Image: Juanmonino / E+ / Getty Images
About This Quiz
Many people have a love affair with the South. Whether it's the warmer temperatures, the homestyle cooking or the abundance of popular sports teams, the South is renowned for having a culture all its own. But those aren't the only things for which the South is well known. Many might say that the South has its own unique vernacular or language – a way of speaking that is known only to those who grew up with it or have been around it long enough to "interpret" what's being said.Â
Now, it's not like visiting a foreign country where you might hear, "Buenas noches" ("good evening," in Spanish) or "Bonjour" ("hello," in French). Instead, Southern speaking is a mixture of phrases and sayings that have evolved over time. Many, like "She's madder than a wet hen" or "He was a sight for sore eyes," may be said today by Southerners who don't even know how those phrases got their start. It's just a Southern thing! (By the way, don't worry if you don't either. We'll explain those and more as you work your way through the quiz that follows.) So, hitch up your trousers and don't pitch a hissy fit! Work your way through this quiz by completing the popular Southern saying and see whether you're a true Southern belle or gentleman or if you have more of a nose for the North.Â
Suffer embarrassment in the South and they might say: He was caught with ...
The stolen items
His pants down
Being caught with your pants down isn't to be taken literally. Rather, it means that someone was surprised or caught off-guard by something that happened. Generally speaking, if your pants are down, you're not expecting the incident that happens to happen. This Southern saying may also allude to a particularly embarrassing moment of being caught off-guard.
That girl
His shirt on
Advertisement
A Southerner who is sweet on you might say: Give me ...
Some money
Some sugar
If someone in the South tells you to "give me some sugar," you better oblige them with a peck on the cheek! "Give me some sugar" is another way of asking someone to give you a kiss – a reference to how "sweet" this display of affection is. This saying, though, has nothing to do with actual sugar - white or brown.
Some time off
Something
Advertisement
Get in trouble in the South and you might hear this: That boy's too big ...
To sit there
For his britches
If you're deemed to be "too big for your britches" in the South, you better watch out - someone (maybe a mom or a grandma) is likely to show you the error of your ways. This saying, which Davy Crockett first published in a book in the 1830s, means that someone is conceited or has an overinflated opinion or him or herself.
For those pants
To punish
Advertisement
If your grandma hasn't seen you for a while, she might say: You are a sight ...
For sore eyes
Being a "sight for sore eyes" might sound painful, but in the South, this is actually a good thing. Whoever says this to you is happy to see you and perhaps hasn't seen you in a while. Maybe you've been away at college and your grandmother, upon seeing you at Christmas says, "Charlie, you are a sight for sore eyes. Come over here and give me a hug!"
To behold
in my mind
For this house
Advertisement
Giving directions in the South might sound something like this: We're going ...
Over there
Over yonder
In the South, the word "yonder" is an official measure of distance. Need to tell someone how to get to the gas station? It's over yonder. Talking to a friend about going to your aunt's house? It's over yonder. "Yonder" derived from the Dutch word "ginder," which means "over there," and Southerners have been utilizing it ever since.
Out now
Away
Advertisement
When Southerners talk about music, they might say: He can't carry a tune ...
At all
By himself
In a bucket
Tell someone they can't carry a tune in a bucket in the South and you've just clued them in that they aren't a very good singer. Since most things can easily be carried in some type of a bucket, alluding to a person's inability to carry a tune even with the aid of a carrying device says they're pretty bad at it. This phrase also references the musical terminology of "carrying a tune," which means that the person is able to sing along with the song's melody.
With music
Advertisement
Did they win the lottery? Someone might say: We're eating ...
In about 20 minutes
Steak and potatoes
High on the hog
Eating high on the hog in the South means you're doing really well - particularly when it comes to finances. The saying originates from the various cuts of a hog, where the pricier, more succulent choices come from the higher parts of the animal, with cheaper cuts of meat coming from the lower parts of the animal. If you could afford the pricier cuts of meat, you must be well-off financially or, eating high on the hog.
Enough for a horse
Advertisement
To prove you aren't naive, you might say this: I didn't just fall off ...
