Part 22. SOUTHERN EXPRESSIONS THAT WILL TAKE THE RAG OFF THE BUSH

Words and Phrases from the Hill Country

by Terry Thornton

eMail: hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com

Today concludes a twenty-two part series of words and phrases with Hill Country examples. This column and the previous ones examines 308 Southern Expressions That Will Take The Rag Off the Bush.

This series is dedicated to the anonymous reader of Hill Country who left a comment on one of my other articles about southern words and expressions. Anon exclaimed that the article "just takes the rag off the bush." The comment tickled me but good. In fact, I'd never heard that expression so I had to do some quick reading to determine if I'd been complimented or if I'd been insulted.

After discovering that "to take the rag off the bush" is a perfectly good old-timey compliment, I am using this expression for the title of this series. I hope these articles will capture the full meaning of the phrase "to surpass; to beat all" and maybe this series will be so good that it will also "snatch the bush right up out of the ground, roots, and all."

Here are some words and expressions you may wish to work into your conversations this week. Impress your friends and family --- and, at the same time, help keep these old sayings alive.

Axe to grind: She had her axe to grind and I had mine. We were loaded for trouble (purpose to serve).

Booky: In his youth, he was considered a most booky fellow but he turned out to be someone whose alphabet was short a few letters (bookish).

Catch on: Say that again and slowly this time so everyone can catch on to what you're telling (to grasp the meaning).

Conniption or conniption fit: If she doesn't get her way, she's liable to throw a conniption fit (hysterics or a fit of hysterics).

Draw a bead: If I could ever find a squirrel sitting still, I could draw a bead on it (to take aim with a rifle).

Fog-cutter: My fog-cutter is taken before breakfast everyday. On bad days I take a double fog-cutter (same as anti-fogmatic, a stout shot of whiskey or other spirits).

Greased lightning: He got out of there faster than greased lightning (faster than fast).

In over your head: I'm afraid that with your new job you are in over your head (too much scheduled; not enough knowledge/training/skills to handle a situation). When used in a financial sense, to be in over your head is to have so much debt as to be unmanageable.

Messing and gomming: It was after I married an Arkansas gal that I found out about messing and gomming (fooling around; making a mess). Izard County, Arkansas, natives use the words together or separately. Examples: You kids stop messing around. You rascals sure gommed up that table, didn't you? Now y'all get outa here and stop this messing and gomming around.

One horse extra: Darryl was such a good player that we always knew if he was on our side we were one horse extra compared to the other group (bigger than life; manly; complete).

Right smart or Smart: I think we are going to have a right smart cotton crop this year (large quantity).

Sitten: She had sitten down at her desk when her chair went flat on her (sat). She busted out the bottom of that chair but good.

The jig is up: We knew the jig was over when the flag was lowered (all was lost).

Whole-soul: I hope our new Ship of State is not powered by a whole-soul boiler (boiler without a safety valve which is doomed, sooner or later, to explode in a fury).

This is it for this series on words and phrases --- 308 southern expressions scattered over twenty-two articles. I hope you have enjoyed learning about the words we use as much as I did --- now youall go out and talk like Hill Country folk.

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Terry Thornton is a retired college administrator and former Amory Middle School principal who resides in Fulton. He can be contacted by email at hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com.

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Part 21. SOUTHERN EXPRESSIONS THAT WILL TAKE THE RAG OFF THE BUSH

Words and Phrases from the Hill Country

by Terry Thornton

Today continues a twenty-two part series of words and phrases with Hill Country examples. Each week this space will be devoted to Southern Expressions That Will Take The Rag Off the Bush.

This series is dedicated to the anonymous reader of Hill Country who left a comment on one of my other articles about southern words and expressions. Anon exclaimed that the article "just takes the rag off the bush." The comment tickled me but good. In fact, I'd never heard that expression so I had to do some quick reading to determine if I'd been complimented or if I'd been insulted.

