Thursday

My Guide to Country Vernacular

I'm a southern girl.

I grew up in the heart of Texas and have lived here most of my life. (Except for some missions work in another country= Arkansas.)

My father raised me saying things like  "pull my fanger" and let's go "wersh the car." My Mom brought us up always  'fixin to go somewhere'. 

So, yes, you could call us Upper Class.

The South is a good place to be raised (except for the pulling of the finger part).

But I married a man who was raised in the country.

Turns out there's a big difference between southern and country.

A dictionary would have been very helpful. But I've had to create my own in order to communicate with my darling man:


six one half a dozen the other-things are pretty much equal

dinner-lunch

supper-dinner

spell me-take over for me

yard bird-chicken

fish or cut bait-hush and make a choice

a coon's age-a long time

chewin the fat-catching up and talking about nothing

plum wore out-tired

like white on rice-sticks together

he's happier than a dog layin' under a bread wagon-now that's happy!

spit in one hand and wish in the other and see which one fills up faster-wishful thinking

it's comin' up a cloud- it's going to rain

So, if I ask my hubby how his parents are doing when he gets off the phone with them, I might hear something like this:

"I haven't talked to them in a coon's age. My Mom says thinking I'll call her is like spittin' in one hand and wishin' in the other. But now, she's happier than a dog layin' under a bread wagon! We just chewed the fat. They are fryin' yard bird for dinner. They were working in the garden but it's comin' up a cloud. My dad was glad for the rain because he's been at it like white on rice. I know he must feel like he's plum wore out."

See what I mean?

I know there's a lot more to the world than just the South and the Country, what are some of the sayings from around your parts?

Because I'm wondering if things are six half a dozen or the other....................

96 comments:

Pam said...

Somebody I know does that dinner and supper and lunch mix up thing and it drives me nuuuuuuts!

I also remember " dreckly" which I believe was short for "directly" but it meant 'in a minute'!

Amber @ Classic Housewife said...

LOL!!!

I've been here in Texas since I was six, so pretty much always, right? =)

Growing up, my mom (who has lived in Texas, Alaska, California and I'm pretty sure some other places before Texas again) OFTEN told us to spit in one hand and wish in the other. So much so we were plum wore out from hearing it.

For me, lunch and supper and dinner have always been pretty much interchangeable. Six of one, half a dozen of another. Though, I didn't really start hearing and using that phrase until after I was married and made friends with a gal who has lived here in Texas all her whole life. (And since she's seven years older than I am, that's practically a coon's age.)

I married a fine upstanding man also, whose favorite game to play with our children is "pull my finger." It's a regular around our house. Though his mom and her family is from Virginia or West Virginia - somewhere off in the hills where I can hardly understand a word that they're sayin.

Well, I've had fun sittin and shootin the breeze with you, but I'm fixin hit the sack.

SouthernProletariat said...

sadly enough...I didn't need the definitions.

Nancy M. said...

We say most all of the things your husband says, so I don't need the dictionary, lol! I am country and southern!

RLR said...

You left out "over yonder"! I knew nearly all of these :)

Unknown said...

I grew up eating homegrown mushmelon (cantalope) and tators (potatoes) and pea-can pie. MMMMM mmmm, makes me hungrier then a hog on slop!

Unknown said...

Omg...is it sad that I knew most of these too? Lol...I always heard "If a frog had wings he wouldn't bump his [butt] every time he jumped..., dinner and supper are interchangeable over here in SC too...and my hubby says other things too...like..."That boils my buttons"...rofl...in other words it makes him mad...wish I could think of more at the moment!

pcb said...

I'm another one who didn't need any of the definitions. You might want to add "Bless her heart" and here's a good post on that one: http://fluffyflowers.typepad.com/fluffy_flowers/2008/03/bless-her-heart.html

Unknown said...

p.s.....here's one or two--

http://yesiknowwhatcausesthat.blogspot.com/2009/05/grammar-check.html

sorry!

