Advertisement

firehouse pizza banner

Andy Sullivan: Against the Grain

There are a lot of phrases that, when you hear them enough, make you wonder what they mean or from whence they came. It happens to me quite frequently.  Being of a curious nature, I look these things up. 

First, and this is a staple southern saying.  Mom says it all the time. I’m speaking of “oh my lans”.  You can go with “good lans” if you like.  The phrase is old school southern in origin.  www.urbandictionary.com tells us that it’s short for “oh my Atlantic Ocean”.  It also says it’s an expression of surprise and awe.  What Full House and Fuller House viewers will recall is DJ Tanner’s “Oh my lanta”.  I used to think it was “Oh Mylanta” like the heartburn medicine.  It is, in fact, not that at all.

Tighter than Dick’s hatband is another good ole southern idiom.  Who is Dick? Why doesn’t he just loosen his band or get another hat? These are the burning questions I have asked for years.  My great grandmother used to say it a lot.  Dad says it.  What does it mean? Where did it come from? It can be used to identify a place that is empty, a person who is wound up, or any number of situations where the word “tight” is used.  That’s what UD says.  Nobody seems to know who Dick was.  Apparently he had a hard time keeping his hat on his head.

Another one I’ve always heard: when your hand itches, you’re about to get money.  An itchy left palm means, depending on what you read or who you believe, you’re about to get money. www.lotterypost.com says that.  I always thought it was an itchy right hand means you’re going to get money.  Sometimes you have to tell me things a few times so what do I know? Ha! There’s nothing to counteract this and no real proof.

“He hasn’t hit a lick at a snake”.  I know I’ve heard that saying several times (though I hope they weren’t talking about me).  Strictly speaking, it means that the person hasn’t done anything or doesn’t do anything at all pertaining to work.   https://www.proz.com/kudoz/english-to-polish/idioms-maxims-sayings/1166886-to-hit-a-lick-at-a-snake.html  

That’s all for this week.  I’ll have more southern sayings in the future. 

Tags: 


Bookmark and Share

Advertisements