GTKY: Popular sayings and phrases

megrae12 · June 2014

So, as many of y'all know, I live in the Deep South. We are known for our slow talkin' and hospitality and SWEET TEA! What I have been told, by some friends who have moved down here from up North, is that it's a bit of a culture shock. We move slow, have our own timetable, and go about our business how we want to. That being said, my friends have had to really concentrate on how we talk to understand us. We may talk slow, but we have our own unique way of doing it. So, I want to know, what are some word, phrases, sayings, etc. that are distinct to where you live?

I will start: Obviously there is y'all, which is singular (sometimes) and all y'all which is plural (all the time).

We call everyone sweetie, darlin', honey, sugar, etc. We use a lot of pet names. We do not mean offense by this, it's just how we are.

We bless a lot of hearts which is mostly an insult depending on the context in which it's used.

Probably a lesser known one, but still very popular is fixin' to, as in you are about to do something.

I could go into the crazy ones like, "she's as nervous as a hooker in church" or "I'm happier than a tornado in a trailer park" but I didnt want to overwhelm everyone. And, yes, people do say these things on a regular basis and yes, no one bats an eye at it. Well, they do if they aren't from here.

So let's hear 'em ladies!

tlc35 · June 2014

I grew up in Alabama so I a familiar with all the sayings you have listed. I currently live a few hours away and one that is specific to this city is "neutral ground" which refers to the median (ie the grassy area in between the lanes of the road). Can you guess where I live?

megrae12 · June 2014

tlc35 said:

I grew up in Alabama so I a familiar with all the sayings you have listed. I currently live a few hours away and one that is specific to this city is "neutral ground" which refers to the median (ie the grassy area in between the lanes of the road). Can you guess where I live?

I grew up and still live in Alabama!

PinkCamino · June 2014

megrae12 said:

tlc35 said:

I grew up in Alabama so I a familiar with all the sayings you have listed. I currently live a few hours away and one that is specific to this city is "neutral ground" which refers to the median (ie the grassy area in between the lanes of the road). Can you guess where I live?

I grew up and still live in Alabama!

I love accents! You should make a vlog to share!!!!

Unknown · June 2014

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Unknown · June 2014

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megrae12 · June 2014

@meladoriestar I should have put "pitchin' a hissy fit"!!

PinkCamino · June 2014

Ours is probably 'eh'.

megrae12 · June 2014

meladoriestar said:

I miss the south

Everyone does when they leave. For purely selfish reasons, I miss you being in the South too.

megrae12 · June 2014

PinkCamino said:

Ours is probably 'eh'.

When I was in Canada, I struggled so hard with that. I would be talking to people and they were going so fast that I all hear was "eh". I didnt know whether to laugh or cry. Of course, they were having a hard time understanding me as well, but I can speak properly when I want to.

megrae12 · June 2014

@PinkCamino I wouldn't even know to start a vlog, much less what I would say!

zapgurl44 · June 2014

I can't wait to move to the south, wait is central Florida the South? I'm originally from Kansas so I still use ya'll and it's called Pop, not soda. I can't wait to get out of California for a slower pace. I miss it dearly.

megrae12 · June 2014

zapgurl44 said:

I can't wait to move to the south, wait is central Florida the South? I'm originally from Kansas so I still use ya'll and it's called Pop, not soda. I can't wait to get out of California for a slower pace. I miss it dearly.

Haha, we don't typically consider Florida southern b/c it's full of transplants. And, it's called Coke no matter what. You just ask what kind

littlecookie · June 2014

tlc35 said:
I grew up in Alabama so I a familiar with all the sayings you have listed. I currently live a few hours away and one that is specific to this city is "neutral ground" which refers to the median (ie the grassy area in between the lanes of the road). Can you guess where I live?

New Orleans, right?

I'm in TX so most of the ones you posted. I definitely say fixing. I've heard other people don't call the road next to the freeway the "feeder".

