New words come with living in a new place and attending a different school. During my almost two years at the University of Florida, I have learned a bunch of UF-specific terminology. Whether it has to do with campus landmarks, Gainesville attractions or unique events, this list has just about everything you will need to know:
1. Albert (noun) – The male alligator mascot, who is married to Alberta, and attends most sports games and school-hosted events.
2. Alberta (noun) – The female alligator mascot, who is married to Albert, and attends most sports games and school-hosted events.
3. Anorak (noun) – A navy raincoat with sorority letters on one side and the girl’s name on the other side worn whenever the sky looks a little grey.
4. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (noun) – The large orange and blue stadium where all the football games occur.
5. Billy Napier (noun) – The university’s head football coach.
6. Bimini (noun) – A common Spring Break destination for UF freshmen.
7. Century Tower (noun) – A tall building in the center of campus with bells that ring every fifteen minutes and that glows a different color each night.
8. Chomp (verb) – The movement in which you put your right arm over your left arm and bring them together like an alligator chomping.
9. Construction (verb) – Changes to the landscape are happening all around campus, such as the reconstruction of Broward Dining (a main dining hall on campus), the addition to the architecture school, transforming Inner Road into a two-way road, finishing the Honors Residential College and more.
10. Courting (verb) – An up-to-three-week process in February in which each fraternity bribes two sororities with gifts, songs and private events to choose to pair with them for Homecoming Week in October.
11. Darty (noun) – A party during the day, usually at an off-campus fraternity house.
12. Date Functions (noun) – An event, commonly known as “date parties” at other colleges, hosted by either a fraternity or sorority in which the member brings a date.
13. Dennis (noun) – A bald man in little clothing who is now banned from walking around campus but still spends time yelling and holding signs on University Avenue.
14. FL/GA (noun) – A football game against UGA hosted in Jacksonville known as the largest cocktail party for which students travel in cars or on buses to support the Gators either in the stadium or by tailgating in the parking lot.
15. Fourth of July (noun) – A summer day on which students return to Gainesville to celebrate the country’s birthday in everything red, white and blue.
16. Gatorade (noun) – A sports drink invented at the University of Florida.
17. Gator Growl (noun) – The largest student-run pep rally run by Florida Blue Key in which a famous music artist performs, and other notable alumni speak. This event is typically hosted in the O’Dome. Flo Rida performed in 2022 and Jason Derulo performed in 2023.
18. Homecoming (noun) – A week in October leading up to Gator Growl during which a sorority is paired with a fraternity and has an event with them daily.
19. Humid (adjective) – A word to describe the moist air in the Swamp.
20. Italian Gator (noun) – A common late-night destination on University Avenue in Midtown with pizza and garlic knots.
21. Krishna lunch (noun) – Vegetarian meals served Monday through Friday by volunteers in the Plaza of the Americas.
22. Mid or Midtown (noun) – A plaza, formally titled UF Plaza, home to most of the bars and restaurants students frequent.
23. Moped (noun) – The most common form of transportation on the streets throughout the university since there is not enough parking for cars and the roads on campus are usually closed.
24. Mr. Two Bits (noun) – A diehard Gator fan from Tampa, Florida who has inspired a traditional “Two Bits’ cheer” at all football games.
25. O’Dome (noun) – The indoor arena, officially called the O’Connell Center, for sports games, Gator Growl and graduation.
26. Orange and Blue Game (noun) – The April football game in which the football team splits into two – the orange team and the blue team – and plays against each other.
27. Pike Halftime and Beta Bring It On (noun) – Fraternity dance and cheer competitions amongst all sororities hosted in the Phillips Center in the fall and in the spring.
28. Plaza of the Americas (noun) – A large grassy area in front of Library West where students study, hang out and eat Krishna lunch.
29. Rawlings Hall (noun) – An almost-decomposing freshman dorm known for being dirty and moldy but also for being social.
30. Reitz (noun) – The large student union with a bowling alley, a barber shop, countless dining locations, a large bookstore, meeting spaces and more.
31. Roadtrip (verb) – A fraternity-sponsored trip that girls can attend as friends rather than dates in the fall semester.
32. Scooter (noun) – A transportation vehicle that goes way too fast on the sidewalks and almost takes out every pedestrian.
33. Sign Night (noun) – An over-the-top 21st birthday party. The birthday girl invites all her friends to an apartment for the sign reveal. Friends reveal a 21-shaped sign that is worn throughout the night with all the birthday girl’s favorite things on the front and 21 tasks to complete that night on the back of the sign. There is a theme to the event, guests wear stickers with the birthday girl on them and many photos are taken. Facebook groups are usually created to invite all the guests, inform people of the 21 guidelines for those in attendance and for friends to post funny photos of the soon-to-be 21-year-old leading up to the event.
34. SNAP (noun) – A free night-time driving service that takes students around campus.
35. Socials (noun) – Events hosted by a fraternity at a bar or other venue for a sorority that are known as “mixers” at other universities.
36. Sylly Week (verb) – The first week of each semester during which students prioritize partying over actually being proactive with their work.
37. TAPS (noun) – An annoying towing service that most students have been victims of due to the few parking spots on campus and countless parking restrictions.
38. Tenders (noun) – The university’s prized stray cat that is commonly featured on UF Snapchat stories.
39. The Standard (noun) – An enormous apartment complex on the corner of University Avenue and 13th Street. It has a huge rooftop pool and in-unit balconies perfect for game day photos that are on almost every girl’s Instagram feed.
40. Tom Petty (noun) – A highly regarded music artist born and raised in Gainesville who has unfortunately passed away, also known as the mastermind behind “Won’t Back Down.”
41. University Avenue (noun) – The main street directly across from campus with many dining locations such as Chipotle, Raising Canes, Wawa, Cantina, JustSalad and Cava, Mid and popular apartment complexes.
42. Woodser (noun) – Students get on a school bus for 30 minutes to an hour to party in the middle of the woods.
43. YikYak (noun) – An anonymous app that students use to post whatever they want. This app is most used when something happens on campus, especially during Homecoming courting season and during philanthropy events.
44. “Won’t Back Down” (noun) – A song by Tom Petty that’s played after the third quarter of football games in the stadium. Fans sing along to the popular song and turn on their flashlights.
There are so many fun traditions that make the University of Florida’s student body’s vocabulary unique. Hopefully this dictionary helped educate you about many of the terms used at UF.