Southern Culture

Foods

Some of the foods that are somewhat unique to the South are:

• Grits
• Collards
• Okra
• Chitlins
• Bar-B-Que (pork)
• Southern Fried Chicken
• Biscuits and Gravy

Language

A few phrases that are often used in the South.

• a mess a (a lot of)
• yonder (over there)
• y'all (You or you people--of course)
• cut the switch (turn on/off the light, TV, etc.)
• carry (to give a ride to)
• feller (a person, usually male)

Just for fun, the Dictionary for Yankees and other Uneducated People by Bill Dwyer suggests the following "Southern" words:

• AIN'T - The sister of one of your parents.
• BEGGER - Some people just naturally grow this way over smaller people.
• CHAIR - "C'mon now, let's hair a big CHAIR for the team."
• GOWN - "Pappy's GOWN to Birming'ham."
• HOMINY - What number, i.e., "HOMINY children do you declare?"
• LACK - Enjoy, i.e., "If yo' LACK biscuits, you'll LACK my mammy's."
• MINT - Intentions, i.e., "Ah MINT to call, but it slipped my mind."
• NECKS - What the barber says after he's finished with a customer.
• PEARS - Appearance, i.e., "She PEARS to be sickly."
• PIN - "This PIN don't write, hit's outten eenk."
• POLICE - A term of politeness all southern children are taught, i.e., "POLICE get off my foot, ya clumsy ox!"
• PUTTY - What you are if you're not ugly.
• ROUGH - The cover over a building.
• SNOWS - Many a wife is kept awake nights by a husband who SNOWS.
• TAR - If one blows out, it's nice to have a spare.
• WAR - You'll find it strung between telephone poles.
• YEAR - You have one on each side of your head.
• FISH-CAMP - A seafood restaurant
• FIXIN’ - About to do something...."fixin’ to go to the store"
• RECKON - I figure - "I reckon I ought to go now"
• MASH - To push as in a button or a gadget... "mash the button"
• LIKE TA HAVE - To almost, as in "I'd like ta have hit him"
• IN FRONT OF - Across the road, as in "They live in front of so-and-so"
• FUR PIECE - As in "Oh, it's jest a fur piece down the road..."