Reprint series

BULLETIN

OF THE

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

NUMBER 1 23

rTHLY

REPRINT SERIES, NO. 8

MAY 1, 1909

A Word-List from East Alabama

BY

WARREN PAYNE, -hi., Ph. D.

Instructor in English

rinted from Dialed 1908-09), p] 343-391.

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BULLETIN

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THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS

NUMBER 123
REPRINT SERIES NO. 8 MAY I, 1909

A WOED-LIST FEOM EAST ALABAMA*

BY LEONIDAS WARREN PAYNE, JR., I'll. 1).. [NSTRUCTOR IN ENGLISH

PREFATORY NOTE

The compiler of a List of the colloquial or dialect words of any
Locality hardly sees his work in print before he discovers many
omissions and errors. In sending out this imperfect word-list of
East Alabama dialectalisms, I earnestly urge all persons who are
familial' with the localisms of the district herein described or with
general Southern provincialisms to correct any errors noticed and
to send me a record of any new word- or phrases, so that I may
not only supplement the list here presented, but eventually col-
late the genera] colloquial usages peculiar to the Southern State-.

Especially do I desire to collect the colloquialisms and local-
isms peculiar to Texas. This, of course, is a very Large field, and
without the intelligent aid id' interested persons from the various
sections of the State Little can he done toward making a general
survey of present-day speech in Texas.

Below I have condensed and adapted to our special need- some
of the suggestions to collectors as set forth in a bulletin recently
issued by the American Dialect Society.

1. Ascertain and record for publication any word or phrase
that is used in a special or local way, and establish as far as pos-
sihle the extent both as to locality and frequency of occurrence.

2. Look (a) for new words, or new pronunciations or variants
of known words: (h) for new or special uses of old or well-known

L *Reprinted from Dialect Notes, Vol. 3, Parts IV and V, pp. 279-328, and 343-391.

.1 Word-Liskfrom East Alabama

ds. Of these classes the new words and new pronunciations
arc more easily noticed, Inn care must be taken to establish the
fad that the word is an entirely new form, and, in case of vari-
ants, i" determine which is the dialectal and which the literary
Examination of unabridged dictionaries will often setth

■ points. Old or known words with new or special meanings

are more dirricull t<» discover. Words supposed to I bsolete an

often still found in colloquial use. and frequently a word in com-
mon literary usage will he found to have a differenl or restricl d
use in some special locality. Care must he taken in avoid the
acceptance of pure slang a- simple, unconscious, colloquial usage.
Slang words should he s,, labeled.

:!. Keep a note-book I'm- dialect words and phrases, and n .
them the firs! time you hear them. A \\'\v hours" delay in rec
in- an expression may lose it to you altogether. The won! ma\
not come to your attention again, or you may grow so familiar
with it that it no longer appeals to yon as a peculiar u
Later each item should he recorded on a separate -lip of paper.

->■ -lips can he obtained free of charge from Professor William
E. .Mead. Middletown, Conn. For the convenience of new col-

irs, i may say that the -lip- are 3x5 inches, and the record is
to he made on the long edge as follow-: Word, pronunciation.
meaning, exact locality, use of the word in a sentence, and. in
case the word is taken from a hook, the exact reference as to date
of hook, author, title, volume, chapter, page, and the full quota-
tion.

I have hail republished at the back of this reprint the phonetic
alphabel of the American Dialect Society. It would he well for
collector.- to familiarize themselves with this alphabet, hut in case
of douht Webster's diacritical marks with an explanatory note
may he u<rt\. It is always desirable to give the exact (own and

nty where the usage is recorded. Particulars a- to the person
or class using the word are also desirable. NTegroisms, Mexican-
isms, etc.. should he so marked, hut if white Americans have
adopted these, note this fact particularly. In making illustrative
sentences, give the one actually or frequently heard if possible.
Above all, make your record legible. Print out the word and pro-
nunciation letter by letter, both as head-word and in the quotation.

A Word-List front East Alabama 3

Give such minor variants as are sometimes heard, and print thesi
also. Use the Word-List from East Alabama for suggestion, not-
ing particularly variants in word-forms, pronunciations, meanings,
etc., which arc common in your locality.

When sufficient material is in hand, it will be published and a
general dialect map of Texas will be made. Moreover, all the
material submitted will be carefully preserved by the American
Dialect Society, and eventually a great American Dialect Diction-
ary on a scale commensurate with the English Dialect Dictionary
will be published. Every one interested in preserving the present-
day American speech-forms should help the cause by sending to
the District Secretaries or to the General Secretary of the Society
any materia! of a dialectal nature that he may have noticed in
his owd locality or in any locality he may visit. Trained teachers
especially should take an interest in recording all peculiar 1< i
usages that come under their notice. A plan is on fool to organ-
ize a Dialed and Folk-Lore Society of Texas, and it is hoped that a
number of collectors and observers can he interested in this work.
Persons who desire more information may address the Secretary
of the American Dialed Society, Professor William E. Mead, Mid-
dletown, Conn., or the undersigned, who is the District Secretary
of this Society for the State of Texas.

L. W. Payne, Jr.
Austin. Texas, \!ay 1, 1!>09.

A WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA.

In addition to the usual difficulties confronting the student
and collector of dialect and colloquial expressions, there is in
the South the vexing problem of the influence and range of
the distinct negro dialects common in the various sections.
The ordinary southerner would scoff at the idea that it is the
negro dialect of his section that has largely molded his own
speech. For my own part, after a somewhat careful study of
east Alabama dialect, I am convinced that the speech of the
white people, the dialect I have spoken all my life and the one
I have tried to record here, is more largely colored by the lan-
guage of the negroes than by any other single influence. In
fact, the coalescing of the negro dialect with that of the illiter-
ate white people has so far progressed that for all practical
purposes we may consider the two dialects as one. Still, know-
ing as we do the peculiar ear-marks of the negro dialect, and
often having a more or less distinct consciousness of the pure
negroisms, we may be justified in the attempt to exclude all such
from this list. To differentiate here has often been very difficult,
of course, and there arc no doubt numerous errors in my work
just at this point. For instance, I have excluded the familiar
negro change of th sonant (8) to d, and of tli surd (p) to/', as for
example in dis, dcet, dem, udder, etc., fru, too/, etc. Occa-
sionally a word rather common among the white people, as
furder, or motif (particularly in moufful), has been admitted.
The exact locality studied falls in east Alabama and west
Georgia, centering around the town of Auburn in Lee county,
Alabama, and extending south to include Macon and Russell
counties, west to include Tallapoosa county, north to include
Chambers and a small part of Randolph, and east to include
the counties of Troupe, Harris, and Muscogee in Georgia. The
first twenty-one years of my life were spent in the college
town of Auburn, which is practically in the center of this ter-
ritory. The small amount of college slang included in the list
appertains to the Alabama Polytechnic Institute, which is
located here. Later I spent six years in Conecuh county in
20

DIALECT NOTES.

south Alabama, where, as teacherin a State Agricultural School,
I came in intimate touch with crude country boys and girls from
this and the surrounding counties, and I have included in my
list a few expressions peculiar to this section.

