The Hunter's lingo used by the Winchester brothers in Supernatural proves that they were way too cool for their time period. While the fantasy drama series has always banked on music and pop culture references, I think Dean and Sam's code words added a fun layer to their dynamic.
As shown in Supernatural, hunters like the Winchester brothers use a set of specific words with hidden or secret meanings that form their hunter's lingo. While most of the words seem to appear only once throughout the show, 'Poughkeepsie' seems to be their staple code word.
And after my latest re-watch, I think I have finally figured out the meanings behind all of their code words. The words, albeit simple, are linked to pop culture and underscore the brother's deep connection.
More on the Winchester brothers' code words in Supernatural in our story.
Poughkeepsie is the most-used code word by the Winchester brothers in Supernatural
While Sam and Dean have used many code words throughout the seasons of Supernatural, one code word has stuck with the fans and they are still trying to figure out its origins. The code word 'Poughkeepsie ' has appeared a total of three times in the fantasy drama series, in seasons nine, ten and fourteen, respectively.
This particular code word has appeared three times and in the most dire situations. This code word means 'Drop everything and run' and is only used in the most dire situations.
It was first mentioned by Dean in Season 9 Episode 10 to Castiel, when they were trying to remove Gadreel from Sam's body, who had earlier possessed him. Since Sam was not himself, Dean asked Casteil to say Poughkeepsie as this would let Sam to trust them and drive Gadreel away.
Later, Casteil also uses the code word in Season 10 to alert the Winchester brothers that they are in danger.
While the origins of the code word are not explained in Supernatural, I believe that Poughkeepsie signifies a particularly bad hunting experience that occurred in the area. Since I cannot think of any pop culture or movie references for the word, my best guess is that the Winchester brothers had a bad hunting experience in Poughkeepsie and the word stayed with them.
Decoding other Winchester brothers' hunter lingo from Supernatural
Many other code words are sprinkled throughout Supernatural, which are as follows:
Five-O- A reference to the seventies cop show, Hawaii Five-O. The code word is used by the brothers to alert one another about the presence of cops and since they are seldom on the bad side of the law, I think this word would come in handy a lot.
Hilts - McQueen- A reference to the movie The Great Escape where actor Steve McQueen played Hilts. The brothers would often leave each other notes addressed to Hilts signed off by McQueen, which means they need to escape and investigate something together.
Jim Rockford - This is my favorite code word from Supernatural, referring to a fictional private investigator from the 1970s show The Rockford Files. Whenever separated, the brothers would look up at the first motel from the phone book and book it under Jim Rockford, so that the other could find him.
Funky Town- A 1980 disco song by the band Lipps Inc. The brothers would use it to alert each other that the speaker was in trouble, without alarming their enemy.
Stuck to my shoe- An interesting code word used to alert that the speaker is being followed and needs to be discreet
While all of these code words have been used once, it would be interesting to know their origins and more of such hunter's lingo from the Winchester brothers.
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