Calling all Southerners; need southern "sayings"

Karen Duvall · Oct 11, 2008

I have a character in my WIP from Kentucky and she often uses Southern says when she talks. I'm trying not to go overboard, but I'd really like some unique ones, some that aren't cliché. I think Southern sayings are so clever! I found this one online: Madder than a mule chewing on bumble bees. I'd like to find more like this.

Any Southerners here who can help me? Or can you direct me to a good resource online? Thanks!

Entropy Perk · Oct 11, 2008

1) When a southern female insults someone, its always acceptable, as long as she also says, "Bless her heart."

2) A fav saying my grandmother used to use (from Georgia): "She's so stupid, she don't know if Jesus Christ was crucified, or hit on the head with a box of rocks. Bless her heart."

P.S. Bend is awesome. I have an old HS friends who lives there!

Phoebe H · Oct 11, 2008

My father's favorite was "Even a blind hog gathers a few acorns." He would usually shorten that to "Even a blind hog."

Phoebe H · Oct 11, 2008

Entropy Perk said:
1) When a southern female insults someone, its always acceptable, as long as she also says, "Bless her heart."

Or the even more extreme "Bless her little heart."

Karen Duvall · Oct 11, 2008

Oh, yeah, I forgot about "Bless her heart." My character has a major attitude, so this one's good to remember. Thanks!

My father's favorite was "Even a blind hog gathers a few acorns." He would usually shorten that to "Even a blind hog."

Uh, okay, but Phoebe, what does this mean? *Please pardon my yankee ignorance.*

Keep 'em comin'! I'm making a file.

vixey · Oct 11, 2008

Karen,

I'm going to think about this since you want longer sayings. While I don't have relatives from Kentucy, I have several from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

My father (a native Virginian - and I know people from the deep South don't consider Virginia southern - but, well, it is) doesn't swear. Here're his substitutes:

I swanny = I swear
Daggum (any spelling will work) = dammit

My grandfather (North Carolinian) had a few (but I can only remember one right now):
Every time your elbow bends your mouth flies open. (Teasing anyone about eating too much, particularly teenagers.)

I'll try to think of others.

Karen Duvall · Oct 11, 2008

Phoebe H said:
Or the even more extreme "Bless her little heart."

And isn't there also one that says "Bless her little pea-pickin' heart"? Never did understand that one.

Karen Duvall · Oct 11, 2008

vixey said:
Karen,

I'm going to think about this since you want longer sayings. While I don't have relatives from Kentucy, I have several from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

My father (a native Virginian - and I know people from the deep South don't consider Virginia southern - but, well, it is) doesn't swear. Here're his substitutes:

I swanny = I swear
Daggum (any spelling will work) = dammit

My grandfather (North Carolinian) had a few (but I can only remember one right now):
Every time your elbow bends your mouth flies open. (Teasing anyone about eating too much, particularly teenagers.)

I'll try to think of others.

LOL, Vixey! I love it! This gal has no trouble swearing, though. Love the elbow bending one. Priceless.

Little Red Barn · Oct 11, 2008

Karen Duvall said:
Oh, yeah, I forgot about "Bless her heart." My character has a major attitude, so this one's good to remember. Thanks!

Uh, okay, but Phoebe, what does this mean? *Please pardon my yankee ignorance.*

Keep 'em comin'! I'm making a file.

Well Karen, I know a ton

however the BEST, the abolute BEST came right from a non-native, OFG, Jen, here when she :cough: told someone to ' you can just kiss my big red kentucky fried chicken a$$' !!! Course, that was back in the days before her modem and all. ; )
That's seared in my brain forever!

ETA: E's are pronounced as A's such as 'Break' my heart, would be 'brake' my heart...see? Loud a like did you see, did ya sa... lazy lanuguage

Ol' Fashioned Girl · Oct 11, 2008

Or 'bless her/his l'il cotton socks!'

'Wild oats make a poor breakfast.'

If something isn't straight, it's 'antigogglin'.

'S/he don't know 'come'ere' from 'sic'em'.'

And about a zillion I can't think of 'cause you asked!

Ol' Fashioned Girl · Oct 11, 2008

kimmi said:
Well Karen, I know a ton however the BEST, the abolute BEST came right from a non-native, OFG, Jen, here when she :cough: told someone to ' you can just kiss my big red kentucky fried chicken a$$' !!! Course, that was back in the days before her modem and all. ; )
That's seared in my brain forever!