I have had to depend largely on my own car in gathering
material, but I have verified every point on which I had any
doubt, or, where verification was impossible, discarded the
entry. The work of collecting has covered a period of four
year- of intermit tent effort. Numerous local newspapers and
advertising sheets, personal letters, and dialect stories have been
read for new material. In admitting ([notations from such
writers as Longstreet, Harris, W. P. Thompson [Major Jones's
Courtship), etc., I have been very careful to avoid the ready-
made or humorous dialecticisms of the author, and have used
the material more as a source of suggestion than as authorita-
tive records. From Harris I have admitted only such speeches
as were put into the mouths of white characters.

Much of the originality of the article has been forestalled by
the appearance of Professor Carr's articles on northwest Arkan-
sas dialect iii recent numbers of the Dialect Notes. Many
of the finds which I flattered myself would be new material
have appeared in his articles. 1 am largely indebted to his
lists, however, for many suggestions, as well as for additions to
my own collection. The dialects of all the southern states,
when fully collected, will, I am convinced, show marked simi-
larities in the general vocabularies and in the minuter details of
phonological and philological values. The general tendencies
rioted by Professor Can- (I). X. iii, p. 101) are applicable to
Alabama as well as to Arkansas speech. For the sake of certain
divergencies, however, I shall add a few notes below.

Nolls.

1. Recessive accent is noticeable in foreign or Latin words
of two syllables; as rf-ses, •'-vent, d'i-telz, h-o-tel, •ai-dia or

•ai-di. lro-ke, etc.

2. Processive accenl is quite as frequenl in similar words of
more than two syllables; as |)W-i.i, ekskwi-sit, di-f'i-sit, con-
ti-<''-ri, mu-ni-s'ip-al, mis-t/*'i-vus, maunfe-ni-us, etc.

3. Strong final accent is heard in many words of two or more
syllables particularly those ending in -ine smd-ment: gen-u-a"in,
fe-vo-r'ait, govarnrent, president, Birminh'sem, etc.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 281

4. Many obsolescent or old pronunciations are preserved; as
in bail, spail, appaint, paisn, etc. This pronunciation of oi is
very common in closed syllables. Also paem, ba?m, sann, etc. ;
t/eni (China) in t/e-ni ber-i, etc. See D. N. iii, p. 101.

o. Other vowel changes may be noted as follows:

(1) e becomes i in kittl, t/ist, klivis, git, stid, stiddi (some-
times studdy) ; also in many plurals, as houziz, etc. e becomes
e in eg, leg, etc. : chiefly a negroism. e becomes a- in koeg,
kaerosin, etc. ; e for older a becomes i in mini, ini (many, any),
etc. e becomes 1 in Aim (phlegm), dif, etc.

(2) a becomes ce in closed syllables almost universally; as in
sent, gsep, caef, pnes, rna?m, laef, dams, etc. ce becomes < in
geSa, ket/", kee, sker. etc. ce becomes o in pompo, job, stob,
wrop, etc.

(3) i becomes i in kritto, slik (sleek), brim (bream), tit (teat).
i becomes i in mist/M-vus, di-strik(t), it/, zinia (zinnia), i
becomes e in kendo, ef, pep, etc.

(4) » becomes H in sup-1 (supple).

(5) o becomes »in k'eklbe(r). o becomes " in draep, craep, etc.
o becomes o in t/bmp, tromp, trompl, stomp, tosl, wote(r), hog,
dog, etc. Also in many words in un-\ onstn, onisi, etc. Final
6 (ow) usually becomes obscure 9, fell.), yallo, etc.

(6) o becomes o in dob, dirt-dobber, etc. o become <> in
d^aendorz (jaundice), d$auit (jaunt), ha-nt. etc.

(7) u becomes 6 in kaen-ta-16p.

(8) iu is usually n ; as in blu, Su, revolu/bn, etc., but niu,
niufi (never nils), oi becomes ai in closed syllables. The
intrusive y in gyarden, gyirl, kyar, is only heard sporadically.

6. Consonant Changes.

(1) Semi-vowels, to initial disappears in (w)oman, and is
retained in swoard. w medial is often lost in words com-
pounded with -wards, as to(w)a(r)ds, awk(w)ard, back(w)ards,
etc. y is lost in yeast (pronounced ist).

(2) Liquids. I in flail becomes r by dissimilation ; frail is
a very common word in the South. I medial disappears in
amost, aready, sef, hep, etc. r is widely lost in medial and
final positions, as in kuss, bust, boss, passel, pusli, etc. ; dd,
fl.6, /o; wo (war), fa, etc. Whole syllables containing r dis-
appear, as comftabl, tolabl, difont, seval, considabl, Saedi,

DIALECT NOTES.

slavi taim. On the other hand, intrusive r frequently occurs
as a consonant bridge between two open sounds, as kaeppar
aelfa, 5i aidlaroA ii (the idea of it), yiirsend ai (you and I), etc.

(3) Nasals, in is often vocalized or made into a full sylla-
ble by prefixing a vowel sound, as in ell(u)m, hel(u)m, etc. m
final is lost inru-mi-tiz. n Las become vocalic m after p> or b, as
in cap-m, somp-m, hap-m, 6p-na, heb-m, seb-m, ieb-ra. n is usu-
ally lost in an before vowels; if preserved it is usually attached
to the noun, as a-naul (an owl). See also spread-nadder. n has
become n in unstressed syllables, particularly in final -ing\
medial in Birmin-hsem. Anything retains/;, but nothing and
something become nu]>in, somjun (or somp-m).

(4) Labials, p lias become vocalized in Babtis, etc. p is
Lost in w.>s (never waps). p occursforp in somp-m; and tort in
dremp. b is vocalized in marvlz, etc. b is inserted in fsembli,
and by analogy A/ is substituted for n in t/imbli. v becomes h
in lib, lubly, nabl, Lebm, sebm, hebm, culbert, ribet, etc.
S aetimes ebm (oven) is heard, v becomes f in expressions
like had t.) (have to), and disappears in expressions like gi'mi
(give me), /"medial is sometimes losl in after (pronounced seta
or at.>). /'occurs universally in nefiu.

