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
Raised in Texas, relatives in Oklahoma and Louisiana.
I never knew I HAD an accent until I stepped into a convenience store in CO and asked “Do ya’ll got Dr. Pepper?” and they started laughin’.
In our region of Texas, “tump”, (meaning “to knock over”) is a commonly used colloquialism. (Hey, jus’ cuz I got ‘n accint dud’n meant ah didn’ gradjate college.)
My bro-in-law (also a local) and I, at a meal with my husband’s Northern family both discussed a child’s “tumped over” drink and were surprised at the blank stares. Not everyone uses that phrase! Who knew?
One of my brothers tried to hide his accent when he got an important job in a bank in California.
He spoke in a determinedly Mid-Western manner until one day, annoyed by the phones ringin’ off the walls, he leaned outta his cubicle and hollered “Would one’a ya’ll git thayut!?” and the entire floor just went UP with laughin’.
He like to died.
(Funny story: They had a pot-luck. He brought sausage balls. A native Californian, her mouth full of them, asked “Oh, wait, are these vegan?” He looked at her with disbelief, just said “Uh, sure….?” and she happily snorked up about a dozen of ’em. No lie, sure ’nuff happened. Dang straight.)
My Mammaw (and here I thought that was a Louisiana term!) used to say “Hell’s bells and little fishes!” when she got frustrated. Haven’t heard anybody else say that one since Mammaw passed. (Hm, does everyone use “passed”?)
Grampa used to say somthin’ was all “bass-ack’erds”.
When Mama throws fits (she cain’t throw ’em for the ‘Lympics ’cause she throws ’em at a professional level), we say “Mama’s up in her Crazy Tree.”
I haven’t seen “runnin’ ’round like a chicken with its head cut off” mentioned, but that on’es common as little grey mice.
When we’d visit Mammaw and Poppy, we always heard “gimme some sugar”. (Hugs and kisses.)
When the neighbor’s cow got out and ate my Mama’s pansies, Great Grammaw said “Why, I’da GUT-shot that cow!”
And lastly:
“Mean as a sack ‘o snakes.” applies nicely to my brother’s ex – bless her heart.
Loved the “sausage ball” story about your Bubba (brother) and the California lady… unfortunately, down here in Georgia had she asked that, folks would surely be saying “she’s about stump stupid”!
This made me laugh when I thought about my sister and I swinging too high on our swing set. One of the legs would start to kick up and we would scream “it’s gonna tump!” from Louisiana by the way
LOL, this made me laugh so hard! I know exactly what you are talking about and can see it now!!
I live up north now, not real happy about but when I say this old southern saying people always say WHAT.
Its gonna rain like a cow pissing on a flat rock.
This is one of my favorite sayings! Although, I’ve always heard it said, “It’s gonna rain like a heifer pissing on a flat rock.” LOL… love it!
I also enjoy the the saying… “It’s finna come up a storm.”
I’m from Charleston (or, rather, ‘Cha_leston’)… whaddya mean is that WV or SC?!?! The ONLY Cha_leston is in South Carelina, y’all! Moved to Georgia as a young’un. Though most of my growing up was spent in Georgia, Southern Book of Etiquette states “you are from where you’re born, even if reared elsewhere.”
Other sayings I really like a lot are…
“She was on ‘im like a hen jumpin on a june-bug!” – meaning he’d done something to make her mad and got ‘what for’.
“Get off the cross, we need the wood”… obvious, I suppose – no self-pity tolerated here.
Growing up, soda was ALWAYS
oops, distracted by my cayat and hit the wrong key 🙂
Growing up, ‘soda’ was ALWAYS “coke”, for example:
Q1: “Immago stowa, y’all need anythen?” (I’m going to the store, does anyone need anything?)
A1: “Coke, please.”
ALWAYS followed by…
Q2: “What kinda coke?”
A2: “Gimme Sprite (or anything, including “coco_la”
And, you rarely walk into a Southerner’s home home without hearing, “C’mon in an’ fixya plate!”
Love this web site, and I’m sure I’ll be back y’all!
I am a Kentucky girl through and through. Some of the sayins you hear round here are Lordy Bee, Gracious Sakes, and one of my all time favorites is calling make-up Female Decorations. When I am getting ready my husband will sayin Momma’s puttin her female decorations on agin! . Take Care Ya’ll!
When my grandmother would put make up on she would always say “Every old barn looks better with a fresh coat of paint.”
I’ve always heard, Bless her/his/your heart(other versions are Bless his cotton pickin heart or pea pickin heart), fixin to, he ain’t got the sense God gave a mule. I’ll be swanny. Oh my stars! There’s more I’m sure, but I pretty froggy right now. I’m from Alabama 🙂
Being from lower Alabama, I could go own and own. But I’ll share just a few…I tell you what… I’m fixin to or you’re fixin to. Over yonder, just down the road, how ’bout messin and gommin? If you have a “mess of somethin” that means you have enough, if you have more than a mess of somethin, means you have enough to happily share. I wwweeeel means I am frustrated and will get to it ! Bless his heart, my husband is from Wisc. and he has learned a right smart after the many years we’ve been together. And he has a great respect for the South! Been fun, thank ya’ll!
When a couple breaks up, they’ve “split the blanket.”