After discovering that "to take the rag off the bush" is a perfectly good old-timey compliment, I am using this expression for the title of this series. I hope these articles will capture the full meaning of the phrase "to surpass; to beat all" and maybe this series will be so good that it will also "snatch the bush right up out of the ground, roots, and all."

Here are some words and expressions you may wish to work into your conversations this week. Impress your friends and family --- and, at the same time, help keep these old sayings alive.

Aunty and Uncle: Aunty Lu McKinney lived in a little house near the church. Just up the road from her lived Uncle Bud (elderly lady; elderly man; term of endearment).

Board around: My Grandpa Hollingsworth, a widower, boarded around throughout the year --- a month with each of his twelve children. Some Southern teachers once were expected to "board around" with various families as part of their pay.

Casket: At one time, the word casket mean a small treasure box but nowadays it means a coffin.

Complected: He is a very dark complected white man (complexioned).

Done gone, done made, done got, done wrote, etc. I usually say I have done eat breakfast rather than a simple I've eaten breakfast. This is a type of redundancy much heard in the South as we all love to use more words than necessary to express an idea. Stop and ask --- which has the more poetic impact of these two statements, "My woman has done gone and left me," or "My woman left me." I think the first -- Southerners like to make an impact with their speech

Fly off the handle: Youall watch her carefully and see if she don't fly off the handle when I call her sissy again (loss of temper; flash of anger often disproportionate to the event).

Granny-knot: She tied the ropes together using a granny-knot which failed and the water-bucket fell with a splash into the deep well (a loose knot; not a square knot). We had to use grappling hooks on other ropes to recover our water-well bucket.

Huffy: Aunt Polly was all huffy when Uncle Mort was late coming home from lodge (offended; also means easily offended).

Mess: Thanks for the mess of fresh pork sausage you sent the other day (quantity of food to make a dish). A mess of turnip greens is just enough turnip greens to serve a family; a mess of fish is enough fish for a family meal; messes can be large or small. Thanks for the big mess of greens. I cooked up enough for supper and still have enough for two more meals.

Redd up: As soon as I redd up the kitchen, we'll go to the Christmas parade (to clean up; to set back into order). This is another old Scottish word brought to the New World which seems to have survived nicely in the Deep South. Red up is another spelling.

Siege: During that siege of flu, nearly everybody in Parham was home sick in bed (period of sickness or period of trouble).

The drop: As the squad of Yankees slowly walked down the trail, little did they know that the Rebels had the drop on them (the ability to shoot them down).

Walk the crack or walk the line: He was so corned he couldn't walk the crack (a crack or line in the floor). In more modern times, walk the line refers to the lines marked on roadways or to walk the straight and narrow --- to not let temptations pull you into trouble. Johnny Cash said it best in his song I Walk The Line:

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine.

I keep my eyes wide open all the time.

I keep the ends out for the tie that binds

Because you're mine,

I walk the line.

Worm: Bud's youngest boy went running off with their worm when the raid first got started and saved it from destruction (condensation oil, usually of copper, of a whiskey still). With the worm safe and ready to be used again, the family got set back up making whiskey within two days over on the other side of Ole Smoky.

That is it for today's list of words and phrases. I've got to skedaddle outa here and get busy. Next column I'll be back with the last installment of this series. Meanwhile, practice using these phrases on all your friends and redd up all the messes you've made.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Terry Thornton is a retired college administrator and former Amory Middle School principal who resides in Fulton. He can be contacted by email at hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com.

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Part 20. SOUTHERN EXPRESSIONS THAT WILL TAKE THE RAG OFF THE BUSH

Words and Phrases from the Hill Country

by Terry Thornton

Today continues a twenty-two part series of words and phrases with Hill Country examples. Each week this space will be devoted to Southern Expressions That Will Take The Rag Off the Bush.

This series is dedicated to the anonymous reader of Hill Country who left a comment on one of my other articles about southern words and expressions. Anon exclaimed that the article "just takes the rag off the bush." The comment tickled me but good. In fact, I'd never heard that expression so I had to do some quick reading to determine if I'd been complimented or if I'd been insulted.