(5) Dentals. Medial / becomes t/' in oist/b. Final t dis-
appear- after voiceless consonants, kep, baenkrup, sof, lof, mus,
djes (just), e- (haste), gris-mil, wos-nes, etc. Occasionally also
after voiced consonants, as in fac. Initial / becomes ]> in ]>ribl.
.Medial / is lost in les (let's). Excrescent / is common among
the illiterate in (a)krost, twaist, wunst, kldst, d6st, wi/'t (pres-
ent), klift, skift, sermont, sudant, etc. Final t becomes k in
projeck. d medial is losl in -mil combinations, as in bind, caenl,
dwinl, etc Also after I in t/il-en (children). Final d often
becomes t as in sest, kilt, In It , secont, etc. Excrescent d is
sometimes heard in draund, gaund. Final d is usually lost after
I anil // and iii -Idz and -ndz plural forms, as wil(d), ol(d), col(d),
fin(d), han(d), bran(d), etc.

ft is lost in wher (whether) among careless speakers. ft in all
positions has, under negro influence, largely become d, as in
udder, furder, wid, di (they or the), dis, daet, etc. ft becomes
p in wi]>, bup, bi-nij>. With often becomes wi. \> becomesS in
many plurals, as in truSz. )> in all positions has become f under
negro influence, as in truf, tuf (tooth), fru, etc. ]> rarely

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 283

becomes t. The old forms draup and bait]? are very common
among good speakers.

(6) Sibilants, s initial is added in skrut/ (crouch), and it
occurs final, alone or with t, in unbeknowns(t). s becomes/" in
likori/*and sometimes in her/' (hearse) . s becomes ff in pint/brs.
f before r becomes s in srink (pret. srunh or swunk). z becomes
voiceless s in belus (cf. the v. bellows).

(7) Gutturals. The changes in gutturals are not frequent
or noteworthy. Through negro influence dj in d^es (just)
becomes d among the illiterate.

(8) Metathesis. Pre- and per- often interchanged, as pre-
form, perserv. per- for pro-, perfesa. inter for intro-, inter-
diis. Also t/ildern, hunderd, skaunderl, apern, and perhaps
in crany-crow (see carion-crow) . Aks lor ask is chiefly a
negroism, but widely used among the white people.

(9) Svarabhakti, as in ellum, umberell(a). An inserted
syllable occurs in blaesfi-mi-us, trimend-i-us or tri-men-dju-us,
maun-te-ni-us, mist/'i-vi-us, etc.

7. Verbs. Abnormal preterits. (1) brung, crope, driv, et,
fit or faut, frez or friz, gin, maut, riz, sot, etc. (2) blowed,
choosed, drawed, growed, knowed, shined, throwed, etc. (3)
cluin (clam has clammed), d6v, drug, fotch(t), found (fine),
hearn, net, ketcht, kotch(t), skunt, skwez, skwoz, sunt, teacht,
etc. (4) Attackted, busted (also bursted), costed, drownded,
galded, stalded, stold, spreaded, underminded, etc. (5) Parti-
ciples as preterits, done, drunk, seen, taken, etc. ((!) Almost
any preterit may be used as a past participle, as wrote, took,
broke, went, etc. (7) Presents are occasionally used as partici-
ples, as "I would have give him one." (8) Presents are often
used as preterits, as wisht, come, give, etc. (9) Transitives
for intransitives, as lay, raise, set. (10) Will and would are
used in almost all locutions where shall and should are demanded
by literary usage. . (11) Lack to and Ukt to (see vocabulary).
(12) Use to could (sec vocabulary). (13) Singular forms are
constantly used for plurals, particularly with plural pronouns as
subjects. (11) Abnormal forms in third singular, do and don't,
docs (pronounced dilz), costes, tastes, etc. (15) Reduplications,
as in /'/// <m/, done done it, had of had (had (have) had), etc.
(16) Frequent abnormal contractions, as whyn't (why don't,
didn't, etc.)

284 DIALECT NOTES.

3. Nouns. Abnormal plurals : bretherin, brutherin, sisterin,
nestes, postes, beastes, beasteses, galluses, locusses (locusts),
oxens (oxen is often sing.), tomatuses, louses, mouses, mices,
3es; singulars used as plurals: cheese, license (some-
times licenses for license), (mo)lasses, measles, etc. ; aouns of
collective sense, singular and plural alike, mile, pound, foot,
biscuit.

9. Pronouns. (1) 5Tou all, yall (with regular possessive
yalls), see vocabulary. (2) Disjunctive possessives, bisn, hern,
ourn, the(i)rn, yourn. (3) Reflexives, hisself , theyselves, the (i)r-
selves; also his fool sell', my fool self, etc. The I is usually
lost in pronunciation of self . (4) Hit occurs in emphatic and
even in unemphatie position. (5) Thisn, //<<'//<, this here, that
///'/•-. emphatic demonstratives. (6) As for rel. frequent; whom
not used at all by uneducated. (', ) Nom. for obj. ami obj. for
nom. frequent. (8) aim and nairn, father, yuther, occur fre-
quently. See vocabulary.

10. Prepositions, a for on, in a purpose, afire, etc. ; for
still used by old-fashioned people; off on, out on, lor off of ,

out of', wait on for wait for •; listen at for listen to; different to
(or than) for different from; nothing to for nothing in.
Redundant prepositions are frequent, and omission of needed
prepositions is also common. /// is usually used for into in all
locutions. Onto is common.

11. Adjectives and adverbs. .1 is used for an before
vowels. Adjectival forms are constantly used for adverbial
forms. Double comparatives and superlatives are frequent, as
in beterer, m6 beterer, mo worser, m6 puttier, leastest, mostest,
etc. Abnormal comparisons, badder, baddest, littler, littlest,
fare!-, farest, etc. Real (pronounced rel) is used for the abso-
lute superlative with comparatives. Adverbial -s survives in
anywheres, leastways, nowheres, etc. ; also probably in along
ways, a little ways, etc. All th( is used with adverbsto expi

ree. "That's all tht far I can jump,'" etc. Fonder is
used for there. "In yonder you will find it." That is fre-
quently used for so. "It was that late we never could a got
there."

L2. Folk etymologies. ( owcumber, cramberry, Johniequil,
mushmelon, redish, pussley, satisfac, shoemake, treadsalve,

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 285

crapgrass, animule, pullikins (see vocab.), fice clog (faust dog,
faist dog) carnphire, Christian flycatcher, spitin image, coverlid,
niggerly, dry grins (prob. from chagrin), tumble sets, croker
sack (see vocab.), noxvomit, etc.

13. Inverted compounds. Peckei*wood, hoppergrass, right-
down, everwhich, etc.

a. 1. Very commonly used for on in such expressions as 'a purpose,
' a-fire,' ' a credit' (sometimes ' on a credit '), etc. 2. Also commonly heard
as a reduced form of have, as ' would a,' 'had a,' etc.

a, adj. 1. Used before vowels. An is rarely heard in rural speech. 2.
Also used as a redundant particle in such expressions as ' that a way,' ' this
a way.' 'which a way.'

about to die, adj. phr. Seriously ill.

acknowledge the corn, v. phr. To admit one is at fault or is out-
done, acknowledge that one is the originator or doer of something disparag-
ing or harmful to himself. Sometimes acknowledge the coin is heard.

acre-foot, adj. Big-footed. "Look at that acre-foot nigger." Rare.

