15 Odd Southern Sayings Their Origins

Southern Life ^ | June 26, 2019 | Updated: by Justin

[fidelis]

Have you ever wondered what some of the most iconic Southern sayings actually mean?
Well, wonder no more, because we’re about to dive deep into 15 Southern sayings and their origins…

1. High On The Hog
If someone is living high on the hog, that means they’re enjoying a very luxurious lifestyle full of splendor and all manner of comforts. Living high on the hog can also mean that you’re living life to its fullest.
So where did this phrase come from? Well, the upper part of a hog contains the best quality meat. These are obviously the most expensive cuts of meat – far better than the lower knuckles and hocks.

2. Scarce As Hen’s Teeth
If something’s as scarce as hen’s teeth, you probably won’t have much luck finding it. This phrase is used to denote something that is extremely rare or in short supply.
Apparently, this phrase dates back to the civil war. This phrase sounds interesting, but there’s really not much to explain… Hen’s don’t have teeth, so that’s basically where this southern saying comes from!

3. You’re Slower Than Molasses In Winter!
Yes, this is an old Southern insult, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what it all means. The phrase can either refer to mental slowness or physical slowness… But if someone’s calling you this, it’s not a good sign!
The meaning is obvious – cold molasses pours very slowly! Try it out for yourself and see how long it takes to pour it out…

4. Like a Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
If you’re like a cat on a hot tin roof, you’re agitated and nervous to the point of almost hysteria.
This phrase also has a pretty obvious root. Cats don’t like uncertain ground, and a hot tin roof makes them even more jumpy than they already are. This phrase was also made famous by playwright Tennessee Williams, who used it as a title for a play.

5. A Hankering For
You’ve probably heard this one before. If you’ve got a hankering for something, it means that you’ve got a strong desire for it. For example, you might have a hankering for some fried chicken.
Well, where does the word “hankering” even come from? Believe it or not, this is actually a Dutch word which means “hang.” We’re not sure how it evolved into a word meaning desire… But it did!

6. Tarnation
This is another famous Souther exclamation that we’re sure many of our readers have heard, usually in a sentence like “What in tarnation?”
So what does tarnation even mean? Scholars believe that it evolved from a mixture of “eternal” and damnation.” Mix those words together, and you’re left with something like “tarnation.” Obviously, eternal damnation is something worth getting worked up over!

7. What In The Sam Hill?
This is another Southern expression that is used when people are surprised, angry, or feeling some kind of strong emotion. It’s an exclamation similar to “hell,” or other curse words.
So who was Sam Hill? Well, no one really knows. Depending on who you ask, he might have been a geologist, a millionaire, or even the devil himself. We’ll probably never know.

8. In High Cotton
If something is in high cotton, it’s very successful, profitable, or promising. For example, you might have a hot dog stand that’s in high cotton.
The meaning behind this phrase is also pretty obvious. If you have a crop of cotton and it’s growing high, then you’re in for some serious cash when harvest time rolls around. People in the south have a deep connection with farming, and this phrase shows how their culture is linked with agriculture.

9. Madder’n A Wet Hen
You probably don’t want to approach someone who’s “madder than a wet hen.” This means that they’re seriously angry, and they might even be throwing something of a hissy fit.
When hens were brooding (angry and troublesome), Southern farmers used to dunk them in cold water in an effort to make them snap out of this phase. By doing so, they could collect eggs more easily.

10. Have A Conniption
While some people get madder than a wet hen, those who have a conniption are on a different level. If you’re having a conniption, it means you’ve completely lost it. You’re hysterical, crazy, and off the rails.
Scholars believe that conniption is linked to the word “corruption.” Southerners long ago may have likened these tantrums to being corrupted by the devil!

11. That Old Dog Won’t Hunt
When someone says “that old dog won’t hunt,” what they’re really saying is that your idea is terrible. This is a phrase used by people who feel cynical and doubtful towards things. “That dog won’t hunt” is like saying “that’s not going to work.”
This piece of slang obviously roots from the use of hunting dogs. When dogs get too old or frail, they can’t hunt anymore, quite as odd as southern sayings can be.