After discovering that "to take the rag off the bush" is a perfectly good old-timey compliment, I am using this expression for the title of this series. I hope these articles will capture the full meaning of the phrase "to surpass; to beat all" and maybe this series will be so good that it will also "snatch the bush right up out of the ground, roots, and all."

Here are some words and expressions you may wish to work into your conversations this week. Impress your friends and family --- and, at the same time, help keep these old sayings alive.

Attackted: The bees got mad and attackted me, chasing me plumb away from the hive (attacked).

Bishop: Her stern reality was made the more so by the large bishop she wore (bustle).

Carpet-bagger: While the earlier meaning of the phrase was applied to those who travel without much baggage carrying most of their items in a carpet-sided piece of hand luggage, a later meaning was applied to those from the north who came into the south after the Civil War and attempted to get rich off the conquered states with the assistance of the military occupational forces.

Common doings: No common doings were served at our house when the Preacher came to eat (ordinary everyday foods).

Do tell: Do tell! When did that happen? And do you think those revenuers are still around? Do tell! They really smashed Uncle John's still (exclamation; surprise)?

Fleshy: Our neighbor's daughter is a right fleshy woman well past the prime of life (stout; more or less corpulent; fat; obese).

Gouge: He was thoroughly beaten; his left ear was bitten off; and his right eye was gouged (to squeeze out an opponent's eye with one's thumb and finger).

Hot cakes: At the art show, Rita's paintings were selling like hot cakes (rapidly).

Meeting-house: The Presbyterians were among the first in the newly formed United States of America to start calling their meeting-house by the name church (prior to the American Revolution, the Colonials called their places of worship meeting-houses. During the 1770s, the Presbyterians began calling their meeting-houses a church.) Compare to camp-meeting, religious services held in the woods at a camp).

Offish: Most Southern belles know the degree of offishness they can manage and still twist their beaus around their little fingers (distant and shy). Often used as stand offish --- She was so stand offish that nobody would ask her to dance.

Reckon: I reckon Parham is now in the modern world since Google Map shows it clear as a bell right where it ought to be (guess, think). This old word goes back to England of at least 400 years ago but seems to have survived wonderfully well in the South of the United States. I reckon we know a good word when we find one. And I reckon I ought to stop misspelling this old word --- I generally end up typing "recon" when I mean "reckon."

Shucked: We ran to the edge of Splunge Creek, shucked off everything, and went skinny-dipping (to undress).

Teetotally: I am teetotally confused about what the Democrats are trying to do to this country (completely).

Wading in deep water: Sometimes when doing family genealogy research, I get the feeling I am wading in deep water (approaching problems of great magnitude; danger).

This is it for today's list of words and phrases. I've got to skedaddle outa here and get busy. Next column I reckon I'll be back with some more words and expressions to pert you up and to enthuse you into studying about the words we use.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Terry Thornton is a retired college administrator and former Amory Middle School principal who resides in Fulton. He can be contacted by email at hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com.

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Part 19. SOUTHERN EXPRESSIONS THAT WILL TAKE THE RAG OFF THE BUSH

Words and Phrases from the Hill Country

by Terry Thornton

Today continues a twenty-two part series of words and phrases with Hill Country examples. Each week this space will be devoted to Southern Expressions That Will Take The Rag Off the Bush.

This series is dedicated to the anonymous reader of Hill Country who left a comment on one of my other articles about southern words and expressions. Anon exclaimed that the article "just takes the rag off the bush." The comment tickled me but good. In fact, I'd never heard that expression so I had to do some quick reading to determine if I'd been complimented or if I'd been insulted.

After discovering that "to take the rag off the bush" is a perfectly good old-timey compliment, I am using this expression for the title of this series. I hope these articles will capture the full meaning of the phrase "to surpass; to beat all" and maybe this series will be so good that it will also "snatch the bush right up out of the ground, roots, and all."

