1

Higgledy-piggledy

Image: Peter Herrmann

Imagine a table full of random objects, all jumbled together, with no categories whatsoever. Chaotic, right? Well, that’s exactly what "higgledy-piggledy" means. Can you figure it out from context?

When things got all mixed up or disorganized , folks in the Wild West would call it "higgledy-piggledy." This playful phrase was used to describe chaos or confusion. But it’s not only about a mess of objects, a pile of papers sort of mess, it could also be a situation that got out of hand.

It’s believed to be of British origin, but it found a way to cross the pond and make its way into the American frontier lingo. The repeating sound of the words adds to the sense of disorder – kind of like a tongue-twister that reflects the state of things.

2

Bag of nails

Image: Blake Emge

Don’t take this too literally—it gets gross quickly. But when it comes to the meaning, it’s highly relatable. Ever had one of those days where nothing seems to go right ? The Wild West had a term for that: "bag of nails."

When things were in complete disarray, those personal situations that quickly escalated into chaos, they were described as a bag of nails.

Imagine spilling a bag of nails everywhere, gross at first, but then it’s also messy, frustrating, and hard to clean up.

The origin of the term is not very clear, but it paints a vivid picture of total disorder. If you are having a bag-of-nails kind of day, it’s time to take a deep breath and try again tomorrow!

3

Toad strangler

Image: Mike Kotsch

One curious thing about this phrase, originally from the South, is that in every variation it refers to the same animal in the same situation. For example, "frog choker."

In any case, when the rain came down so hard it could "drown a toad," you were in the middle of a "toad strangler."

This funny phrase (although it may not be so funny for the poor toad) was used to describe a heavy downpour , the kind that left everything soaked and muddy. In a land where the weather could change in an instant, such storms were both a blessing and a nuisance. Now, if you come to think about the mud, this wasn’t so funny for the people either!

4

Barkin' at a knot

Image: Robert Gramner

You could get the meaning of this phrase by simply picturing a dog barking at a not. What’s the first thought that crosses your mind? "What on Earth is that dog doing?" Well, that’s pretty much the gist of the expression.

In Wild West lingo, if you were "barkin' at a knot," it meant you were trying to do something impossible or wasting time on a rather pointless task .

This term comes from the image of a dog barking at a tree knot: the dog thinks the knot is a threat, but all the barking gets them nowhere.

It was used on the frontier to describe situations where people were expending effort for no reward. But it can be used today to talk, don’t you think? Time to move on, partner!

5

Leaky mouth

Image: Vitolda Klein

From the gross to the nonsensical and straight into the literal, in the Wild West, if someone had a "leaky mouth," it meant they couldn’t keep their lips sealed, that they talked too much, and, more often than not, spilled secrets. We all know someone like this!

Gossipers were everywhere back then, (and this is still the case!), and having a leaky mouth was definitely not a compliment, as you can imagine. People who shared too much information or spread rumors were seen as troublemakers, which made sense considering the number of outlaws around!

We may not have those kinds of outlaws anymore, but the leaky-mouthed ones are still around!

6

Raisin' sand

Image: Richard Lee

You may have heard the expression "to raise Cain," and if that’s the case, you can guess what this expression means!

When someone was causing trouble or creating a disturbance, they were basically "raisin' sand." You know the type—the kind of person who can’t sit still for a second, the kind that is always kicking up a storm of dust; mischief in every step they take. Well, this expression is about them.

Frontier towns had their fair share of rowdy folks, and raising sand could mean anything from a loud argument to a full-blown fight. And we’ve all seen enough Western movies to know how that usually ended!

7

High-falutin'

Image: Senya Mitin

Pretentious, fancy people have existed since the beginning of times. No society has escaped the "highfalutin’" sort of folks who are always bragging about. Can you guess what it means?

"Highfalutin" or "high-falutin’" referred to people in the Wild West who were acting overly fancy or pompous , and it was not precisely a compliment.

This term was used to poke fun at people who were full of themselves or trying too hard to appear important. The origin of the phrase is a bit hazy, but there seems to be consensus to believe the phrase is a combination of "high" and "fluting" which means having ornamental grooves. Either way, if you were labeled high-falutin’, it was time to dial it down a notch.

8

Guttersnipe

Image: Amsterdam City Archives

Kids on the street trying to survive are not just a thing of today; there have always been cases of children abandoned to their own fate. Back in the Wild West, "guttersnipe" was the term used to describe a homeless kid who was trying to make it on the streets.

These kids were scrappy survivors, navigating the rough streets much like birds picking through the gutters for food.

Dating back to the 1850s, the word became highly popular thanks to Mark Twain’s descriptions in his novels, and it stuck. Had you heard it before?