The turnip truck
You're probably wondering, "What could this possibly mean?" In the South, when someone expresses that they didn't just fall off the turnip truck, what they're trying to say is that they're not gullible or uninformed. This saying likely originated from the use of the word "turnip" in the South to describe someone who isn't very smart.
The ledge
The step
The sports car
Advertisement
This phrase is used to describe someone who's not happy: She just threw ...
A hissy fit
If you're throwing a hissy fit, it means you are angry or outraged and letting everybody know about it. You may associate a hissy fit with the behavior of a child, which may be a good representation of the behavior of the person actually throwing the hissy fit. The word "hissy" seems to derive from the word "hysterics," which is an uncontrollable emotional reaction to something.
A rock
Her purse down
Her socks at the cat
Advertisement
This phrase shows similarity: Those girls are like ...
Sisters
Two peas in a pod
Referring to individuals as "two peas in a pod" is a way of saying that two people are very similar. This is likely due to how actual peas in a pod are virtually indistinguishable from one another. Their similarity has contributed to this beloved Southern saying, which may have originated as much as 200 years ago when it was used to describe two like-minded individuals in a book.
Angry little muffins
Cousins, even though they aren't
Advertisement
When a Southerner sees someone angry: Boy, she is madder than ...
I've ever seen her
A wet hen
This phrase originated in the South and did actually involve hens and egg-laying. As a farmer would probably tell you, hens want to sit on the eggs they've laid until they've hatched and don't take kindly to farmers trying to collect them. In order to stop them from being broody, farmers would dunk the hens in water which, as you can probably imagine, made them pretty angry.
Mad
An angry chicken
Advertisement
If something isn't worth much, a Southerner might say: It doesn't amount to ...
Much
A hill of beans
In the South, when something is small or insignificant, one might say "It doesn't amount to a hill of beans." Beans don't cost much and are relatively easy to grow, perhaps diminishing their perceived value. This saying is believed to date back as far as the mid-1920s and was famously quoted in the movie, "Casablanca," when Humphrey Bogart said, "Ilsa, I’m no good at being noble, but it doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people don’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world."
What's in your pocket
A pot of coffee
Advertisement
Eat too much and you might say this: I'm as full as a ...
Deer
Tick
You might think of this Southern saying as being a little gross, but being "full as a tick" does reference the small parasite that can attach itself to skin to draw out the host's blood. Being as full as a tick simply means you are full - but in this case, of food or beverages. You might hear this uttered at Thanksgiving or Christmas celebrations in the South.
Grown man
Fox
Advertisement
This might be said in pity or sarcastically: Bless your ...
Mess
Mother
Patience
Heart
Perhaps one of the most popular Southern expressions used today, a Southerner might utter "Bless his/her heart" after also saying something less than polite. For example, "Bless her heart but she's dumber than a box of rocks." The saying may also be used as a sincere expression of pity or sadness for something that has befallen an individual. In the South, if someone tells you their father is ill, a Southerner may genuinely respond with "Bless his heart."
Advertisement
This phrase is a sure sign of disaster: Things went to ...
Pot quickly
The trash that shouldn't have
The preacher and his wife
Hell in a handbasket
When something goes to "hell in a handbasket" in the South, you best believe that the situation is pretty bad and probably getting worse by the minute. For example, your day may go to hell in a handbasket after a project goes awry and you have to drop what you're doing to fix it. The origin of this phrase isn't well-known, but most people believe it was used simply because handbasket begins with an "H," offering alliteration with the word hell.
Advertisement
A Southern's expression of good intent: Lord willing and ...
We say a prayer
The creek don't rise
If someone in the South tells you "Lord willing and the creek don't rise," what they're indicating is that they'll make every effort to do whatever you've asked unless something unforeseen happens (like the creek rising, making travel impossible). This likely originated from the difficult travel conditions of the old South, where the flooding of a creek would make roads impassable. Today, it generally means that the speaker will do something unless some type of obstacle arises.
I'm able
Lord blessing
Advertisement
When nerves get the best of you down South, they might say: He was as nervous as ...