Here are some words and expressions you may wish to work into your conversations this week. Impress your friends and family --- and, at the same time, help keep these old sayings alive.

Asterisms: All of the names of those absent from the meeting at Oak Hill were marked with asterisms (asterisks).

Biggest toad in the puddle: He was all puffed up and thought himself the biggest toad in the puddle called Smiffle (the most consequential person).

Cantankrous: When Aunt Dorie couldn't find out what she wanted to know, she could be right cantankrous (ill-natured). Also applied to objects: a rough road can be called cantankrous; an engine what won't crank is cantankrous, etc.

Cock-and-bull story: That kid started telling the best cock and bull stories when he was in kindergarten (an improbable tale).

Do me: I've got enough sorghum to do me till next year (to suffice; to last).

Fit to kill: He had a fit to kill smirk on his face when he was caught red-handed inside the girl's dormitory late at night (immoderately).

Go-to-meeting clothes/hat/coat/dress/etc: His only go-to-meeting suit was a hand-me-down from his older brother (best clothes). The suit came from their grandpa who had used it for years.

Hornswoggle: Keep your eyes peeled if you gonna do business with him or else he will hornswoggle you (cheat or deceive). Similar in meaning to several older terms such as honey-fackled, honey-fuggle, honey-fuggled.

Meeting; preaching: I saw you at preaching this morning. Are you going to meeting tonight (service at church)? Churches were formally called "meeting-houses" rather than church which explains the origin of this expression.

Off: Those strangers must be from off as I've never seen them before (from away).

Quick as a steel trap or Smart as a steel trap, etc: Don't let that slow talking fellow fool you -- he is as sharp as a steel trap (very fast; very intelligent).

Shot-gun wedding: Four months after the shot-gun wedding at Oak Grove, the newly-weds had their first child (a "forced" wedding).

Tangle-foot: He drank so much tangle-foot that he had to have help getting back on his horse (whiskey).

Vamoose: Recon why they vamoosed without saying where or why they were leaving (depart rapidly)?

That is it for today's list of words and phrases. I've got to vamoose. I'll be back later with some more words and expressions to pert you up and to enthuse you into studying about the words we use.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Terry Thornton is a retired college administrator and former Amory Middle School principal who resides in Fulton. He can be contacted by email at hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com.

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Part 18. SOUTHERN EXPRESSIONS THAT TAKE THE RAG OFF THE BUSH

Words and Phrases from the Hill Country

by Terry Thornton

Today continues a twenty-two part series of words and phrases with Hill Country examples. Each week this space will be devoted to Southern Expressions That Will Take The Rag Off the Bush.

This series is dedicated to the anonymous reader of Hill Country who left a comment on one of my other articles about southern words and expressions. Anon exclaimed that the article "just takes the rag off the bush." The comment tickled me but good. In fact, I'd never heard that expression so I had to do some quick reading to determine if I'd been complimented or if I'd been insulted.

After discovering that "to take the rag off the bush" is a perfectly good old-timey compliment, I am using this expression for the title of this series. I hope these articles will capture the full meaning of the phrase "to surpass; to beat all" and maybe this series will be so good that it will also "snatch the bush right up out of the ground, roots, and all."

Here are some words and expressions you may wish to work into your conversations this week. Impress your friends and family --- and, at the same time, help keep these old sayings alive.

As mean as a rooster in a thunder storm: At times when I was five years old I thought my otherwise mild and meek brother could turn as mean as a rooster in a thunder storm (mean indeed). Oh, we had some good fights.

Biddy: The biddy clucked nervously to her brood of children worse than a real hen when a chicken hawk was flying about (old lady; hen).

Cane-brake: Along Splunge Creek are found several thick cane-brakes (cane plants grown in profusion; a thicket of cane).

Clabber: Cold clabber is a treat to drink (sour milk before churning).