Here people also say the devil is beating his wife when it rains when the sun is out. That one is weird, I know.

mflowers929 · June 2014

Around here it's just a lot of weirdly said things, because the way the French say things is not as straight forward as it is in English. For instance, you "place (your) pants on" and "close the light". You'll also hear a lot of "tabernac" which is essentially the French version of the eff word. I've even been known to let loose with it, and I'm not French! lol

PinkCamino · June 2014

mflowers929 said:

Around here it's just a lot of weirdly said things, because the way the French say things is not as straight forward as it is in English. For instance, you "place (your) pants on" and "close the light". You'll also hear a lot of "tabernac" which is essentially the French version of the eff word. I've even been known to let loose with it, and I'm not French! lol

where do you live?

PinkCamino · June 2014

snegde said:

I'm from picksburg so yinz have no idea what yer talking about. https://www.pittsburghese.com I actually don't talk like a pittsburgher but I am a Yankee through and through.

what does that mean?

megrae12 · June 2014

PinkCamino said:

snegde said:

I'm from picksburg so yinz have no idea what yer talking about. https://www.pittsburghese.com I actually don't talk like a pittsburgher but I am a Yankee through and through.

what does that mean?

Pink, that means she is a Northerner. There is a clear line b/w the North and the South. The Mason-Dixon. Anyone above that line is a Yankee.

PinkCamino · June 2014

megrae12 said:

PinkCamino said:

snegde said:

I'm from picksburg so yinz have no idea what yer talking about. https://www.pittsburghese.com I actually don't talk like a pittsburgher but I am a Yankee through and through.

what does that mean?

Pink, that means she is a Northerner. There is a clear line b/w the North and the South. The Mason-Dixon. Anyone above that line is a Yankee.

^:)^

Forgive me, I'm Canadian.

zapgurl44 · June 2014

megrae12 said:

zapgurl44 said:

I can't wait to move to the south, wait is central Florida the South? I'm originally from Kansas so I still use ya'll and it's called Pop, not soda. I can't wait to get out of California for a slower pace. I miss it dearly.

Haha, we don't typically consider Florida southern b/c it's full of transplants. And, it's called Coke no matter what. You just ask what kind

Crazy transplants
:P
I visited my sister in savannah last fall and fell in love with the south

megrae12 · June 2014

PinkCamino said:

megrae12 said:

PinkCamino said:

snegde said:

I'm from picksburg so yinz have no idea what yer talking about. https://www.pittsburghese.com I actually don't talk like a pittsburgher but I am a Yankee through and through.

what does that mean?

Pink, that means she is a Northerner. There is a clear line b/w the North and the South. The Mason-Dixon. Anyone above that line is a Yankee.

^:)^

Forgive me, I'm Canadian.

Haha, I know. It's all good. You won't know if you dont ask, now you can impress all your friends with some bit of U.S trivia

dawnstar898 · June 2014

The way we use the word "wicked" like the word "very" Something can be wicked cool, wicked hard, wicked awesome etc. That's either a Massachusetts thing or a New England thing, I don't really know!

Denise91980 · June 2014

It is funny because I am from NJ and H is from NY. His accent stands out when we go different places. Every time we go on vacation, people ask him where he is from but say I don't have an accent. He puts an a at the end of words ending in er (ie. sneaka and sneakas for sneaker) and words that end in a he adds er ( ie. soder instead of soda). It has slipped a bit over the years and he sounds a little more like me. He is trying to blend in with the rest of NJ... Lol

[Deleted User] · June 2014

I grew up in Minnesota, soft drinks are called 'pop'. Everyone says 'oh ya, you betcha'. A 'tobogan' is a sled. A 'pallet' is something you use in shipping. Then we moved to Houston, Texas, soft drinks are ALL called 'coke'. Everyone says 'hey, y'all'. A 'tobogan' is a hat. A 'pallet' is a pile of blankets on the floor to sleep on. Then there's the caddy corner vs. kitty corner debate. And the phrase 'do you want to come with' in Texas my grandma would fuss at me all the time 'come with where?'