(a)crost, prep, and adv. Across.

act the nigger, v. phr. Do menial work, drudge. " I don't perpose
to act the nigger no longer."

act white, o. phr. To act squarely, to treat in a gentlemanly way.
" Tom show did act white when I was with him."

Adam's (TlOUSe-)cat, n.phr. Used in negative expressions such as,
" He wouldn't know me from Adam's house-cat."

afeard, adj. Afraid. Also sometimes feard. "I ain't afeard of his
capers." J. C. Harris, On the Wing of Occasion," \>. 11'-'.

afflicted, adj. Mentally affected, idiotic.

(a)fbre, prep, or adv. Before.

agate, n. A marble made of glazed clay. Also called jug. The regu-
lar agate is called stone-glass (q.v.).

ager, H. Ague

agg on, v. phr. To egg or edge on.

(a)gin, (a)ginst, adv. By the time. See gin. " Agin bullaces is ripe
you'll git your heart sot on 'possum." J. C. Harris. Free Joe, etc., p. 102.

ah ere, adv. Here. "Look ahere, what I found." This intrusive " is
probably a survival of the pronoun ye or you, ' look ye here.' It occurs fre-
quently in such expressions as ' look ayonder,' ' look athere,' etc.

aig(§g), <>. Egg.

aim, v. i. To intend, purpose. "I aimed to do it last week, but I got
put out by the rain." Also as noun.

ain't, v. neg. Used for is not, arc not, has .ml. have not, etc.

aim, pron. Any one, e'er a one. Only heard among the illiterate.

airy, adj. Any, e'er a.

Alaham(a), n. Pronounced selaba3m(a).

all, pron. See you all, we all.

all-day sinning, ,i. phr. See singing.

DIALECT NOTES.

all-fired, adj., adv. Excessive, ex< dingly: used as an intensive and

almost equivalenl to infernal, hell-fired. "It's so all-fired hoi you can't
stand it."

all-heeled, adj. Well provided for, all right. "Don't you worry
about me. I'm all-heeled."

all-llOllOW, adv. Completely, 'all to pieces.' "1 beat him all-hollow
the last time 1 played him."

all-luinky in\ dory), adj. Perfectly satisfactory, quite snug. See
hunky dory.

all kinds Of time, n.phr. Plenty of time.

all kinds of* times, n. phr. A good time. Also all kinds of a time.

all over creation, adv. phr. Everywhere. "I've been looking all
over creation for you."

all-Overs, n. pi. Nervous jimjams, creeps, fidgets. Universal. "I
don't like such stories. They give me the all-over^s." J. C. Harris, Mr.
Rabbit at Home, p. 211.

all skew \ee, adj. phr. All right. "I know'd purty well dat eve'-
thing wuz all sLcie oee." Harris, Chronicles of Aunt Minervy Ann, p. 68.

all-possessed, adj. Crazed. " He ran like all-possessed."

all right all right, adv. phr. An emphatic reduplication. " He can
shoot all right all right."

all the, adv. phr. As ... as. This is a very common usage, found
even among the well educated in such expressions as ' all the far,' ' all the
high,' 'all the fast,' etc. " That's all the fast I can run."

all the, adj. phr. The only. " This is all lh<> coat I've got."

all to pieeos, <iih\ phr. Completely, surpassingly. " I can beat him
playin' drafts all to pieces."

alius, adv. Always.

all wool and a yard wide, adj. or adv. phr. All right, having or
practising no deception, straight, honest, genuine.

a-loose, adv. Loose. " Turn that hoss a-loose."

alpha-sigma-sigma, n. The name of a bogus fraternity used chiefly
as a means of securing victims for hazing. Also called A.S.S. (e-es-es).
Coll ig, A. P. I.

alter, v. tr. To castrate.

ambeer, /<. Tobacco spittle.

amosl , adv. Almost.

an, conj. Contracted foi-m of than.

angTJ , adj. Inflamed. " The sore looks right angry."

anigh, adv. Near. " Don't come anigh me."

animule, n. Animal : often used facetiously of a mule. " Wait till I
ketch this here animule."

ant-bed, n. Ant-hill.

ante,)!. The stake or initial bet in the game of poker. " Come up with
your ante."

ante up, <•. phr. To pay up. Originally used in the game of poker, but
now somewhat general. "I had to "/(/•■ /</' on my church dues last week."

anti, n. An anti-prohibitionist. See pro.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 287

anxious bench, n. phr. State of uneasiness. See on the anxious
bench. Also anxious seat.

any, adj. Pronounced ini. So also mini.

anyways, adv. Anyway.

any way you fix it, adv. phr. In any way whatever.

anywheres, adv. Anywhere. " I couldn't find it anywheres."

apas(t), adv. By. beyond. " He went apast here about ten o'clock."

apem, n. Apron.

appearent, adj. Apparent.

appint, v. To appoint.

appintment, n. Appointment.

apple-seetl fortune, ". phr. A game, or rime on the number of
seeds found in an apple.

"One I love, two I love,
Three I love I say ;
Four I love with all my heart,
Five I cast away ;
Six he loves, seven she loves ;
Eight both love ;
Nine he comes ; ten he tarries ;
Eleven he courts ; twelve he marries."

After the seeds are counted, they are placed in the palm of the hand and
slapped upon the forehead. The seeds that stick indicate the number of
children one will have.

apple-pie, adj. Most excellent. " Every thing is in apple-pie order."

April, n. Pronounced e-pul.

aready, adv. Already.

arii',l,'v I v. i. To argue.
argify )

(a)rethinetie, n. Arithmetic.

as, conj. That. " I don't know as I will."

r. Haste. "Make ase, and let's get this iob done."
aste I

ash-cake, n. Corn-bread baked in hot ashes. Now rarely heard except
in reminiscent references.

asked, pret. and pp. Pronounced a>st.

assurance, n. Pronounced ae/-6r-ens. "He's got the asshorance of a
brass monkey."

ast (sest), pret. Asked.

at, prep. Used redundantly as an adverb. Very common.

a-tall, adv. At all. Sometimes 'tall is heard.

athere, adv. There. See ahere.

A. T. O. (e-ti-6), n. A member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.
Several of the Greek-letter fraternities are called by their English initials.
as K. A., S. A. E., P. K. A., etc.

A to izzartl, see from A to izzard.

at oneself, adj. phr. Up to one's full strength or ability. "I can
easily pick 300 pounds of cotton when I am at myse?/." Cf. D. N. ii, 305.