12. Till The Cows Come Home
If you’re waiting till the cows come home, you’re waiting for a very long time. The phrase may even refer to things that will continue on forever – or at least until the foreseeable future.
Southerners are no strangers to cattle, and they know that cows can take a very long time to wander home once they get lost. That’s where this phrase comes from.

13. Can’t Never Could
Although this phrase is filled with negatives, it’s actually an example of positive thinking. This is like saying “you can’t get anything done without a positive attitude.” Or in other words, if you’re thinking about all the things you can’t do, you won’t be able to achieve much.
Southerners summed up this sentiment beautifully with the phrase: “Can’t never could!”

14. Fair To Middling
This is actually just a very complicated way of saying “Okay.” If you ask a Southerner how they’re doing and they say “fair to middling,” what they mean is that they’re doing all right. Not good or bad – just in the middle. The word “fair” is pretty obvious in its meaning. It means satisfactory or “so-so.” But what does “middling” mean? Apparently, it’s an old Scottish word which means “of average quality”, now part of the oddest southern sayings you will ever hear.

15. If The Creek Don’t Rise
This means that if everything continues to plan, things will be okay. It’s often said in a reassuring way, to calm people down and encourage them to keep on trying.
A rising creek could spell trouble, as it can lead to flooding and other issues.

Well there you have it! 15 odd Southern sayings, and their meanings and origins explained!

[dfwgator]

“We’re Rednecks, We’re Rednecks, and we don’t know our ass from a hole in the ground.”

[Savage Beast]

I've never heard "can't never could" either. I also never heard of "bourbon and branch" until a few years ago, though I'd heard of "bourbon and water." I never heard of fried green tomatoes before that movie came out.

[Savage Beast]

I've heard "uglier than a mud fence" and "uglier than a mud hen"--probably the same expression.

[gitmo]

Nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

[Savage Beast]

I never heard that one, but I've heard: "I don't know him from Adam's house cat."

[DejaJude]

My grandma used to say, “gonna beat you with a green switch”. I believed her and behaved.

[dfwgator]

My grandma used to say, “gonna beat you with a green switch”. I believed her and behaved.

LOL, reminds me of the Richard Pryor routine:

"My grandmother said, 'Boy, go get me something to beat your ass with'. And that would be the longest walk in the world, right. And you know you couldn’t come back with no little switch, right. Cause if you did, she’d go out and get the tree and beat your ass with it."

[gitmo]

My thoughts exactly.

[Ferndina]

I’ve always been told #15 concerning the creek dont rise meant the Indian tribe not a body of water.

[Savage Beast]

"Sam Hill is merely euphonic for Hell."

I think you're right.

[carcraft]

One of the ones I hear a lot is when someone completes a difficult task, “ You hung in there like a hair in a biscuit”

[poconopundit]

An awesome thread! And FReepers went to town with their contributions... I was a blue Yankee transplanted for six years to Athens, Georgia red clay. My complaint is I could not find native tellers of this Southern humor. Is it a lost art despite Lewis Grizzard's efforts to keep it alive? Mark Twain talked about a "American humorous story" which he compared to stories that are merely witty or comic in his essay How to Tell a Story. A great example is his own story, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.

[yuleeyahoo]

It’s an English idiom somewhat equivalent the American Idiom “piece of cake”.

[Track9]

Bump for later isn’t Southern it’s FReeper!

Bump for later y’all

[DejaJude]

LOL, wonder if his grandma was from Oklahoma, too.

[Inspectorette]

Mr. Inspectorette had some good ones: “When you’re dumb, ya gotta be tough”, and “he dropped like a turd from a tall ox”. Don’t know if those came from Oklahoma, but that’s where he was born.

[sit-rep]

what does a southern Gent and a pair of panties have in common??

All it takes is a Yank to bring them down!!

[scrabblehack]

An oral agreement isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.
An oral agreement isn’t written on any paper, so it’s worth less than nothing.

I’ll pay you on the Greek Kalends.
The Greeks didn’t observe Kalends, so this means I will never pay you.

[nesnah]

Hehe

Why are a divorce and a tornado similar in the south?

Someone’s gonna lose a trailer.

[sit-rep]

btt! lol