Appalachian Words and Phrases
It’s been over six months that I’ve been living and working in the Cumberland Gap area. And I think I’ve acclimated pretty well! So much so that I’ve picked up on a few of those Appalachian words and phrases. Hey family and friends – when you see me next – don’t be surprised if you hear a little bit of that hillbilly twang in me!
Appalachian Words and Phrases:
- “bless her heart”
People will follow up the worst possible insult with “Bless her heart” so they feel no guilt about the horrible things they’ve said.
- “don’t even have a pot to piss in”
Definition: poor.
Example: She can’t afford a new shirt. She don’t even have a pot to piss in.
- “done did that”
Definition: already did it.
Example: “I already done did that.” or “I done did that yesterday.”
- “dumber than a sack of rocks”
Definition: Self-explanatory.
- fanger
Definition: finger
- fixin’
Definition: getting ready
Example: “I’m fixin’ to go to McDonalds for dinner.”
- Ma-maw/Pa-paw
Definition: Grandmother/Grandfather
- mash
Definition: to push
Example: “Mash the button in the car to turn the defroster on.”
- pop
Definition: soda.
Side note: Out here, they call any soda a “Coke.” So if you ask the waitress to bring you a “Coke,” they will ask you what kind.
- them
Definition: those
Example: “Do you see them hills over yonder?”
- “tore up”
Definition: feeling upset
Example: “She was so tore up that she started crying in the middle of her speech.”
- tickled
Definition: smiled or laughed. Not necessarily any touching involved.
Example: “I was so tickled by her story. - “you’ns
Definition: you one’s. Plural of you. Similar to y’all. Pronounced “yunz.”
Example: “Are you’ns ordering from Mark’s today?”
Questions of the Day:
- Are you familiar with this Appalachian slang?
- If so, what other words or phrases would you add to this list?
This made me laugh. I’m from the UK and, in my part of the UK, we say some of these too! In fact, I think we say at least half of them. How strange! Hope you’re having a wonderful time experiencing a new culture!!
I loved this. Both my parents family are from Berea, Kentucky and last summer we visited there. Makes me smile thinking of the “twang” in the voices of the folks down there. I call everyone sweetie, honey, sweetheart. Not everyone is very receptive to it I notice.
My favorite saying my grandma used. “I’m going to work up this mess of beans from the garden”. Meaning she was going to preserve/can them up.
Thanks for making me smile.
I noticed that when I was over in Derbyshire a few years ago!! I’m Appalachian, and was so surprised by how many words the English used that we Appalachians used too. ‘fetch’ ‘bloomin’. ‘flippin’ 🙂
I have heard this slang before, but never put so well. Great job! You have acclimated to the culture well!
Beth || http://www.TheStyleBouquet.com
What fun phrases. Some I’ve heard of before, but others I have not. Like the you’ns one.
Being originally from Kentucky, I recognized every single one of these! Great post!
It’s a Southern or maybe redneck thing. This made me smile from some of my roots. Xoxo
I have heard some of these but I don’t really understood some of them. Thank you for sharing this info, I will definitely remember them haha.
I was born and raised in North Carolina, so I have heard of all of these. There are a couple that I use or have used, but I have been told consistently that I don’t sound like I am from the South, which is just so strange to me.
Flurs
Flowers
Yuns tard
Are you tired
I’m just laughing–these are all Texan sayings as well. With the exception of pop. We say coke–for all soft drinks!
Just wait til hunting season or football season….you’re going learn even more words! A lot of us folks in Michigan use some of these slang terms in everyday life as well…cute entry.
I’m familiar with the Appalachian slang. I used to hear it a lot growing up.
This made me laugh. My best friend is from Texas and I’m in Minnesota, so she says some of these things too and I think it’s hilarious.
Loved this. We are traveling that way soon and this post really put me in the right mindset. Thank you
I’ve lived in Appalachia all my life so you think I’d know all of this. A few years ago a relative was talking about a bar. His story didn’t make any sense until I figured out he was talking about a bear.
My grandmother used to say she was “aiming” to do something, which she used as a country version of “fixin’.”
Something new I learned today! It is the first time I’ve heard about “you’ns.” It was also interesting to learn about a new definition for the word “mash.”
This cracked me up! I’ve heard the “bless her heart” even growing up just in Florida…it’s a shitty southern thing to say lol
-Clarissa @ The View From Here
In many parts of Appalachia “bless her (or your or his) heart” is a comforting comment when someone has had a misfortune or a compliment when someone, usually a child” has done something pleasing.. If is in no way used as a “shitty” or degrading comment.