Melissa Stover said...

i'm from arkansas but it must be country because i knew what all of that meant. when i first started writing i remember asking someone how to spell fixin.

Dorci said...
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Dorci said...

When I was dating my now husband, the first time I heard my mother-in-law say, "get the firl," I thought what in the heck...? And I'm from Kentucky! I guess there's a huge difference between Tennessee and Kentucky. She started laughing when she saw the confused look on my face and explained that "firl" is "foil." We all love to try to make her pronounce it "foil." Deciphering her country-speak is now a fun sport for the whole family!

Melissa from Puddin Pop Designs said...

I spent my early childhood being raised in Texas and Mississippi thenmoved to Tennessee is H.S. so... Southern and Country mixed!
how about...
you tend to your rat killin and I'll tend to mine= mind your own business.

actin like a long tailed cat in a room full of rockers= nervous, very nervous

scat ole cat= bless you.

scouthern+country= scountry!

Anonymous said...

I must be some scary combination of Southern and country because I recognized most of those, but I'm definitely a Southern girl. We're always fixin' to go somewhere, but I'm all about six of one half a dozen of another.

Here are a few for you:

Bens -- I think it's short for "being as." Ex. Bens you're going upstairs, would you fix me some tea?

Madder than a mashed cat -- really mad

I Swany -- I swear. Well, I swany. I haven't seen you in (here's another one) a month of Sundays.

I could probably think of a dozen more, but it's late and I'm tired AND I use this stuff so much in my regular speech it doesn't sound noteworthy to me.

Oh, and I do live where *every* soft drink is a Coke.

Christi said...

I am a southern girl married to a country boy but it has been so long that we have been married that I understand most of his expressions.

He once made the mistake of calling me a "cute little heifer." That was the last time he compared me to any sort of a cow, but apparently a country girl wouldn't find that offensive.

Jenny said...

Since I'm in Australia I could write a book (or maybe a blog post) about the crazy sayings around here. My favorites: "How ya, going?" (used instead of "How are you?") "Arvo" is afternoon, "Brekkie" is breakfast. My least favorite: "Ta" instead of "Thank You". Some things just shouldn't be shortened!

Anonymous said...

I am always saying "ustacould." I can't help it, it just blurts out! Whew now that I got that off my chest...off to read the others.

Unknown said...

We say six of one, half dozen of the other in Ireland, and it makes no never mind which means the same thing.

~*Michelle*~ said...

In New England.....we say soda, not pop. It's a lollipop, not a sucker.....

Oh, and wicked mean very, not evil

....like it's wicked hot outside.

Megan said...

I live in Massachusetts. We say things like "bang a u-ey" for make a u-turn. We also call water fountains "bubblers" which sounds more like "bubblahs" when we add the Boston accent.

bridget {bake at 350} said...

I've never heard of "spell me."

Have you been to County Line BBQ? They sell a really funny CD of the "country" or maybe "Texas" language. :)

I love that all soft drinks here are "coke." "Want a Coke?"

Amanda said...

My husband is from Texas but you would never know it. When my family first met him they couldn't believe it! He doesn't have a hint of an accent and the only time something Southern comes out of his mouth is when he is chatting with his family and I occasionally hear a y'all or fixin'.

I on the other hand am from Connecticut and 100% a New England girl! The only thing I can think of that is always a cause for commotion is the mix up between a grinder/sub/torpedo/sandwich. I grew up calling them grinders (which is what the menu says up here!), hubby calls them subs. When my dad went down south for a while he asked directions to the nearest grinder shop and found that following the directions landed him in a hardware store...go figure....

Traci @ The Bakery said...

What about "ninety to nothin'"...still don't get that one but find myself saying it all the time...."He shot down the road like ninety to nothin!"....is doesn't make sense....I guess since we country folks are backwards, it is the backwards of 0 - 60.....who knows?

'em instead of them
Pop for Soda Pop

It can be maddening, can't it?

Vintage Christine said...
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Linda Miller said...

