Southern Country Sayings
I just love all of our Southern country sayings and talking about them never seems to get old. A few times now I’ve asked people to tell me their favorites on our Facebook page and it always lights up with hundreds of contributions. It tickles everyone to talk about them and see what old Southern sayings others have to contribute as we all walk down memory lane.
So today I want to start that conversation on this post as a fun way of celebrating our favorite Southern sayings and learning a few new ones we might want to work into our vocabulary. So grab a sweet tea and settle in, y’all.
Favorite Southern Country Sayings
Butter my biscuit
“Butter my biscuit” is an iconic Southern phrase. Although we generally use it to impart surprise, you can get a lot of mileage out of it for other purposes as well.
Over yonder
When giving directions Southern-style, you’d say “over yonder”, meaning over there… somewhere.
Gone off your rocker
Someone who is crazy can be said to have gone off their rocker or possibly have gone around the bend. There’s no telling what they’re fixin’ to do. You might need to call the law on them if they get too rowdy. Don’t be afraid to give the station boys a ring, even if the miscreant is only knee-high to a grasshopper.
There are plenty of Southern folks who think they’re tough and lots of Northern types that say some mighty hurtful things about their countrymen. The best advice the South has for either one tends to be that if you’re going to be stupid, you’d better be tough as well.
Skint
People don’t go broke much in the South, they get skint instead. Most likely someone convinces them to do something for a Yankee dime. That’s also a kiss, just by the by, and don’t let anyone tell you differently. I also like, “He’s tighter than Dick’s hatband” for stingy people.
Y’all
You can’t very well do a piece about common Southern phrases without mentioning what has become, arguably, the most iconic piece of Bible Belt parlance: y’all. In the same way, many other contractions and accents have become part and parcel of the way the South speaks. If that ain’t true, then grits ain’t groceries and eggs ain’t poultry.
Fixin’ To
Another popular Southern expression is fixin’ to. If you’re fixin’ to do something, it means you’re getting ready and preparing to do it. Like I’m fixin’ to make some grits, y’all.
Automotive country sayings
Ain’t nothing more Southern than a good old stick-shift pickup, so I think that I’ll give you a few automotive selections before anything else.
- For instance, that thing you push to get the gas going is a foot feed.
- The dimwit that just passed you illegally is riding a hawg or Harley, not a motorcycle.
- If you got behind a slow driver, “That man must be haulin’ eggs.”
You may have seen people doing some foolish things on Southern country roads. That’s fine, they can stick their arm out the car window as long as they don’t cry when it gets knocked off. If they do, then to heck with them and the horse they rode in on.
Agricultural country sayings
It takes someone dumb as the turnip truck they fell off of not to know that Southerners are farmers by breeding, training, and choice. That means that you’re going to see a ton of agricultural terms thrown around in Southern slang. Someone might be stubborn as a mule, working like a horse, or plain old dog-tired after a long day.
If you need to work out a deal, it might be time to squat down on the horse blankets and hammer out all the bits that are finer than a frog’s hair. If you’ve got an idea of how to do something, you’ll probably have a bee in your bonnet about it. A little birdie might tell you something you would otherwise not know. If you’re doing something you’re good at, you’re either holding back or going hog wild.
“That girl is too scared to say boo to a goose.” Meaning she is just a scaredy cat. At least I think that is what it means. From my experiences with geese, they are “meaner than snake piss!” Speaking of geese: “You ain’t got the good sense God gave a goose.” Southern speak for calling someone dumb or stupid, sorry folks!
Another commenter mentioned, “I wouldn’t vote for him for dog catcher”. This meant it didn’t matter which office the candidate was vying for, he wasn’t worthy of being elected. If you got a job done quickly: “I got that job done before a cat could lick his hind end.”
Speaking of farming, you’ll need some soil to plow and real Southern parlance knows just where to come by it. It’s not uncommon to hear that if dumb were dirt, a particularly dull individual would be an acre or two. Feel free to adjust the field size to suit the individual in question. Some people need more than just an acre to really get your point.
I also can’t forget my favorite I use too often on Southern Plate: “Whatever cranks yer tractor.”
Bible Belt
Not for nothing is the South called the Bible Belt. Hang out there long enough and you are almost certain to hear a fair amount of religious terminology.
- I want to start by saying yes, bless your heart can be a good thing. In fact, I’ve heard it used more often than not in situations where it really is a good thing. If someone is going through a rough time or suffering a loss, you’d hug them and say, “bless your heart” as a show of compassion.
- Another catch-all phrase you are likely to hear before too long in the South is “Lord have mercy” in any of many different enunciations. It’s a hugely versatile term that can mean nearly anything if you give it the right inflection.
- “On God” to indicate commitment.
