Words and Phrases From the South - Part 1

I have tried and put together words and phrases I've heard thoughout my life that are specifically southern. I've included a definition to each so the word/phrase can be understood by folks that "ain't from around here".

Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace for a neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big bowl of cold potato salad. If the neighbor's trouble is a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin! - "Sorry. Not really a phrase but very Southern."


I've tried to put these in alphabetical order. Kinda' like a dictionary of southern speak.

Aggervatin - a. Bothersome, upsetting. Etymology:"make worse": My dawg jes won't point and dats so aggervatin
Ain't - v. cont Contraction of "am not." Not really a Southern contribution but usually attributed to them. The problem is not the word, but the use of the word to replace "isn't" and "aren't".

Air up - v. Put air in, "I stopped at d'fillin station to air up my tars."

Any count- n. Of any value: Is attur fried chicken yall's eatin any count?

Awfully - adv. Substitute for very, which can't be used south of the Mason-Dixon line. Very is avoided in the South.

Bag - n. A milk container with four spigots that hangs under the rear end of a cow. Also a cantankerous old female.

Bard - v. Past tense of borry, as in "My brother bard my pickup truck in never brung it back."

Be-ins - conj. Since, if, so long as: "Be-ins yore a-goin' to duh kitchen, why donchoo git me a glass a warter, too?"

Biddy - n. Baby chicken or a middle-aged female human, as in "old biddy".

Bidnis - n. What you get down to or stay out of other people's, as in, "That ain't none a yore dad-burned bidnis!" (Southerners don't like "s" before "n").

Bless yore heart! - int. A nice expletive expressing approval, encouragement, or to soften a subtle jab. ( I'll get more into this later)
Bob war - n. A twisted wire studded with barbs. Usage: "Boy, stay away from that-air bob war fence!"

Borry - v. (past tense: bard) To take something with the full intention of returning it someday or t'other.

Booger man - n. Something or somebody that'll gitcha.

Britches - n. Pert much anything worn over the legs: pants, trousers.

Bumfuzzle - v. To confuse, puzzle, or stump, as in "I don't know how that beer cap got in d'carburator; hit's got me plumb bumfuzzled."

Caint - v. aux. Can not.

Carry on - v. Overdo your actions or make a lot of fuss, as in, "Yall young'ns stop a-carryin on so; we cain't hear each other talk."

Catty-corner(ed) - a. Diagonal.

Cattywampus - a. Askew, awry; not straight.

Chicken fried steak - n. A steak dipped in batter like chicken then fried until crisp. Some cooks will then smother it in gravy to hide the evidence. (Try to go up north and order one)

Chinchy - a. Real stingy, as in, "That Roscoe's the chinchiest sonnovagun I ever seen."

Chunk - v. To throw, thoe, or toss, as in, "Hey, boy! Chunk me a chunk of at-ere wood you got dere.

Citify - v. To take the country out of the boy; said by some to be impossible.

Co-Cola - n. The most famous of the cold dranks. (Coca whut?)

Collards - n. A leafy vegetable high in iron and, when cooking, odors.

Conniption - n. A major fit, total loss of control of one's temper; you pitch a conniption (hissy).

Coot - n. As in "old coot"; a person over 60 years of age.

Critter - n. Creature, with special preference for animals.

Cut on/off - v. Turn on/off: "Cut off d'lights when you leaves d'room.

Cut up - v. Show off, as in, "Now don't you young'ns cut up in church today; do you hear?

Dang - part. Emphasizes almost anything you want it to: "Git your dang hands off my sledge hammer!

Dat-air - Away from me, as in, "Gimme dat-air munky ranch."

 Differnt - a. Not the same, different.

Dinner - n. The meal et around the middle of the day. (My wife has a real problem with this)

Dihyeer - n.Near-by, near me: "Take a look as dis-hyeer munky ranch I just bought me."

Dissermember - v. Antonym of "member," to forget: "I planned to stop for a mess of butterbeans but I plum dissermembered."

Doohickey - n. A Southern thingamabob.

Druther - v. aux. To prefer, as in, "I druther watch The Wheel; how abou chew?"

Et - v. past tense. The past tense of eat.

Ever - a. Quicker form of every. Everbody.

Eye-talian - n. Fokes from Itly. (For my wife)

Fetch - v. Go, get, and bring back.

Fix - n. A mess, trouble: "Sally May has really got herself in a fix, now!"

