Having lived in Ohio for barely five years means I have obviously lived other places. If you haven’t met me in person, you should. After hearing me say the word ‘ice’ (or anything with a hard ‘I’ sound) you’ll know I grew up in the South.
Since I lived in Tennessee basically my whole life, I still have my twang and say some pretty ridiculous words that apparently aren’t popular up here in Ohio.
Today I’m giving you a small taste of the Southern dictionary. I really hope some of y’all have at least heard of a couple of these.
Bein’ ugly. If you get told this, it means you’re mean. Usually it’s the older people who this, and it’s something along the lines of “quit bein’ ugly to your brother!”
Boonies/boondocks. Okay, this one refers to basically living in the middle of nowhere. If you live somewhere that doesn’t have much to do, then you live in the boonies.
Britches. This is not a word I say, but a lot of my older family members that have never lived anywhere but the South say it. Britches are pants. It’s really that simple.
Buggy. This is one of my favorite Southern words. A buggy is a shopping cart. My boyfriend and I argue about this almost every time we’re at the store. I ask him to get a buggy, and he says no but he’ll get a cart. It will always be a buggy to me.
Caddywompus. This is one of the greatest words to say. If something is caddywompus, it’s just sitting crooked. It can also mean ‘out of whack.’
Cain’t. You know how people say ‘ain’t.’ This word is pronounced like that, but it’s really just ‘can’t’ with an extra vowel.
Commode. I’m not sure if this is just a Southern word or not, but I haven’t heard it much in Ohio. If someone asks you where the commode is, they’re just asking where the toilet or bathroom is.
Crawdad. I have heard this a couple of times in Ohio, but for the most part I hear crawfish or crayfish instead. They are all the same thing. Crawdad just emphasizes the Southern twang more.
Crayon. This isn’t a Southern word, but it’s how Southerners say it. It sounds like ‘crown’ when we say it. I’m pretty sure it’s supposed to sound like ‘cray-on’ though.
Crik. A crik is a little stream of water. To everyone not from the South, a crik is a creek.
-Er. This isn’t a word, but it is on the end of many words that Southerners say. I don’t usually do this, but some of my family does. They usually replace ‘-ow’ or ‘-or’ with ‘-er.’ Examples include: ‘fer’ (for), ‘winder’ (window) and ‘yeller’ (yellow).
Fixin’ to. “I’m fixin’ to do that thing you said to do.” This is how people in the south say they are about to do something.
Gullywarsher. This is my favorite word to hear my mom say. I have her say it to everyone. A gullywarsher is just a bad storm when it’s raining too hard.
Gussied up. If a girl is ‘all gussied up,’ then she is just dressed up and looks nice. She is probably going on a date or something of that nature. It’s usually a compliment.
Holler. A holler is basically the same thing as the boonies. If you live in a holler, you live in the middle of nowhere, but more or less in a valley in the mountains.
Hussy. A hussy is a lady that isn’t the most becoming of ladies. Women in the south call other women hussies if they look or act like they’re trying to flirt with all the men. It’s not a compliment.
Pocketbook. Anytime I ask people up here about a pocketbook they always say it’s a wallet. That’s close, but it’s still wrong. A pocketbook is a purse. Yes, it’s the whole thing, not just the wallet.
Tater. I know y’all don’t say this in Ohio, but if you don’t know what it means that’s surprising. What is a tater tot? A small potato. So, a tater is a potato. (My nanny gets mad that I’ve outgrown this word.)
Y’all/you’uns/yuns. These are variations on ‘you all.’ It’s just how people in the South address a group of people.
I’d love to see you guys and hear how you say some of the Southern words here. If you go to the south, let me know what other words you hear. Email me at clarion@sinclair.edu.
Brittany Fletcher
Creative Director