9

Four-flusher

Image: Klim Musalimov

Oh, who hasn’t had a fun game night with the family that didn’t end quite like one imagined? Suddenly, everyone is arguing over the rules of the game just because there was one four-flasher who couldn’t resist the temptation to cheat!

In the Wild West, a "four-flusher" was someone who tried to cheat their way to victory , and also someone who resorted to bluffing to win a game.

The phrase comes from poker, where a flush requires five cards of the same suit. A four-flusher, then, would be someone who tried to pass off four matching cards as a flush, hoping no one noticed. Outside of cards, the term grew to describe any liar, cheat, or fraud. If you were called a four-flusher, you were someone who couldn’t be trusted. And those were certainly not welcome in the typical Wild West saloons!

10

California widow

Image: gaspar zaldo

The term "widow" in this phrase is quite deceptive because the expression doesn’t refer to a woman whose husband has died. Instead, it referred to a woman whose husband had gone off to seek fortune, often in the California Gold Rush.

These women were left behind, sometimes for years, while their husbands pursued riches out West. Though they were still married, they were called "widows" because they were left to manage on their own.

It was a common term in the mid-1800s, as the Gold Rush drew many men away from their homes. For some women, this separation was temporary, but for others, their husbands never returned. Quite sad, huh?

1

Superior

Image: Brian Beckwith

As we know, Michigan is divided into the Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The discussion about whether the Upper Peninsula should become its own state dates back as far as 1858.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, residents of the region proposed creating the State of Superior , named after the Great Lake that defines the region. Although the movement never gained enough traction, some people still support the idea today, even though Superior would become the state with the smallest population.

2

Jefferson

Image: Kirk Thornton

Jefferson was a proposed state, much like Washington was before it became a state. Picture this: a state straddling Northern California and Southern Oregon, rich in timber and minerals. This was the vision for Jefferson , first proposed in the mid-19th century and revived in 1941.

Residents even declared a symbolic "secession" and distributed pamphlets proclaiming their independence. However, World War II shifted priorities , and the movement eventually fizzled out.

3

Deseret

Image: Wolfgang Hasselmann

Mormon settlers had big dreams in 1849—they proposed Deseret , a massive theocratic state . The name, meaning "honeybee" in the Book of Mormon , symbolized industry and cooperation. But Congress wasn’t exactly buzzing with enthusiasm.

Instead, Congress created the smaller Utah Territory , which at the time included present-day Utah as well as parts of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming.

4

Sequoyah

Image: Nina Luong

In 1905, Native American tribes in eastern Oklahoma proposed the State of Sequoyah , named after the Cherokee scholar who created the Cherokee syllabary .

It was a bold move to create a Native-majority state. However, Congress chose instead to merge the area with Oklahoma Territory to form the state of Oklahoma . The constitution drafted for the proposed State of Sequoyah went on to influence the final Constitution of Oklahoma.

5

Lincoln

Image: Clark Van Der Beken

The proposed State of Lincoln had multiple identities. One version placed it in eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Although the name was intended to honor Abraham Lincoln, other names, such as Columbia and Eastern (East) Washington , were also considered.

Another proposal envisioned Lincoln in southern Texas. This version reportedly had a prepared constitution and a distinctive red flag featuring Lincoln’s face inside a yellow circle.

6

East and West Jersey

Image: Nick Fewings

Can you imagine two New Jerseys? Back in 1674, when the area was still a British province, New Jersey was divided into East Jersey and West Jersey , each with its own government and constitution.

But the separation lasted only 28 years . The territories were rejoined in 1702, and the first New Jersey state constitution wasn’t adopted until 1776, following independence from Britain.

7

Franklin

Image: Dan Mall

The State of Franklin was another plan, except this one worked, for a while. In 1784, settlers in eastern Tennessee had had enough with what they saw as North Carolina’s neglect. They declared independence and formed the State of Franklin , named after Benjamin Franklin, of course.

For four years, Franklin operated as a de facto state , complete with its own constitution and government. However, Congress refused to recognize it, and by 1788, the State of Franklin ceased to exist.

8

Transylvania

Image: Julia Volk

Transylvania (from the Latin for "beyond the woods" ) is more than just a remote land of vampire legends—it was also nearly the name of a short-lived American colony in what is now mostly Tennessee and parts of Kentucky.

In 1775, land speculator Richard Henderson struck a deal with the Cherokee to create the Colony of Transylvania , in parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia. But Virginia and North Carolina declared the venture illegal. Still, the name lives on today in Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.

9

Nickajack

Image: lauren barton

During the Civil War, Union sympathizers in northern Alabama, northern Georgia, and eastern Tennessee proposed the creation of the State of Nickajack . The name came from a Cherokee village, but the idea never gained much traction.