Dirt-dauber or Mud-dauber: The dirt-dauber's nest completely blocked the opening to the pipe (mud-wasp).

Fish story: That little kid would tell one fish story after another to his teacher or to his classmates (improbable tale; a cock-and-bull story).

Good as pie: We sat there looking as if we were as good as pie while the teacher tried to figure out who was splatting up the chalkboard with spit balls each time she turned her back (exceptionally good).

Hopping mad: He pulled her pigtails and she got hopping mad (very angry).

Man alive: "Look at the size of that! Man alive! I ain't never seen such a big catfish. Man alive (exclamation)!"

Off color: The only time my father ever slapped me was on the occasion of me telling him an off-color joke when I was less than ten years old (risqué; mildly obscene). Earlier use of the phrase meant "out of sorts." I can attest that my father went off color when I told him that joke. [And as I still remember that joke I recall the red print of his hand on the skin of my leg. At one time it was considered amusing to pose a question and then let the titles of hymns be the answer. And the joke worked best if you could sing the name of the hymn. Kids would amuse themselves for hours at church asking silly questions and then flipping through a hymnal reading answers. One of the older guys sitting around at Thornton Store told the gang the joke and I thought it was funny --- the question is "What did one skirt say to another?" The answer, which I sung loudly to my father was, "Love Lifted Me."]

Pupelo: When in Quincy avoid getting drunk on the pupelo they serve over at the stage stop (distilled cider --- brandy). Note: Actually I've never heard the word pupelo but keep running across it in old word books. And, yes, once at old Quincy brandy was distilled by the barrel for local consumption and for export. Back in the times before the church ladies and parsons took over, the county had stills, saloons, race tracks, and gaming houses. Hill County was the "frontier" and had a lifestyle more like the wild and wooly west so widely written about and presented in the shoot-em-up westerns.

Shoat: Our shoats broke outa the pen but then all came home 'cept one and the one that old rascal had in his feed lot fattening up sure looked like our lost one (a half-grown pig). In the early days of the county, livestock was free ranging and owners used marks to identify their animals. Rustling hogs and cows and horses was always a threat --- and still is.

Take the cake: "Well, don't that just take the cake" (expression of surprise with mild distain)!

Use up: The picture I have of my great-grandmother show her as an old, used-up woman (finished up; worn out).

That is it for today's list of words and phrases. I've got to skedaddle outa here and get busy. Actually, I need to get to the liquor store and buy some pupelo --- I need some peach pupelo for purely medicinal purposes. Next column I'll be back with some more words and expressions to pert you up and to enthuse you into studying more about the words we use.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Terry Thornton is a retired college administrator and former Amory Middle School principal who resides in Fulton. He can be contacted by email at hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com.

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Part 17. SOUTHERN EXPRESSIONS THAT WILL TAKE THE RAG OFF THE BUSH

Words and Phrases from the Hill Country

by Terry Thornton

Today continues a twenty-two part series of words and phrases with Hill Country examples. Each week this space will be devoted to Southern Expressions That Will Take The Rag Off the Bush.

This series is dedicated to the anonymous reader of Hill Country who left a comment on one of my other articles about southern words and expressions. Anon exclaimed that the article "just takes the rag off the bush." The comment tickled me but good. In fact, I'd never heard that expression so I had to do some quick reading to determine if I'd been complimented or if I'd been insulted.

After discovering that "to take the rag off the bush" is a perfectly good old-timey compliment, I am using this expression for the title of this series. I hope these articles will capture the full meaning of the phrase "to surpass; to beat all" and maybe this series will be so good that it will also "snatch the bush right up out of the ground, roots, and all."

Here are some words and expressions you may wish to work into your conversations this week. Impress your friends and family --- and, at the same time, help keep these old sayings alive.

Arkansas toothpick: He got mad and drew his Arkansas toothpick on me (long knife; switchblade knife).

Bible-backed: Not only did the new preacher at Antioch have a hook nose, he was also bibled-backed and weak chinned (hump-backed or round-shouldered).

