60 Southern Sayings You Won’t Hear Anywhere Else

Expressing How You Feel

Bless Your Heart

It can be deployed sincerely, but if you're hearing "bless your heart" in the South, it probably has an edge to it. It's almost always accompanied by a good-natured, perhaps slightly exasperated, shake of the head. It can express empathy or judgment, or it can be said in place of a person's true feelings. Don't worry, though, everyone hears this every now and again.

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.

If I Had My Druthers

"Druthers" roughly translates to "I would rather," meaning, "If had things my way…" The phrase is celebrated in song in the hilarious, Southern-inspired Broadway musical Li'l Abner, in which the title character sings "If I had my druthers, I'd druther have my druthers than anything else I know." And really, wouldn't we all druther have our druthers?

Full As A Tick

If you've just had a big Southern lunch, complete with cornbread, collard greens, and pecan pie, you're definitely full as a tick. It's a vivid phrase, and it's an accurate one too.

Worn Slap Out

When you're exhausted in an "I'm-so-beat-I-can't-go-on" kind of way, you're definitely worn slap out. It is a physical and mental state a few degrees past weary and just this side of dog-tired. It happens often during a Southern summer when the heat rises and the temperatures shoot past 100.

Hankering

When you have a hankering for a tomato sandwich, you’re in the mood for it. What’s for dinner tonight? I have a hankering for chicken potpie.

Tore Up

She was tore up about not getting invited to the ladies’ luncheon. It truly upset her. 

Might Could

This is simply “might” with Southern flair. I might could pick that package up for you. It’s a possibility.

Happy As A Pig In Mud

Have you ever seen a pig roll around in mud? If so, then you know they're pretty darn content. If someone's happier or as a happy as a pig in mud, they're having a grand old time, so don't burst their bubble.

I Don't Have A Dog In This Fight

Another way of saying, leave me out of it. Basically you don't care one way or the other about the matter at hand. On the other hand, if you do have a dog in the fight, whoever you're disagreeing with better watch out.

Expressing Time And Place

Fixin' To

I'm fixin' to tell you that this phrase is as Southern as sweet tea. When you're fixin' to do something, it's going to happen, but you also may decide to take your sweet time.

Over Yonder

When you're in the South, "over yonder" is a distant direction—any direction. The phrase may be accompanied by a gesture indicating north, south, east, or west. Over yonder down the road. Over yonder past the field. Over yonder toward the water tower. This phrase can be intensified by the addition of the word "way," as in "way over yonder."

'Til The Cows Come Home

Settle in, because whatever we're talking about is going to take all day. Cows aren't known for their speed, and they are usually out and about, wandering until feeding time. Farmers know that if you do something 'til the cows come home, it's going to take all day.

Let Me Let You Go

Since we'd never dare hang up the phone while Mama's chatting away, this may be the only way to end your conversation in a timely manner.

Carry Me To…

If you’re not from the South, you might wonder why someone would carry another person to the store. This phrase isn’t literal. You simply take someone to the store. When you provide transportation for someone, you are carrying them in your car or on your bike to the next location.

A Month Of Sundays

If you haven’t seen your mother in a month of Sundays, it’s been too long. This expression is another way of saying something has taken a long time or that something is unlikely to happen. Better visit your mom.

Knee High To A Grasshopper

As in, "The last time I saw Bobby, he was knee high to a grasshopper." You might hear a distant relative or one of your mom's hometown friends say this about you when you come from a long time away. Basically it means, last time someone saw you, you were young or very small.

Expressing Value

Hill Of Beans

In the South, a hill of beans is its own measuring stick. Whether you're talking about volume or value, a hill of beans isn't worth much. That means whatever you're talking about is worth less than very little. 

More Than Carter’s Got Little Pills

This one originates from the 19th century when Carter Products marketed "Little Liver Pills" across the country. Apparently, Carter had a great many pills, because the phrase found its way into the Southern vocabulary. It indicates there is a lot of something, from problems to money. You may still hear it if you stop into a country store.

No Bigger Than A Minnow In A Fishing Pond

When you arrive on the banks of the fishing pond on Saturday mornings, you're hoping for a good catch—enough big catfish and bream to fry up for the family on Saturday night. If you find only minnows, though, they look even smaller compared to the heavy catch you hoped for. No bigger than a minnow in a fishing pond is as tiny as can be.