Edit: spelling is hard

megrae12 · June 2014

YorkieLove83 said:

I grew up in Minnesota, soft drinks are called 'pop'. Everyone says 'oh ya, you betcha'. A 'tobogan' is a sled. A 'pallet' is something you use in shipping. Then we moved to Houston, Texas, soft drinks are ALL called 'coke'. Everyone says 'hey, y'all'. A 'tobogan' is a hat. A 'pallet' is a pile of blankets on the floor to sleep on. Then there's the caddy corner vs. kitty corner debate. And the phrase 'do you want to come with' in Texas my grandma would fuss at me all the time 'come with where?' Edit: spelling is hard

Haha, culture shock for you I am sure!

[Deleted User] · June 2014

megrae12 said:

YorkieLove83 said:

I grew up in Minnesota, soft drinks are called 'pop'. Everyone says 'oh ya, you betcha'. A 'tobogan' is a sled. A 'pallet' is something you use in shipping. Then we moved to Houston, Texas, soft drinks are ALL called 'coke'. Everyone says 'hey, y'all'. A 'tobogan' is a hat. A 'pallet' is a pile of blankets on the floor to sleep on. Then there's the caddy corner vs. kitty corner debate. And the phrase 'do you want to come with' in Texas my grandma would fuss at me all the time 'come with where?'

Edit: spelling is hard

Haha, culture shock for you I am sure!

It was, I mean we visited my grandparents every year but to actually live there was SO different. I argued with a waitress over the coke thing for a good 5 min before giving up once. Lol the'feeder' road made me smile @littlecookie‌

katib77 · June 2014

When I lived in WV the phase I noticed used a lot was "if'n I were you" (huh?)

Here in Chicago land, we do sound a bit like da super fans from old SNL days. And all my southern relatives say we talk real fast and clip off our words. And my southern dad hates how I say Mirror (I pronounce it like meer) and that I say "on accident " instead of "by accident "

megrae12 · June 2014

katib77 said:

When I lived in WV the phase I noticed used a lot was "if'n I were you" (huh?) Here in Chicago land, we do sound a bit like da super fans from old SNL days. And all my southern relatives say we talk real fast and clip off our words. And my southern dad hates how I say Mirror (I pronounce it like meer) and that I say "on accident " instead of "by accident "

Gosh, you mix up the "on accident" and "by accident" and you have the makings for a small war on your hands!

megrae12 · June 2014

snegde said:

*snip*

It means I talk fast, drive fast, and am always in a hurry. It means that I'll never say "bless your heart" I'll just tell you directly how I feel. I don't drink sweet tea and the thought of living below the Mason Dixon line is enough to make me break out in hives. :P If I moved to the south I would probably have a coronary. ;;)

It's a good thing I

you anyway, huh? For the record, I never say bless your heart unless I mean it sincerely. I am, what my family calls a "spitfire", which means I am mean in Southern terms. You wouldn't have coronary if you moved down here, who knows, slowing down may save your life

sunflwra · June 2014

I'm from Central Florida and it's by no means considered southern unless you are in north FL/panhandle which are basically extensions of GA/AL. Spent 10 years in Charlotte, NC which is an odd melting pot where you are definitely surrounded by some very southern small towns but there are so many transplants in Charlotte itself that I think I only met 3 people that were actually born there in the entire time I was there. Never tasted sweet tea until I moved to NC. Now I'm in Houston, TX (Hi @YorkieLove83!!) and it most certainly should be it's own country as far as I'm concerned. The only real big terminology difference I've heard is the feeder road thing like @littlecookie said, which totally through me for a loop when I got here. Also- I say that I'm going to grocery, not the grocery store- drives my husband completely mad- I think that's a FL thing.

@meloradistar - I totally say 'pitch a fit' and i'm sure I've thrown in a little extra oomph with the hissy fit too!

