Slang in dictionary – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Erce
One of the oddest things to come out of Florida may be its lingo, despite the state’s reputation for having some of the craziest stories and happenings.
While several states in the country have their own unique variations of odd words, in South Dakota, a “tavern” is a sloppy joe, not a bar. In Mississippi, “carry” refers to operating a vehicle rather than carrying a weapon.
But in a recent study, which tried to identify the “hardest to understand states” by gauging how perplexed the rest of the nation was by the states’ slang, respondents seemed to be stumped by this Florida phrase, which was coined in and around the Jacksonville area.
The Sunshine State was listed among the top 20 states with the hardest-to-understand slang, according to a study by the language learning app Preply, with the use of the term “jiffy feet.”
Do you know what this word means? If you don’t, you’re not alone; 43 percent of survey participants believed that having “jiffy feet” implied having skillful dancing routines, which is incorrect.
Jiffy Feet: What does that mean?
The term “jiffy feet” refers to the dark layer of dust and grime that forms on a person’s feet after walking barefoot down driveways, city streets, country roads, or almost anywhere.
For instance, if you’ve ever gone barefoot while strolling around your neighborhood on a summer day, your feet were undoubtedly jiffy when you arrived home.
Where did the term “jiffy feet” originate?
Locals in Jacksonville claim that the phrase first appeared in the region in the 1970s, at the height of the Huntley’s Jiffy business. Bill Delaney claims that the company, which was founded in Orange Park, expanded to have 342 outlets, the majority of which were situated in the Jacksonville metropolitan region.
Gas stations and supermarkets are referred to as “jiffy” or “jiffy stores.”
“By the 80s and ’90s, the term was in use in other parts of Florida as well, including Daytona, Ocala, and the Panhandle as far as Pensacola, and even in some other Southern states,” Bill Delaney explained in an article for The Jaxson on the history of jiffy feet. “At least initially, the term’s geographical range likely correlated with the presence of stores named “Jiffy.” Other colloquial or regional names for the concept exist; elsewhere and at other times, dirty feet have been known as “Kmart feet,” “grocery store feet,” “Winn-Dixie feet,” and “gypsy feet.”
According to Delaney, the chain has been acquired twice, and any Huntley’s Jiffy locations are now Circle K locations.
Even though Jiffy stores haven’t existed for a while, Jiffy Feet continues the quick-stop shop tradition.
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Mike has more than 30 years of experience in marketing and public relations. He once owned his own agency and has worked with some of the largest brands in the world.
