Things I learned

[bubbiesdad]

Things I Learned in the South

A possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road.

There are 5,000 types of snakes

,

and 4,998 of them live in the South.

There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 of them live in the South, plus a couple no one

’

s seen before.

If it grows, it

’

ll stick ya. If it crawls, it'll bite cha.

Onced and Twiced are words.

It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy!

Jaw-P

?

means Did y

’

all go to the bathroom

?

People actually grow and eat okra.

Fixinto is one word. It means

I

’

m preparing to do that

.

There is no such thing as lunch. There is only dinner and then there is supper.

Iced tea

is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar.

Backwards

‘n

forwards means I know everything about you.

The word

jeet is actually a phrase eaning

“

Did you eat?

â€

You don

’

t have to wear a watch, because it doesn't matter what time it is, you work until you

’

re done or it

’

s too dark to see.

You don

’

t PUSH buttons, you MASH em.

No, Jew? is a common response to the question,

Did you bring any beer?

You measure distance in minutes.

You switch from heat to A/C in the same day.

All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect, or animal.

You know what a

DAWG is.

You carry jumper cables in your car - for your OWN car.

You only own five spices: salt, pepper, Tonys, Tabasco and ketchup.

The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local high school sports and motor sports, and gossip.

You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.

You find 100 degrees Fahrenheit

a bit warm.

You know all four seasons: Almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas.

Going to Wal-Mart is a favorite pastime known as

goin

’

Wal-Martin or off to Wally World.

You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good chicken stew weather.

Fried catfish is the other white meat.

We don't need no dang Driver's Ed. If our mama says we can drive, we can drive dag-nabbit.

You understand these jokes and forward them to your Southern friends and those who just wish they were from the SOUTH.

[ftncityfatboy]

dieseldew - a phrase you use when you go shopping and find new shoes "These will do"

moetee - when your glass is empty at dinner you say "more tea?"

[MCSCOTT]

Even though I'm from here, there is still one southern word that bugs me........."Torge". Example - "He lives ovair torge Knoxville."

[bubbiesdad]

"Sumers", as in, "It's round here sumers".

[hardknox00001]

I was born and raised in Atlanta but, I had to learn to translate a few things when I came to TN and married my wife. For instance:

wasper = wasp

hosepipe = garden hose or hose

pole cat = skunk ( she thinks that cause I had never heard that before her is extremely funny)

and everytime I hear "ain't got no" I go cross-eyed

[Guest KimberChick]

I was born and raised in Atlanta but, I had to learn to translate a few things when I came to TN and married my wife...

Slightly related to this, TN is the only state(that I've been to for any length of time) where I've noticed distinct accents for each region of the state. I noticed that when I would shoot state tournaments and meet up with folks I'd only see a few times a year. I always thought that was kind of neat.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Pole cat was a common term in central AL in the 1950's when I was a kid. Interesting how words and phrases have their various geographies.

[ShamGlock]

I've been in the South all my life and the only word that drives me crazy is "yen's". Like, "Yen's goin walmartin again?" You hear it in Polk County alot.

[vontar]

Dad has always called Shunks Pole cats as long as I can remember. If I hear either term, I know with out thinking what people mean.

tell your wife this is what you think when you hear pole cat, the latter might get you in sound trouble though.

Or

Edited July 22, 2010 by vontar

[Daniel]

My wife from Franklin does not like me to call a creek a crick. She had no idea what a holler was either.

[peejman]

Jeet yet?

Naw, joo?

Yont to?

Aight.

Then we eat stuff like chitlin's, greens, and soup beans.

[ftncityfatboy]

emerson - "Boy, emerson good lookin boots you're wearin"

Just curious and not trying to hijack the thread, how many of you call a soda a "pop", actually pronounce dog "dog" not "dawg", how many of you give someone a "jingle" rather than a "call". Just askin........