DIALECT NOTES.

attackted, pret. and pp. of attack.

atter, prep. After : heard chiefly among aegroes.

aunt [sent), n. Used a- a respectful prefix to the given name of a grown-
up or an elderly negro woman. ( !f. wncle. Sometimes affectedly pronounced
ant or ant by the partially educated.

auntie, n. A term ft' address to a grown-up or elderly negro woman
when the ^riven name is not known. " [.untie, can I get a drink of water ?"

Aunt Tabby, see Tabby.

away back yonder, adv. phr. Far hack, long ago.

away yonder, adv. phr. Far. " He's mra// yonder ahead of me."

awful 1> . adv. Exceedingly.

a \, v. tr. To ask.

ayonder, adv. Yonder. See ahere.

Babtis(t), ". A eommon pronunciation of l!<ti>list. "Wake up dem
lazy Baptisses." Lanier, Poems, p. 175.

babtizing, </. Baptism, baptismal services. Common. "Are you
goin' t" tin' babtizin? :"

baby, n. The youngest child of a family, even if grown or middle-aged.
Babe is a common nickname.

baby-cradle, n. Cradle.

bach, n. A conscious or humorous shortening of bachelor.

bacb, '■. i. To keep bachelor quarters; do one's own housework : said
of a man. " Jim Jones is bachin1 it now."

bachelor's button, n. phr. A wooden peg or pin improvised as an
attachment for the suspenders.

back, r. tr. To address or direct (a letter).

back and forth, adv. phr. Toandfro. The latter is a literary phrase.

back-do(or) trots, -<. />itr. Diarrhoea.

backer (bsekd), n. Tobacco. Common.

back-bouse, n. A close stool, a privy. Also called backy.

back out, ''. /■/'/•. To refuse to carry out a promise, threat, or the like.

bad, adv. .Much, very much. "I want to see you so bail."

bad off, adv. }>hf. Seriously ill.

bad (poor) success, ". phr. See good success.

bag O(f) ji'uts, a. phr. A useless, lazyperson.

but; to bold, to leave one with tbe, o. phr. To leave one with
all the work to do. money to pay. blame to bear, etc. The expression doubt-
less arose from the practice of snipe-hunting (<pv.).

bait, n. Earth-worms. The general sense is in use, but not so com-
mon as this specific sense. '•Have you dug your bait ?" Also an eai-th-
wii'iii. " I saw a bait crawlin" in the dirt."

balance, /<• Remainder, rest.

ballawhang, '■. tr. To beat or handle roughly. "He was balla-
whanged all over the head."

Bally hack, n. An uncomfortable or far away place or situation. "I
wish he was in Ballyhack." Often used as an expression of irritation or
desire to be rid of one." " Go to Ballyhack!" So also Halifax, Guinea.

balm, a. Commonly pronounced bsem. So also balmy (bamii). The
following words are similarly pronounced ; culm, /mhn, psalm.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 289

bandy-shanked, adj. Having thin crooked shanks, bowlegged.

banter, n. and v. To challenge as to trade. "As I bantered you, if
you say an even swap, here's at you." Longstreet, Georgia Scenes ( The
Horse-swap), p. 20.

barb, ft. A non-fratemity man. The fall form, barbarian, is also
used. College slang.

bardacious, bardaciously, same as bodacious, etc.

bark, v. tr. To girdle (a tree) so as to deaden it. Girdle is rarely used.

bark up the wrong- tree, v. phr. To be on the wrong track, rnisap-
ph' one's efforts.

barlow, n. A cheap pocket-knife.

barrow, ft. Pronounced bar-8r. 1. A wheel barrow. 2. A gelded pig.

bat, r. tr. To wink (the eyes), especially to do it consciously or rapidly
as if in anger or excitement. " Whenever he begins to bat his eyes right
fast, you better look out for him."

battle, v. tr. To beat clothes with a battling-stick (q.v.) in the process
of washing. Almost obsolete. "We don't battle clothes these days.''

battling-stick, n. A heavy paddle-shaped stick used in pounding the
soiled clothes just after taking them out of the boiling water.

baubee, n. A trifle. " I don't care a baubee for that."

bawl, v. i. To cry loudly as a child. "The children were bawlin' and
bellowin' like a house afire."

bazoo, n. Loud talk, mouth. "I shot off my bazoo about what I
thought of Scriptur." Harben, The Georgians, p. 43.

be a great mind, <■. ///*/•. To have a strong inclination. " I'm a great
mind to give you a good whipping." Also " I'm " b-ig mind to."

beat the stuffin' out of one, o. phr. To give one a sound thrash-
ing.

beatin(g)est, adj. super!. The most surprising, surpassing all others.

beat one's time, v. phr. To get the better of one. Also used in the
exclamatory expression ' that beats my time ! '

beans, n. Used in the negative expression 'don't know beans,1 i.e.,
absolutely illiterate or ignorant.

beaut, a. A beauty. Sometimes used of persons as a term of deroga-
tion. " He's a beaut,'1'1 i.e., "he's very ugly."

beat the devil round a bush (stump), v. phr. To approach a
subject in a round-about way, to do some reprehensible or evil thing under
false appearances.

(be)cause eat got claws. A pert or facetious retort or answer to
the question ' Because what ? '

be dogged, v. phr. A common expletive. " I'll be dogged if I do it.

bed-spread, ft. Coverlet.

bed-stid, u. Bedstead.

bee-gum, ft. Beehive : used originally of a hollow gum tree, but now
of any beehive. "I got half a dozen pattent bee-gums when I was in
Opelika."

bee-line, n. The straightest course, the direct line. " He made a bee-
line for home."

»)

DIALECT XOTES.

bee-mart i n, n. King-bird.

before one can saj Jack Robinson, adv. phr. Very quickly.
•• Be got "in of the way before you could say Jack Rooinson."

beggar-lice, n. Beggar-ticks. The singular is rarely used.

begrudge, v. tr. To envy one the possession of: said when one is
eating something and accidentally lets it fall. He turns to the person who
may have been watching him eat, and says, "You begrudged that," as if
this were the cause of the accident.

being as, bein's, conj. Since. " Bein(g) as it's you, I'll let you have
it for fifty cents."

bejazus, interj. A mild expletive: often used in the phrase "Faith
and bejazus ! "

be jiggered, v. phr. [n the exclamatory expression, ' I'll be jiggered.'

be jumped up (jiggered), o. phr. Used in exclamations as the pre-
ceding.

