Wednesday, April 16, 2008

What's Yours?

The last post's title got me to thinking about "Southernisms," which I would define as usage of the English language found in the (mostly) rural south.

You know, things like "I'm fixing to go to the store."

Or even the way certain people pronounce things. Like, the way old African-American folks call their children "chirren" and their grandchildren are "grands."

I love that.

I just love my chirren and I hope someday they give me some grands.
Maybe some great-grands if I live long enough.

Here's one that I'm not sure is Southern but a real Southern man said it to me- "My give-a-damn-meter's just about at zero."
And he was quoting his daddy, so I'm pretty sure that's a genuine Southernism.

What are yours? What phrases or words make your heart happy? They don't have to be southern. They could be Mexican. Quien sabe?

Discuss.

12 comments:

  1. "I'm fucking this chicken, you just hold the wings," is still nearly the best thing I have ever heard someone say.

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  2. Oh yeah. Doesn't that one come from The Woman Who Gets Things Done?
    I love it!

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  3. Well, the rest of us won't even TRY to beat that one!! ;)

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  4. Well, damn...I need to think of a way to work that phrase into the conversation some time soon!

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  5. Seriously son- I think you've completely intimidated everyone here.
    Darn you.
    You've fucked that chicken and I'm sitting here holding the wings.
    (How's that, Ms. Other Blog?)

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  6. ...if you're done with that chicken now...

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  7. Here it is. This one came from a guy I knew back in Florida. He and his family all lived on the same piece of land, just different trailers. The kind of situation where you only need one phone line, so long as you have strong lungs to holler at each other. His father told him this.

    "Son, you can't make chicken salad out of chicken shit."

    The best one's have to do with chickens, no?

    But you know the black folk of philly and the florida folk have some pretty compatible speech, that hasn't stretched my phrasings too much. The most simple and useful phrase I've heard repeatedly here is merely "That ain't right." I say that one a lot now.

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  8. First off- Juancho and DTG, you are the funniest guys I know. Well, except for Billy. I want to lock all three of you in a room together, ply you with beer and watch what happens.
    My back porch, this Saturday night?
    Suggest alternatives if that doesn't work.

    Ms. Quiet- I've heard that one a lot, too. Related are, "He (or she) ain't right," and "You know THAT'S right." Also, "Doin' all right?" which I hear frequently in Lloyd.

    And do y'all know why the chicken crossed the road?
    To show the armadillo that it could be done, of course.

    Now the following is a true story and one which to ponder:
    My neighbor had yard chickens which roamed freely and my husband asked him once if he wasn't afraid of those chickens getting hit on the road in front of the house. My neighbor scratched his chin and said, "Ya ever see a dead chicken on the road?"

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  9. OK, I'm really late to this one but here's my favorite:
    ....... so poor if it cost a nickle to shit we'd have to learn to throw up". That cracks me up every time.

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  10. Wait! I've never heard that one!
    Obviously, I have raised my chirren right!

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  11. How about 'devil's beating up his wife' during a sunshower. That's a southern thing yeah? My step-dad was from Texas and he told it to me before i can remember.

    Not realizing most people have never heard it in this region, i mentioned it and was met with a bit of shock. You've heard that saying yeah?

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  12. Ajax- Of couse. We just say, "The devil's beating his wife," though.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.