Southern Country Sayings
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I just love all of our Southern country sayings and talking about them never seems to get old. A few times now I’ve asked people to tell me their favorites on our Facebook page and it always lights up with hundreds of contributions. It tickles everyone to talk about them and see what old Southern sayings others have to contribute as we all walk down memory lane.
So today I want to start that conversation on this post as a fun way of celebrating our favorite Southern sayings and learning a few new ones we might want to work into our vocabulary. So grab a sweet tea and settle in, y’all.
Favorite Southern Country Sayings
Butter my biscuit
“Butter my biscuit” is an iconic Southern phrase. Although we generally use it to impart surprise, you can get a lot of mileage out of it for other purposes as well.
Over yonder
When giving directions Southern-style, you’d say “over yonder”, meaning over there… somewhere.
Gone off your rocker
Someone who is crazy can be said to have gone off their rocker or possibly have gone around the bend. There’s no telling what they’re fixin’ to do. You might need to call the law on them if they get too rowdy. Don’t be afraid to give the station boys a ring, even if the miscreant is only knee-high to a grasshopper.
There are plenty of Southern folks who think they’re tough and lots of Northern types that say some mighty hurtful things about their countrymen. The best advice the South has for either one tends to be that if you’re going to be stupid, you’d better be tough as well.
Skint
People don’t go broke much in the South, they get skint instead. Most likely someone convinces them to do something for a Yankee dime. That’s also a kiss, just by the by, and don’t let anyone tell you differently. I also like, “He’s tighter than Dick’s hatband” for stingy people.
Y’all
You can’t very well do a piece about common Southern phrases without mentioning what has become, arguably, the most iconic piece of Bible Belt parlance: y’all. In the same way, many other contractions and accents have become part and parcel of the way the South speaks. If that ain’t true, then grits ain’t groceries and eggs ain’t poultry.
Fixin’ To
Another popular Southern expression is fixin’ to. If you’re fixin’ to do something, it means you’re getting ready and preparing to do it. Like I’m fixin’ to make some grits, y’all.
Automotive country sayings
Ain’t nothing more Southern than a good old stick-shift pickup, so I think that I’ll give you a few automotive selections before anything else.
- For instance, that thing you push to get the gas going is a foot feed.
- The dimwit that just passed you illegally is riding a hawg or Harley, not a motorcycle.
- If you got behind a slow driver, “That man must be haulin’ eggs.”
You may have seen people doing some foolish things on Southern country roads. That’s fine, they can stick their arm out the car window as long as they don’t cry when it gets knocked off. If they do, then to heck with them and the horse they rode in on.
Agricultural country sayings
It takes someone dumb as the turnip truck they fell off of not to know that Southerners are farmers by breeding, training, and choice. That means that you’re going to see a ton of agricultural terms thrown around in Southern slang. Someone might be stubborn as a mule, working like a horse, or plain old dog-tired after a long day.
If you need to work out a deal, it might be time to squat down on the horse blankets and hammer out all the bits that are finer than a frog’s hair. If you’ve got an idea of how to do something, you’ll probably have a bee in your bonnet about it. A little birdie might tell you something you would otherwise not know. If you’re doing something you’re good at, you’re either holding back or going hog wild.
“That girl is too scared to say boo to a goose.” Meaning she is just a scaredy cat. At least I think that is what it means. From my experiences with geese, they are “meaner than snake piss!” Speaking of geese: “You ain’t got the good sense God gave a goose.” Southern speak for calling someone dumb or stupid, sorry folks!
Another commenter mentioned, “I wouldn’t vote for him for dog catcher”. This meant it didn’t matter which office the candidate was vying for, he wasn’t worthy of being elected. If you got a job done quickly: “I got that job done before a cat could lick his hind end.”
Speaking of farming, you’ll need some soil to plow and real Southern parlance knows just where to come by it. It’s not uncommon to hear that if dumb were dirt, a particularly dull individual would be an acre or two. Feel free to adjust the field size to suit the individual in question. Some people need more than just an acre to really get your point.
I also can’t forget my favorite I use too often on Southern Plate: “Whatever cranks yer tractor.”
Bible Belt
Not for nothing is the South called the Bible Belt. Hang out there long enough and you are almost certain to hear a fair amount of religious terminology.
- I want to start by saying yes, bless your heart can be a good thing. In fact, I’ve heard it used more often than not in situations where it really is a good thing. If someone is going through a rough time or suffering a loss, you’d hug them and say, “bless your heart” as a show of compassion.
- Another catch-all phrase you are likely to hear before too long in the South is “Lord have mercy” in any of many different enunciations. It’s a hugely versatile term that can mean nearly anything if you give it the right inflection.
- “On God” to indicate commitment.
- “I’ll be there tomorrow if the Good Lord’s willing and the crick (creek) don’t rise” to limit that commitment. Meaning sometimes there weren’t bridges over creeks. If there had been heavy rain, the creek would cover the road and made it impassable.