Camp-meeting: I'd image that my great-great-great-grandfather, Frederick Weaver, one of the first preachers in Monroe County, often had camp-meetings (camp ground, usually in the forest, for preaching and revivals).

Circuit-rider: My great-great-great-great-grandfather Hartwell "Shouting Victory" Weaver rode with the Methodist Circuit-riders all over Tennessee. Why he even rode to "Tombeckbee Country" once to visit his son, Frederick Weaver, in what is today's Monroe County (an itinerant preacher).

Dipping: The old lady was fond of dipping, or so I've been told (using snuff).

Fire-dogs: I have a set of fire-dogs for my fireplace which have Devils' heads on them (a set of andirons). Just after I bought them years ago at an antique store, I dropped one of the fire-dogs and it broke. The local blacksmith, Arnie Forrister, fixed it as good as new.

Gob: After she plunked a big ole gob of mashed tators in the middle of my plate, she then proceeded to drown em with a huge serving of brown gravy which she ceremoniously poured over the top while grinning at me the whole time (lump; large amount if not otherwise described; early negative term for sailor). A gob is usually through to be a large amount but note this example: His good looks were spoiled by the tiny gob of bugger hanging from the tip of his nose. [No wonder she was ginning at me.]

Hoodoo: The charming new preacher hoodooed the Deacons and fooled around with their daughters (placed under a charm; pulled the wool over their eyes; the word is probably a corruption of Voodoo).

Mamma and Papa: Who is yore Mamma and Papa (mother and father)?

O.K,: Are you feeling O.K? You look peakedy (all right; correct. Also an indication of correctness as in "The repairs to my car were O.K."). Some attribute the term O.K. to 1828 when President General Andrew Jackson was said to have written "oll korrect" when he attempted to write "all correct" --- and O.K. came to symbolize his poor spelling ability.

Pshaw: You call that large? Pshaw (an exclamation of contempt)! You shoulda seen the catfish I grabbled out of Sipsey last summer if that think you tickled out a big un.

Shifty: I'd like him quite well except for the look in his eyes makes me think he is shifty (tricky; say one thing and do another).

Take a shine: It was obvious to all that the new bachelor store-keeper at Smithville had taken a shine to Miss Orabelle (take a liking). And Miss Orabelle seemed to like the idea just fine as she was his most frequent customer making several trips to his store daily when one should have sufficed.

Use it up: Rather than to throw out my old winter hat, I decided to use it up this summer as my hat to wear in the garden and next year, I'll really use it up by letting the scarecrow wear it (get the final use out of it).

That is it for today's list of words and phrases. We've used up all my space for today and I've got to skedaddle outa here and get busy. I'll be back in a week or so with some more words and expressions that may serve to pert you up and to enthuse you into studying about the words we use. Meanwhile, youenzes make sure you stop this week and give Thanks for all your Blessings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Terry Thornton is a retired college administrator and former Amory Middle School principal who resides in Fulton. He can be contacted by email at hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com.

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Part 16. SOUTHERN EXPRESSIONS THAT WILL TAKE THE RAG OFF THE BUSH

Words and Phrases from the Hill Country

by Terry Thornton

Today continues a twenty-two part series of words and phrases with Hill Country examples. Each week this space will be devoted to Southern Expressions That Will Take The Rag Off the Bush.

This series is dedicated to the anonymous reader of Hill Country who left a comment on one of my other articles about southern words and expressions. Anon exclaimed that the article "just takes the rag off the bush." The comment tickled me but good. In fact, I'd never heard that expression so I had to do some quick reading to determine if I'd been complimented or if I'd been insulted.

After discovering that "to take the rag off the bush" is a perfectly good old-timey compliment, I am using this expression for the title of this series. I hope these articles will capture the full meaning of the phrase "to surpass; to beat all" and maybe this series will be so good that it will also "snatch the bush right up out of the ground, roots, and all."