@megrae12 - totally right on the coke thing

@YorkieLove83 - I've been here for 3.5 years and never heard the tobogan and pallet words used here, so I'll have to keep an ear out. Still learning though- I only figure out what the heck a Homecoming Mum was last Fall!!

MrsKush1014 · June 2014

YorkieLove83 said:
I grew up in Minnesota, soft drinks are called 'pop'. Everyone says 'oh ya, you betcha'. A 'tobogan' is a sled. A 'pallet' is something you use in shipping. Then we moved to Houston, Texas, soft drinks are ALL called 'coke'. Everyone says 'hey, y'all'. A 'tobogan' is a hat. A 'pallet' is a pile of blankets on the floor to sleep on. Then there's the caddy corner vs. kitty corner debate. And the phrase 'do you want to come with' in Texas my grandma would fuss at me all the time 'come with where?'

Edit: spelling is hard

Where in MN did you grow up? I live in MN and have to agree with 'oh ya u betcha" and calling soda "pop". The others I haven't heard as being Minnesotan - though I also haven't heard any "modern" sled called a toboggan either, that word makes me think of the old wood sleds with metal runners.

Minnesota is one of the only places where children play "duck duck grey duck" instead of duck duck goose. It's really dumb - my family transplanted here when I was in kindergarten and I had to adapt to the MN version. Seriously dumb, and slightly violent. The kid who is "it" walks around saying shit like "red head duck", "brown haired duck", then grabbing the next kid's head, tilting it back, "blue eyed duck"...etc until they finally slap (literally slap!) someone on the head yelling "DUCK!" Dumb.

megrae12 · June 2014

snegde said:

snegde said:

*snip*

It means I talk fast, drive fast, and am always in a hurry. It means that I'll never say "bless your heart" I'll just tell you directly how I feel. I don't drink sweet tea and the thought of living below the Mason Dixon line is enough to make me break out in hives. :P If I moved to the south I would probably have a coronary. ;;)

It's a good thing I you anyway, huh? For the record, I never say bless your heart unless I mean it sincerely. I am, what my family calls a "spitfire", which means I am mean in Southern terms. You wouldn't have coronary if you moved down here, who knows, slowing down may save your life
Haha. DH and I were just talking about moving to warmer climAtes. :P

I feel like you should! Just sayin'

I've been to Pittsburgh and y'all's weather is cray cray! I swear I experienced all FOUR seasons in one week!!

ETA: Hit send to soon

megrae12 · June 2014

MrsKush1014 said:

I grew up in Minnesota, soft drinks are called 'pop'. Everyone says 'oh ya, you betcha'. A 'tobogan' is a sled. A 'pallet' is something you use in shipping. Then we moved to Houston, Texas, soft drinks are ALL called 'coke'. Everyone says 'hey, y'all'. A 'tobogan' is a hat. A 'pallet' is a pile of blankets on the floor to sleep on. Then there's the caddy corner vs. kitty corner debate. And the phrase 'do you want to come with' in Texas my grandma would fuss at me all the time 'come with where?' Edit: spelling is hard
Where in MN did you grow up? I live in MN and have to agree with 'oh ya u betcha" and calling soda "pop". The others I haven't heard as being Minnesotan - though I also haven't heard any "modern" sled called a toboggan either, that word makes me think of the old wood sleds with metal runners. Minnesota is one of the only places where children play "duck duck grey duck" instead of duck duck goose. It's really dumb - my family transplanted here when I was in kindergarten and I had to adapt to the MN version. Seriously dumb, and slightly violent. The kid who is "it" walks around saying shit like "red head duck", "brown haired duck", then grabbing the next kid's head, tilting it back, "blue eyed duck"...etc until they finally slap (literally slap!) someone on the head yelling "DUCK!" Dumb.

