15 hits
Our ears were blessed with a unique blend of southern charm. We also received old-school parenting wisdom and country-fried slang on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in the 1980s or 1990s. We were most likely barefoot in the yard. We were playing at Jones Park. We biked to the corner store or explored the woods until the streetlights flickered on. Here’s a nostalgic trip back to those days filled with sayings that defined my childhood:
I have done my best to give ya’ll the Classic Southern Sayings and Their Meanings (as I remember them). I welcome ANY additions I may have missed.
“You smell like outside.”
Translation: You’ve been playing too long, and it shows.
“Go take a bath—you smell like outside.”
“Don’t make me come in there!”
Translation: You’ve got one more chance to act right from the other room. Usually yelled from the kitchen or front porch.
“Ain’t studdin’ you.”
Translation: I’m not paying you any attention.
“She talkin’ loud, but I ain’t studdin’ her.”
“Go on somewhere.”
Translation: Get out of my way, leave me be.
“Go on somewhere—I’m tryin’ to cook.”
“Don’t let that screen door slam!”
Translation: For the love of peace, close the door gently. An ultimate mom or meemaw saying.
“You don’t know nothin’ ‘bout that.”
Translation: You’re too young to understand.
“Boy, this real music—you don’t know nothin’ ‘bout that.”
“Ya’ll stay out of that ditch!”
Translation: Ditches are forbidden zones—but kids went anyway. Usually hollered through the screen door.
“Cut that light off!”
Translation: Turn off the light—but with Southern flair.
“Cut that TV off.”
“Ain’t got no business…”
Translation: You’re doing something you shouldn’t be doing.
“You ain’t got no business out there past dark.”
“Quit actin’ Ugly.”
Translation: Stop being rude or misbehaving.
“You better quit actin’ ugly before we get to church.”
Everyday Slang We Loved
“Finna” — Getting ready to do something.
“I’m finna head to Edgewater Mall.”
“Let’s roll” — Time to leave.
“You ready? Let’s roll.”
“Didn’t go” — Saying something looked busted or didn’t work.
“That outfit didn’t go.”
“Ya’ll” — The timeless Southern group pronoun.
“Ya’ll goin’ to the crawfish boil after school?”
“Aight” — Short for alright.
“I’ll catch y’all later.” “Aight.”
“’Sup?” — What’s up?
“’Sup?” “Nothin’, chillin’. You?”
“Trippin’” — Acting crazy, overreacting, being ridiculous. (This was my default btw)
“Triplett be trippin’, or you trippin’ if you think I’m payin’ $30 for that.”
“For real!?” or “Fo real?!” — Emphasis or disbelief.
“She said that to you? Fo real?!”
“You straight?” — You good? Everything okay?
“You straight? You been quiet all day.”
And Unforgettable for us church kids…
“PKs… are the worst.” — Preacher’s kids had the wildest reps.
“He’s a preacher’s kid… you already know he’s bad.”
“Don’t let the pastor call you out.” — You’re actin’ up in service, and it’s about to get real.
“Go get your church clothes.” — Put on your cleanest, itchiest, most uncomfortable Sunday best.
“Saved and sanctified.” — Fully committed to Jesus—sometimes said half-serious, half-joking.
“That skirt is too short for Bible study.” — A classic church auntie side-eye comment.
Timeless Childhood Echoes
“He got a switchin’”—yes, from a tree.
“Say cheese!”—before every school picture or school dance – usually with a Polaroid camera.
“We goin’ to the beach!”—pack bologna. Don’t bring sunscreen. We are probably going to be in the back bed of some busted pick-up truck. We will be barreling down Highway 90.
“Don’t touch that thermostat!”—everyone’s southern childhood trauma.
”Buggy” – what a shopping cart is called
”The Sipp” – nickname for Mississippi, used for brevity
”Your mom’n’em – refers to someone’s family collectively
”I’ll be there, the good Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise” – implies they’ll be there unless something unforeseen happens
”Give me some sugar” – request for a kiss
”Go up the road a’ways” – direction to travel an unspecified distance
”Down in my back” – means you have a backache
”Stove Up” – feeling stiff and sore
”Jobbed with a stob” – poked with a stick
”Skeeter” – a mosquito
”Dirt Dauber” – black wasps that rarely sting
”Pig Skins” – chicharrones
”Limbs” – sticks
”Cattywampus” – something is askew
These phrases aren’t just sayings; they’re snapshots of a time, place, and community that shaped us. It is now 50 years into my life… and it’s the sound of home.
Leave a Reply