Here are some words and expressions you may wish to work into your conversations this week. Impress your friends and family --- and, at the same time, help keep these old sayings alive.

Anti-fogmatic: Uncle Jake kept the fog out of his throat by taking his anti-fogmatic first thing every morning before he milked the cow (rum or whiskey). Once I learned where he kept his supply in a bottle in the barn, I begin to sip a little of his medicinal spirits on the sly.

Best bib and tucker: I'm gonna put on my best bib and tucker and go to another behaving party tonight over at Sipsey Fork (best clothes).

Choke off: We don't cut out our yeast rolls; Sweetie chokes them off. Biscuits are choked off by some Southern cooks but ours are cut out (formed by hand from a mass of dough). An older meaning for choke off is to put a stop to as in the Republicans in Congress are having little effect in choking off the spending bills being passed by the Democrats.

Dicker: The salesman replied when I asked if he could take less for the machine, "We don't dicker" (bargain).

Fire-bug; fire-fly; glow-bug; glow-worm; lightning-bug (various names for the common lightning-bug): Where we once lived in Tennessee, the lightning-bugs were semi-synchronized. It was interesting to watch hundreds of them flashing almost in unison. My granddaughter called all lightning bugs "Little Mr. Toot-toot." No matter where she saw a fire-fly, it was the same one she saw at home or at our house --- it was "Little Mr. Toot-toot."

Go through: It didn't take him but three months to go through all that his father had acquired in a life time (plunder thoroughly).

High-falutin: Just listen to that old crone's high-falutin talk and watch her high-falutin walk. Ain't she puttin' on airs? (Pompous manner of speaking or pompous manner of behavior.)

Make tracks: I think I'd better make tracks and go tell Pap that his old grey mare kicked the bucket (be off in a hurry).

Notion: "What gave you that notion?" she asked, as she cleaned up the mess he made that resulted from his attempt to bake bread on a baseball bat (idea). [Some of you Boy Scouts may remember a suggested activity of baking bread on a bat/stick over a campfire.]

Protracted meetings: We used to have protracted meetings morning and night during revival week at Hatley. Methodists seemed to be fond of protracted meetings maybe because such reminded them of the old campground meetings (revival meeting extending over several days or weeks).

Shake-poke: My Uncle Aaron was the shake-poke of his family (last child in a family. Also called the "baby" of the family.) This phrase is also used to describe the last tad of cornmeal that could be shaken from the poke (bag or sack) in which the meal is stored. When the poke was getting almost empty, it would be turned inside out and the last bit of meal was called "shake-poke."

Stub: All those little stubs have to be grubbed out before we can plow this new ground (little stumps left when small bushes and small trees are cut down).

Up the creek; up the creek without a paddle: When the market crashed I found that I was financially up the creek without a paddle (ruined; in a bad situation with little hope of getting out of the mess).

Youenzes: I hope youenzes have a good time at the picture show (you all). This word is still much heard in the Cumberland Mountain area of Tennessee but only rarely used in Mississippi Hill Country. Locals once use the phrase much like "y'all" to mean more than one person. Unfortunately the phrase is slowly being eradicated from common usage except among friends as locals have been ridiculed so much by outsiders that they don't say youenzes until they know you are a friend.

That is it for today's list of words and phrases. I've got to skedaddle outa here and get busy. Next time I'll be back with youenzes some more words and expressions to pert you up and to enthuse you into the notion of studying more about the words we use.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Terry Thornton is a retired college administrator and former Amory Middle School principal who resides in Fulton. He can be contacted by email at hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Part 14. SOUTHERN EXPRESSIONS THAT WILL TAKE THE RAG OFF THE BUSH

Words and Phrases from the Hill Country

by Terry Thornton

Today continues a twenty-two part series of words and phrases with Hill Country examples. Each week this space will be devoted to Southern Expressions That Will Take The Rag Off the Bush.