I had no idea I had such an effect on you, kimmi!

Only it was 'you can kiss my ruby red Kentucky chicken-fried ass'. Just sayin'.

Little Red Barn · Oct 11, 2008

Ol' Fashioned Girl said:
I had no idea I had such an effect on you, kimmi!

Only it was 'you can kiss my ruby red Kentucky chicken-fried ass'. Just sayin'.

Well, heck you taught me copy/paste and so much more. I ruined a keyboard that day... hahha, have to go look up again, won't be hard to find, I believe in was in 28 in font!!

Little Red Barn · Oct 11, 2008

Here Karen, perhaps this will haalp! ; )

Appalachian Dialect of Eastern Kentucky

American Dialect Links

Karen Duvall · Oct 11, 2008

Thanks, everyone. I'm lovin' these!

Little Red Barn · Oct 11, 2008

Well, hell's bells, very popular, Karen.

the whole sentence ie. "well, hells bells!? and used to express; frustration, surprise, happy, question, etc...

Seaclusion · Oct 11, 2008

Karen Duvall said:
Uh, okay, but Phoebe, what does this mean? *Please pardon my yankee ignorance.*

Actually the saying as I've heard it is:

Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while.

It is said when someone foolishly or inadvertanly does the right thing even though they don't know they've done the right thing. Example: Throws a wrench at a malfunctioning car, hits something, and the car stops malfunctioning.

Richard (American by birth, Southern by the grace of god)

Karen Duvall · Oct 11, 2008

kimmi said:
Well, hell's bells, very popular, Karen.

I love hell's bells.

In fact, that's what the spawnster (Hellspawn) prostitutes are called in my story world. I'm writing a steampunk urban fantasy.

Phoebe H · Oct 11, 2008

Karen Duvall said:
Oh, yeah, I forgot about "Bless her heart." My character has a major attitude, so this one's good to remember. Thanks!

Uh, okay, but Phoebe, what does this mean? *Please pardon my yankee ignorance.*

Keep 'em comin'! I'm making a file.

It's kind of like "Even a stopped clock is right twice a day." (Which is *not* a southern saying.) It means no matter how inept you are, you'll still get it right every once in awhile.

Karen Duvall · Oct 11, 2008

OMG, I just stumbled on a bunch. I'm still wiping the tears from my eyes.

It's so dry the trees are whistling for the dogs.

Busier than a cat covering crap on a marble floor. (what an image!)

The wheel's still turning, but the hamster's dead.

There are a lot of nooses in his family tree.

Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day.

He's about as sharp as a mashed potato.

It'll last about as long as a fart in a whirlwind.

Phoebe H · Oct 11, 2008

Hmmm.

I had one teacher who would tell us that we had "diarrhea of the lip" when we talked too much in class.

"What in the Sam Hill?" instead of "What the hell?"

One of the last southernism's I lost was 'fixin' which means 'about to' or 'getting ready to' as in "I'm fixin' to go to the store."

Phoebe H · Oct 11, 2008

Seaclusion said:
Actually the saying as I've heard it is:

Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while.

Yeah, my dad may have just decided to make the saying his own. We had a lot of feral hogs on our farm.

joyce · Oct 11, 2008

No need to get your drawers in a knot. (drawers are underwear)
Tough titty said the kitty but the milk's still good.
It's as worthless as cows peeing on a flat rock.
God's willing and the creek don't rise.
It's colder than a well diggers ass in Alaska.

Now I can't think of any because you need them.

Little Red Barn · Oct 11, 2008

One last for you, Karen. Sweetie! An endearment, a hello, and as easily said as use for your name, although I know in other regions this may seem demeaning of it's usage. Not so, here... a term very much used for even a stranger.

Ol' Fashioned Girl · Oct 11, 2008

joyce said:
It's as worthless as cows peeing on a flat rock.

You've got two of my sainted father's expressions tied up together: Worthless as tits on a boar shoat... and... (if it's raining hard) like a cow peein' on a flat rock.

Ol' Fashioned Girl · Oct 11, 2008

Oh! I'm so dry, I'm fartin' dust. (O' course a lady would never say such a thing!)

Calling all Southerners; need southern "sayings"

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