I'm so glad someone else brought up the "coke" thing. I grew up in Louisiana and now live in Maine. Everything to me was "coke" and then you're asked what kind (i.e. Dr. Pepper, Coke, Mountain Dew, etc.) Now after being here six years I've had to change and say soda or no one knows what I'm talking about.

Vintage Christine said...

Here in southern Mississippi it's pretty much a combination of "yat" (Louisiana) and 'neck. So you can get "Where ya mama at?" for a question and "She's back air" for an answer. We moved here 15 years ago from California and at first all we could do was smile and nod our heads as we couldn't understand a word anyone said!

Pam said...

First of all, let me just say that "pull my finger" isn't regional - it's a male thing that happens no matter what part of the country you grew up in. They probably say it in China, too.

I grew up in Michigan - but my family had all migrated from the West Virginia area. My granny used to say, "Why, he/she's just as brazen as a brass monkey." Translate - They are very gutsy with not much thought for tactfulness. "Push the door to" = close the door. Once my mom sent me across the street to buy "light bread". I came back with light bread, you know, a lighter calorie version of regular bread. What she really wanted was "white bread". Gee, how did I miss that one? I could go on and on, but I'll spare you.

BTW, I understood every last phrase your hubby uses. That conversation made complete sense to me!

Bailey's Leaf said...

I'm from Ohio, which is neither Southern or Country. (At least where I live, but Ohio should really be split into North Ohio and South Ohio. The Appalacian region of Ohio definitely varies wildly in language and tradition from the north.) Anyhow, let me think . . .:
Treelawn -> the devilstrip (AKA the strip of grass between the sidewalk and road.)
Pop -> A north Ohio thing. It's soda/coca cola or whatever y'all call the fizzy drinking stuff.

You know, I can't think of anything specifically regional, though I'm sure there are things. I launder my clothes rather than wash (or wersh) it. I'll phone someone, as opposed to calling them (on the phone.) Many things are "across the way," though admit that I used to go "acrost the way" until a coworker kept making fun of me. I annunciate my words and admit that the sales call that I got yesterday at work stating that it was an "impordant" message kind of drove me crazy just a little.

Bailey's Leaf said...

PS If all "pop" is called Coke in the south, how do people know what flavor you want? That has confused me for years.

Nikie said...

My family is from Oklahoma and my in laws are European. Yes, the wedding was interesting. My favorite Okie expression is " down yonder" - my husband still wants to know how far a yonder is.

Stephanie said...

My mom is a Texan, but married a preachers kid from MN. To this day if she hears the song "The Yellow Rose of Texas" she stands and puts her hand over her heart. But I grew up in Minn. Or more commonly known as the frozen tundra. We drank "pop" and if we were calling the gang together it was "hey, you guys". And there are lots of "Oh yah's". But my hubby was born in TX to two die hard Texans and shortly after moved to SC. So our kids call the gang together with "you guys" but if they are playing cops and robbers one of them is always the "shurrif". We are a good mix of a lot.

Sara said...

My grandparents, in Northwestern Illinois, always said "pertnear", which means "pretty near". As in, "we picked pertnear 4 quarts of berries." I don't hear this too much these days, as my folks don't say it and neither do we in my family, but I'm guessing up in heaven it's pertnear a given that it's being said!
Love your writing and your family!
God's blessings to you!

Kasey said...

Yet another entertaining post!! I love your blog. My FIL grew up in Kentucky. He says all of those things. And it's not Wal Mart, it's Wal MarK and K Mark. He loves to make up his own words too, that I have never heard of. I'll have to show him your list, he'll get a kick out of it. Oh, he always calls my kids, pansies. I.E. "You're gonna make a pansy out of her if you give her another kiss, Mama." Pansy is getting really old, but it's his thing. Just wondered if that is a Southern thing or just him?

Patti said...

Visitin' some friends in Alabama, I was tickled pink to hear this directed at company jest arivin':
Hey! Jeet yet? We're fixin' to cut some watermellon out yonder di-rectly.
Oh - and it's pecahn not pea-can > My granma in TN had an outhouse & the pee-can was what you used when it was too wet or dark to go outside. Just sayin'...

