Posted on 03/02/2023 10:26:46 AM PST by 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!
Cows come home AM and PM ... so if you are out until the cows come home AM you were out all night.
Goin’ to bed with the chickens is a goal of mine ... to be all in and all done by early evening!
One of my Air Force Flight Chiefs had a variation of this when commenting on someone's (lack of) typing skills:
"You type slower than old people make love!"
That is a crtical omission. My bad.
Without doubt, your source of information about their habitat is better than mine. Thank you for the correction. The Creeks will likely thank you, too!
I hadn’t heard those before, but sounds like something my family would say. :-)
It means something like “and there you have it”. It’s clearer when you hear the rest of the saying which goes:
“Robert is your father’s brother; Bob’s your uncle.”
My dog ain’t in that fight.
And
Queerer than a two-dollar bill.
One of my favorite Southern expressions that I learned from my father is “The Devil is beating his wife”.
It means that the sun is shining while it’s raining, a sunshower.
Shelby Foote had a soft Southern accent, similar to the Virginia Tidewater accent that you may have been familiar with.
Florence King was a pretty funny Southern writer when she had her Misanthrope’s Corner at National Review. She passed in 2016.
I believe the saying was “queerer than a three-dollar bill”. There actually is a $2 bill featuring Jefferson and Monticello. Once very popular at the race track.
Some of my favorites:
Crazier than a bessie bug
Dead as four hundred
Useless as tits on a boar hog
I’d like to buy her for what she’s worth and sell her for what she thinks she’s worth
Between the two of us, we live in what was the heart of the Creek nation!
I love that one!
“Independent as a hog on ice” — usually said of a little kid who insists on doing things himself that are beyond his capability. Bless its li’l heart. (”Bless its heart” and “Bless your heart” can be a sincere expression of sympathy — or not. We Southerners know when it means what. Keeps the Yankees guessing. When referring to a small child it is always sincere.)
“So ugly she’d draw blisters on a bulldog”
“I was born at night, but not last night” — means you know someone is pulling your leg, similar to
“I didn’t just fall off the turnip wagon”
“Looks like forty miles of real bad road” — said by a man about a woman who looks like she would cause endless trouble if one got mixed up with her.
True story: I once asked a Yankee dinner guest “Would you like me to help your plate?” Shocked, he asked “Help it do what?” (For you Yankees out there it means puts helpings of food on a plate.)
I could give lots more, but was just peeking in and fixing to hit the hay now.
Sweet Southern dreams, all y’all!
me either (I forgot to put that in the ones we didn’t use) - We used to say “I shouldn’ta Dun Did That”, but never used or heard “Can’t Never Could”
well maybe y’all appropriated it from the north- the country was begun up north lol
Yep- just like “What in Tarnation?” - A Way of ‘politely swearing’
“...but he was an early proponent of paved roads...”
My great-great grandfather lived along one of the first paved roads and would sit out on the front porch smoking his pipe. He said it was so nice to sit out there with no dust and the noise from the old bumpy road.
Often people would stop, roll down their windows and say “Hey mister - what the heck is going on with this road?” - never being on a paved road before.
My great-great grandfather would reply “Sam Hill!”
The TRUE story behind the origins of “What in the Sam Hill!?”
Disclaimer - my g-g-grandparents all lived in Norway.
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So the above story would have been spoken in Norwegian it seems.
“Bump for later”
I see you are starting your own list of Odd Internet Sayings and Their Origins.
I always heard “Busier than a one-armed paper hanger!”
I don’t like that one. If the guy is a paper hanger with only one arm - how good of a job can he do? Why would anyone hire him? So how busy could he be??
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