Favorite Colloquialisms And Sayings

[laetitia crucis]

Raphael's Phatmass Google Map got me thinking...

Having grown up an "army brat", my family moved around quite a bit; however, after my father retired from the military, we settled in Kentucky. No matter where we've lived, I always loved learning about different cultures, customs, and "sayings". This is something I've always found really fun and fascinating.

Before going to university (in Kentucky), a majority of my friends were fellow "army brats", so we didn't really know any of the colloquialisms. Yet, while in university I became very good friends with someone born and raised in Bardstown, Kentucky. He has a few phrases that I'll always keep close to my heart -- and funny bone! Here's two of my favorites:

-- "[i]You're grinnin' like a sheep eatin' briars![/i]" (Meaning: "Something's not quite right... what are you up to?" )

-- "[i]You're/It's stuck like a hair in a biscuit![/i]" (Meaning: "You're/It's [i]really[/i] stuck." Kind of like being "between a rock and a hard place" but not as serious.)



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Soooo, I thought it might be fun to post some of the colloquialisms you've heard (whether from your own hometowns or in passing through various locations) and their meanings.

What have you heard? What do you say?

[size="4"]Please add![/size]

[Cherie]

[i]"Enough blue to patch a sailor's bottom" - [/i]There's enough patches of blue in the sky on a cloudy day, which means it will be sunny later (NO ONE has heard this one! I heard it in the convent)

[i]"A speckled pup in a red wagon" - [/i]Something remarkably cute or precious, i.e. "That baby's cuter than a speckled pup in a red wagon."


I learned a lot living in the Deep South ... I'll try to remember some more!

[laetitia crucis]

Aahahaha!

I've never heard either of those! I love them!

Thanks, CM! I'm looking forward to hearing more!

[zunshynn]

It's kind of funny, because when I was in Alabama, there were actually only a few sisters who were actually from Alabama, so I picked up on a lot of other accents, (Illinoisan and Wisconsinite primarily, and some Louisianian) but not Alabamian.

A few that I did pick up on...

"You're a mess" - Tennessean from Deacon Bill Steltemeier. Deacon Bill used to say that all the time, and I didn't know what it meant, then a sister told me it means you're hysterical.

People from Wisconsin call a drinking fountain a "bubbler"... I didn't catch on to that though.

Gosh, I wish I could remember more... I'll try to think of some more.

[Cherie]

[i]
"Great day in the mornin'!" - [/i]something of an exclamation
[i]"Bless his/her heart" - [/i]immediately said after saying something unkind about someone

Another thing that actually drove me nuts was the practice of saying, "[i]might could[/i]" - like, "We might could go to the store, if y'all want." (It's either "might" or "could" by themselves, you don't need both ... but it's a very Southern thing and I had to try hard not to fall into using it!)

I've forgotten so many - I'll have to think of more, and ask my friend for some!

[HisChildForever]

"You're a hot mess."

[HisChildForever]

Oh, and anything using the "worst" swear word.

[Nihil Obstat]

How about "Gir 'er dun!"?

[MIKolbe]

"fish where the fish are"

[MIKolbe]

"control the controlables"

[Winchester]

"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry, and I'll give you something to cry about, you little brat."

"The squeaky wheel gets slapped in the face."

[Vincent Vega]

[quote name='CherieMadame' date='10 May 2010 - 02:00 PM' timestamp='1273514445' post='2108145']
Another thing that actually drove me nuts was the practice of saying, "[i]might could[/i]" - like, "We might could go to the store, if y'all want." (It's either "might" or "could" by themselves, you don't need both ... but it's a very Southern thing and I had to try hard not to fall into using it!)
[/quote]
I don't get why people are averse to might could/used to could/might would/etc. Might could means something entirely different from might or could by themselves. Might could implies both the subjunctive and the conditional.
[quote name='Nihil Obstat' date='10 May 2010 - 02:07 PM' timestamp='1273514826' post='2108151']
How about "Gir 'er dun!"?
[/quote]
Nobody says that.



I think some things we say that not everyone does are:

"You look rough" (A slightly gentler way of telling someone they look ill, tired, etc.)

If one is bad, he might get a bag of switches for Christmas.

Coke is not limited just to meaning Cocola itself.

These all just seem to be speech trends, though, not so much colloquialisms...I seem to be having a mental block. I'll post more as I think of them.

[Nihil Obstat]

One thing I've heard a lot lately among people my age is "X is/was/will be rowdy." Rowdy is implying that people are getting drunk and obnoxious, but it's got a positive connotation. Rowdy just isn't a word people used until very recently, except for parents referring to misbehaving children. I dunno if that's a regionalism, or just new slang.

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' date='10 May 2010 - 03:16 PM' timestamp='1273522616' post='2108240']
One thing I've heard a lot lately among people my age is "X is/was/will be rowdy." Rowdy is implying that people are getting drunk and obnoxious, but it's got a positive connotation. [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif[/img] Rowdy just isn't a word people used until very recently, except for parents referring to misbehaving children. I dunno if that's a regionalism, or just new slang.
[/quote]

I think "rowdy" may be old slang coming back, except it wasn't positive before.

Edited May 10, 2010 by IgnatiusofLoyola

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='IgnatiusofLoyola' date='10 May 2010 - 03:20 PM' timestamp='1273522800' post='2108246']
I think "rowdy" may be old slang coming back, except it wasn't positive before.
[/quote]
When I was young, it just meant that kids were getting a bit too wild, as kids often tend to do. It was more of a neutral connotation. Now it's just a way to describe a drunken party, apparently.