Brandi said...

I grew up in Texas too, but we didn't talk like that! ;-) My husband's family is from Alabama though . . . waaaay out in the sticks. My favorite thing his Dad says is "ever who y'all is" like ever who y'all is that's leaving dirty dishes in the sink needs to clean up. His grandparents do that dinner/supper thing and it ALWAYS confused me.

Patti said...

Oh - and mo' meanin's:
lunch = noonish
dinner = large mid-afternoon meal (like on a Sunday after church dinner on the grounds)
supper = evening meal

Unknown said...

I grew up in the country of New Mexico and totally get the whole thang. Now I'm in the midwest and miss the colorful language terribly! When I went to college I actually was surprised that "fixin" to do things was considered country. And now I've gotten used to saying "pop" instead of "coke" and still cringe every time.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

Emily said...

I grew up in Arkansas, so sadly, I did not need your dictionary! :)

Sarah said...

I'm born and bred Minnesotan, and rural Minnesotan at that. So that was pretty much a foreign language.

We call it "pop" instead of soda.

A very common sentence addition is "so then." You can have it together or split. "So then, are you going to the movies?" or "So, are you going to the movies then?"

Also, we have no problem ending a sentence using with (apparently not everyone does this?). "I'm going to the movies, do you want to go with?" (instead of "with me")

If you ever saw the movie Fargo, the accent is pretty spot on for where I live. And on Saturday Night Live the "Terget" lady sounds about right too. Anybody who wants to tell you differently is probably from the Cities (which is Mpls/St. Paul).

Listen to "A Prairie Home Companion" with Garrison Keillor, and you will pretty much know my life.

Unknown said...

In reference to the White on Rice. We also say

"Like a duck on a june bug"

oldwomaninashoe@live.com said...

I'm in Rural Northeastern Indiana. I come from a long line of farmers who married southern women. So things are pretty strange at times. The six half dozen made me laugh. Here it's six of one, half dozen of the other, meaning it doesn't matter. Soft drinks are pop. A Zink is a sink, throw back to a time when sinks were made out of zinc. That one makes me crazy so I have always called it a sink. A sofa was a "davinport". Supper was the last meal of the day. Dinner was the noon meal. My grandmother was always getting a poke for us to take something home in. When I married my husband it got even better.
We live in Amish country with a community that was settled by the Swiss to the south of us. According to my husband's grandmother who didn't speak English until she was 7 and forced to go to school, the Amish speak Slop Bucket Dutch and she spoke high German. You knew you were in trouble when she would "AWK" at you. It wasn't a good thing.

The Source said...

Ever heard of a "hose pipe?" That's what we water our yards with. NOT a water hose.

My mother-in-law does this thing where she says "They've not got any" or "I've not done that" instead of "I haven't" or "They haven't" and I don't know why but it drives me nuts.

She also leaves out entire parts of names. For instance I am "Steph-knee" and my son is "Zach-ree" and her grandson is "Cam-run" she always leaves out the "UH" in the middle. She grew up in the hills of North Carolina and she says "chimbley" and "batt-ree" and stuff like that, too.

Mandi@TidbitsfromtheTremaynes said...

It took me a while to learn that here in Carolina being "Wide Open" doesn't mean what I think it does, i.e., you're schedule is empty. On the contrary, it means you are completely full. I guess like a wide-open throttle. I still don't get this.

Wade's World said...

Is it sad that I didn't need your definitions at all? You also forgot that all stores end with an "s" such as Walmarts or Kmarts!

And no offense, but I cringe when I hear someone say "pop" instead of "coke."

Emily Ann said...

I grew up in the country in Arkansas. My husband, on the other hand, grew up in the hills of Arkansas. Let me tell ya, there's a difference between country and hillbilly! Most of his family's "sayings" are repeatable.

