Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Being Southern

I was born in the Deep South..Meaning La/Ms area.
Both my grandparents were originally from Ms, and so was my parents.
I was raised in a small town which bordered Mississippi. All I had to do was cross this small bridge from La, into Ms.
I feel I was raised in both areas, and I grew up with people from both States.

It was kind of strange, because the Mississippi boys and girls, didn't get along with the Louisiana ones. I was accepted by both, and felt in the middle of all the arguments that happened, especially on the weekends.

I moved out of the South in 1990 into Idaho, then five years later into Oregon. No ONE ever leaves their family in the South to move as far as I did.
Every time I went back to visit I would hear, "GIRL you need to move home, Whatcha doing in the North anyway, your not a Yankee.."

Recently after 17yrs I moved to Kentucky trying to get closer to my Mother, whom I thought was in worse health than she is. Thankfully, even though she has numerous heart problems she is doing very well, and sometimes I think it was a "ploy" to get me back closer. *Smile*

My heart is still in Idaho and Oregon, and I want to move back so badly. I love being around the Mts and all the clear streams, where you can see to the bottom, and the beautiful waterfalls.
After being raised around Swamps and the Muddy Misssissippi, I was totally fascinated with such beautiful clear water.

I have family there as well as in the South, especially my youngest daughter, who knows she has Southern Blood (as we say), feels she is more from the North West area..Also, my husbands only child is in Oregon, as is his only grandchild.

When I first moved to the Northwest, they didn't understand  ONE word I was saying. I can't count how many times I was asked WHAT, or WHAT does that  mean?

I collected a few Southern Slang and Meanings, and I think when I do move back, I am going to print off pages and pass them out LOL..
Here are a few.. If you've never been around us Southerners this will help you..
And, NO the actors on Tv doesn't really sound like us. A few is originally from the south ,and they can pull that Southern Accent out, when they are acting.. 
I didn't even know I had an accent until I moved to the Northwest.

Mark Twain once wrote: "Southerners talk music!" Yes, indeed, there's no "language" more musical 

Here are a few..

 Gussied up – cleaned up and dressed very nicely (perhaps formally)

Hissy  Fit..Apparently I threw a lot of these when I was young.. I can still hear my Mother tell me, "Quit throwin a Hissy Fit.


Kaniption Fit.. These are worse than Hissy Fits.. If your being extra bad,  you are now throwing a Kanipition Fit...

A hankerin’ for – a desire/craving for


High cotton – wealthy; successful (and maybe snobby)

When someone was doing well for themselves, they were referred as living in High Cotton.

honky-tonk – a bar, perhaps where country music is played live for folks to dance

This brings back memories of when I was young. Our parents would leave us with our grandparents on the weekends, and they would tell us, "We're going Honky Tonkin..

kin/kinfolk – family, especially extended family

knee-high to a grasshopper – very young and small, as in, “The last time I saw you, you were knee-high to a grasshopper, and look how grown-up you are now!”

lick – (noun) any amount at all, usually used in negative sentences such as, “I didn’t get a lick of work done today because my boss kept calling me in for meetings.” (verb) To beat up, as in, “I licked him good that time.”

mash – to press or push, as in, “Mash that green button and turn on the computer.”

ornery – difficult to deal with; stubborn; finicky

reckon – suppose, guess, as in, “I reckon we’ll see you at the reunion.
My husband still uses this word wrong, as many times as he's heard me say it lol.



skedaddle – to leave hurriedly
snug as a bug (in a rug) – very comfortable



tore up – broken/destroyed, as in, “I came home to find the curtains all tore up,” or, “My knee has been tore up since that skiing accident back in ’93.”



Loafin: Going somewhere not important, just doing something
My husband didn't understand this either. One day my Mother called, and she asked my husband, "What Y'all doing?" We were sitting at the house and he told her, "Just Loafin" She said, "Where are you, and he said home".. I thought she was going to bust a gut laughing! At least my husband makes my Mother laugh a lot

uppity – snobby





Used to could – used to be able to, as in, “I can’t do a cartwheel any more, but I used to could.”
We always put it together like this Ustacould.. One word..


varmint – an animal (usually wild)

Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. – an expression of surprise, shock and/or disbelief

y’all – a contraction of you + all. This is the informal 2nd person plural in Southern English.

yankee – a person from the North

younguns – young people

Darn tootin'
Function: Colloquialism
For sure. Correct. "You're darn tootin', that is oil.

