Now honey, don't get caught with your pants down when you hear some southern slang and you don't know what it means.
As someone who is from the South and goes to a school overrun by Northerners, I'm constantly asked to define what I say. You're not a real Southerner unless you know and love this list and are a fixin' to use at least one of these in a day.
This article covers the metaphors, words, and overall Southern slang. By the end of this article, you'll be happier than a pig in the mud and you won't have to ask why people keep blessing your heart because your Southern heart knows these all! This isn't your first rodeo.
Southern Metaphors/Sayings
1. I'm shaking like a pansy in a summer storm: shaking a lot
2. This ain't my first rodeo: not naive; experienced in ____; done this before
3. Sweatin' like a sinner in church: sweating a lot; nervous; worried
4. As useless as a screen door on a submarine: useless; worthless; not Needed
5. Butter me up and call me a biscuit: surprised; amazed
6. I don't have a dog in that fight: don't have chance; no stake in the outcome
7. They couldn't hit the broadside of a barn: poor aim; missed something obvious
8. To hell in a hand basket: describe a situation that is headed towards disaster
9. Nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs: extremely nervous
10. Knee-high to a grasshopper: a way to describe growth; very small or young
Southern Words/Slang
1. Ain't: are Not.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
2. Yonder: far away; a way to describe distance.
"She lives just over yonder near the creek."
3. Fixin' to: about to do something; thinking about doing something
"I'm fixin' to start studying for my test this week."
4. Cattywampus: crooked
"Did you hang that picture up? It's cattywampus."
5. Piddlin': wasting time; dawdling
"He wasted the day piddlin' around."
6. Y'all: you all
"Will y'all hurry up?"
7. Buggy: shopping cart
"Can you get me a buggy so we can get groceries?"
8. Clicker: TV Remote
"Hand me the clicker, I want to watch the TV."
9. Coke: soda, no matter the brand
"Can I have a coke?"
"What kind?"
10. Reckon: to think about something; a conjecture or prediction
"I reckon that I should closing up shop."
11. Tan your hide: spanking
"If you don't stop being loud, I'm gonna tan your hide."
12. Bawlin': crying
"Poor thing has been bawlin' her eyes out all day."
13. Hickory Switch: a small branch or limb from a tree used for discipline
"You're gonna get a whuppin' with a hickory switch."
14. Raisin' cain: causing problems; raising hell; yelling
"All of a sudden, he just starting raisin' cain."
15. Bless your heart: it is charming, cute, baffling how stupid you are
"Oh honey, bless your heart. You're just so clumsy that you couldn't stand in a cleared 10-acre field."
Well, sweetheart, that's it. That is the general understand of southern dialect. Now sure, there are some on here that you may hear more than others and you may not hear any at all, but at least I got you prepared for the southern world. You can now walk proudly through the Southern states and not have everyone bless your heart when you walk by.
