Penny For Your Thoughts
By: Nancy Whitaker
I love the south and my grandparents were both from the southern states. Of course, my Granny, could make great sugar cookies, sweet tea, dandelion greens, fresh green beans, bake super pies and could forecast the weather using various nature signs.
I grew up with not only her cooking and weather prediction ability, but with a lot of her “southern slang” and many old wives tales.
It has been unofficially reported that conversations south of the Mason-Dixon line will confuse anyone who is not born there.
I have heard most of the southern slang, but never comprehended how they came to be and foremost what they meant. One of them is, “We’re living in high cotton.” What has high cotton got to do with anything? Well if you are from a cotton growing state, it means your tall cotton bushes are loaded with white fluffy balls which are easier to pick and will yield a good harvest. In other words, you feel rich and successful. I always wondered if there was a saying that pertains to “living in low cotton?”
I am sure we have all heard the expression, “Madder than a wet hen.” I found out that hens enter into a phase of broodiness which means they will stop at nothing to sit on their eggs and get very agitated when anyone tries to gather them. In fact, farmers used to dunk hens in cold water to break their broodiness and no one wants to be around any hormonal female, especially if she has just had an ice bath.
Have you ever used the term,“You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.” I really don’t get up close and personal with a pig, but their ears appear to be soft and shiny. But, if you tried to make it into a Coach bag, everyone would still know that it is still a pig’s ear.
The saying, “You look hard rode and put up wet,” is not a sexual innuendo, but is a crucial step in horse grooming. When a horse runs fast, it works up a sweat, especially under the saddle. A good rider knows to walk the horse around so it can dry off before going back to the stable. A horse will look sick and tired if you forget this step, and is compared to someone who misses sleep or drinks too much.
Who is “Cooter Brown?” What does the words, “He’s as drunk as Cooter Brown’ mean? Apparently old Cooter Brown was a folklore character from the south who lived on the Mason-Dixon line, which was the border between the North and South, during the Civil War. To avoid being drafted by either side, Cooter decided to stay drunk throughout the entire war, making him ineligible for battle. Inebriated Southerners have measured their drunkenness by him ever since.
I simply have never heard the saying, “She’s as happy as a dead pig in the sunshine.” Of course I don’t make a habit of looking for deceased pigs, but it has been said that when a pig dies, presumably in a sty outside, the sun dries out its skin. This effect pulls the pig’s lips back to reveal a toothy “grin,” making it look happy even though it’s dead. This phrase describes a person who’s blissfully ignorant of reality. I don’t even know anyone like that. Do you?
Do you remember “Carter’s Little Liver” pills? The saying, “She’s got more nerve than Carter’s got Liver Pills,” comes from a pill peddling company in the late 19th century. The Carter Company advertised and pushed their so called liver pills so hard that this is where the saying came from. Now, back in 1951 the Federal Trade Commission made Carters drop the term liver from its advertising, claiming it was deceptive, but the saying hung around and became a southern phrase.
I think I may use this phrase when I am asked how I am feeling, “I’m finer than frog hair split four ways.” Even those below the Mason-Dixon know frogs don’t have hair, and the irony is meant to highlight just how dandy you feel.The phrase reportedly originated in C. Davis’ “Diary of 1865.”
“He thinks the sun comes up just to hear him crow,” is a good saying also. I think my cat thinks the same thing. In the south and all over, this means that a crowing cocky rooster thinks the sun comes up just because he crows. Similarly, an extremely cocky man might think the same when he speaks, sings or does anything, that everyone should listen to him. I know several people like this, so I will have to remember this saying.
My mama always said, “Bless Your Heart,” another term that southerners drop constantly. Now I am hearing the saying is not really religious, but a passive way to call someone an idiot.
Depending on your inflection, saying “bless your heart” can sting worse than any insult. I remember going into a grocery store one time and showing my Mama pigs ears and pig feet. She stood there to tenderly, bowed her head and said “Bless it’s little heart.”
Have you ever used any of the sayings? Have you ever heard anyone use them? Have you ever heard of Cooter Brown? Let me know and I’ll give you a Penny for Your Thoughts.