You Can’t Make A Silk Purse Out Of A Sow’s Ear

We’re not talking about purses here. This phrase means that if something isn’t good to begin with, you can’t make anything of value from it.

Plumb

You may be not just truly, completely, absolutely tired, but plumb tired. Your neighbor may be plumb-crazy. This is the absolute of absolutes.

Hotter Than Blazes

Get you some sweet tea. It’s hot, y’all. You may hear a declaration about the heat as “hotter than blue blazes.” Either way, it’s a day for sitting and sipping on the porch.

Piddlin'

A piddlin’ is a small amount that’s not worth bothering with. Someone who is piddlin’ in the yard is wasting time and not doing a whole lot.

Expressing Love Or Beauty

Pretty As A Peach

This is a high compliment in the South since Southern states are known for their peaches. In fact, Georgia and South Carolina produce more peaches than any other states in the South. And of course, there's nothing prettier than a warm summer day picking peaches in the sunshine.

Gimme Some Sugar

What Grandma says when you pull in the driveway, pop out of the car, and come running. She's not looking for sweets; she wants a hug and a kiss.

Gussied Up

This means you are dressing up and looking nicer than your everyday look. Whether you’re going to church, a wedding, or some other special event, you’ll wear your best for the occasion.

Hug Your Neck

If you're talking to a long-distance friend on the phone, and she says she can't wait to hug your neck, it simply means she misses you and can't wait to show you some love. In many cases, it literally means giving someone a big hug, but it can also more generally just mean to show affection or display love for someone.

Sayings Of Exclamation and Surprise

Hold Your Horses

Stop right there! This one may be self-explanatory, but we can imagine it originating back in the days of stagecoaches, when horse-and-buggy pairs filled the streets. If you hear this one, it's best to slow down.

Well, I Declare

A multipurpose Southernism. If you use this phrase, you could be declaring any number of things: surprise, dissent, happiness. The only requirement is that you declare it loud and proud.

He Was Funny As All Get Out

"All get out" finds its way into Southern phrases constantly, and it intensifies any statement. I was surprised as all get out. It was bad as all get out. Anything to the degree of "all get out" is something to talk about.

Heavens To Betsy

An exclamation—of surprise, anger, happiness, really any emotion—that is appropriate in nearly every Southern scenario.

Hush Your Mouth

Grandma might whisper this one over her hymnal if she sees you cutting up in church on Sunday morning. We admit that we've heard this Southernism more than once.

Well, I S’wanee

Instead of "Well, I swear," Southerners have adopted a geographically inspired alternative. "Well I s'wanee" evokes the Southern Suwannee River. Or, depending on where you live, it could be Sewanee, the small college town in Tennessee.

I’ll Tell You What

This is a point of emphasis and exclamation that often ends without any additional telling at all. It can also be the opening to striking a bargain, sharing a strongly held opinion, or offering a piece of advice you may or may not want to hear.

Well, Butter My Backside And Call Me a Biscuit

You told your grandma you came in first place in the big race and this is her response. It has nothing to do with buttered biscuits. This is just a long and descriptive way to show surprise at something unbelievable, something you never thought would happen. The surprise is usually positive.

I Reckon

We reckon "I reckon" can replace any number of phrases, such as I guess, I suppose, I think, and I imagine. It is a quintessential Southern phrase, said by friends and family on porches and in rocking chairs all across the South.

Oh My Stars!

If you've tapped out on "Well I declares" or "Heavens to Betsys," consider using this shortened (and Southern-ized) version of England's favored "Oh my stars and garters" exclamation of surprise and astonishment.

It'll Make You Wanna Slap Your Mama

Used to describe something that's so good that you might do something unthinkable or extreme as a result. It's often used to describe food that's insanely delicious. There's even a Southern spice called Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning that's named for the famous expression.

Sayings That Describe People

Too Big For His Britches

This one is unarguable Southern criticism. Translated, it means, "He sure does think a lot of himself." If you hear this one, you should probably pause a moment. Southerners tell it like it is—no matter what it is—so if someone utters this phrase about you, think of this as a learning moment.

