Wednesday, October 22, 2003

Another Southern English Lesson

1. BAD CLOUD: Yankee Americans say a thunderstorm blew in, but in the South we say--"It come up a bad cloud."
2. TOAD STRANGLER: A lot of rain. "That was a sure nuff toad strangler."
3. GO ON: A little extra something we put into sentences to get people moving. "You just go on up there and give it your best shot."
4. PURT NYER [pretty near]: We purt nyre there, Ma?
5. I SWANEY (I declare, or My goodness) I swaney, you've growed a foot since I last saw ya!

And yet a few more expressions:

We've howdied but we ain't shook yet.
= [We've sorta met after a fashion, but haven’t been properly introduced.
He thinks the sun come up just to hear him crow.
= [He thinks his feet don’t stink.]
Harriet's got tongue enough for ten rows of teeth.
= [Harriet can talk.]
It's so dry the trees are bribin' the dogs.
= [We need a rain here ‘bouts.]
Them two ate supper before they said grace.
= [They been living in sin.]
Man, it’s time to paint your butt white and run with the antelope.
= [Just quit fussing and do right.]




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