A few I learned growin' up were:

member = remember
lunch = a time reference, somewhere around noon
chunk = to put something in the trash
coke = any soda, you must then specify what kind; Dr. Pepper, Pepsi, Coke, etc.
winda = window

Anonymous said...

Well, at least you're not a little bit of both, like I am. I don't know if that makes me a mut or what...i'm a little southern and a little country, too. I grew up in Oklahoma and have found myself in Texas for the past year (Gasp!).

Sooner born, Sooner bred, and when I die, I'll be Sooner dead! :)

Reflections in My Mirror said...

We are born and bred Texans - me from the Dallas area and my husband from deep EAST texas. My daddy says things like "finer than frogs hair" and "go-on" like go on but "mushed" together. Food is another interesting thing. I was raised what I thought was "country" but then I met my husband who is REALLY country - lots of fried foods and greens and taters and pies. But I can make his mommas fried pork chops so I am good! Loved this post!!

Janelle said...

Well, heavens to Betsy. I grew up on a farm in Kansas. Lunch is dinner, Dinner is supper, and a large mid-afternoon snack is lunch. Confused yet?

Screwed Up Texan said...

I hardly comment here, but I must say it is puh-con pie. Pee-can is something your pawpaw peed in. I lived in San Saba--Pecan Capitol of the World--so I know. :)

Cotton pickin' (danged)

The other day my middle child watched what I was doing and then looked at me and said, "What in TARNATION?!" Yep, he's a Texan.

Many many more, but I dont want to waste your space. Besides I have got tweetin' to do.

Beth S. said...

I'm from Ohio...we always tease my Mom for some of the words she uses. Like "jim-cracky" (ie: Clean up all this jim-cracky around here(bunch of random things) and "piddly" means bunch of little unimportant things (ie: What is all this piddly stuff? or I don't give a piddly!) Sad thing is, I find myself using some of her terminology more and more!

The best one is "hoochie-bob!" She and her Mom made that word up as a code word for a bra since my Mom was the oldest of 8 and embarassed to say "bra" for fear of getting teased by her younger siblings! I'd have to say that I'd definitely be more embarassed to say "hoochie-bob" than bra!!! I guess back then they didn't call people "hoochies" so it probably seemed fairly innocent at the time!Unfortunately, I didn't know it wasn't a real word until I made the mistake of saying it in front of one of my friends! Boy, the look they gave me before bursting out laughing!!! PRICELESS!

Sad thing is...she was raised as a CITY girl and married a country boy! One wouldn't think that by some of the words she uses!

Michelle said...

We grew up in the country and I always remember my Grandmother telling us "don't do the devan that way" = quit jumping on the couch or sit up the right way, which ever. There should definatley be a dictonary.

Mary @ Giving Up On Perfect said...

Oh, the supper/dinner/lunch debacle! My husband is country, and my family is southern - so I know most these phrases! I have to admit, I'm hoping our daughter takes more after the southern side of her family than the country side!! :)

Rachel@just another day in paradise said...

The Arkansas thing is beginning to disturb me. You must have been in a bad part of the state. Some of us are good people--I promise!

Jaden Paige said...

Up here in NH, we just say "wicked" a lot. In place of extremely... IE: Things can be wicked cool. We get wicked tired, and that chicken was wicked good.

Ironically, wicked never means "mean" around here. :)

MamaBear said...

My hubby and I are born and raised Texans.

Now his momma was/is an Okie. She says she is a missionary here in Texas. She was raised in the cotton fields and has a phrase for everthing. But my favorite is "like puttin socks on a rooster" meaning very hard to so.

She also as a meaning for evertime you drop some thing like if you drop a fork someone hungry is comin to visit.

Now Pa grew up in the country here in Texas and still to this day swears he and his brother would walk five miles to school and one would wear their only pair of shoes to school and the other would get to wear them home. Plus they were so pour that they couldn't even pay attention.

Later their family struck oil on their land and first thing their mama did was go get her hair done in the the beauty parlor. Pa's dad went and bought a brand new Chevy which the two brothers rolled in the bar ditch when they returned from the war in Korea.