A preacher about to give a sermon
A pilot who had never flown before
A bee buzzing around a fake flower
A long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs
Just think about it: If you carried a long tail around with you, wouldn't you be fearful of stepping or sitting in the wrong place for fear of your tail getting smashed? A long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs would be a nervous wreck, trying to avoid getting his tail pinched. Someone who is described in this way would be jumpy and apprehensive.
Advertisement
Don't try to fool a Southerner or they might say: You can't make a silk purse ...
Hold money
Out of a sow's ear
You've seen a pig's ear, right? Soft, pink and oh-so-cute, but how would it look as a fancy silk handbag? You wouldn't be fooling anyone. In the South, someone might utter this phrase when they see an individual trying to turn something ugly or worthless into something attractive or worthwhile. It simply will not work.
Stay clean for long
Out of a leather wallet
Advertisement
This phrase may be used to describe an argumentative person: You could start an argument ...
Any day
on a Saturday
In an empty house
Little is known about the origins of this one, but its meaning is pretty clear. If you can start an argument in an empty house, it simply means you're an argumentative type who would strike up a fight even if there was no one else there to fight with. Most of us, luckily, don't spend a lot of time arguing in an empty house - hopefully!
With a small child
Advertisement
I do declare! This statement is an expression of shock or surprise: Heavens to ...
Hell
This house
Betsy
"Heavens to Betsy" is an exclamation a Southerner might make when they are alarmed, excited or exasperated. This origin of this phrase is attributed to somewhere between 1850 and 1915 and is generally believed to be similar to any other exclamatory phrase, like "Oh, my goodness!" or "For heaven's sake!"
My heart
Advertisement
This expression is used when someone hasn't seen you in a while: I haven't seen you ...
In a hundred dog years
Since the rabbit and the hare
In a month of Sundays
When someone in the South says it will take a "month of Sundays," they either mean it will take a really long time or won't happen at all. The origin of this phrase is believed to date back to the early 1800s when Sundays were a solemn day of church-going without any place for merriment or amusement.
A snail's journey home
Advertisement
This is a kind way of saying someone's not very bright: The porch light's on ...
But nobody's home
Rest assured, this funny Southern phrase has nothing to do with a porch, a light OR a house. Instead, this is a Southerner's kind way of saying that someone is not very bright, aware or astute. In short, the "porch light" references a person being there physically, but by adding "nobody's home," the speaker is saying that the person is not very smart or observant.
But there's no lights inside
But he went to town
The bulb's burned out
Advertisement
This phrase might be used to show multiple outcomes: There's more than one way ...
To get where you're going
To skin a cat
No one is really referencing skinning a cat in this common Southern phrase. Instead, it simply means there's more than one way to go about whatever it is you're doing. This saying dates back to the mid-1800s when an author, writing about digging for money, referenced the phrase as a way of saying there was more than one way to complete the goal.
To answer the phone
To learn the alphabet
Advertisement
A Southerner might chastise you with these words: You can get glad ...
When someone makes you happy
In the same pants you got mad in
An old phrase frequently expressed by Southern mothers everywhere, telling someone to "get glad in the same pants you got mad in," simply means that person has the choice to turn a situation around from anger to happiness. It can also mean you have control over how you feel about a situation and can change it immediately (without having to "change pants" on a new day).
In a wagon headed toward town
When everybody else is mad
Advertisement
Grown much lately? A Southerner might say: He is knee-high ...
On my long legs
To field corn
On a fence post
To a grasshopper
Typically said to children who have grown up, someone who is small or short may be referred to as being "knee-high to a grasshopper." Since grasshoppers are pretty small, the target of this Southern phrase would be even smaller. This is often said to growing youngsters who may not have seen a family member or friend for a while, who would then utter, "I haven't seen you since you were knee-high to a grasshopper," meaning they have grown a lot since.
Advertisement
If you've got it all crooked, someone might say: That thing is all ...
Busted and rusted
Cattywampus
In the South, when something is described as being all cattywampus, the speaker is telling you that the item is crooked or misaligned. A picture hung on the wall of a Southern home might be cattywampus until it is adjusted. Some people believe the word originated from the Scottish "wampish," which means twisted or swaying about.