Fixin - v. aux. Getting ready to: "I'm fixin to leave."

Fixins - n. What is needed to prepare a dish.

Fokes - n. People

For crying out loud! - Well, I'll be darned!

Frazzle - v. Wear out, fatigue, especially the nerves. "His nerves have been frazzled ever since his finger got caught in the car door."

Frizzle - a. Messed up, uncontrollable, as the frizzly hair.

Fur piece- n. A long way, a great distance.

Gallivant - v. Travel widely, ignoring one's responsibilities, "Emma Mae, whir've yew been a-gallivantin all day?"

Give out - adj.Exhausted, tard, tuckered out, as coming home from plowing 40 acres plumb give out.

Goober pea - n. Peanut

Gone - v. Completely finished doing it: "Billy Rae's done gone et the last piece o' fried chicken, mama?

Gosh dang it! - int. Yet another expression of surprise or frustration.

Goodness gracious! - int. An expression of surprise you can use in front of your mother.

Goozle - n. That funny little punching bag in the back of your throat.

Grits - n. Do you have to ask?

Gubmint - n. A bureaucratic institution. Usage: "Them gubmint boys shore is ignert."

Hafta - v. aux. Modal auxiliary indicating obligation. (Must is a word not found in most Southern dialects).

Haint - n. (1) A supernatural spirit that means living fokes no good.

Heap - quan. A lot. "But dahlin, don't hit me; I loves you a whole heap."

Heidi - greet. As in "Heidi doo!" Simpler (and faster) way to put "How do you do". The exact date when the Germans borrowed it from Southernese remains obscure.

High-falutin - a. Extremely fancy.

Hire yew - greet. Variant of "Heidi doo!" used to divine the current state of the listener. In fact the two phrases may be combined as in, "Heidi, hire yew?

Hissy - n. A minor fit, slight loss of control of one's temper (conniption); you pitch a hissy or hissy fit.

Holler- n. A small valley ("They live down dere in Coon Holler").

Holler - v. Talk at the top of your voice.

Holt - a. In your hand: "If'n I gits holt of a shotgun, you'll shore change yore tune!"

Hoot 'na holler - n. A short distance: "Why he lives just a hoot 'na holler from hyere."

Hot damn - int. An especially good damn, as in a hot sale or a hot deal.

Howdy - int. Short for 'howdy do', a common greeting down South.

Ida Claire - int. The saint Southerners turn to in moments of surprise: "Well, Ida Claire! If that don't beat all!

Idnit? - Same problem as with bidnis—them "s's" before "n" again.

If that don't beat all! - A phrase expressing surprise.

If'n - conj. Variation of "if". (Southerners love their new suffix, -n, so much, they stick it everywhere. See young'n and his'n.

