Many of us grew up hearing odd sayings from our parents and grandparents. Taken literally by outsiders, they usually made little sense, but to those of us living in the South or had parents from the South, they were perfectly understood.
My grandmother Joyce had several she would pull out when the occasion warranted. Many of these sayings pertained to the weather. If the sky was getting dark, she would say, "It's coming up a cloud." Other times she would recite the following: "Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning." I wonder how accurately the sky can predict the weather.
If Grandma was planning to do something, she always added the word " fixing." In other words, if she was going to town, she was "fixing to go to town" and she might add the word "dreckley" to the end of the sentence to tell when she was going. Now, Grandma lived very little in the South, actually just a few months were spent in Arkansas. The family was there just long enough for my father to be born in January 1913. Then they returned to Hardin County, Illinois, just across the Ohio River from Crittenden County, Kentucky and Hardin County's population included many folks from the other side of the river. Also, her mother, Mary Ann Wolstenholme Smith, was born in Davidson County, Tennessee so perhaps those old sayings came from her.
Grandma had a couple of other sayings that are probably familiar to you. If someone didn't move fast enough, she would say they were "slow as molasses" and if they were angry, she would say they were "mad as a wet hen." There is another one she often said that is my favorite. If someone had their dress on backwards, she would said it was on "hind part before." That is so much more colorful than saying backwards.
Another one I have heard - not from Grandma, but from a Kentucky friend. Describing someone who is contrary and hard to get along with is said to be "meaner than a junkyard dog."
Are there sayings in your family that have been passed down to your generation? Do you use them, too?
Published 24 April 2015, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/
"Couldn't hit 'em in the ass with a red apple." This indicated someone who thought highly of themselves.
ReplyDeleteHa! Now that is colorful! Thanks, Jay.
ReplyDeleteMy mother always uses the saying that we kids "didn't believe fat meat was greasy". It took me my entire chldhood to understand she meant we didn't believe her when she said something.
ReplyDeleteCrazy saying, but I get it now.
The comment, "You don't believe fat meat is greasy" is actually a reference to a doubting person who doubts so much they won't even believe something even when it is EXTREMELY obvious. So that is why that person is counted definitely unlikely to believe anything that can be questioned to any degree even if the odds are 99% in favor of it being true. For example if someone said, Serena Williams is the GOAT with 23 Grand Slam titles!." The doubters would say, I don't believe it!" Then the other person would say, "You don't believe fat meat is greasy!" Or,
DeleteIf you said, " the sky is blue." The doubter would say, "I don't believe it." Then you wold say, "you don't
believe fat meat is greasy!".
So, it's just a way of dismissing a doubting person's opinion as unworthy of serious consideration.
"He couldn't grab his ass with both hands." Indicated an incompetent person.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kelly. That's a new one for me!
ReplyDeleteLove these and all the ones you mentioned Brenda I have heard before and still use some of them to this day.
ReplyDeleteYour Southern heritage is showing, Vickie!
ReplyDelete