[KahrMan]

Just curious and not trying to hijack the thread, how many of you call a soda a "pop",

In Tn you do not have soda or pop, you have coke. Coke refers to any of a number of different drinks ie...coke, pepsi, rc, dr. pepper etc...

[KahrMan]

My wife from Franklin does not like me to call a creek a crick. She had no idea what a holler was either.

If she is from Franklin she should be used to the word crick. I went to school with a guy that lived in Leapers Fork and we would go gigging in the crick every weekend.

[MCSCOTT]

emerson - "Boy, emerson good lookin boots you're wearin"

Just curious and not trying to hijack the thread, how many of you call a soda a "pop", actually pronounce dog "dog" not "dawg", how many of you give someone a "jingle" rather than a "call". Just askin........

Like KahrMan says, only add in "co-drank" or just getting a "drank". I just use the name of what ever I want like Mtn. Dew. I do pronounce the word dog as "dawg", but in my neck of the woods if someone said a phrase using the word "jingle" they run the risk of being beaten to death unless it's referring to a Christmas song....

[peejman]

In Tn you do not have soda or pop, you have coke. Coke refers to any of a number of different drinks ie...coke, pepsi, rc, dr. pepper etc...

Yep. Pop is very much a northern word. All my cousins from Illinois, Michigan, and Canada call it "pop". Oddly, that's also what they call their Dad.

[Guest Bluemax]

Yep. Pop is very much a northern word. All my cousins from Illinois, Michigan, and Canada call it "pop". Oddly, that's also what they call their Dad.

When I was a kid, they were called dopes for example ( If your goin to the store, get me a grape dope )

ustacud- I can't no more but I ustacud

[ftncityfatboy]

in my neck of the woods if someone said a phrase using the word "jingle" they run the risk of being beaten to death unless it's referring to a Christmas song....

send me your # and I'll give a jingle and we can take our dog's and go for a pop sometime......sorry, that's how I roll

[kb4ns]

In Tn you do not have soda or pop, you have coke. Coke refers to any of a number of different drinks ie...coke, pepsi, rc, dr. pepper etc...

Yep. I have a lot of family in Missouri. When they're in town and I offer them a drink, they always get a kick out of me asking them "What kinda coke you want?"

"Pop" is definitely a northern thing and I can't stand it. The biggest thing that'll make me cringe from my MO family members is "yous" instead of "y'all".

[MCSCOTT]

send me your # and I'll give a jingle and we can take our dog's and go for a pop sometime......sorry, that's how I roll

Worse part about that is that I have a bad habit of picking up the language of whoever I'm hangin out with, so I'd probably come back home and mention giving someone a jingle and get beaten to death. lol

[USMCJG]

When I was a kid, they were called dopes for example ( If your goin to the store, get me a grape dope )

ustacud- I can't no more but I ustacud

I've been known to say ustacud on occasion. And my grandfather always called soft drinks dope too. He also pronounced Toyota tI-yO-tEE(as three distinct syllables). I always thought that was funny.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Maybe it is real local, but when Yamaha pianos became popular with country musicians around my neck of the woods, they were yammy-haw pie-anners.

[Daniel]

If she is from Franklin she should be used to the word crick. I went to school with a guy that lived in Leapers Fork and we would go gigging in the crick every weekend.

She is from Franklin but her family is from PA.

[Guest BEARMAN]

Well now...ya'll fergot to add this here word....Rat Cheer...i.e. Billy Ray...put dem Arsh tater's down rat cheer! (meaning...right here) for those of ya'll that still didn't get it!

BTW... When I was growing up, we ate Arsh tater's at least once, if not twice a week...

[memphismason]

I say "Get me a drank" or "Get me a coke". Calling it a soda or a pop around here will get you a funny look.

I say "dawg", and "yall", and I would never think of saying "here is my phone number give me a jingle". I saw "here's my number, give me a hollar."

I like the way eastern Tennessee folk say "you-ins", as in "You-ins ain't going to believe this."