Like extra sweet iced tea and fried green tomatoes, certain things just scream “the South.” The culture, cuisine, etiquette, and language below the Mason-Dixon Line have their own distinctive flair, adding to the vibrancy of this diverse nation. (Speaking of cuisine, check out these 20 great Southern seafood dishes everyone should try.)
The American South spans an area from Maryland to Florida to Texas. Although many people would argue that Maryland isn’t really in the South or that Texas is a cultural monolith, certain Southern phrases and idioms are popular across state borders. Although there are regional differences between, say, Appalachia, the Lowcountry, and the Mississippi Delta, a common theme is the veiled – or colorfully phrased – insult. (Southerners aren’t the only ones with creative insults. Read about Irish slang and phrases Americans just don’t understand.)
To compile a list of sayings only Southerners understand, 24/7 Tempo reviewed various sources that record phrases that might be heard in the South, but probably nowhere else.
Many of the expressions here hark back to the rural or agricultural life of the region – for instance, using animals in a metaphorical way. Others touch on religion or food. All are colorful and evocative.
Spread out like a hot lunch
> Meaning: Taking up too much room with one’s belongings; “moving right in”
Who licked the red off your candy?
> Meaning: Who made you so mad?
Would rather climb a tree and tell a lie than stand on the ground and tell the truth
> Meaning: Is sticking to a lie that everyone knows is a lie
Somebody’s cornbread ain’t done in the middle.
> Meaning: Someone isn’t very smart
Could wear the horns off a billy goat
> Meaning: Is very annoying; natters on too much
Doesn’t amount to a hill of beans
> Meaning: Not worth very much
Rode hard and put away wet
> Meaning: Description of someone who looks very tired or hung over
Pitching a hissy fit with a tail on it
> Meaning: Really angry; off the rails
He’s/she’s a ring-tailed tooter
> Meaning: Description of a spunky, mischievous child
Lower’n a snake in a wagon rut
> Meaning: Having very low moral standing
Thinks the sun comes up just to hear him/her crow
> Meaning: Is extremely conceited
That dog don’t hunt
> Meaning: That makes no sense; that won’t work
Finer than a frog’s hair split in half
> Meaning: Doing exceptionally well; usually a response to “How are you?”
Could argue with a fence post
> Meaning: Description of someone who argues solely because they enjoy it, or who can find fault in everything
Sharp as a bowling ball
> Meaning: Not very smart at all
The good Lord willing and the creek don’t rise
> Meaning: Something will happen unless the weather or an act of God prevents it.
Stuck up higher than a light pole
> Meaning: Seriously conceited
All hat and no cattle
> Meaning: Talks a good game with nothing to back it up (used mostly in Texas)
That just flew all over me
> Meaning: That irritated or infuriated me
Even a blind squirrel gets a nut every now and again
> Meaning: You can’t always lose; eventually you’ll get something right.
I could eat the north end of a south-bound goat
> Meaning: I’m really hungry
Wouldn’t pay a nickel to see Jesus on a bicycle
> Meaning: Is really stingy
Nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs
> Meaning: Really nervous
Hotter than a two-dollar pistol
> Meaning: Really hot (used both literally and figuratively)
Katy, bar the door
> Meaning: Be careful, trouble’s coming