Rural Lexicon

05/28 - Health Nuggets

Things I’ve Heard My Patients Say...

Collected by Dr. Royce Bailey over 20 years

Word/Phrase	Meaning	Example
A-fixin’	Getting ready	We’re a-fixin to go to the store.
Aim	To intend or to plan	I aim to buy some land. He aims to marry her.
Airish	cool, breezy or drafty	Shet your window. It’s too airish. Hit’s getting’ right airish out thar.
Askeered of	Frightened or afraid of	He’s askeered of his shadow.
Awful poe	very ill	He’s been lookin’ awful poe.
Ax	Ask	You ax too many questions.
Belly washer	Large soft drink, ie. Nehi	I’z goin’ to the store for a belly washer.
Better than goose grease	Something better than a good thing	That there indoor commode is better than goose grease
Biggety	Stuck up or acting big	She’s been actin’ awful biggety these days.
Bile	Boil	The woman had to bile water for the coffee.
Book read	Educated or well informed	We aim for little Flossie to get book read someday.
Bound	Should, must, have to	If ya don’t eat, you’re bound to git hongry.
Bub	Bulb	The light bub done blowed.
Carry	Transport	Let me carry you to the store.
Carry me	Take me	I’z need you all to carry me to the store.
Cats heads and sopp’ins	Biscuits and gravy	Git me some of them there cat heads and sopp’ins.
Cattywampus	Crooked, as a dog’s hind leg	That there road is cattywampus.
Clum’	Climbed	I clum thet hill for the last time.
Conniption fit	Upset and heard by all	She’d throw a conniption fit right there in the parlor.
Cot	To get in trouble	Boy, I cot it when I got home.
Crick	a) A stiffness b) A stream or branch	Marvin has a crick in his neck. I’ve got runn’in water down at the crick.
Cuttin’ up	Acting a fool	Maud shore was cuttin’ up last night.
Dast	Dare	Don’t you dast ask Zeke to the doin’s.
Doin’s	A social function	Are you going to the church doin’s tonight?
Draws	Spasm or cramp	My leg shore draws.
Et	Eaten	Have you et?
Far	Fire	The far went out and wezin’ got cold.
Fetch	To bring	Go fetch the doctor.
Foe	Four	That’s the fastest foe legged horse I’d seen.
Fur	Far	That’s a fur piece to walk.
Fur piece	A great distance	He lives a fur piece from his kin folks.
Gander	Come look at this!	Do you wanna take a gander at this?
Geet	Have you eaten yet?	Geet? I’m starved!
Gommin’ and Piddlin’	Loafing	Why’s he a gommin’ and a piddlin’ instead of a workin’.
Gooch	To poke	Don’t gooch me in mayh side.
Goose Drownder	A hard rain	That shore was a good drownder last night.
Gully washer	A hard rain	We shore had a gully washer last night.
Hail	Hell	Hail, that hurts.
Hesh up	Become quiet	Make Jess hesh up.
Het	Become heated or upset	Don’t let that get you all het up.
Hissie fit	Grip’in, didn’t like	I’d throw a hissie fit when I heard it.
Holler	a) a small valley b) yell	She come from over in the holler. Holler at me if you need me.
Hominy	How many	Hominy kids you got?
Jaw	To engage in conversation	Let’s jaw a spell.
Keep your powder dry	Be prepared	Trust in God and keep your powder dry.
Kindly	Certainly, surely	He kindly has an odor about him.
Kivver	Covered	Them youn-uns is kivvered with the pox.
Lollygag	To loaf, loiter or poke along	Why’s Clem always lollygaggin’ around?
Mesh	Push	Ya gotta mesh that button.
Mow	More	Gimme some mow of them beans.
Naw	No	Naw, I never fetched the syrup.
Onliest	Only one	He’s my oneliest son.
Parts	Area or neighborhood	What’s he doin’ in these parts?
Pastor	Pasture	The horse is in the pastor.
Peaked	Pale or sick looking	He’s lookin’ mighty peaked today.
Pizen	Poison	I seen lotsa pizen snakes in these parts.
Plum	Completely	I’m plum upset with her lollygaggin’ around.
Plus which	In addition to	We got water in the creek, plus which the well.
Poe	Not rich	I’s a poe farmer.
Poke	Paper bag	He put the chicken in a poke.
Put out	Angry, annoyed	He shore was put out ’bout the meetin’.
Red	To clean or tidy up	Red up your room.
Runt	No longer of value	You put too much salt in the soup and now hits runt.
Shed of	Get rid of or unload	You got to get shed of that old mule.
Skittish	Nervous	Them mules get kinda skittish when his dogs howl.
Slicker than owl s...t (snoot)	Really slippery	That wet hillside is slicker than owl s...t
Smack-dab	on the spot exactly	I shot him smack-dab through the heart. Hit landed smack-dab on my toe.
Smart	To hurt	It shore smarts where I got hit.
Spell	A period of time	Come set a spell.
Suwannee	Swear	Well, I Suwannee.
Tar	Tire	I cain’t go ‘cause I got a flat tar.
Tore up	Emotionally upset	I’z all tore up about the barn burnin’.
Tuck	Past tense of take	I ain’t tuck a drink this week.
Vittles	Food or Victuals	I hope Ma’s got the vittles on when I git home.
Whupped	Whipped or spanked	Pa shore whupped me when i fibbed to the widow women.
You’ns	You or you all	You’ns ain’t going to get no vittles.