Reckoned and ruffled
Catamaran
Advertisement
This phrase might be used to describe someone who is confused: He's a lost ball ...
At the park
In high weeds
If a Southerner describes you as a lost ball in high weeds, he or she is saying that you don't know where you are or what you're doing. A lost ball in high weeds would be pretty hard to see or for the owner to find. Thus, an individual who has never used the internet before may be a "lost ball in high weeds" the first time he or she accessed the web.
By a child
At the circus
Advertisement
Southern moms likely use this one a lot: Straighten up or I'm going to ...
Pin you to the barn door
Jerk a knot in your tail
Most Southern children have likely been on the receiving end of this phrase, uttered from the mouths of frustrated mothers and fathers who threaten to "jerk a knot in your tail" if you don't start acting right. This phrase simply means you're going to be punished or corrected if you don't start behaving better.
Walk you down to the creek
Call the preacher on you
Advertisement
A Southern expression that shows how tough someone is: She is tougher ...
Than a $2 steak
Have you ever tried to eat a $2 steak? Chances are that it came from a cheap cut of meat that's going to be difficult to chew. When someone or something is referred to in this manner in the South, it means it's going to be a difficult situation or person to deal with. Now-deceased former Senator John McCain was once described as being "tougher than a $2 steak" (or strong) while he fought a brain tumor.
Than he is
Than a monster truck
Than a rubber bullet
Advertisement
When something isn't going to happen in the South: That dog ...
Won't hunt
An old Southern saying, "That dog won't hunt," really doesn't mean anything about a dog at all. It's a reference to something that just simply isn't going to happen. This phrase is a derivative of "that cock won't fight," when a rooster used in cock-fighting centuries ago just wouldn't fight. No amount of encouragement or persuasion could make it happen.
Won't eat
Ran off
Tickled the cat
Advertisement
A Southerner might describe someone's appearance using this phrase: He could eat corn ...
Every night
Through a picket fence
A Southerner might describe someone who has buck teeth as being able to "eat corn through a picket fence." This might be a kinder, though more comical way, to talk about an individual whose teeth are not as great as they could be. Having buck teeth means that you have an overbite that causes your teeth to protude outward.
With a wooden cob
Off the ground
Advertisement
You might exaggerate how you're feeling with this Southern phrase: I'm as fine as ...
Baby's breath
Frog's hair
Let's be clear: Frogs don't have hair, which is why this Southern saying is so quirky. But the irony of the phrase is why Southerners like to use it. In the South, if you ask someone how they are, they might respond "finer than frog's hair," which means they are doing well or feeling good. This phrase is sometimes elaborated on as "finer than frog's hair and not half as slick" or "finer than frog's hair, but not half as dusty." All versions of this phrase are meant to be over-the-top answers to a simple question.
A fox
A freckle
Advertisement
Southerners have an interesting way of predicting the weather: It's comin' a ...
Toad-strangler
This one is a unique saying about the weather in the South. It may be used synonymously with, "It's comin' a gully-washer!" Both of these phrases simply mean that a heavy downpour of rain is headed your way. It will be enough rain to even strangle a toad, an animal known for its affinity to watery surroundings.
Back porch party
Wind-whistler
Church dinner
Advertisement
A busy Southerner might tell you: She was busier than ...
A bumblebee flying backward
A mother hen with her chicks
A one-armed paper hanger
Have you ever been really, really busy? If so, it might be said in the South that you're busier than a one-armed paper hanger. This originates from the idea of hanging wallpaper - from applying paste to affixing it to the wall to smoothing away bubbles. Even with two arms, it's a very tricky task. A one-armed paper hanger would be even busier trying to keep up!
A tractor in a hay field
Advertisement
When you spend all day outside: He was gone ...
From can see to can't
When a Southern talks about being gone "from can see to can't," he or she is referring to the time of day when you can just begin to see the world around you to the time of day when you can't see anything - essentially, sun up to sun down. A child might be referred to as playing outside from can see to can't.
Like a dog without a leash
On a prayer
Like a slippery pig
Advertisement
You Got:
/35
Juanmonino / E+ / Getty Images