Haha! That is too funny. My mom is a huge fan of bless her heart.
I grew up in Kentucky, so looking at this felt like going back home. Thanks for the chuckle!
Hilarious. Thank you for sharing.
YES! If I could I’d hug you! **sending you hugs anyway** As a South Texas transplant to Oregon, I miss hearing these phrases.
But it’s kind of funny seeing people’s faces here in the PNW who have absolutely no clue what I’m saying at times.
Haha we like our fixin here in Texas. The worst is autocorrect fixes my slang. WTH
Home Sweet Home! You should add, “got a hitch in my get-a-long” which means there was a snag in my plans or could mean that you tripped!
This is awesome. My husband’s grandma always uses “bless her heart” A LOT and I never noticed that she always said it after gossiping about someone, but now that you pointed it out…that’s totally what she does! Haha:)
Local sayings are always too funny, there are so many languages in the English language makes communicating a bit of a challenge sometimes. As a Brit in the US I go through it every day LOL
So cool! I love how different areas have different words that sound like words/phrases we use in other ways
I definitely hear a few of these where I live now. It’s always fun learning the local slang when you move to a new area.
LOL – it’s funny how different places have different words, but everyone there knows what they mean!
This is way too cute! I’m originally from the South, and we speak this way, too. “Bless her heart” is my favorite. 🙂
The south is definitely a world with its own language but I guess thats true everywhere. I love bless her heart and I have another one for you “flicted” like when someone is crazy or does something stupid instead of the incorrect use of mentally challenged (retarded) they say flicted short for afflicted
Yes, some of these are Alabama words. Except definitely not pop. Haha.
Bless your heart all of these work in Oklahoma too. The dialects are so fun.
These phrases are just something that you hear from the movies. I think it’s fun to learn slang from whatever area you’re in!
It’s always nice to hear the slang from other places, isn’t it? It’s quite to learn them too. Thanks for sharing some of the phrases that you’ve been hearing.
Thank you for sharing these!
I laughed so hard right now about some of these words. I live in the south and I still did not know some of these words.
This is so funny and cute!! Cracked me up 🙂 Thanks for sharing, I’m a wannabe redneck, country living city girl
bless her heart is very common in Texas too along with fixin’. i love it all 🙂
It is very nice and exciting to learn new language including slangs! Thank you and these made me smile 🙂
My dear Divya. I am catching up with your last few blogs today.
1. Classroom Accommodations for Dyslexia……. Great Post. So informational and helpful. You are an
amazing teacher and so full of knowledge. God Bless You.
2. Special Education Organization Hack …….. Another Helpful Post. We all could benefit from the tips in
organizing our lives. Thanks dear sweet Divya.
I will write separately about todays post.
xoxo
Haha I use some of those phrases all the time! Being from Texas, my most used one is definitely “y’all”. It just doesn’t make sense to say “you all”!
Another great post Divya.
Such fun slangs…..
I am going to try and use them here in California.hahaha.
Fun post! I made a list once of southern slang and their meanings, so you know I like this one! We have a bunch that match!
LOL! Oh Lord…I laughed so hard. I’m originally from West Virginia (we live in Atlanta, GA now) but my family in Appalachia says every single one of these. That was so the laugh I needed tonight. 🙂
I had no idea that ‘them’ (which I use every once in awhile) is an Appalachian slang. Great to know about these new terms. 🙂
this made my day. i often use the “tore up” everytime im upset. haha lol
Hold the phone. Pop?! I thought only Michiganders called “soda”, pop!?!
LMAO! You call it slang, and I call it normal. These are southern sayings as well (so I am told). I’m from Texas =) Also, Bless your heart or Bless her heart actually isn’t us following up to be nice or to feel better about our insult, it’s a “nice” way of saying the person is an idiot or did something incredibly dumb.
This is so funny, have heard some of these before online, but must be fun to hear people actually saying it there. “done did that” is so cool haha 😀 You should hear the thick Aussie slang in some places in Australia. Hilarious 😀
Now your speaking my language. 🙂 There are some variations here though, we use Y’all instead of you’uns and coke instead of pop. Bless her heart however is a universal southern thing – be on the lookout the more subtle “Bless it”.
Hahaaa! Sounds like you nailed it! I grew up with all of this!
