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What in tarnation?
Published by Waldo Jaquith
Waldo Jaquith (JAKE-with) is an open government technologist who lives near Charlottesville, VA, USA. more »
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9 replies on “5 idioms my wife finds unconvincing when I use.”
“More’n you can shake a stick at” – once used with my Northern, liberal arts college friends in this context: “There’s more roadkill in Virginia ‘n you can shake a stick at.”
They’ve never looked at me the same since.
Also, you might could of included “might could of”.
My most used: “Might could”.
totally unconvincing coming from non-southern me, but I just love it too much not to use it.
My wife’s most used: “Cutcher pups loose”.
she uses that a lot, because I’m lazy.
Actually, looking at Jerry Ratcliffe’s columns in the Daily Progress, the idiom appears to be “might have could”.
Another Southern-ism — “He fut me upside the head.” At least that’s how I think it would be spelled…
I once told my high school econ teacher that “I spect I could…” do something or the other. His sarcastic response was my first inkling that “spect” was not an actual word.
Where I come from, people are always reckoning they might could do something…
My wife (from Savannah, GA) uses “tumped over,” sort of a hybrid of turned over + dumped over.
“It’s all good.”
“No worries”
“If you don’t expect to much from me, you won’t be let down.”
“In either case…” (my verbal crutch)
“Two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”
One of my favorite Southernisms is the “have . . . to” construction, as in, “I’ll have him to call you.”
My grandmother, who’s from Buckingham, always said what sounded like “Greatdaydemohney!” So growing up, I had no idea what this was or meant but just figured it was some weird saying of hers. Later when I heard someone say “Great day in the morning!” I finally figured it out.
My most over-used is “Do what?”
The one I’ve used most (and that’s raised the brows among my Michigander kin) is “twitchier than a long-tailed cat in a room fulla rockin’ chairs.”
“More’n you can shake a stick at” – once used with my Northern, liberal arts college friends in this context: “There’s more roadkill in Virginia ‘n you can shake a stick at.”
They’ve never looked at me the same since.
Also, you might could of included “might could of”.
My most used: “Might could”.
totally unconvincing coming from non-southern me, but I just love it too much not to use it.
My wife’s most used: “Cutcher pups loose”.
she uses that a lot, because I’m lazy.
Actually, looking at Jerry Ratcliffe’s columns in the Daily Progress, the idiom appears to be “might have could”.
Another Southern-ism — “He fut me upside the head.” At least that’s how I think it would be spelled…
I once told my high school econ teacher that “I spect I could…” do something or the other. His sarcastic response was my first inkling that “spect” was not an actual word.
Where I come from, people are always reckoning they might could do something…
My wife (from Savannah, GA) uses “tumped over,” sort of a hybrid of turned over + dumped over.
“It’s all good.”
“No worries”
“If you don’t expect to much from me, you won’t be let down.”
“In either case…” (my verbal crutch)
“Two shakes of a lamb’s tail.”
One of my favorite Southernisms is the “have . . . to” construction, as in, “I’ll have him to call you.”
My grandmother, who’s from Buckingham, always said what sounded like “Greatdaydemohney!” So growing up, I had no idea what this was or meant but just figured it was some weird saying of hers. Later when I heard someone say “Great day in the morning!” I finally figured it out.
My most over-used is “Do what?”
The one I’ve used most (and that’s raised the brows among my Michigander kin) is “twitchier than a long-tailed cat in a room fulla rockin’ chairs.”