Figure
Function: Verb
To calculate, consider, conclude or decide. Example: "He hadn't figured on winning the lottery

Feit to be tied
Function: Colloquialism
Angry.

Fixin'
Function: Verb
To get set : be on the verge Example: We're fixin' to leave soon.
Function: Noun
Customary accompaniments. Example: We had a turkey dinner with all the fixins

When I lived in the Northwest, they were always asking me, "What does fixin mean?"

I'm fixin' to go down the road a piece (I'm going down the road for a short distance.)

My Mother was trying to tell my husband (Who is from Mi) directions to her house, and she told him to go down the road a piece. When he got off the phone he asked  me, "How far is a piece". When I told my Mother this she thought it was hilarious!

 Well, I'll just swaney! (Well, I'll be darned.)

My Mother still says this, and once in a while I catch myself doing the same. Once again I had to explain this to my husband.

Don't go off with your pistol half cocked. (Don't get mad unless you have all the facts.

I'll knock you so hard you'll see tomorrow today. (You're gonna get it!)

 Dumb as a bucket of rocks. (Pretty dumb)

 Sunday go-to-meetin' clothes (best dress)

When we went to Ms to visit my Step Dad's family, who live out in the middle of nowhere..One of the boys came out in his nice shirt, and the sister said "Mama, he's in is Sunday go to meetin clothes... I was young at the time and I laughed..I still smile when I think about this.

Well he/she's just down rite sorry. (person not well thought of or respected)

It's no skin off my nose if he wants to do that." (Meaning it does not matter to me or is none of our business.)

* And here's the one a kid really hates to hear:
"GO CUT ME A SWITCH!"
Oh Boy! My Mom always made us cut a switch off of a bush in our front yard. Of course we picked the smallest one we could find. Before she would even "Switch" me, I would run out of the house into the front yard yelling, "No Mother NO!" She would say, "Hush! the neighbors are think I'm trying to kill you".. Most of the time this worked really well..


I wouldn't trade being raised a Southerner for anything! 
People have so many misconceptions about us, but one thing we will always have is Southern Pride!

                                         

                                         
                                      
                                                
                                     
                                       

                                                  

                                     
                                              


                                              


                                            


                                            

                     
                                             


I have a shop on Etsy where I sell hand turned flowers from pencil shavings, nice vintage items, handmade woodwork creations, and various eclectic crafts.
Take a look, I'm sure you can find something special for you~!
                                     "Southern Made"
Ginascornercrafts.etsy.com

14 comments:

  1. Loved the collection of Southern Sayins'. Though I was born and bread Yankee I have always used Southern slang, figured I must have been from the South in a previous life.

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  2. My hubby sounds more Southern now. My son in law is originally from Idaho, living in Ms, and you can't tell he's a Southern Implant now LOL

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  3. My mom was a true southerner! Gotta love them! All ya'll are pretty special!

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  4. Where was your Mom from Charlene?

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  5. was really interesting to read about all the sayings you have!

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  6. I would not mind being knee deep in tall cotton :) but I reckon slow and steady is my name! Loved the blog post

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  7. this is so awesome, I am from Argentina and i live in Alabama and married to a true southern boy!!, it was funny to find out that some worlds where southern when I thought it was english!! because thats the english i've learned !!! Lol

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    1. Well, I guess you DID have a cultural shock! LOL Thanks for reading and commenting..How you do like Alabama?

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  8. it's very interesting to see all the different sayings.

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  9. Thanks for the definitions. We use them here in Southwestern Iowa too.

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  10. interesting sayings. we use a lot them here in Canada-well where i'm living anyways.

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  11. It is very interesting. Thank you for sharing this lovely post.

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  12. I laughed so much at the southern sayings! Spent alot of time in Georgia...peachy keen folks down that way! Thanks for a wonderful post-brought back great memories!

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