A

Actin' a Fool - Being Stupid

Addled - Confused, disoriented, tongue-tied

Aim to - Plan to do something - "I aim to mow that yard tomorrow."

Ain't Seen Hide Nor Hair - Haven't Seen At All

All-fired - Extremely, very - “She’s so all-fired lazy no one wants to hire her.”

All tore up - Very disturbed, emotionally upset

Ahmagin - short for "I imagine"

B

Bad as I hate to do it - As much as I hate to do it

Bar Code - Rules of the local saloon

Bat Out Of Hell - Usually refers to something moving very fast

Best - Another Southernism that is usually used in the negative -
"You best not bother Bubba bout his car. He just had to spend $500 on it."

Biddy - Baby chicken or a middle-aged female human, as in "old biddy".

Break - To induce the abandonment of an undesirable trait or habit -
"I'm gonna break you from that if it's the last thing I do!"

Bound and determined - Irrevocably committed to do something

C

Come Hell or High Water - No Matter What

Conniption - A major fit, total loss of control of one's temper; you pitch a conniption

Contrary - Stubborn - as in 'contrary old kodger'

Cotton Pickin' - Despicable, wretched

Country Mile - Any long distance

Crack of day - Dawn or daybreak

Critter - Animal


D

Directly - Before long - "I'll be along directly."

Draw up - To shrink - "If you wash it in hot water, it'll draw up."

Duct Tape - One of the 7 Wonders of the World

E

Eatin high on the hog - .meaning "eating good"

Egg on - To nag someone -
"When I spend too much, you just egg on and on and on." -
also to urge someone to do something - "They egged him on until he finally gave it a try."

Ever - Always - "She was ever a pretty one."

Everwhichway - In all directions -
"He let go the hose pipe and it went everwhichway."

F

Fair piece - A long distance

Fairly - Nearly, almost

Fess up - Confess

Fetch - To Retrieve

Fixin' - Preparing - “I’m fixin' to go to the store.”

Fret - To worry

G

Get Shed Of - To Get Rid Of

Give out - Very tired - "I am plumb give out!"

Got Half-a-Mind - Almost Decided: "I got half-a-mind to wear you out"

Gudnuf - short for "good enough"

Gully Washer - Large amount of rain


H

Hadn't ought - Ought not, should not -
"He hadn't ought to of said those things to her."

Hanker - To crave or desire
"I've been hankering for some good ole grits."

Hear tell - To hear something said - "I hear tell Martha's getting married."

High-falutin - Extremely fancy.

Hissy -  A fit - "She's gonna have a hissy when she sees this mess!"

Hogwash - Nonsense

Hotter'n Blue Blazes - Extremely Hot

I

J

K

Keep your britches on - Don't be so impatient

Ketch - Catch

Kin to - Related to.

L

Light out - To depart hastily. "He lit out for the river."

M

Mall - 5,280 feet

Mess - A large quantity, enough for a meal -
"We have a whole mess of poke sallet."

Much obliged - Thank you


N

Nary - Not. "I ain't got nary a one."

Naught - Zero

No-count - Good-for-nothing

Nohow - In no manner; no way "I can't do it nohow."

Notion - Decision or Idea

O

Ornery - Mean; stubborn -
"That ornery old mule is still sittin' around doing nothing."

P

Pay no mind - To pay no attention. "She wasn't paying him no mind."

Piddling around - Fooling around, wasting time

Piddling - doing small chores

Playing possum - Playing dead

Poach - A place on the front of your house where you sit in the swing of a Sunday afternoon and watch the cars go by.

Q

R

Ranch - A tool used for tight'nin bolts.

Reckon - Guess - "I reckon I'll go with you."

Rile - To Make Mad: "He got me all riled up"

Roe v. Wade - Decision to make when crossing a creek

Roundtuit - Finding time to accomplish set goals

Running one's mouth - Talking to much


S

See a Man About A Dog - Excuse to leave (usually to the bathroom)

Shindig - dance or celebration

Smack Dab - Squarely, exactly - "It hit him smack dab in the eye."

Sop - To use bread, usually a biscuit, to get every last drop of gravy or sauce from the plate

Sorry - Worthless - "That sorry rope couldn't hold a flea."

Spell - An indetermined length of time - "Let's sit here and rest a spell.

Study on - To think, ponder, consider - "I'll study on it and let you know tomorrow."

Sunday-Go-To-Meeting Clothes - Suit and Tie

T

That Dog Won't Hunt - That Idea Is All Wrong

Tuckered out - Tired - "I'm too tuckered out to go with you."

U

Uglyr'n The Southbound End of a Northbound Mule - Extremely Unattractive

V

Vittles - Food

W

Ways - Distance. "It's a long ways from here."

Wear out - To spank a child - "I'm gonna wear out your little hide if you don't behave!"

X

Y

Y'all - A Southernism that is used when referring to more than one person. Can be used when speaking to one person, but only when the sentence implies plurality. No true Southerner ever pronounces y'all as you-all.

Yonder - over there; as far as is within reasonable reach; next to you, in the next room, in the next town, in the next state, but no farther -
"Let's go down yonder to Alabama to visit Uncle Bill." -
"I put the camera over yonder."

Youngun - A child

Z



Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear, or a fool from any direction.

Don't squat with your spurs on.

Behind every successful rancher is a wife who works in town.

Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

Never ask a barber if you need a haircut.

If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

When you're throwin' your weight around, be ready to have it thrown around by somebody else.

The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back into your pocket.

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen are defrocked, shouldn't it follow that cowboys would be deranged?

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