She’s Got Gumption

Gumption is spirit, courage, spunk, boldness, and initiative. If someone tells you that you've got gumption, you should thank them, and then walk a little taller, because you've received a lovely Southern compliment. Southerners adopted this phrase wholeheartedly from its early usages in 1700s England and Scotland (where it meant "common sense"). In the 1900s, the word evolved, taking on a Southern spin as well as new meanings such as "courage" and "get-up-and-go."

A Rooster One Day And A Feather Duster The Next

This is our creative way of saying that you shouldn't crow like a rooster about your wealth and belonging today, because it could all disappear tomorrow.

Quit Being Ugly

No, we don't mean you need to go fix your hair. This phrase isn't about physical appearance. Rather, when this phrase is used, we'd like you to mind your manners and stop acting inappropriately. You'll most often hear it coming out of Mama's mouth when the kids are running amok.

He Thinks The Sun Comes Up Just To Hear Him Crow

When you hear this phrase, it’s the Southern way to say a person thinks highly of himself. The person in question is cocky and thinks when they talk, everyone wants to hear what they have to say.

Livin’ In High Cotton

If a person is living in high cotton, it means success. It comes from the antebellum South and refers to plentiful cotton that grew high and promised a good crop, which meant a good profit. This phrase is used to mean life is good.

The Porch Light's On But No One's Home

While there are many ways to say it, this is a polite and colorful way to say a person is not very bright.

He Ain't Got The Sense God Gave A Goose

This is another nice way to say that someone is ignorant or isn’t using their brain.

Y'all

Let’s talk contractions. When talking to two or more people in the South, you don’t refer to them as “you” or even “you all.” It’s y’all. And if you're writing it down, it's always "y'all" not "ya'll".

Pretty Is As Pretty Does

Similar to the phrase "quit being ugly," this one alludes to the fact that it's what's on the inside—not the outside—that matters. The expression is a simple reminder, often given to children, to remind them to be kind to others and mind their manners.

Highfalutin

Another word for pretentious or pompous, this is an insult used to describe someone who thinks they're fancier or more important than they really are. In other words, they're too big for their britches.

Expressions About Problems

Can't Never Could

Positive thinking, Southern style. If you think you can't, you won't be able to accomplish something, but if you think you can, you'll succeed. We like to read this as one of the greatest Southern encouragements, but, like most of these phrases, you can use it however you'd like.

That’s Cattywampus

While this phrase may sound made up, it's simply our multisyllabic manner of saying something is askew. This 19th-century phrase was once used to refer to some fierce, imaginary beast, until we went off course and adopted the current meaning of "awry."

It’s Blowin Up A Storm

If you've ever been caught in a summer storm, you know that you can feel, smell, and see a storm blowin' up across the wide Southern skies. These skies can darken at a moment's notice, and summer afternoons often see winds churning and heavy rain clouds blowing in to cool that Southern summer heat.

Hissy Fit

If you’ve ever had a tantrum because Grandma’s mac and cheese ran out before you got a second helping, you know what a hissy fit is. Even if there’s nothing left to scrape in that pan, use your manners and move along. A proper Southerner behaves—no hissy fits allowed.

Three Sheets To The Wind

This expression has a nautical origin, referring to the sheets that control the sails. When the sheets are loose, the ship rocks uncontrollably. Southerners use the phrase as a polite way to say someone who has had a few too many porch cocktails is very drunk.

Preachin’ To The Choir

When you are preachin’ to the choir, you are trying to convince someone who already agrees with you. Save your breath. You’re all in solidarity.

Drunker Than Cooter Brown

As you can imagine, this phrase is used to refer to someone who's had one—or a few—too many cocktails. Its origins date to the Civil War, where the story goes that a man named Cooter Brown, who lived on the Mason-Dixon line and had family both north and south, stayed drunk to avoid being drafted into the military.

It’ll All Come Out In The Wash

Just like dirt and stains, worries and problems will wash away. Whatever is bothering you isn’t serious, and it will eventually be resolved with no lasting effects. So don’t worry.

This Ain't My First Rodeo

This phrase means exactly what it sounds like. It's used to describe a situation or circumstance that someone is prepared for or has experience in. For example, it might be said when your kid's acting up for the umpteenth time and you know just what to do to make them quit.

That Dog Won't Hunt

An idea, plan of action, or suggestion that simply isn't going anywhere. It's maybe a slightly nicer way of outright rejecting or disparaging an idea.