not guilty and has said the July indictment would not affect his focus at work. Paxton spokeswoman Cynthia Meyer said the attorney general's office is screening the Republican from "active participation" in matters that could pose a conflict. That includes matters involving the State Securities Board and Texas Ethics Commission. Paxton took office in January. Meyer did not indicate how many times Paxton has recused himself so far. [Associated Press]

  • A North Texas family has created a huge bed where the whole family can sleep. And the family’s getting a lot of attention. The Boyce family from Plano was featured on ABC’s Good Morning America: “Parents Tom and Elizabeth say they turned to co-sleeping with five of their children, ages 1 to 11, when bedtime became filled with fights and tears. To make the new situation work, the family took two IKEA beds and turned them into one sleeping area. ‘I kind of felt silly because it's so simple,’ Elizabeth Boyce said. ‘I wanted to make sure each kid had a little, you know, like some space of their own,’ Boyce said. ‘We hung a little curtain and did little mood lighting, you know, just made it fun.’” The family says it’s sleeping better. And the Boyce family is getting a ton of publicity from media outlets around the world – learn more on the family’s blog.

  • Oct. 21 has special significance for Back to the Future fans. In “Back to the Future Part II,” Marty McFly and Emmett “Doc” Brown travel through time to Oct. 21, 2015. Fort Worth Police had some fun with the date by issuing a fake press release, saying the department stopped a silver DeLorean was stopped Wednesday for driving 88 mph in a 70 mph zone. “The two occupants, Dr. Emmett Brown and Marty McFly were given a verbal warning to drive more safely in the city of Fort Worth,” the press release said. “Dr. Emmett Brown responded by saying, ‘Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.’” Speaking of “Back to the Future,” learn about the DeLorean’s Texas ties.

Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.