Today, the Nickajack Dam and Nickajack Lake reservoir mark areas that would have fallen within the boundaries of this proposed state.

10

Absaroka

Image: Mohan Nannapaneni

Have you ever heard of Absaroka ? During the Great Depression, residents of parts of Wyoming, South Dakota, and Montana proposed the creation of the State of Absaroka , named after the Crow Nation’s word for "children of the large-beaked bird."

The movement was largely a symbolic protest against federal neglect. Absaroka even had its own license plates and a self-declared "governor," but the state never came to fruition.

11

Westsylvania

Image: Isaac Wendland

Yet another -vania . In the late 18th century, settlers west of the Appalachian Mountains proposed the creation of the State of Westsylvania . Frustrated by neglect from eastern state governments—especially Virginia and Pennsylvania—they wanted a state of their own.

But like many other separatist efforts, the proposal was rejected by Congress and never became a reality.

12

Madison

Image: Library of Congress

Another president nearly had a state named after him—but didn’t. The name of the fourth U.S. president, James Madison, was once proposed for the area that is now part of the Dakotas.

In the late 19th century, residents of what is now southwestern North Dakota proposed the creation of the State of Madison . However, the idea faced a major hurdle: Congress was already considering dividing the Dakota Territory into two separate states. In 1889, North and South Dakota were admitted to the Union, and the Madison proposal was quietly shelved.

1

Seattle: The Seattle Underground

People usually visit Seattle for the seafood, waterfront views, coffee culture, and the famous Space Needle. But underneath the busy sidewalks lies part of the city most tourists never realize exists. Beneath Pioneer Square sits the Seattle Underground, a network of old streets and storefronts buried below modern Seattle.

This area dates back to the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, which destroyed much of downtown. City leaders decided to rebuild the streets one story higher to improve drainage problems that had plagued the city for years. For a while, businesses operated below street level, but eventually this lower level was abandoned. Today, guided tours take visitors through the underground passageways and old sidewalks and mix ghost stories and old city legends with the real story below Emerald City.

2

Chicago: The Chicago River

Between deep-dish pizza, Wrigley Field, jazz clubs, and the towering skyscrapers, few cities feel more American than Chicago. It’s also home to the magical Chicago River, which, in 1900, actually flowed backwards.

Back in the late 1800s, Chicago faced a dangerous problem. The river carried sewage and industrial waste into Lake Michigan, the same lake supplying the city’s drinking water. Disease outbreaks of typhoid and cholera became increasingly serious, and engineers realized something drastic had to happen. In 1900, after years of planning and digging canals, they built a series of canals and locks, like the prominent Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, connecting the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River, forcing the water to flow toward the Mississippi River watershed. That way, they reversed the river’s direction so the contaminated water would flow away from the lake instead of into it. The natural flow was forever altered, but it remains central to city life, especially during St. Patrick’s Day when, according to tradition, it’s dyed bright green every year.

3

New York City: NYPL hidden apartment

Yellow taxies, Central Park, Broadway shows, and nonstop energy have made New York City feel magical. The Big Apple hides many secrets, and the apartment inside the New York Public Library Main Branch is just one of them.

In 1910, the library superintendent, John Fedeler, and his family moved into a private eight-room apartment tucked inside the library. This was so that someone would always be available to maintain the huge building. With bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living area, a full home is hidden behind doors that most visitors passed by. The family lived there until 1941, when the space was converted into offices and storage areas. However, the library still offers tours where visitors can learn about its history.

4

Portland: Mill Ends Park

When you think of Portland, you may think of Washington Park or Forest Park. But if you pay close attention, you can also visit Mill Ends Park. At just two feet across, it holds the Guinness World Record as the world’s smallest park.

At first glance, it looks more like a flowerpot than a public landmark, but the story goes back to 1948, when journalist Dick Fagan noticed an empty hole that had been meant for a light pole. Tired of staring at it from his office window, he planted flowers there and jokingly claimed that, since it was so small, it was a park for leprechauns. The joke took on a life of its own, and in 1976, it was dedicated on St. Patrick's Day. Today, it’s a must-do for travelers going through Portland, and locals continue treating it with surprising seriousness.

5

Houston: The Beer Can House

Everything is bigger in Texas, and Houston is no exception. If you’ve been there, you’ve probably visited NASA, the Museum District, and tried a local barbecue joint. But you’ve probably missed a quirky house hidden among the neighborhoods. Located at 222 Malone St, sits the Beer Can House. The name is self-explanatory, since it’s a house covered with beer cans.