YES! You are actually right there in the neck of my woods. I was raised right there near the Cumberland Gap. You gotta love the accent too. When I go home to visit, it takes me a minute to understand what someone is saying. I ask my husband if I really sounded like that when we first met. He laughs and says I still do a little.
I’m familiar with majority of these phrases, but didn’t realize they were tied to the Cumberland Gap area. My favorite would have to be “don’t even have a pot to piss in”.
They are interesting expressions! Thank you for the follow! I couldn’t find the ‘like’ button. Follow returned.
Ha! The term bless her heart is used a lot down here in the south where my husband is from.
It’s amazing how many different codes exist within the English language here in the United States. It’s good to know for when you are traveling.
I didn’t realize that some of these were Appalachian slang. I just thought it was part of our Oklahoma slang.
Haha, after working with a friend who came from the southern US, I noticed she says a lot of these, too. I read this entirely in her voice as well. Great read!
Fun post to read. Have not heard the term Appalachian slang before, though some of the phrases I’ve heard before. Cheers.
I spent a little over 2.5 years in West Virginia and a year in Kentucky, so I definitely recognize all of these! 😛
Oh my gosh, I saw “fanger” and just about died laughing!
Imma spell this out how I talk it. I’m from Georgey, borned & raised…northwest part. I’ve set here & looked at this, & I reckon I can go along with it mostly. Some words I don’t use tha way yall spell em, I reckon my enunciation on some thangs is a might thicker than usual. I do know that when I lived in Texas fora spell they horse laughed me pretty hard cause of the way I talked & all I could think was heck, you Texas folk ain’t as country as I figured you uns to be. Had me down right discombobulated forra lil while…but then I figured I’d school em on how to talk true southern & you know wut?….it caught on! Lol… course now, I can charm the birds from the trees ifin I put a mind to it…I ain’t stupid or nuthin like that by any stretch, tho most folks just to hear me speak would say I ain’t had no skoolin, but just in city folk talk…in witch I ain’t really fer…I can hand write you a letter , usin proper anglish tho, you would know me from a yuppie lol…, but reckon I like my speak purdy well..Tha hillier, tha better…it’s just got that simple charm I suppose ….never had no problem gettin a gal to smile, I’ll say that much enywayz! Haha….but that’s prolly cause I’m such a handsome rascal lol. Yall carry on with yallz rat killin, I’ve really enjoyed it!
“pull up yer britches” I say alot. “stop doin flips yer showin your bloomers” “boy he is dumber than a coal bucket”
I grew up in Southwest Virginia (Hokies fan) and I loved reading these. I have a couple others to add.
If you’re sick you say “I’m feelin’ puny”!
If you harvest corn and are going to preserve it NEVER say you’re “bottling corn” or you’ll have half the county over expecting a drink of some home brew.
If someone tells you that your daughter is “cute as a speckled pup,” they didn’t just insult you and call her a dog. It’s a compliment. The speckled pup is the pick of the litter (most desirable).
If someone says “I’ve been scratchin’ but I ain’t found no itch yet,” it means they want grandkids but don’t have any yet!
If someone says “if I had my druthers” it means if I had it my way (had my choice).
If you hear someone say “that’s finer than frog hair!” It doesn’t mean southerners think frogs have hair, but rather it means that something is so fine it can’t even be detected.
If you hear “if it had been a snake it woulda bit me,” that means you were looking for something that was right in front of you the whole time.
Settin’ in a barbershop ya might hear a feller say he was sweatin’ like a sinner in church! Pretty much self explanatory.
MY daddy was from a little Holland in S E Kentucky. L have heard everyone of those sayigs and then some.
.Like Don’t you younguns be goomming in there ( Don’t you kids be making a mess in there.
OR Lordy look at her actin so prissy.( acting stuck up)
The one l’ve heard people in Kentucky and Tennessee say but l never got the true meaning of it is “Your ass sucks buttermilk.
I’m not surprised the apoplectic from England knew these saying as most of Appalachia can trace their roots to England, lreland or Scotland.
Texas was settled by people from the South after the Civil War
Har yee? How are you? Fair to middlin. Not bad. Jeet? Did you eat? No,jew? No did you? I’m so dry I’m spitting cotton. Thirsty My gut thinks my throats been cut. Hungry. Got sum slumgullion on the far. Stew on the stove. Dip us out a bate. Serve dinner.