Southerness

[jack.diamond]

Southernness

Only a Southerner knows the difference between a hissie fit and a conniption fit, and that you don't "HAVE" them, you "PITCH" them.
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Only a Southerner knows how many fish, collard greens, turnip greens, peas, beans, etc., make up "a mess."
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Only a Southerner can show or point out to you the general direction of "yonder."
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Only a Southerner knows exactly how long "directly" is, ... as in: "Going to town, be back directly."
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Even Southern babies know that "Gimme some sugar" is not a request for the white, granular sweet substance that sits in a pretty little bowl in the middle of the table.
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All Southerners know exactly when "by and by" is. They might not use the term, but they know the concept well.
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Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace for a neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big bowl of cold potato salad. If the neighbor's trouble is a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin'!
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Only Southerners grow up knowing the difference between "right near" and "a right far piece." They also know that "just down the road" can be 1 mile or 20.
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Only a Southerner, both knows and understands, the difference between a redneck, a good ol' boy, and po' white trash.
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No true Southerner would ever assume that the car with the flashing turn signal is actually going to make a turn.
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A Southerner knows that "fixin" can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adverb.
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Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines and when we're "in line", we talk to everybody!
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Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're related, even if only by marriage.
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In the South, y'all is singular, .... all y'all is plural.
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Southerners know grits come from corn and how to eat them.
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Every Southerner knows tomatoes with eggs, bacon, grits, and coffee are perfectly wonderful; that red eye gravy is also a breakfast food; and that fried green tomatoes are not a breakfast food.
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When you hear someone say, "Well, I caught myself lookin'," you know you are in the presence of a genuine Southerner!
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Only true Southerners say "sweet tea" and "sweet milk." Sweet tea indicates the need for sugar and lots of it -- we do not like our tea unsweetened. "Sweet milk" means you don't want buttermilk.
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And a true Southerner knows you don't scream obscenities at little old ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway. You just say, "Bless her heart", and go your own way.
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To those of you who are still a little embarrassed by your Southerness: Take two tent revivals and a dose of sausage gravy and call me in the morning. Bless your heart!
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And to those of you who are still having a hard time understanding all this Southern stuff, bless your hearts, I hear they are fixin' to have classes on Southernness as a second language!
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And for those that are not from the South but have lived here for a long time, all y'all need a sign to hang on y'alls front porch that reads "I ain't from the South, but I got here as fast as I could."
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[*Cowgirl*]

 

[hurleyjd]

Here is something I have been wondering about, seems that I do a lot of wondering nowdays. Does any one know how much is a right smart. Used in a sentence: That cow will give a right smart of milk.

 

[Crowderfarms]

Here is something I have been wondering about, seems that I do a lot of wondering nowdays. Does any one know how much is a right smart. Used in a sentence: That cow will give a right smart of milk.

Right smart is right close to a "Mess"

 

[*Cowgirl*]

Here is something I have been wondering about, seems that I do a lot of wondering nowdays. Does any one know how much is a right smart. Used in a sentence: That cow will give a right smart of milk.

Right smart is right close to a "Mess"

but slightly less

 

[Crowderfarms]

Here is something I have been wondering about, seems that I do a lot of wondering nowdays. Does any one know how much is a right smart. Used in a sentence: That cow will give a right smart of milk.

Right smart is right close to a "Mess"

but slightly less

But maybe a little more...

 

[ga. prime]

"Right smart" can be used interchangeably with "A Good Bit".

 

[MikeC]

Right smart means a good bit.

"Right smart" can be "ciphered" only by those that got "good marks" in school.

 

[jack.diamond]

"Right smart" is just a "tad" bit more than three "slugs".

JD

 

[hurleyjd]

Back in my younger years I had a diary, where I grew up if you did not have a dairy then you were pretty much nothing. It took a while to learn that the world was bigger than Yantis Texas. In 1981 I quit dairying and went to work at a nine to five job, what a releive. Now to get back to right smart. I bought a nice jersey milk cow, she had a perfect udder. The previous owner got up and give a testomoinal at the sale that this fine cow would give a right smart of milk. Well she would give about a quart and a half, so I concluded a quart and a half was a right smart. Here is a thought sometimes when you have time sit down and think about the things you know that you did not think you know.

 

[backhoeboogie]

I reckon I am still pondering. Right smart is simply an attention getting expression of degree or quantity - and I have no real way to quantify the quantity, but the attention getting is sort of like a serious "listen hear".

 

[MillIronQH]

Which kind of goes along with words like didjaeatjet. responded to by notjet whereyagoin.Z

 

[jack.diamond]

Ain't being from the South just great or what

Lot's of folks are moving here too!! Must be somethin more than the language.

Jack

 

[chrisy]

I was made an honorary Southern gal last year and was learnt all those sayings y'all put on here.

collard greens is spinnich....yonder is used here in the country

directly...is the longest I've ever waited.

I caught myself lookin....must be from the Irish in y'all bless your heart. :heart: ;-)

 

[hurleyjd]

A professor at one of the colleges here in East Texas wrote a book titled "If a hen dipped snuff." It was a collection of saying that were used in the country and some of thier origins. Pretty good reading.