In 1968, John Milkovish decided he was tired of painting and maintaining the exterior of his property. Instead, he began flattening beer cans and attaching them to the house. What started as a hobby slowly turned into a full-blown obsession involving more than 50,000 cans. The house went from being a neighborhood curiosity to a roadside attraction to finally being a protected local landmark in 2001. In 2010, Time magazine even ranked it as one of America's top 50 roadside attractions. True to his Texan blood, John Milkovish built something big.

6

San Francisco: The Wave Organ

No trip to San Francisco is complete without taking the cable car or a picture at the Golden Gate. But tucked away near the Marina District is an attraction many tourists completely miss. The Wave Organ is a gigantic acoustic sculpture that turns ocean waves into music.

Completed in 1986 by artist Peter Richards, t he installation consists of a series of pipes extending into the bay. As tides rise and waves move through the pipes, they create eerie sounds ranging from soft bubbling to deep echoes. Richards was inspired by recordings of artist Bill Fontana, made of sounds coming from a vent pipe of a floating concrete dock in Sydney, Australia. In 1980, he received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and tested the first prototypes during the 1981 New Music Festival. Five years later, he completed this sonic sculpture that runs entirely on nature.

7

Los Angeles: La Brea Tar Pits

Los Angeles is all about Hollywood, palm trees, and the beaches. But it’s also home to one of the world’s most important prehistoric sites. The bubbling black pools at La Brea Tar Pits have been trapping animals for tens of thousands of years.

Long before Los Angeles was the city it is today, natural asphalt constantly came up from underground. Mammoths, saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, and other Ice Age animals became trapped there, preserving their skeletons remarkably well. Scientists began excavating fossils in the early 1900s, and discoveries continue to this day. The fossils recovered from the site are countless. Visitors can explore the museum for $18 and watch active excavations while surrounded by modern office buildings and traffic.

8

Seattle: The Giant Shoe Museum

Seattle already has its share of unusual attractions, especially around Pike Place Market, where fishmongers toss salmon through the air, and crowds line up for fresh pastries. But the Giant Shoe Museum, located there, is even stranger. A single exhibit wall dedicated to oversized footwear , the museum works like an arcade peep show. Visitors drop coins into viewing slots to reveal displays featuring enormous boots, giant clown shoes, and other gigantic footwear.

The museum was founded in 1997 by Danny Eskenazi after he became obsessed with his grandfather’s missing item: the shoe of Robert Wadlow, the tallest man in history. He even offered $1,000 to anyone who could find that Wadlow shoe. Sadly, the shoe remains lost, but his obsession led to the discovery of other shoes worn by Wadlow and more footwear that is now displayed in the museum.

9

Boston: Great Molasses Flood Site

Boston's most popular spots blend colonial and Revolutionary War history with vibrant neighborhoods that feature top attractions like the Freedom Trail, Fenway Park, and the Boston Public Garden. But it’s also home to the remains of a disaster.

In 1919, Boston experienced the Great Molasses Flood. A massive molasses storage tank burst in the North End neighborhood, unleashing more than two million gallons of syrup into the streets. After 21 people lost their lives, the disaster led to stricter construction safety regulations across the country, and the tank was never rebuilt. Today, visitors can still walk through the neighborhood where it happened. There’s no giant syrup wave anymore, thankfully, but plaques and local tours continue telling the story.

10

Lake Havasu City: The London Bridge

Driving through Lake Havasu City in Arizona, you expect desert landscapes, boating, and blazing summer heat. You probably don’t expect to stumble across a famous bridge from England, especially not the original London Bridge itself.

In 1831, John Rennie designed and opened the London Bridge spanning the River Thames. By the 1960s, the bridge started sinking under the weight of modern cars and traffic. Robert P. McCulloch, founder of Lake Havasu City, saw this as an opportunity and, in 1968, he purchased the bridge for $2.4 million. The bridge was dismantled and reconstructed in the Arizona desert, and completed in 1971. What once connected two sides of London now links mainland Lake Havasu City with Pittsburgh Point that visitors and locals enjoy every day.

11

Atlanta: The Center for Puppetry Arts

Atlanta is often associated with Southern cooking, a busy airport, and its important role in the Civil Rights Movement. But tucked inside the city is also the Center for Puppetry Arts, which houses the world’s largest collection of Jim Henson’s original Muppets.

The center opened in 1978, when puppeteer Vincent Anthony transformed a former elementary school into a home for puppet arts. From the very beginning, the project had a special connection to Jim Henson himself. He and Kermit the Frog helped inaugurate the center, and over the years, Henson became one of its biggest supporters. The center expanded significantly between 2007 and 2015, adding the permanent Jim Henson Collection and the impressive Worlds of Puppetry Museum. Unlike many museums, this place is hands-on. Guests can watch live performances, explore exhibits from puppet traditions, and revisit characters that shaped generations of childhood memories.