Is let me let you go a Southern phrase?
“Let me let you go!” “Well, don't let me take up your whole day.” “I'm sure so-and-so is wondering where you are.” For Southerners, those are gracious ways of signaling that we're going to stop talking now without actually saying goodbye.
The South is well-known for having a way with words. "Bless your heart" and "Take your sweet time" might seem like sympathetic phrases — but they're not always. From "What in the Sam Hill" to "Heavens to Betsy," you probably won't hear these 25 words and expressions anywhere but the South.
- Babe.
- Love.
- Beautiful.
- Princess.
- Buttercup.
- Cutie pie.
- Dream girl.
- Love bug.
Hush is a very nice way of saying shut up. Sometimes I say “Hush Your Mouth” not so much “Hush Up” but I definitely say “Hush! ” …
Well, Boy Howdy! = Wow! Oh, Honey, here in Texas, if they're smaller than tens, we just thow [note dropped “r”] 'em away. Well, bless her heart.
'Hey' one of the most common greetings in the US that can also be used in the plural, as in: “Hey guys” and “Hey ya'll” (ya'll is used in many of the southern US states as a plural “you all” form).
While most of the country may hear “uh-huh” as a half-hearted expression of agreement, in Texas, “uh-huh” can also mean “you're welcome.” So, if you're out in the Hill Country and you thank the pitmaster at your favorite barbecue joint for lunch, and all he says is a simple “uh-huh,” don't take it as a brush-off.
The Southern American English drawl, or "Southern drawl," involves vowel diphthongization of the front pure vowels, or the "prolongation of the most heavily stressed syllables, with the corresponding weakening of the less stressed ones, so that there is an illusion of slowness even though the tempo may be fast."
In the southern United States, "sugar" is often pronounced with a drawn-out "sh" sound, so it sounds like "shugah." This pronunciation is part of the southern accent and is a distinctive feature of the region's dialect.
- She's as pretty as a peach.
- They're as pretty as a pitcher. ( ...
- He's a tall drink of iced tea.
- They're as happy as clams at high tide.
- She's as smart as all get out.
- They're finer than frogs' hair split four ways.
- She's got gumption.
- They're sweeter than cherry pie.
Why do Southerners call everyone baby?
These are simply terms of endearment and how some Southerners choose to express their friendliness. I have to admit, growing up north of the Mason-Dixon line, this did take a bit of getting used to. Being called honey, sweetie, or baby by a total stranger seemed overly familiar.
Air Biscuit
According to Green's Dictionary of Slang, an air biscuit is “an extremely malodorous fart or belch.” The phrase dates back to the early '90s and originated in the south, but clearly needs to be used everywhere. The act of farting or belching is known as floating an air biscuit, by the way.
She Was Madder Than A Wet Hen
Have you ever seen a wet hen? If so, you know that being madder than a wet hen is very mad indeed. Some say farmers used to dunk their hens when they got broody.
- be quiet.
- hush.
- fall silent.
- button it (slang)
- pipe down (slang) Just pipe down and I'll tell you what I want.
- hold your tongue.
- put a sock in it (British, slang)
- keep your trap shut (slang)
Modern Standard English lacks a plural second person pronoun, so Southern English has filled that gap with y'all (a contraction of you all). It really is that simple. There are singular and plural pronouns for every other person (first person I and we, third person he, she, it and they).
It is a handy-dandy phrase meaning “about to.” It functions as a verb. Example: “I reckon it's fixin' to rain.” I asked the internet the origins of the phrase and it said an archaic meaning of “fix” is “to prepare.” And please note, there is no “g” on the end of “fixin'”.
She was “plumb” tired out, or plumb tuckered out. Highfalutin'. A pejorative term in the South.
But the best-known word in the Southern vernacular is probably our most-loved pronoun: y'all. A contraction of "you" and "all" is what forms "y'all" when addressing or referencing two or more people.
- 'co*ke' Billionaire Warren Buffett says he drinks five co*kes a day. ...
- 'Fixing' Shutterstock. ...
- 'Barbecue' Flickr / Carlos Pacheco. ...
- 'Buggy' ...
- 'Mash' ...
- 'Yankee' ...
- 'Sweeper' ...
- 'Foot'
Howdy. The typical cowboy greeting. “While you boys are out hatchet throwing, I'm going to say howdy to the Lazy You Spa.”
How to talk less Southern?
One of the main differences between Southern and Standard American pronunciation is vowel length, especially with the long vowel /i/ ("ah-ee"). Practice shortening your vowel length. Another helpful tip is to listen to audio recordings of vowels pronounced with a standard American accent.
“Thank You Kindly” is a phrase that is used quite frequently in the south. Here is one example, where you will probably use it in a social situation. When you're at the Wal-Mart and you have a full buggy also known as a shopping cart, and the person behind you only has a loaf of bread.
"Bless your heart" is a phrase common to the Southern United States. The phrase has multiple meanings and is used to express genuine sympathy but sometimes as an insult that conveys condescension, derision, or contempt. It may also be spoken as a precursor to an insult to mitigate its severity.
“Hold your horses”
This saying means “wait a minute” or “slow down.” It comes from days of old when people would travel via horses or carriages.
The southern accent varies across different states in the southern United States, but many people consider the accent in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia to be particularly "southern." These states are often associated with a distinctive drawl and vocabulary that is characteristic of the southern accent.