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Glite Dictionary
Badger State

Badger State

5.6
A nickname for the United States state of Wisconsin
  • proper noun
  • /ˈbædʒər steɪt/
translation icon : Estado de los Tejones
  • Wisconsin, also known as the Badger State, is famous for its cheese.

Examples

  • Have you ever visited the Badger State?

  • Many tourists visit the Badger State to enjoy its lakes and forests.

  • She moved to the Badger State for a new job opportunity.

  • The Badger State is famous for its cheese production.

  • Wisconsin, known as the Badger State, is famous for its cheese and dairy products.

  • Many universities and colleges are located in the Badger State, attracting students from across the country.

  • The Badger State hosts an annual festival celebrating its rich Native American heritage.

Synonyms

Wisconsin
vsBadger State
550 1.0

A state in the Midwestern United States known for many lakes and dairy farms

is a regional nickname used instead of the official state name
WI
vsBadger State
  • US
45 1.0

A state in the north-central United States named Wisconsin

is a regional nickname rather than a written abbreviation of the name

Surface Forms

Badger State main

Morphology

badger + state

A learner who knows 'badger' and 'state' can transparently infer this refers to a state associated with badgers and likely understand it as a nickname. However, identifying the specific referent (Wisconsin) requires background or cultural knowledge of US state nicknames, so the full meaning is not entirely predictable from the parts.

Etymology

Badger State comes from a story about miners in Wisconsin long ago. Those miners dug short tunnels and sometimes lived in them like the animal badgers, so people began calling the area the 'Badger State' and that 'nickname' stuck.