- “From your mouth to God’s ears” to say you hope you will be able to fulfill that commitment nonetheless.
Angry country phrases
When people get angry, some of them throw a “hissy fit” or will be “madder than a wet hen.” Because y’all, when a hen is wet, it’s mad. Others will simply mutter “fiddlesticks” and move on. If you’ve really offended someone, chances are they’re fit to be tied. If so, just telling them not to get their britches in a wad is probably not going to cut it.
Foodie Southern sayings
Of course, we wouldn’t be doing justice to the American South if we didn’t mention its unique cuisine. The Southern kitchen is so important to its culture that some things have made their way from the kitchen range into normal conversations. If someone is starving to death in the dining room, you might want to brew them up something hot or give them a little something to tide them over.
If it’s hot out, don’t forget to offer them some coke. That’s any fizzy drink, not just the brand-name Coca-Cola. If you’re out in the fridge, remember to check in your cellar before heading off to buy more.
Family country sayings
Family is important in the Deep South too. As they say, Southern blood runs deep. You’ll be hard put to find even a single Southerner who can’t recall their grandparents asking for “some sugar.” That’s a kiss, for you Northern folks. There’s plenty of effort that goes into making sure that kids get brought up right.
FAQs
What is the most southern saying?
I think we can all agree that the most Southern slang is y’all.
What is a Southern greeting?
An old-fashioned Southern greeting some folks still use today is howdy.
What is Southern slang for tired?
A Southern way of saying I’m exhausted is “plum tuckered.”
That’s just a small selection of all the great Southern expressions that you guys have poured into this page. If y’all think I missed something, feel free to put your favorite country sayings in the comments section. If you see a term there that no one seems to understand, please, share your Southern pride and define it for us. Catch you later, hun. Bye now!
“You think I don’t have culture just because I’m from down in Georgia. Believe me, we’ve got culture there. We’ve always had sushi. We just called it bait.”
~Ben “Cooter” Jones
I am southern born and breed. Grew up in the deep south where you ain’t got to ask for sweet tea cause sweet tea is all there is. 😉 We are always blessing someone’s heart and asking cha’ ate yet? We feed ya cause we love ya, wanna know ya
We automatically know where “over yonder is”. Fire sounds more like far, tire sounds like tar. Y’all is a proper now here. Love being a Georgia Peach!
I am from the hills of eastern KY. My sophomore year in college, one of my roommates was from Missouri and she NEVER understood a thing I said! She would wait until I left the room to ask someone what I had said! Likewise, one of my college professors would engage me in conversation during class just so everyone could hear how I pronounced words and the terminology I used. Like britches instead of pants, poke instead of bag, pronounced hour was “air,” and oil was “ouhl.” And when asked by my roommate where someone was from, I sais that she was “from off” somewhere. She thought I meant the person was crazy! Thing is . . . I still sound much like I did in college and don’t plan to change. I’m proud of where I’m from and am not ashamed of who I am!
Oh, Darlene…I was raised in Iowa and now live in Texas, but my mom was from Williamson WV…I would have understood you no problem! I loved reading your post!
Love it! Wv girl here.When I was little and encountered people who spoke differently, I would ask my mom why they talked the way they did. She’d just dismiss me with “Aw honey, they’re just from “off somewhere”.:)
It’s a tad “airish” outside. meaning it’s chilly outside.
I love this one…I like to keep the inside a tad airish so it’s not stuffy! thanks for sharing the neat phrase
I’m sitting here chuckling to myself at the “it’s a tad airish” I haven’t heard that in years. I’ve lived in Wv all my life and we have some doozies here.My dad said some of the funniest things, but not very appropriate for repeating.:)
Didja know that_doozie_ comes from Dusenberg, the classic Great Gatsby era car? “It’s a doozie” = It’s the top of its class, much to be exclaimed over.
I’m actually a yankee from Michigan, but have lived in Virginee much longer. My grandson came down yer to visit a couple of summers ago and complained about his cell phone not’a work’n rite, All I could tell him was “once he crossed dat dare Mason-Dixie line them thar darn yankee gadgets jus don’na work rite down chere! But, my favorite say’n is “Ya’ll com back now ya here”!
I am from Atlanta Ga and proud of it. I love being southern, with my accents. and all. We are sweet Southern Ladies
Sweet Tea is the House Wine of the South so Glad I was born & Raised a Southern Girl in Columbus Ga Right down on the Chattahoochee River
GRITS ( Girls raised in the south) By Ya’ll
My ancestors were Southern and my first language was Southern. Even though we moved a lot (my dad was in the army), I’m still southern. My husband loves to tease me. He says as soon as we cross the Mason-Dixon line, my accent changes. We live in Wisconsin (which has its own interesting sayings.) Anyhoo, my favorite Southern saying is “Don’t make me no never mind.”
My brother , when he married a southern gal, she would always say : Ya’ll cmon in and sit a piece.” He later on in the marriage would say ” I wanted a piece, however did not want to sit on it”