Beech Tree News Network

Southspeak: What true Southerners say and don’t say…and do.
-You don’t “make” breakfast; you FIX breakfast. By the same token, you don’t “make” chicken. The rooster and hen do that. By the way the CHICKEN came first: Genesis, Chapter 1 – “God created every winged bird according to its kind.” The egg is never mentioned in the creation – fact is “eggs and/or eggs”, are only mentioned seven times in the Bible, but not in the context of creation.
Believe it or not, some people think it takes a rooster to cause a hen to lay an egg. Not so.however, for a hen to lay a fertile egg (containing a chick embryo), she must have made “whoopee” with a rooster.
In the South of Yesteryear certain mores of propriety were strongly observed when it came to procreation: A woman was “ looking for a baby.” Or, she is in a “family way”. The “p-word” considered crass.
A cow never “had a calf”. She “found a calf.” Or, a mare “found a colt.”
When a boy and girl were courting it was said “they are keeping company”. They apparently never kissed until they were engaged, at least my mother said this. I doubted it.
I’ve told this before but I like it so well I want to hear it again. One time over in Eastern Kentucky after WWII, a bunch of fellows were running for sheriff. Each were asked to speak. Most had been war veterans – they each mentioned this.
One ole guy got up and said, “I ain’t a veteran, I was 4-F (turned down). But I need a job bad, and I’M THE WORSE RUPTURED MAN IN LETCHER COUNTY.” (not a lot of propriety there).
A Southern farmer never used the word “chores”. He would say “let’s do up the night work.” Or in the morning, “time to go milk.” Morning milking was always before breakfast. Beds were left unmade tll after breakfast.
No Southern farmer ever “husked” corn. He “shucked” it. “husk” is a yankee word; shuck is a southern word.
A horse or mule difficult to bridle was said to have been “juberious” about his head and ears.
A “one-line” plow mule (or horse) was treasure – worth a lot of money. That’s just what it meant; you could plow them to a double shovel or a A-barrow with one line.
Some big men in the south were called “Hoss” – he’s a Hoss or sometimes, “Wheel-horse”. The strongest two horses, in a 4-horse hitch, were worked next to the front wagon wheels, they bore the brunt of the pull. Therefore a stout horse, or a man, was called a wheel-horse at times. This was eventually shortened to Hoss. Hoss Cartwright on TV Bonanza was a big, “hoss” of a man.
Oh, a-not-so-proper way to announce a woman’s expected arrival, or to inquire as to when her baby is due is:
“When is she to be down?”
Kindest regards…