- “I’ll be there tomorrow if the Good Lord’s willing and the crick (creek) don’t rise” to limit that commitment. Meaning sometimes there weren’t bridges over creeks. If there had been heavy rain, the creek would cover the road and made it impassable.
- “From your mouth to God’s ears” to say you hope you will be able to fulfill that commitment nonetheless.
Angry country phrases
When people get angry, some of them throw a “hissy fit” or will be “madder than a wet hen.” Because y’all, when a hen is wet, it’s mad. Others will simply mutter “fiddlesticks” and move on. If you’ve really offended someone, chances are they’re fit to be tied. If so, just telling them not to get their britches in a wad is probably not going to cut it.
Foodie Southern sayings
Of course, we wouldn’t be doing justice to the American South if we didn’t mention its unique cuisine. The Southern kitchen is so important to its culture that some things have made their way from the kitchen range into normal conversations. If someone is starving to death in the dining room, you might want to brew them up something hot or give them a little something to tide them over.
If it’s hot out, don’t forget to offer them some coke. That’s any fizzy drink, not just the brand-name Coca-Cola. If you’re out in the fridge, remember to check in your cellar before heading off to buy more.
Family country sayings
Family is important in the Deep South too. As they say, Southern blood runs deep. You’ll be hard put to find even a single Southerner who can’t recall their grandparents asking for “some sugar.” That’s a kiss, for you Northern folks. There’s plenty of effort that goes into making sure that kids get brought up right.
FAQs
What is the most southern saying?
I think we can all agree that the most Southern slang is y’all.
What is a Southern greeting?
An old-fashioned Southern greeting some folks still use today is howdy.
What is Southern slang for tired?
A Southern way of saying I’m exhausted is “plum tuckered.”
That’s just a small selection of all the great Southern expressions that you guys have poured into this page. If y’all think I missed something, feel free to put your favorite country sayings in the comments section. If you see a term there that no one seems to understand, please, share your Southern pride and define it for us. Catch you later, hun. Bye now!
“You think I don’t have culture just because I’m from down in Georgia. Believe me, we’ve got culture there. We’ve always had sushi. We just called it bait.”
~Ben “Cooter” Jones
I grew up in Texas and now live in San Francisco and the saying that gets the blank stare is “If it was a snake ita bitch ya” (bit you) meaning something is right in front of you.
I hail from Northwest Alabama in the smallest of all small towns. I’m enjoying all of the ones above and can think of a couple more that have flown from my friend’s and family’s lips:
1 – Making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear – meaning making something good out of something bad
2 – That’s the way the mop flops. (Essentially – “oh well”)
3 – Fixingta, or fiddin’a – meaning about to do something (Go wash your hands, we’re fiddin’a eat.)
4 – In the short rows now – meaning we’re almost done!
5 – Tennis (pronounced “tenny”) shoes – I never heard a soul use the word “sneakers” or “running shoes” until I was well into my 20’s…
6 – Wore slap out – meaning tired or in need of being replaced
7 – I swahnee! – honestly, I don’t know what this means, but it’s the exclamation usually used in desperation or frustration. (I swahnee! Auburn’s new quarterback couldn’t have put the football in the end zone on Saturday if someone had picked ‘im up and carried ‘im there!)
8 – Fiddlin’ around – meaning wasting time
9 – Cotton-pickin’, ding-dang, lots of others – these are some of my favorites and show how creative Southerners can be in making up our own version of “bad words” (That cotton-pickin’ washing machine has leaked water all over the floor again! Get these ding-dang toys off the stairs before somebody breaks their neck!!)
Another one I love is the Southern distinction between “dinner” and “supper”. I have to remind myself of my Alabama vocabulary when I go home now; my brother has on more than one occasion positively FLAMED me for inviting him to “dinner” in reference to the evening meal. “WE ate dinner at noon. But if you want us to come for SUPPER, we’ll be there at 6.” (Well, excuuuuse me.)
This has been great fun, thanks!!
I smiled at the dinner/supper. My husband (age 54) still asks me what’s for dinner – and I know good-n-well he wants to know what I packed for his lunch. He calls me on his way home from work many days, “hey, what’s for supper?” My daughter (age 32) rolls her eyes…she’s citified, you know.
My daughter and her husband were invited to ‘Sunday dinner’ at her in-laws home. They arrived promptly at 6:00 PM and were served left-overs from the noon meal!
In Tennessee I always heard it, “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear” meaning if it is bad you can’t do anything to fix it and make it better.
Also, “you have champaign taste and a beer pocketbook”
I always thought it meant, in reference to a person..
The ” I Swahnee” I had not heard exactly. But when my great grandmama got all frustrated and bothered she’d say “mercy sakes I swahn” and I always took it to mean ” I swear” but figured she didnt like to swear bein a good christian woman.
