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
Just found this great site! Gotta know what part of the South you are from. I am born Texan but from Georgia roots and all these old recipes sound just like my childhood.
We put dumplins (rolled of course) in everything even our sweet potato cobblers.
And chocolate fried pies, haven’t thought of those in years.
Look forward to going over everything in the archives.
Growing up in Charlotte, NC but having family in a farm community of Robeson Co, NC I heard all kinds of sayings & has now blessed my mother with what she thinks is wasted money for the private schooling she paid for in my earlier years. However my fondest memories are of my grandma saying things like, “frock”-dress, “cabinator”- refrigerator, “zink”- sink, ‘yur”-ear, “we can go round like a 1 legged duck all day”- keep going over something or 2 in argument, everybody is either “shuga, baby, honey, ma, pa, baby gal, or lil man” no matter what your given name may be. This was all from a woman that spoke her mind & did her ways, preacher never saw her with “bacca” & everybody left the house/room when certain company came over. You sat in the dark during a storm & don’t even think about asking for another meal after she’d cooked, she’d let you go out & ring that chicken after asking for chicken & pastry, yes pastry rolled out not dumplins, you’ll get cornmeal around here if askin for dumplins.
Kimberly, my grandmother would always, “wrench” things out in the “zink”; and my daddy always called our dresses “frocks”. Instead of “pregnant”, my grandmother would say “pergnant”. We are from SOWEGA: Southwest Georgia. (Autocorrect is trying to correct the “pergnant” spelling: it should be p-e-r-gnant.)
Never did see this one listed. “She jumped on him like a duck on a June bug.” I’ve heard most of the others. Oh, does it take me back. This was such fun! Thanks.
Oh goodness, I could probably write a book about now, but the first one that came to mind was my beloved Grandma talkin’ ’bout people gettin’ madder than an old wet hen!! I don’t know if I’ve ever paid attention to an old wet hen, but I’d imagine she’d be pretty dang mad!!
I know this one as “an old, wet, settin’ hen.” Perhaps because a hen sitting on eggs might get really mad
Jewel, that is what my family says, too.
I’ve never heard that and I’m a Southern Grandma.
Dear Stella, I’ve only heard that one once or twice myself and never from anyone in my part of L.A. (Lower Alabama) I think it’s used more around the Carolina’s and Appalachian parts of the South but I cain’t swear to it.
I was confused by that as well and I’m in South Carolina. Never heard that expression.
I’m a KY girl married to a NY boy who was thankfully raised by southern parents so he understands most of what I say and when he doesn’t I know what his blank stare means. But I often forget that other transplanted northerners aren’t fortunate enough to have southern routes. Several years ago I worked with a group of 15 elected officials and when one of us working for them would schedule a vacation we’d ask a coworker who had similar responsibilities to fill in for us while gone. On one such occasion another New York girl from Long Island asked if I fill in for her while she was gone for a week. I told her I didn’t care to. She said OK I’ll ask so and so to do it. I said why would you ask her when I said I would. She said she thought I said I didn’t care to do it. I said I didn’t care as in I don’t mind doing that for you while you’re gone. We both busted out laughing as she seemed so confused and so did I.
That should say southern roots. lol
We say it in Tennessee.
That must be a KY saying. My husband moved down here from Pittsburgh 40 years ago and he said he didn’t understand that either. I had to do some educatin’ before we got married. Here’s another one he didn’t understand – “I’m all in but my toenails.” Anybody else hear of that one?
I think that probably stems from getting the weekly bath in the bathtub. “I’m all in but my toenails ” (submerged). I’ve never heard of that one, but most all the others on this page.
If my Father saw an overweight lady laughing really hard he would always start laughing too and exclaim, “I love to watch a fat woman laugh! there is so much of her having a good time!” Bless his heart…..
I’ve got a good one for you that I just used yesterday at lunch with some co-workers who are mostly from Southern Maryland, which is not really Southern. I’ve already forgotten why I used this Southern saying, but I said, “Talk about going around you a** to get to your elbow” and they all just howled!