Doctor-ease

Word/Phrase	Meaning	Example
A day and a night	24 hours	I don’t smoke much – not more’n a pack in a day and night.
A week to die sudden	Real slow	I’m so slow it’ll take me a week to die sudden.
Achanch	Chance	He’s taking a achanch.
Afar	A fire	He came from a-far at Jed’s place.
Arthur	Arthritis	Old Arthur got me bad. Got somp’n for it?
Bad for	Infamous for	He’s bad for burping in public.
Can’t make a branch.	Can’t urinate (pee)	I gotta go and can’t make a branch.
Clumb	Climbed	He club up that there pole jes’ as neat as a cat.
Cures all, kills none	Good doctor	He’s a good doctor, cures all, kills none.
Dead pig in the sunshine	In bliss	I’m happy as a dead pig in the sunshine.
Diddlee squat	Worth nothing	That there new medicine you gaves me sworth diddlee squat.
Down to the short rows	Nearly done	Recon we’re down to the short rows – only 20 charts left.
Duck-legged	Bow-legged	Her mama was kinda duck-legged.
Everwho	Whoever	Ever who talked to me was real mean.
Fat chance	Very unlikely it will happen	Fat chance you’ll take Nelly to the dance.
Fireballs of the Eucharist	Fibroids of the uterus	I had my fireballs of the Eucharist took out.
Get shed of	Get rid of	I need to get shed of that man. He’s a pure drunk.
Good to go	Ready and waiting	Your car’s good to go for that Missouri trip.
Head knockerover	Strong force	Him dying was a real head knocker over.
Head screwed on straight	Not crazy	He’s got to have his head screwed on straight to be datin’ my daughter.
I ain’t lyin’	I’m lying	I ain’t lyin, he’s bigger’n a house.
Ill as a red-tailed wasp	Extremely irritable	She’s ill as a red-tailed wasp since her divorce.
In high cotton	Doing well financially	We were in high cotton after we got that van.
In moveable health	Doing ok	I was in moveable health till this here stroke jumped on me.
Jittery as a paint shaker	Nervous	That medicine made me jittery as a paint shaker.
Kidneys acted	Urinated	My kidneys hain’t acted in two days.
Knocked me a-whining	Hit me hard	When I complained, Pa knocked me a-whining.
Long on drywall and short on studs	Not well put together mentally	That cashier is long on drywall and short on studs.
Mash	Press	Mash on that gas pedal, honey, we’re outa here!
My feel bad’s hurtin’	Don’t feel good	Doc, my feel bad’s hurtin’ all over.
Nervous as a chicken	Agitated, anxious and irritable	She was as nervous as a chicken, but that Valium holp her.
Nose out of joint	Upset	Don’t get your nose out of joint over it.
Pin stroke	Mini stroke (Transient Ischemic Attack)	Pa’d been having these pin strokes, but now it’s the big one.
Powerful	Deeply moved	You’n made me powerful happy.
Pyurt	Well, energetic	I feel right pyurt today.
Real puny	Very sick	She’s been real puny since her surgery.
Reck’n	To consider	I reck’n I’d better get over to Klim’s ‘bout now.
Right smart	Wise	That there was right smart of them city folks to leave.
Scowers	Diarrhea	He’s been vomiking and got the scowers to boot.
Slim chance	Doubtful it will happen	There’s a slim chance of rain.
Smooth as Ex-Lax	Real easy-like	The trip to town went smooth as Ex-Lax.
Swimmy-headed	Dizzy	After taking that ‘ere medicine, I got right swimmy-headed.
Thumpin’ gizzard	Heart	well, bless my little thumpin’ gizzard.
Tore all to pieces	Emotional upset	I is tore all to pieces ‘cause my uncle died.
Toucheous	Painful to touch	Ow! That spot there’s a mighty toucheous.
Traveling fart	Lots of migrating belly gas pain	She had her a traveling fart, but that Mylanta holp her go.
Weak as strained cat pee	Weak, washed out	Doc, I’m weak as strained cat pee.

Back to Health Nuggets

Ph 828-684-2234
Fx 828-684-6693
Contact Webmaster