People from the North often joke that they can’t understand Southerners due to their slow accents, but it’s true; there are many unique sayings that only people from the South understand. If you want to learn some, here are 18 Southern phrases to start with.
Pitch a Hissy Fit
If a Southerner accuses you of pitching a hissy fit, they aren’t impressed with your behavior. A hissy fit describes a childish tantrum over something silly, and Southerners subtly point this out to prompt you to behave more politely. Manners are integral in the South, so keep your hissy fits in check.
Heavens to Betsy
You’ve likely heard people exclaim, ‘Oh, Heavens!’ but they declare their surprise, happiness, or anger to one woman in the South. But who is Betsy? According to HuffPost, nobody knows, though theories include women of the prohibition era and Betsy Ross, the maker of the first American flag.
Living in High Cotton
The South is known for its rural farming history, which is where the expression ‘living in high cotton’ comes from. Before the Civil War, people used the phrase’ high cotton’ to describe thriving crops and prices. Nowadays, it refers to success, so Southerners use it to express their good fortune.
Til the Cows Come Home
There are many cows in the South, but people don’t typically invite them into their homes. When they talk about the cows coming home, they’re saying that something will take a very long time. This refers to how cattle usually return to their shelters at a slow pace.
Madder Than a Wet Hen
Do you think hens are happy when they get wet? Nope, and that’s exactly what Southerners mean when they describe being madder than a wet hen. They’re describing extreme, uncontrollable anger similar to that of a hen dunked in water by a farmer to stop them from overprotecting their eggs.
Bless Your Heart
Though it may sound sweet, when Southerners say ‘bless your heart,’ they’re usually being passive-aggressive. It’s a way to subtly criticize somebody without getting into an argument, so it regularly confuses Northerners who think Southerners are using it sincerely. A slight head shake or sigh usually accompanies it.
Pretty as a Peach
The South is known for its peaches, and peach production has become a rivalry between several southern states. Southern Living lists South Carolina, Georgia, and Texas as three of the biggest producers. That’s why it’s a high compliment to describe someone as pretty as a peach; it praises their amazing beauty.
Over Yonder
The South is vast, so northerners and tourists frequently ask locals for directions. However, they’re baffled when Southerners casually tell them something is over yonder. This phrase refers to an unspecified distance and direction. If you’re visiting the South and struggle to find things over yonder, bringing a map is a good idea.
Eat Corn Through a Picket Fence
Many Southerners dance around explicitly saying what they think to avoid offending people, especially about someone’s appearance. Saying that somebody could eat corn (or sometimes an apple) through a picket fence means they have buck teeth with gaps wide enough to fit through wooden slats. Ouch.
Quit Being Ugly
If you show bad manners in the South, you’ll attract some negative attention. People might tell you to quit being ugly, which means they want you to curb your rude, ignorant, or unruly behavior. The word ‘ugly’ is harsh enough to shame many people into instantly quitting their rudeness.
Rode Hard and Put Up Wet
The South is also famous for cowboys, so it’s no wonder another common phrase refers to horses. It’s common knowledge in the South that stabling a horse when it’s still tired and sweaty is bad, so describing someone as ‘rode hard and put up wet’ means they’ve had a difficult life.
Cattywampus
It sounds like nonsense, but the southern colloquial word ‘cattywampus’ has been added to the dictionary. Merriam-Webster defines it as ‘askew’ or ‘awry.’ Southerners may use it in the context of ‘everything has gone cattywampus’ or ‘my home is all cattywampus’ to describe total messiness and disarray.
Three Sheets to the Wind
Southerners also have their own way of politely telling you you’re drunk. Being three sheets to the wind means you’ve had too much alcohol and are acting disorderly. It derives from nautical terminology when a boat’s sails get out of control due to high winds and throw the vessel off course.
Gussied Up
If a Southerner describes you as being gussied up, they’re complimenting you. It’s a slang term that means you’re well-dressed, usually for a special occasion, like a party or wedding. Nobody knows the specific origins of the word ‘gussied,’ but it’s been traced back to the 1950s.
The Sense God Gave a Goose
Geese are considered intelligent birds, but God didn’t bless them with the same common sense as humans. That’s why it’s not a compliment if a Southerner compares you to a goose. Saying someone has the sense God gave a goose subtly insults their intelligence, especially if they’re being ignorant.
Hotter Than Blazes
It gets extremely hot in the South during the summer, often with unbearable humidity, so Southerners regularly complain about it. Describing the weather as hotter than blazes means it’s so hot you feel uncomfortable. If it’s hotter than blue blazes, the heat is comparable to the blue color of a scorching electric flame.
Let Me Let You Go
Sometimes, you want to end a conversation but don’t know how to do it politely. In the South, they have a phrase for that: let me let you go. It lets the other person know you need to get on with your day by implying you’re going to let them get back to theirs.
All Y’all
Finally, y’all is slowly becoming more mainstream in the North, but Southerners often take it one step further. ThoughtCo explains that ‘all y’all’ is used to address a large group of people, though some consider it overkill and feel ‘y’all’ is sufficient. However, Southerners don’t mind this criticism; they happily continue using the phrase.
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