Ignert - a. Not smart. Jawl - subj-pred. Contraction of "Did yall", as in: "Jawl know whir I can git some cornbread 'n grits dis time a night?" Kick up a ruckus - verb phrase. Cause a commotion. Kilt - a.Past tense of kill: He kilt hisself a bar in dem dere woods. Kin to - a. Related to (someone) Lick - n. The smallest amount. "At-ere dawg o'mine, he ain't got a lick o'sense." Liddle-biddy - n. About the same size as a lick, very small: "Where'd you git at-ere liddle-biddy hammer o'yorn? Light bread - n. Store-bought white bread, as opposed to corn bread and biscuits (= real bread). Looky hyeer! - v. Emphatic variant of "Looky." "Looky hyeer" and "Look a-here" are purt near the same. Lord a'mercy! - inter. What you say when thangs get outta control. Mash - . (1) Push (a button). (2) Squush up, as in "mash 'taters". Mawnin - n. The early part of the day. Member - v. Remember Meer - n. A glass you see your relection in. Might could - v. aux. Might be able to. Nairy - quan. Not one, none: "They ain't nairy (a) one in the house." No count - a. Worthless Okry - n. A poddy vegetable that cooks up slimy but delicious if you cook it up with a slice of bacon. On - v. aux. Future tense marker, as in "I'm on gichu!" Ornery - a. Mean, hard to get along with. Outta kilter - a. (1) Crooked. (2) Not working properly. Pester - v. Act like a pest: annoy, persistently bother. Pile - quan. A lot (of), as in "Everthang you sed is a pile a crap, Lonnie Sue!" Pistol - n. (1) Someone who is really good: "She's a pistol when it comes to churnin butter." Plain - a. Somewhat ugly, e.g. "She's a plain girl." Play Possum - v. Act like you're asleepin or pretend in general. Plumb - adv. Completely: "Are you plumb crazy?" Polecat - n. (1) Skunk. (2) A really bad person. Pooch (out) - v. Stick out: "Why yore lips pooched out like that, honey?" Puny - a. Weak, sickly, as in "Thank ah'll stay home; ah feel a little puny today." Purdy, Purt - a. Attractive, as in, "She's downright purdy." Fairly, "Hey, that came purt near hittin me!" Reckon - v. Think, figger. Recollect - v. Remember Rye-cheer - adv. Very close to the speaker, as in, "Why don chu build yore still rye-chere under the porch, Donnie Lou?" Rile - v. Stir something or someone up. Ruckus - n. A loud noise or anything that makes one. Saerdy - n. The sixth day of the week. Sass - n. Talk back insolently: "Don't sass me, young man; I'll tell yore daddy on you!" Seeins how - v. Since, it being the case, as in, "Well, I ain't fixin' your supper no more, Willy Joe, seeins how we's divorced now an all." Seen - v. Some people use this as the past tense of to see: "I seen him over yonder this mawnin." Septin - prep. With the exception of, as in, "Everbody ate his collards septin Rachael Ann." Shed - n. Rid, as in, "I just cain't git shed of this hyere cold." Shore - a. Positive, as in "Are you shore you know whir we are?" Shore doo Show - n. Short for "picher show", a motion picture. Sichy-ayshun - n. A perdicament or whatnot: "How'n duh Sam Hill did you ever gicherself in a sichy-ayshun whirr duh fish er a-bitin' an' you ain't got no pole." Smack (dab) - a. Precisely, as in "smack dab in the middle." Someone - pro. Doesn't exist in real Southern. You can only say somebody, anybody.) Sorry - a. No good, as in, "Ain't he 'bout sorry?!" Spell - n. (1) A while, a stretch of time. (2) Trying to get the letters of a word in the right order. (It hain't easy.) Squall - v.To cry at the top of your lungs, as in a roomful of squallin' younguns. Stob - v. Something sticking up from the ground. Stub - Accidentally hitting your toe on something sticking up from the ground. The Sticks - n. Far from civilization; way out in the backwoods. Sump'n - n. Something. Sump'n teet -n. Food: "I hain't had sump'n teet since dinner.". Sugar - n. As in "Gimme some sugar": affection, a chance to snuggle your neck, huggin' or kissin' or both.  Supper - n. The meal (supposed to be) et around 5 o'clock. Tarred - n. Tuckered out, exhausted, fatigued as to come home from work too tarred to hold a fork. Tater - n. The potato. Tawk - v. To communicate using language. Thang - n. Any object, concrete or otherwise. Them - pro. Those. "Jimmy John, where in the world did you git them pants?" Thoe - n. To chunk, toss. Very similar to throw without the R. Toad - v. Past tense of "tell", as in "I toad you so!" Tore-down - a. In less than optimal condition. Tore Nader - n. A strong, spinning wind that stirs things up considerably. Tote - v. Carry Tow sack - a. Burlap bag. Tucker out - v. Exhaust, fatigue, as to be plumb tuckered out from cleaning fish. Tune up - v. Start crying. "When Ginny Mae didn't git any candy, she tuned up and gave out a squall they heard in Kalamazoo." Turn loose - v. Release oneself to wild abandon. "He turned loose and cut a jig right air in d'livin room!" Uppin - v. aux. To do something suddenly or unexpectedly: "I toad him we's havin liver fer dinner and he uppin left." Upside - adv. On the side of, as in, "When Andy toad her how ugly she wuz, she hittim upside da haid widda fryin pan." Vetern - n. Somebody who fought in a war and came back home. View - v. cont. A phrase used to find out it someone else has done something, as in "I hain't never seed New York City, view?" Vittles - n. Anything worth eating. Yahoo - n. A ignert hayseed from the sticks. Yall - pro. The plural of you. (You didn't think I'd forget this one, did you?) Yonder - adv. (over here, over there, over yonder) Young 'un - n. A young thang, a baby. Yousta - adv. An adverb indicating past frequentative activity, as in, "I yousta smoke." And there you have it. I love being from the South. I love speaking the language. Understanding it and, hopefully translating parts of it, for all you other heathens...