HillBilly Terms

‘At – that
Addled – confused
Afar – something is on fire
Ah heard that – I agree
Ahr – possessive noun (our)
Aim to – intends to
Ain’t – are not, am not
Ain’t got no – Don’t have any
Air – Not just the stuff we breathe, but also stands for ‘our’ and ‘hour’
Air ya go–There you go
Amerikin – American
Am – I am
Arncha – Aren’t you
Ary – not
any – “Not nary a one”
Awfullest – the worst
Badmouth – to talk bad about
Buck nekit – completely nude
Bag – Beg
Bar – Bear
Baws – employer
Biggeren – bigger than
Brachfast–breakfast
Brung – Brought
Byganny goes – To stress a point
Cawse – because
Chunk – to throw
Clone – perfume, good smelling stuff
Cornin’ ware-corn husks
Contrary – stubborn or opposite… “Contrary to your story”
Counter warps – canned biscuits (“you gotta warp ’em on the counter top to open ’em.)
Crik – Creek
Cuz – Cousin or because
Daints – dance
Dawg – dog
Didja – Did you
Doodley-squat – doesn’t amount to much
Drank – a drink
Dreckly – Directly
Diduhnit – Didn’t it
Dope – Carbonated drink
Eetch – itch
Er – or
Err – ear
Ersoften – Every so often
Feesh – fish
Fer – far or for
Fer piece – Distant
Fetchin’ – attractive, very becoming
Fixin’ – Getting ready to
Foolin’ ’round – nothing to do with sex – just goofin’ off
Furner – Foreigner
Gonna – Going to
Got a good notion – statement of intent
Git – Get
Gimmie – give me
Gitcha – get you
Goodin’ – good on
Grain of sense – degree of intelligence
Hawg – hog or motorcycyle
Haint – Haunt or ghost
Herikin – hurricane
Hidee – Hello
higher’n a kite- drunk
His cornbread ain’t done – meaning he is a little ‘touched’, you know, in the head.
Hissy – temper tantrum
Hitch – cramp or lameness (hitch in your gitalong)
Hush your mouth – -pleased embarrassment
idear – idea
Ill – disagreeable, (He has an ill temper)
I’ll swanee – I swear
Iont – I don’t
Juice – Electricity
Kain’t – Cannot
Kin – related
Klect – to receive money owed to you
Lans-sake – Exclamation
Larapin – tasty
Lawdy – Exclamation
Layin’ up – restin’ your tired bones
Let alone – much less (He can’t afford his rent, let alone a car
Let out – dismissed… “School is let out for the day”
Lick and a promise – do a job hurriedly
Lickered up – drunk
Lightning bug – firefly
Litluns – little ones as in younguns
Lookie – Look at this
Matoes – Tomatoes
medsin – medicine
Mess – a person who jokes around or a portion of food, such as a “mess of greens”
Mind to – intends to do something… “I’ve got a mind to tell on you”
Minnit – Minute
Moaning – start of the day… morning
Muddy water – coffee
Naa – no
Nemmine – nevermind, don’t bother
Nut huh – No way!
Nuttin’ – nothing
Oer yonner – Over there
Of a moanin’ – morning
Ohnt no–I don’t know
Oughter do – should do
Ownliest – the only one
Painter – Panther
Persnickety – prissy acting,being petulant
Pert – perky or near… “Pert near dinner time”
Petesa-pizza
Pichur – Pitcher or picture
Pick at – to tease someone
Piece goods – material ,sewing material for garment
Playin’ Possum – faking, pretending (a possum will fall over like it’s dead when cornered.)
Poke – Polk salad or paper bag
Pop – Sodas of any kind
Pon – Upon
Privy – Outdoor toilet
Punkin – pumpkin
Purt nigh – nearly… “it’s purt nigh time to go”
Quair – strange, odd… “That guy sure acts quair”
Ranch – a tool, wrench
Receipt – recipe
Restrunt – restaurant
Retard – no longer employed
Retched down – reached down
Rilly – Really
Satchel bag – purse,or suitcase
Shainteer – absence of female… “She ain’t here”
Shindig – a dance or celebration
Shine – Moonshine (liquor)
Shore – Sure
Shucky dern – exclamation
Southern Samsonite – paper bag or cardboard box to carry clothes
Spacial–special
Spell – period of time
Stain – opposite of leaving… Are you stain’ for supper?
Sumpin’ – something… Sumpins goin’ on
Take on – act in an emotional manner
Tal – towel
Taters – potatoes
Tater trap – mouth
Tawt – to teach, instruct
Teched – touched… rhymes with “fetched”
Thank – think
That old dawg don’t hunt no more – that will not work
Toe-sayin’ goes – The old saying goes
Tonic – Another term for moonshine
Tore up – upset, emotional
Trade – To go shopping
Unbeknownst – lacking knowledge of, unaware of
Usta – used to
Vaymuch – very much… “I don’t like this vaymuch”
Vittles – food
Wars – wire that carries power , like telephone “wars”
“watta” – water
Whatsit – what is it
Wear Out – to spank a little kid who is pushing their luck
Wender – a pane of glass to look out of… Wender panes
Werr a going – we are going
Whilst – while,meanwhile
worsh – wash
wrench – rinse
Ya’ll – You, all of you, everyone
Yonder – There
Yontto – Do you want to
Yungins – also spelled younguns, meaning young ones, children
Zit – Is it’