I love to here them talk about their childhood.

Kimberly said...

Born in the south, we moved up north for a "stitch" when I was in the ... 4th grade. Trying to fit in, I ran out the door screaming "Wait, y'all guys!" instead of "you guys". I am still teased about it TO THIS cotton-pickin day by my northern friends!

The Peacock Pearl said...

oh that's great. i'm born and raised texan, but grew up in Houston so i don't have an southern/country accent but i for sure say "y'all" and "fixin'" and everything is "coke" until your more specific. and i definitely condense longer words into two syllables or less (some call it laziness, i call it being efficient).
funny thing is that my husband is from washington state and sounds more east texan than i do, i s'pose it's cause he werks with'em all day. :)
i need me some grits now!

Tiffany said...

I'm from, and currently still live in, Arkansas. I haven't heard some of those phrases, but I'm certainly familiar with "plum wore out". I can't stand the term "supper". Why do we even have the word "lunch" if we are just going to call lunch "dinner". lol!

Maddy said...

Good grief! I only knew one of those. I do like these translations though it makes a foreigners life so much easier.
Cheers

Staci said...

I love this post. I was born and raised in Texas but moved to Newfoundland Canada last year for my husband's work. I miss everything about Texas and the USA. Don't fret though it's only a 3 year assignment.

Katie @ Heart Gone Walking said...

"Yard bird" totally cracked me up. I have a Southern SIL and my favorite phrase of hers is "you can get glad in the same pants you got mad in."

I might adopt that one as our family motto. :)

ShEiLa said...

This post is too cute... I feel like I reckon I had a learnin today.

I'm not uppity like my kin when you talk or write with 'in instead of 'ing it drives them crazy... no me I love it!

ToOdLeS.

Emily E. said...

I'm from the country and the south, so, obviously I know all bout that.

I say "six of one, half dozen of another" all the time. Drives my husband crazy.

ParkerMama said...

"Oh, my heck!"

crick for creek

"She's gone down to the grocery store." Even if the grocery store is actually NORTH of where that person lives.

Ahem.

Can't conjugate a verb? Well, come on down. You'll fit right in.

Anonymous said...

I'm laughing hysterically! I grew up in KY, my husband is from Philly and we live in WI. My parents were just here visiting and my dad told my kids to pull his finger. They think he is hilarious. I say "six one way and half a dozen the other" quite a bit as well as some of those other expressions. And we always go "down" somewhere no matter where it is located geographically! LOl Which is why I STILL don't know my coordinates....Aunt Pippy

TxFarmhouse said...

Ah, yes, all too familiar round these parts of Texas. I married a true country cowboy who pronounces our daughter's name "Jill" in 5 syllables. And just try and follow him when he reads names out of the Bible!

Julie said...

Haha! That's awesome! I grew up in Texas with parents from rural Iowa. My favorite saying of my grandma's: "goat" - As in, "I have to goat the bathroom." or "We need to goat the store." In English, "go to". :o) Fun stuff!

Becca said...

My family gets mad at me when I refer to the evening meal as dinner lol. But many of those are pretty common for this Southern city girl. I think maybe there is a difference in "southern" throughout the South? I'm in SC.... and I'm always fixin' to do something :)

Cathy said...

I'm familiar with most of those and probably used quite a few of them myself!!
We always said "six of one, half a dozen of another"

Fun fun post!!!!

Beki - TheRustedChain said...

Girl, you are hysterical.

I grew up in Southwest Missouri, very close to Arkansas so I'm quite familiar with these.

Sophy Nextdoor said...

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest but now I live in the Southwest desert. One thing that I found weird was the way no one is Mrs. Kids call all their Sunday School teachers "Miss" and their first name. It really bothered me for a long time, because I am not a MISS. In the Northwest, we use either first names or Mrs.Lastname.

Sophy Nextdoor said...

Oh, and regarding "dinner", it's the biggest meal of the day. On Sundays that might be at lunchtime, the rest of the week,it's probably suppertime.