(be kase (kes), conj. Because. Sometimes kasin.

bellow, v. i. To cry loudly as a child. See &«/./.

bellOWS, './. and tr. To In, nine or cause to become winded : said of a
horse. Pronounced bellus, bellust, etc.

belly-buster, n. phr. The act of diving and striking the water flat
upon one's belly.

belt, '•■ tr. To deaden (a tree) by cutting a belt around through the bark.

bemean, v. tr. To treat harshly, especially to speak harsh words to,
vilify. " He bemeaned her for everything he could think of."

bencll-legged, adj. Having sprawling or crooked legs : used of dogs,
and in <!• rogation, of persons.

bender, n. A drunken spree.

1><> nigger to, v. phr. Wait on, work for. "I can't invite them here
for my wife to be nigger in."

be off one's base, (box, kerzip, nut), v. phr. To be out of one's
mind. " You're offn your kerzip if you think I'd do that."

bermuda, n. Bermuda-grass. Also bimudi.

be Snickered, v. phr. Used as an exclamation of surprise. "Well,
I'll be snickered ! "

better, adv. More. " It weighs considerable better than five pounds."

betwixt and between, adv. phr. Neither one thing nor the other.
A common reply to an inquiry as to one's health.

I» from bull('s-)foot, see know Bfrom bulH?s-)foot.

bid, /(. An invitation.

biddy, /<. A newly-hatched or very young chicken. Used also in call-
ing up young chickens. Rarely or never used of a hen.

biff, n. A blow, lick.

biff, v. tr. To strike with the fist. " Li iff him in the neck."

bi<; ;is all OUt(o')doOrs, adj. phr. Very large.

biy bug, a. A person of importance or distinction, a rich person.

big church, tli«', /'. jihr. No church: used facetiously to indicate
that one is not a member of any church or denomination. " I belong to the
big ch ni-i-li ."

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 291

big-foot, adj. Big-footed. See acre-foot.

big hominy, n. phr. Whole grains of Indian corn hulled and boiled.
Same as lye-hominy.

big-bead, n. Conceit. "He's got the big head so bad he don't know
what to do."

big- Ike, n. phr. A person of much importance, especially in his own
opinion.

bigity, adj. Bigoted, conceited.

big-road, n. Public road or highway as distinguished from a small
by-road or farm road.

big toe, n. phr. The great toe. The latter is never used.

biled-sbirt, n. Stiff-bosomed shirt. Never boiled shirt.

billy-maria, /*. A populite, a country cracker. See hill-billy.

bimeby, adv. By-and-by.

biniiy, n. A nursery euphemism for belly. " The baby has the binny-
ache." See also tummy.

bird-egg, n. Bird's egg.

biscuit, ». Often used as a pi. "I can eat ten biscuit any day."

biscuit, n. Watch. Facetious.

bit, n. Twelve and a half cents. Not much used in east Alabama, but
very common in south Alabama.

bite, c. tr. To cheat. Chiefly in the pret. and pp. " He got bit in that
trade."

bitsy, bitty, adj. Very small ' bit of a.' Usually with little.

bitter-weed, <<• Dog fennel 'q.v.): so called because when eaten by
cows it makes the milk bitter.

blare (out), v. i. To break forth in vituperation. "What did you
blare out on me for : "

black-and-tau, n. and adj. Used to designate the faction of the
Republican party which is favorably inclined to the negro element in poli-
tics. See lily-white.

black as the pot, adj. phr. Very black, dirty, smutty, etc.

black-runner, ». A black snake noted for fleetness. Also called
black racer, or simply racer. Compare coach-whip.

blame(d), adj. Darned : an emphatic epithet. "Not a blamed thing."
See dad-blamed.

blasph'emioUS, adj. Blasphemous.

blate (blet), v. i. To cry loudly as a child. The verb bleat (as a sheep)
is always pronounced blet.

blate out, v. phr. To tell openly or frankly, especially in public. " He
blated right out an' told him just what he thought."

bleege(d), pret. and pp. Obliged. A negroism, but used by illiterate
whites. Also blidge(d) (blaidj).

bless Katy, inter j. phr. Bless is used frequently in mild expletives, as
' bless gracious,' ' bless your bones and body,' ' bless your sweet life,' ' bless
Katy,' etc.

blind, adj. Snakes are popularly supposed to go blind or have a cover-
ing grow over their eyes, and to become particularly vicious during dog-days.

DIALECT NOTES.

blindfold, blilldmail, n. Blindinan's buff. The last is rarely
UB<

blilld-SWap, n. A swap in win. h neither party sees the article traded.
See sight-unseen.

blind-tiger, n. Place where liquor is sold illegally.
bloom, n. The common i xpression for blossom.
blow-hard, n. A braggart.
blowed, pret. and pp. of Wow;.

blue-blazes, ft. Used in the expression, "As hot as blue blazes," i.e.,
extremely hot.

blue-Cat, n. A kind of cattish.
blue-darter, n. A small species of hawk.

blue-g-um(med) nigger, n. phr. A negro whose gums are blue or
black. The bite of such a negro is supposed to be poisonous.
blue John, n. phr. Thin or skimmed milk.
bo(ar)-hog, n. A boar. Boar is rarely used alone.

bobble, i>. i. To make a slight turn or twist from a director straight
line, wabble ; hence, to make a break or mistake. " He can't plow a furrow
without hobbling from one side of the row to the other."

bobble, n. A twist or turn from a direct line, a flaw, a break or mis-
take. "There was a short pause as the leading dogs came into view — a
' little bobble,' as Mr. Collingworth phrased it." J. C. Harris, Tales of the
Home-Folks, p. 30.
bodacious, adj. Bold, unceremonious, outright. Also burdacions.
bodaciously, adv. Boldly, unceremoniously. " I 'lowed maybe you'd
been took prisoner and carried bodaciously off." J. C. Harris, Tales of the
Home-Folks, p. 164.

body, ii. A child's garment worn about the body and fitted with buttons
or supports for the lower garment, a waist, an underbody (q.v.).
bdf, adj. and pron. Both. Also bof tin, both of.
bog, ''. i. To mire.

boil the pot, v. phr. To cook a vegetable dinner, boil vegetables.
" Mrs. Blackstone boils the pot nearly every day."

bone, n. One of the pieces in the game of dominoes.
bone-felon, n. An inflammatory tumor, a whitlow, a felon.
bone-yard, n. 1. The pile of dominoes from which one has to draw
if he can't play from his hand. " 1 sent him to the bone-yard so often that
he had nearly all the bones." 2. A cemetery.

bonnet, n. The sunbonnet. Bare in any other sense.
booger, ". 1. A dried flake of mucus from the nose : used of children.
"There's a booger in your nose.'' j. A mythical being used to frighten
children, a bogie. "I need some one to keep the boogers off." J. C. Harris,
Gabriel Tolliver, p. 151. Also booger-man, booger-bear. '■>. Rascal, scamp :
used as a playful term of endearment to a child. " Come here, you little
booger." 4. Occasionally used in the sense of bugger.
bOOger-bear, n. See booger 2.

books, n. School. Country teachers formerly called in their children
from the playground with such exclamations as, "Come, books! Come,
books!" " Hooks! Books !"

