Here are some Southernisms I thought you might enjoy. Many of them came from a book called Whistlin'Dixie by Robert Hendrickson. So make yourself comfortable and take a look. You might even find some that you don't even realize that you say!

R's

Raise

To rear or bring up

Rather

To prefer.

Reckon

Guess. "I reckon I'll go with you."

Relish

To enjoy

Right

Very. "She's a right pretty girl."

Rightly

Really. "I don't rightly now the answer."

Running one's mouth

Talking to much.

TOP S's

Sack

A small bag.

Sass

To talk back to.

Sure don't

According to Fayetteville, Arkansas author Ervin Lewin: "One [Southernism] that I have encountered here and nowhere else is this: When I phone a store, such as a hardware store, asking about some tool or other product, the response is nearly always, if it's not available, an almost invariably cheerful, 'Sure don't.' The the basic 'sure' I don't know, but you can just about count on it."

Singing

A gathering of people for the singing of songs. "Are you going to the singing tonight?"

Smack Dab

Squarely, exactly. "It hit him smack dab in the eye."

Sommers

Somewhere. "She's around here sommers."

Sorry

Worthless

Standin' in need of

A common redundancy or extravagant term used in the South, as in "I'm standin' in need of some water."

Stay

Reside. "Do you stay with your folks?"

Still in the bed

Often used for still in bed

Stob

A stake or a stump.

Story

A lie. "I think you're telling me a story."

Study on

To think, ponder, consider

Sure

Often used emphatically instead of "certainly." "I'd sure like to have some of that candy."

Swimmy-headed

Dizzy

Switch

Thin branch of a bush or tree. "I'm gonna take a switch to you."

TOP T's

Tacky

Once an exclusively Southern expression, used mainly by women, for unfashionable or ugly clothes, tacky has in recent times become poular throughout the country.

Take leave of one's senses

To act crazy;to act without and common sense.

Taking up for

Defending, sticking up for

Talkingest

The most talkative. "She's the talkingest girl I've ever met."

Them there

Those. "I'll have some of them there apples."

These here

These. "Let these here ripen a while.

To get it

Get it. "I'll have him to get it for you."

Took down with

Came down with.

Tote

To carry.

Turn loose

To let go

TOP U's

Ugly

Disagreeable, mean

Used to could

Used to be able to.

TOP W's

Wait on

To wait for. "I can't be waiting on you all morning."

Wants up

Wants to get up.

Washline

A clothesline.

Ways

Distance. "It's a long ways from here."

Wear out

To spank a child. "I'm gonna wear you out!"

Wore out

Tired

TOP W's

Y'all

A Southernism that is used when referring to more than one person. Can be used when speaking to one person, but only when the sentence imlpies pluraluty. No true Southerner every pronounces y'all as you-all.

Young-un

A child

Yourn

Yours

TOP

A-H

I-P

Q-Z

Last Updated August 9, 2002