Amy said...

Hee hee! My dad's from Oklahoma so I knew what most of those were. Although I wouldn't have known "yard bird". :P

I'm truly not aware of funny venacular here in the PNW. Although we do have some silly habits, like wearing socks with sandals in the spring or fall (which is pretty much the same season here when you think about it) and feeling the need to throw a party every time the sun shines.

We also NEVER use umbrellas, and it rains here 9 months of the year. But if you use an umbrella then people assume that you must be from California. And California is like a bad word here. lol

Smockity Frocks said...

These may not be particularly country or southern, but they crack me up.

My grandma used to always accuse people of "puttin on airs", meaning they were acting snooty.

Also, "she didn't aim to", meaning it wasn't intended.

And if your clothes don't match or you haven't coordinated your florals and plaids, "OOoooh! Girl! You be color-bookin'!"

grannyann said...

Gads you must have a 1000 comments. I had to scroll down a mile. I was born and raised in the Texas Panhandle so I knew those terms. Was "lickety split" on the list?

Anonymous said...

We say "6 of one, 10 of the other." Its an old Czech statement my grandma used to say. It means basically, no matter what you choose it will not be fair.

I say "a couple bricks short of a Happy Meal."

Michelle said...

I loved this post and reading everyone's comments.

I was born in CA and lived there until I was 10, then grew up in CO, and just moved to MD.

My husband was born and raised in CO but moved around for the Navy. My favorite sayings he told me about from the south are "I want a coke. Which kind?" (like a bunch of people said, I had never heard of such a thing).

Also we went to Autin, TX for a wedding and I was hoping to hear some southern accents. All I got was the lady at Denny's ask my husband what kind of tea? I didn't know there were different kinds. They don't brew sweet tea in CO in resturants.

Holly Campbell said...

I use the six of one. . .I also grew up with supper being the evening meal, and dinner could be a nicer lunch, i.e. Sunday dinner, or the evening meal. I guess I did grow up in the country, in Michigan. . .

Lisa said...

I'm from Texas, and while I don't particularly consider myself country, I guess my parents are. I needed no translation for most of those.
The particular version of the "spit in one hand" saying that I'm familiar with uses another word instead of spit. I guess it makes about as much sense, but it's way more gross. Come to think of it, there are a number of folksy sayings my parents and other relatives are fond of, which would be wholly unsuitable for a family audience. Funny stuff though...
Cute post tonight. It cracked me up.

CJ'SMOMMY*KIMBERLY said...

I guess I'm not only southern ,I'm country too,lol.
Most of them I've heard except the yard bird which dh knew what it meant.
All carbonated drinks are "Coke",yep it's Walmarks and Kmarks here.
Lol when we were in WI noone could understand my husband.He has a deep southern drawl ,like Trace Atkins.When we were in a cafe eating we could feel people staring like we were from outer space,lol.I guess sometimes TN is it's own planet.

CJ'SMOMMY*KIMBERLY said...

Oh yes Lisa I hear my mother and dh say the other word for spit too in that saying.It ryhmes with spit.

Beth said...

I read through the posts and didn't see anyone mention britches (pants)! I'm not sure if it's a country/southern thing or what. I don't know anyone who says it other than my Mama's family and they live WAAAAY out in the country! I also grew up with my Grandmama saying, "Scat cat...tails in the gravy!" I taught the saying to my two year old son and I could see my husband cringe! That made it even more fun!!

Kristin said...

I'm a midwest girl so when I moved to Florida first time away from home (in the Navy) I learned that:

a purse is no longer a purse but a pocketbook

and that pop is no longer pop but soda

dinner is supper

and that everyone is M'am and Sir

Each place/region is a little different, it seems. Lol!

Rachel said...

I remember being somewhere way south of here (here being Michigan) and asking for pop and having the pie list read to me. I thought it rather strange at the time...