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 293

boost, v. tr. To laud, boast of, log-roll for. Usually heard with up.

boost, n. A lift, a helping hand.

boot, n. A fawning or subservient action or remark, an effort to curry
favor. Cf. bootlick. " He tried to get in a boot on the professor, but it
wouldn't work."

boot-lick, v. tr. and i. To seek to ingratiate oneself, do subservient
things to gain one's favor.

boot-lick, u. One who bootlicks ; a nattering, fawning, obsequious
person.

born-dayS, n. Life: in the expression 'in all my born-days,' in all
my life.

bornecl, pp. Born.

borry, v. tr. Sometimes borrer.

boss, n. A term of respect used by the negroes for any white man,
especially one who employs them. Also boss-man. See young boss, cap-m .

bots, n. pi. 1. A disease among horses. 2. The blues.

bounce, the (grand), n. phr. Summary dismissal ; in love or matri-
monial affairs, ' the mitten.'

bonn(d), pp. Sure, determined. Universal. "It's boun to happen."
" He looked like he was jest bound to do it."

boun(d), o. tr. To affirm or assert positively or confidently. " I boun'
dey don't fergit de ole nigger." J. C. Harris, Uncle Remus, p. 44. [The
word is not restricted to negro usage. It probably originated from a reduced
passive " I'll be bound it he does it," i.e., "I am determined he shall not
doit."]

bouquet, n. Universally pronounced b"6-ke. Bouquet of flowers is often
heard.

bout, prep, and adv. About.

hove, adj. and adv. Above.

box with two (or more) bandies (to it), n.phr. A facetious way
of refusing a request. " Give me some of that candy." " I'll give you a box
ivith four handles to it if you don't go on away from here," i.e., "I'll give
you four cuffs or blows over the head."

bramble, ». A spine or thorn. " I stuck a bramble in my finger."

bramble-brier, n. A tough, woody shrub or vine with strong, sharp
spines. Also called simply bramble. The word is never used for the black-
berry vine.

branch, n. A small stream, a brook. The word brook is never heard
except in the school room, the terms used being branch, dreen, ditch (arti-
ficial, dirt drain, or natural dry gully), and creek (universally pronounced
krik).

bran-si>ankin(g)-iieAV, adj. An emphatic variant of bran-new.

brash, adj. Rash, forward, pert, brazen. Cf. D. N. ii, 307, for slightly
different sense.

brass-toes, n. Brass-toed boots worn by children. Also called copper-
foes.

bread, n. Corn-bread. The common wheat or loaf bread is called light
bread.

•.".•I DIALECT NOTES.

bread and butter, come to supper. Used in the children's game
of ' hiding the switch.' Sometimes used as the name of the game.

bread-basket, n. The stomach, t lie belly.

bread-waiion, n. Baker's wagon. Of ten used in the facetious expres-
sion "1 couldn't stop a bread-wagon,' i.e., ' 1 haven't a nickel.'

break, r. i. In practically the same senses as shown in D. N. ii, 307.

break, n, Mistake.

break a traee-ehain, v. phr. To make a supreme effort.

breakdown, it. A boisterous dancing party where variousfigure dances
are indulged in. "Are you going to the breakdown at Poka to-night?"

breaking-OUt, n. Any kind of an eruption on the skin. "He's got
a breakin'-out of some kind."

break one's leg, v. phr. Of a woman, to become with child illegiti-
mately.

bresb, n. and o. Common pronunciation of brush.

bresll-brOOm, n. See brush-broom.

bretlierin, n. pi. Brethren: often in the phrase " bretherin and sis-
terin," referring to members of the church.

brier, n. 1. Specifically the blackberry bush, but applied generally to
any thorny or prickly bush or shrub. The word is not used specifically of
the sweetbrier or wild rose. 2. The spine or thorn of any such plant.

brim, n. Bream. The latter is not heard.

bringer (brindgs), n. Used in several comparative phrases : 'hot as
bringer,' ' cold as bringer,1 etc.

bristle up to, w. phr. To show fight.

britcb.es, n. pi. Trousers. The latter term is rarely heard in rural
speech ; punts is a somewhat more polite term, though britches is perhaps
in more general use. Also used of a child's drawers. The following nurs-
ery rime is used in some game :

" Little boy, little boy, who made your britches?"
" Daddy cut 'em out, and Mammy sewed the stitches."

britcnin, n. Breeching (the part of the harness over the horse's but-
tocks). Common.

brogan, n, A coarse, low shoe cut in Blucher style : formerly used of
any shoe cut in this style, but now only of the coarse workman's shoe.

broom-sage, n. Sedge-grass.

brother, I'm bobbed, n. phr. The name of a game played by young
people.

bruise, v. i. To go or wander about. " 'Twan't long 'fo' yer come Mr.
Man, broozin 'roun." J. C. Harris, Uncle Remus, p. 124. Fairly common.

brung, pret. and pp. of bring.

brush, n. 1. A branch of a tree or shrub, especially such a branch used
for a switch. Often pronounced bresh. 2. A small tree or shrub. "We
hail to cut tie- brushes in the corn field."

brush, V. fr. To beat with a switch or brush.

brush-broom, n. A broom made of brushes or twigs bound together.
" Mr. Man. he go off down in de bushes after han'ful er switches . . . pre-
pa'r'n his t,reshbroom." J. C. Harris. Uncle Remus, p. 125.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 295

buck, n. A term applied to a young man, especially of a somewhat
wild disposition.

buck-ager, n. Buck-ague, nervous excitement in the presence of game.

bucket, n. The word pail is rarely used.

buckle down to it, v.phr. To work hard.

bud, buddie, n. Applied to any small boy whose name is not known.
Also used as a familiar name for the oldest brother. I still call my oldest
brother Buddie.

bug-juice, n. Whisky. " It's the meanest bug-juice in town."

bulge, n. Advantage : usually in the phrase ' to get the bulge on one.'

bullace, n. Muscadine. Pronounced bullus.

bull-nettle, n. A large species of nettle.

bull-tongue, n. A kind of 'scooter' plow.

bumbersboot, n. Umbrella. Facetious.

bumper, adj. Very large, full. "We are raising a bumper crop this
year." Rare.

buudance, n. An abundance.

bunged up, adj. pin: Lacerated, beaten up. " He is all bunged up."

bung-fodder, n. Toilet paper or a substitute therefor.

bunkum, adj. Fine, excellent. Compare hunkum-bunkum.

burr of tbe ear, n. phr. The tender spot just at the back and lower
part of the ear.

burying, n. The common word for interment with funeral ceremonies.

bushels, n. pi. A large number or quantity. "We found bushels of
plums."

