A Few New Phrases from Alabama

My father, an American born in Alabama, visits his relatives there once a year. Since I left the Boston area last week my major goal before leaving for Korea next month is to finish a translation project I’m working on, something I can do any quiet place. I decided to join my father on his trip this year, since a journey to the South is never without interesting discoveries.

I have been paying a little more attention to the vocabulary and rich expressions that are used around here. I don’t always have a pen handy, but I will try to keep a running list in this posting of those expressions I remember to write down when I hear them.

NOTE: I did not grow up in the United States, so it is possible that much of what strikes me as unusual is in fact quite common all over the country.

Expressions:

• “Smelling high on the bush” = Stage of childhood when boys begin expressing romantic interest in girls. [Note: Not sure if it is used in the reverse case]
• “I’ll cut your gubber off” [Note: Pronounced goober] = A threat made to misbehaving children.
• “Loose as a Goose” = To be very relaxed.
• “Fine as Frog Hair” = To be doing very well.
• “Slick as a spanked baby’s bottom”
• “[Busy|Nervous] as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs”
• “Get above your raisin’” = Trying to live above one’s social station.
• “Hanging on like hair on a biscuit” = To be doing OK, to be stubbornly hanging on (to life, health, etc.), as a hair does in the dough of a southern biscuit.

Vocabulary:

• Hen Fruit = Eggs

Updated: June 3, 2007