The "pull my fanger" killed me. Oh my word. My step-mom is always with the pull my finger jokes. Super classy lady, she is... We're never short on laughs, though.

Anonymous said...

I'm from SD - country girl but married a city boy. Always tease him with "dinner" - what he knows as lunch, "lunch" - an afternoon snack we always had before doing evening chores, & "supper" - which he knows as dinner. And he's from Iowa - I didn't know why he got so confused when my Mom asked if we wanted some "lunch" at 4 o'clock in the afternoon : )

Carol said...

I love it! We have some slang in Utah too. When I first moved here I heard the men talking about going huntin. It was are ya going huntin? Yup, going huntin. I thought it was so funny! That really frost my cookies is another one you hear here.

Angel said...

LOL...I am from rural south La...my mom grew up here while my dad grew up in Ark & Ok so needless to say when I married my yankee husband communication breakdowns were daily. If I ask him to fix me a coke he asks how does one repair coke. If I ask if he will stop up at the store he has no clue. Of course there are people from New Orleans around that make groceries, wash dishes in the zink & cajuns that you don't know what in the world they are saying. Louisiana is a country all unto its self.

linda said...

Do you know women in Texas don't have PMS? They have FTS - fixin' to start.

Jess said...

You forgot "nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs" and "full as a tick"

Love your blog...sweet tea and all!!!!

Lisa said...

I'm from Wisconsin and moved to Chicago, Illinois. In Wisconsin, it's a bubbler -- everywhere else, its a water fountain (or drinking fountain)

Tara @ Feels Like Home said...

So funny! My family is from rural Pennsylvania, and we say or hear almost everything in your post AND in the comments. They definitely aren't specific to any one place.

We don't spit in our hands. :) We do something else that rhymes with spit and isn't really fit to print.

Some I didn't see yet -

We "red up" our rooms, meaning that we clean up.

We drop "to be" from sentences, like "that needs done!" instead of "that needs to be done!"

We only have "dinner" on special occasions, like Sunday dinner with the family or Christmas dinner. In those cases, it's a larger than normal mid-afternoon meal.

My dad "warshes" stuff instead of "washing" it. That drives me nuts.

We "shoot the breeze" instead of chatting.

He also says "real directly" which means he's about to do something.

I love it! Thanks for a great post! :)

Superchikk said...

Ok, so I must be southern AND country, because I grew up with all of those terms, plus many more.

Some I hear often are, "j'eat yet?" "Y'ont to?" "Over yonder." "Up the road a piece"

And my Dad's favorite: "Fine as frog hair, split four ways." Now THAT's fine, ya'll!

Candace said...

I just almost peed my pants! Seriously though...hu.lair.e.us!

Megan said...

I know all of these a bit too well!! I grew up in deep East Texas with a grandfather who would yell "Getonouttahera" - translation is "Get on out of here." My husband (who's from Los Angeles) couldn't figure out what law my grandmother was always talking about (the police) and he still laughs every time I say "Frito Pie."

Julie said...

Clearly, we grew up very near each other! I knew all but one of the sayings! Love it! Nothing beats living in central Texas! I bet you have even heard of Lampasses! Great post.

Alyson said...

Louisiana born and bred here, although now I'm out west. One of my friends asked me to repeat myself 3 times, until I saw she didn't understand what I meant by 'ice box' (refrigerator). I agree with those saying dinner is the midday meal, also the largest or most special meal (ie. Christmas dinner at 2:00pm, or Sunday's midday meal), and supper is the last meal of the day. Here are some others:

heap or mess uh trouble = you're in deep
give me a holler = call me
how'sya momma an' em? = how's your family?
dadgummit! = darn it (or unprintable)
shootfire! = see above

Also just had a discussion with my friends on what to call folks. I grew up with someone familiar being Miss Firstname, with 'Miss' meaning Mrs. or Ms. or Miss (lazy or just the drawl, who knows?). Someone you just met would be Miss Lastname, until she told you, "oh honey, just call me Miss Firstname."

I know there are more I can't think of. Just makes life interesting! :)