That game sounds like a cause for a butt whoopin down here! That is crazy!!!

mflowers929 · June 2014

PinkCamino said:

mflowers929 said:

Around here it's just a lot of weirdly said things, because the way the French say things is not as straight forward as it is in English. For instance, you "place (your) pants on" and "close the light". You'll also hear a lot of "tabernac" which is essentially the French version of the eff word. I've even been known to let loose with it, and I'm not French! lol

where do you live?

Nouveau Brunswick. MH is from the Acadian peninsula and didn't learn English until he was 14!

[Deleted User] · June 2014

Just so I'm not leaving anything out, I actually live in Michigan now. And people here need to learn how to pronounce things!

@sunflwra‌ omg MUMS! Seriously one of the weirdest high school traditions ever. People pay hundreds of dollars so their teen can give someone a huge flower to wear at homecoming with tons of crap hanging from it... And the bigger the better. Some of them weigh 15-20 lbs. I don't get it.

@MrsKush1014‌ we moved around a lot but Coon Rapids, Fridley and Maple Grove. I think the only reason there was an issue with toboggan and pallet was because one parent was from Texas and one from Minnesota. So, when my mom said to put my toboggan on, my dad was confused as to how you could wear a sled. Lol same with a pallet, she said the kids could make pallets to sleep on during a birthday party and he was upset she wanted us to sleep on wooden crates. And omg I hated duck duck gray duck! It is actually a mean game if you think about it.

tlc35 · June 2014

@littlecookie ding ding ding. You got it

@megrae12 my parents and brother still live in Alabama so now I'm curious where you are. They live/I lived pretty near the gulf.

Tablefor5 · June 2014

I'm from Savannah, GA

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

Night, night, sleep tight, don't let the red bugs bite.

My great aunt would say bless your heart, aren't you just precious. (She wasn't being nice)

Yes/No ma'am/sir is manditory.

Being told to pick a switch was terrifying.

As kids a thrill from the cup lady down the way was the highlight of the summer. It was a frozen mix of fruit juice corn syrup and sometimes actual fruit. We would scrounge for quarters to run an knock on her door. It was like crack for us kids. I'm not sure who's habit was worse ours or the lady selling them.

MrsKush1014 · June 2014

Tablefor5 said:

*snip*

Night, night, sleep tight, don't let the red bugs bite

"Red bugs"?? What are red bugs? I've always been told "don't let the bed bugs bite"...is there something worse than bed bugs? :-S

Tablefor5 · June 2014

@YorkieLove83‌ As kids when we went to my grand parents in Kite, Ga. Which happens to be just a cross road with a blinking light. You know so small the welcome and see y'all later sign are one in the same.
We would make pallet forts (pile of blankets and couch cushions walls and a sheet roof) and listen to the grown ups play cards while we had a slumber party

Tablefor5 · June 2014

MrsKush1014 said:

Tablefor5 said:

*snip*

Night, night, sleep tight, don't let the red bugs bite

"Red bugs"?? What are red bugs? I've always been told "don't let the bed bugs bite"...is there something worse than bed bugs? :-S

They are little bugs that live on Spanish moss found in the oak trees. As small as a needle point. Back in the old days they would stuff the mattresses with the stuff. That's where it originates from.
When we would see tourists stuffing moss into back we would just cringe because they had no clue what they were in for.
My grandmother would use clear fingernail polish to dry up the bites and kill any little sobs

MrsKush1014 · June 2014

Tablefor5 said:

MrsKush1014 said:

Tablefor5 said:

*snip*

Night, night, sleep tight, don't let the red bugs bite

"Red bugs"?? What are red bugs? I've always been told "don't let the bed bugs bite"...is there something worse than bed bugs? :-S

They are little bugs that live on Spanish moss found in the oak trees. As small as a needle point. Back in the old days they would stuff the mattresses with the stuff. That's where it originates from.
When we would see tourists stuffing moss into back we would just cringe because they had no clue what they were in for.
My grandmother would use clear fingernail polish to dry up the bites and kill any little sobs

Probably very similar to what we call 'bed bugs' but I never knew the background! Ick!

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