This series is dedicated to the anonymous reader of Hill Country who left a comment on one of my other articles about southern words and expressions. Anon exclaimed that the article "just takes the rag off the bush." The comment tickled me but good. In fact, I'd never heard that expression so I had to do some quick reading to determine if I'd been complimented or if I'd been insulted.

After discovering that "to take the rag off the bush" is a perfectly good old-timey compliment, I am using this expression for the title of this series. I hope these articles will capture the full meaning of the phrase "to surpass; to beat all" and maybe this series will be so good that it will also "snatch the bush right up out of the ground, roots, and all."

Here are some words and expressions you may wish to work into your conversations this week. Impress your friends and family --- and, at the same time, help keep these old sayings alive.

Almighty: This reducing diet is making me feel almighty hungry (monstrous).

Bench-legged: He was a bench-legged critter and he looked like he would make a good dog to stay under the wagon (a dog with a square chest and front legs wide apart). The "stay under the wagon" phrase means to be a force in the background to be reckoned with if the situation warrants it.

Calculate: Let me calcuate on that a minute (think about something; sometimes spelled "kalkilate").

Chicken fixings: I always loved it when the Preacher came for Sunday dinner at our house 'cause Mother always served up chicken fixings (chicken with dressing and dumplings, or if fryers were available, fried chicken with biscuits and gravy). Today the best "brought-on" chicken fixings I find in the Hill Country is a carry-out barn bucket from Atkinson Steak House on Parham Store Road near Smithville.

Fine as silk: She said she was fine as silk when I asked how she was feeling. I thought she looked even finer (in excellent condition).

Gibe: Although they were a pair of beautifully matched Tennessee mules, they never would gibe with each other (work in harmony). Same thing happened with Uncle Jake and his first wife; they never gibed, did they?

Hellyon or Hellion: But old Uncle Jake was something of a hellion himself, wasn't he (a rascal)? I guess it served him right that the no-count woman he married for his second wife turned into a real hell-kicker.

Make a poor mouth: On a few of the old 1870 government documents I've examined, it appears obvious that some locals were making a poor mouth in order to qualify for a pension (to pretend poverty; to plead poverty). In more recent times, after Katrina in South Mississippi, I observed folks making a poor mouth in order to "get their FEMA."

Not worth the salt in your butter/beans/bread: After watching that worthless so-and-so do nothing for a month, I decided that he wasn't worth the salt in his beans (completely worthless).

Preaching to the choir: I wish he'd do a sermon and preach to them in the back of the church and stop just preaching to the choir (talking to those who are already convinced). He either preaches just to the choir or else he is preaching to them who ain't even here.

Shade-tree: When a boy he staked out a house building site and planted shade-trees (tree planted for shade). By the time he made his fortune, the site was already well shaded, cool, and lovely. All that was needed was a bride and a house.

Skeer: When the storm started roaring like a freight-train, it skeered that man to the point that he later said he started praying like a sissy (to scare).

Stop off: On the way to Aberdeen, I stopped off for a spell in Becker (stepped off and interrupted my journey temporarily). I didn't find any ugly girls in Becker either.

Underpin: Most of the houses in Parham were not underpinned when I was a child and all that space beneath the floorboards was a wonderful environment for children and dogs and chickens and cats and no telling what all else (the house was set on piers and the foundation not enclosed). Also, what you get in your raising up, rearing, or fotching up is the underpinning of your life --- the foundation upon which your personality, beliefs, faith, and worth are based.

That is it for today's list of words and phrases. I've got to skedaddle outa here and head to Adley and Parham and then on to Hatley. I just might stop off in Smithville if the antique store is open. Next time I'll be back with an attempt to sort out the difference in hisn's and hern's unmentionables so don't get your knickers in a twist just yet. Maybe those words will pert you up and enthuse you to study more about the words we use.

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Terry Thornton is a retired college administrator and former Amory Middle School principal who resides in Fulton. He can be contacted by email at hillcountrymonroecounty@gmail.com.