In reference to “9”–We always said dad-gum..”You better get that dad-gum dog outta my okre!”
Loved your comments!
1. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
2. If that don’t beat all!
3. I got a hitch in my get-along.
4. Purt near, as in purt near right. Could also be Purt nigh.
5. Plumb tuckered out.
6. Plumb lazy…
7. Catty-whomp for diagonal or skewed, as in, “Fix that picture. It’s all catty-whomp and crooked.
Justasoon (just as soon or rather)- such as, I’d justasoon eat supper as sit here and talk about it.
Get-together – family reunion
They live just a little piece down the road.
Wellllll, doggy!….probably from Beverly Hillbillies but we used it any way : )
Ya’ll come by and see us sometime.
Telling a story – not telling the truth
Thank you for you wonderful recipes and stories, Christy!
@Tara Pratt = long “row” Bless your heart for gettin’ it right!!, I’ve heard so many times “road to hoe”..?… what in the world is hoeing a road???? You gonn’a chop asphalt with a hand tool???
And @Tara & @Wendell for Lancer’s or Tom’s peanuts.. you really caught me out with that one. I had always had peanuts with a Coke, or a MoonPie & a rootbeer at the hardware store on a Saturday morning when young. oh, the memories are flowing now.
ps-Bless your heart Christy!, I am a gentleman with southern roots that is mocked for saying ‘Yes Ma’am & Yes, Sir” all day at work, but I won’t stop.
I love your recipes, and will submit a coupel more as I get a chance. I have a great apples ‘n cheese that my Dad made that is easy & outstanding.
Thank You Ma’am,
Joe
Ha ha ha ha, can tell you’re not off the farm, it’s a long ROW to hoe, as in a row on the farm or in a garden, a lot of work ahead….long row to hoe.
I still love to hear someone say, yes ma’am or sir. To me it shows character and good breeding. My grandchildren are still taught to use these when replying to older folks or teachers, etc. It would be a nicer world if some of the “old time ways” were still being used.
Thank you Sir!
Alice from Tennessee
Being from Mississippi, if we did not do an assigned chore correctly our Mama would say, “You better lick that calf over again.” Also if we were nosy or doing something we shouldn’t our Daddy would say we were “pillering”. He also called a drinking straw a “quill” and the glovebox in the car a “cooter-hull.”
Anyone ever have a Coke in a bottle into which a small bag of Lancer’s salted peanuts was poured?
Most folks think I’m nuts when I mention this!
And I always though it was Tom’s Peanuts……
It was Tom’s.
the salted peanuts in the glass bottle of Coke is one of my favorite memories from childhood. Of course, we kids couldn’t drink Coca Cola until I was 8 or 9 years old. My parents thought it had cocaine in it.
It did have cocaine in it ……..way back when!!!!
that’s hilarious! You couldn’t have cocaine until you were older than 8 LOL!
My uncle loved peanuts in Dr Pepper. I think it’s pretty good, but rarely do it ’cause peanuts tend to give my heartburn.
Ain’t nothing better. But we always used RC cola and Tom’s Peanuts here in Columbus GA!
The brand name was Lance’s. Tom’s Peanuts were better because they were less salty and thus didn’t make the Coke fizz as much.
My daddy always put peanuts in Sundrop!
Hasn’t EVERYBODY?! !!
Surely THIS is not an unusual practice. : )
oh yes!!
I’ve had many of a coke with peanuts poured in the bottle, still do sometimes!
yes i have and it sure is good.!!!!!
Nobody from East Tennessee would think you are nuts!
Its a little off the subject, but a bigger snack, or maybe even lunch would be a rc and moonpie
WOW one of my most favorite “snacks” when I was a kid. I am in my 60s and still love this every now and then. Also, peanuts in vanilla ice cream. At school on Fridays you could get a little round carton of vanilla ice cream for 7 cents and if you were “rich” with a dime you had 3 cents left over to get a pack of peanuts. DELICIOUS!! Tennessee “hillbilly”
I used to drink/eat this all the time . I have not had that in years!
Had hundreds —back in the 60’s when i worked in a service station i would make my meals with Tom’s Peanuts and Pepsi—-that was when there was service—chech under the hood,wash the windshieldand check the air in your tires.
…many a time. In my neck of the woods it was an RC cola and peanuts, while walking home from school. The store was half way between the school and home. I’d collect enough empty bottles (back when ya got a nickle a bottle for returning the empty to the store)between the school and store to get myself a soda and some peanuts. Those were the days!
yep I hear that
Coke and peanuts!!!!! What a treat!! Loved knockin’ the last few out of the bottom of the bottle!!
LOL , My Sister ( sissy) At the age of ** will still put peanuts in her coke! really cant say her age if so I may be up a Creek without a paddle!