buss, u. fr. To kiss. Not common.

bust, v. Pret. bunted. To burst. The r is never heard except with a
conscious effort on the part of the educated, and even among these a double
pret. and pp., bursted, is commonly heard.

busted, adj. Financially embarrassed, having no money.

buster, n. A large thing, a whopper.

bust out (middles), v. phr. To plow between rows. "I've been
bust in' out middles this week.

busy as forty bees in a tar-bucket, adj. phr. Very busy.

butt-bead, n. A muley cow, a cow or bull without horns. Often
given as a name to such a cow.

butt-beaded, adj. 1. Having no horns. "Look at that ole butt-
headed cow." 2. Headstrong, obstinate, bull-headed. " He's as bu tt-headed
as an ole mule."

buzzard, n. The turkey -buzzard : never applied to any species of
hawk. Compare the negro song :

" De buzzard and de crow went ter de wa',
One mo' ribber fer ter cross,
De crow come back wid a broken ja',
One mo' ribber fer ter cross."

buzzard-lope, n. A kind of breakdown dance.
cabbage, v. tr. To take, steal.
21

DIALECT NOTES.

Caboodle, n. Crowd. " The whole caboodle got wet." Also compoodle.
cahoots, n. Partnership.

calaboose, n. A town lock-up : never applied to a larger county or
state prison.

calf-rope (ksef), n. A signal of surrender. " I'll make him say calf-
rope.,:

CaliCO horse, <<■ phr. A parti-colored horse.

Calm, a. and adj. Pronounced eaiu.

cambric tea. ". i>hr. Same as fa-t tie-tea (q.v.), but not so commonly
used.

camp-fish, n. A camping excursion for purposes of fishing.

camphire, /<. camphor.

vail, v. i. Used almost universally for may, and commonly pronounced
/. in.

Candy-pulling, <*. A kind of gathering or party in which the young
people make and pull (molasses) candy. Candy-pull is not heard.

catie-bird, n. A yellow-breasted swamp bird that builds its nest of
cane leaves. I cannot identify the bird with the books at hand. It builds
in swamps and on brook-sides, and is in many respects like the yellow-
throat. In the nesting season it flies in a hovering, jerky, or Hopping fashion
over the swamp bushes, and siu^s its croaking notes while on the wing.

Gannon-ball, n. The name of a fast train running between Montgom-
ery and Atlanta.

cantaldpe, n. The universal pronunciation of cantaloupe.

Cantankerous, adj. Contrary, cross, out of sorts; awry, out of
shape.

rap, '■. '('. To hull (strawberries). Universal.

cap-m, /*. Captain. The word is supplanting boss as a polite form of
address by negroes to white men.

care, n. and v. Pronounced Mr, and sometimes with intrusive i, kier.

carion-CrOW, ". Commonly pronounced kyarn-cro. Also commonly
called kyamy-crow. Perhaps by metathesis, the form crany-crow occurs
in the familiar rime in the game of Old Witch:

" Chicky-ma, chicky-ma, crany-crow,
I went to the well to wash my toe," etc.

Carry, v. tr. To lead, take, accompany. " Who did you cam./ to the
party last night ? " Universal.

carry away, <•. phr. To move to a high state of pleasurable emotion.
" She was completely carried away with her new hat."

carry on, v. phr. To make an emotional display as when angry, grief -
stricken, etc. "She carried on so at the funeral they couldn't do nothin'
with her." 2. To act sillily or foolishly, especially when courting ; to court.
<; Him and her's been carryiri <<« lor ;i year or mo now." 3. To frolic.

carryiiK.U'i-ons, n. pi. Frolickings, unseemly behavior, especially
between the sexes. " I don't like no such carryin-ons."

car-shed, n. A. large depot or station where the trains are under cover.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 297

Carter's oats, n. phr. Usually in expressions of exaggerated com-
parison. •• We had more whisky than Carter had oats.'1'' The story goes that
Carter of Georgia, in bragging of the yield of a certain oat-field, claimed that
the oats were so thick that he had to move the fence to find room to stack
the bundles.

case-knife, n. An ordinary table-knife.

casliaw, n. A large crooked-necked pumpkin or squash with dappled,
greenish stripes. Often pronounced karfo.

cat, n. Catfish. There are various kinds, such as mud-cat, blue-cat,
willow-cat, channel-cat, etc.

catacorner(ed), catacorners, cattycornered, etc., adv. Diag-
onally across, out of plumb.

cat-act, n. Agile performance : in the phrase ' to do the cat-act,' i.e., to
fall on one's feet.

catawanrpUS, adj. or adv. Out of shape, askew ; cross-ways, obliquely.
Also pronounced cattywampus.

Catawba, n. 1. Catalpa. 2. The catalpa worm. " We fished with
catawbas." Cf. patalpa, D. N. ii. 324.

cat, one (two, or three) ole, n, phr. A ball game in which the
batters stand at one, (two, or three) points or holes. " It is probable that
the game was once . . . called ' three hole catch,' and the name was gradu-
ally corrupted into ' three hole cat,' as it is still called in the interior states,
and then became changed by mistake to 'three old cat.'' Eggleston,
Hoosier School-boy, p. 10.

Cat-Sqilirrel, n. The gray squirrel in distinction from the red or fox-
squirrel. The Century Dictionary defines cat-squirrel as fox-squirrel.

cave in, o. phr. To yield.

cavort, v. i. To prance about, kick up, curvet.

cavorter, n. One who cavorts. " In short he cavorted most mag-
nanimously ... I could see nothing in it that seemed to have anything to
do with the cavorter." Longstreet, Georgia Scenes, p. 23.

cavortion, n. Rough behavior, rude manners.

cedar-ball, n. The cedar-apple.

cedar-pencil, <'. Pencil, lead-pencil.

cbalk, /'. A playing mai-ble made of a chalk -like compound. " You
can't stick in no chalk on me."

Chance, n. Quantity, number. Commonly used in the phrase 'right
smart chance,' but often in other collocations. " We caught a nice chance
of fish."

Cbaney (t/eni), n. A nursery variant of chamber-pot.

chaney, chaney-tree, chaney-berry-tree, n. The common
soap-berry tree of Southern U. S. "I hear a flutter in the chaney-tree." J.
C. Harris, Sister Jane, p. 84. Compare Henry Esmond, Bk. iii, ch. 3,
•■ Why should we call C-h-i-n-a chayney ? "

change up, v. phr. To exchange positions.

change-up, n. A change.

channel-cat, n. A kind of catfish.

chap, u. A child. "Come and bring all your chaps." Very common.

DIALECT NOTES.

chaw, o. and ,i. Chew. See also nexi entry.

Chaw, i. tr. To gei the better of one in a contest of obscene repartee,
to hack or guy one in this \va\ .

chawer, n. Chewer.

Cheap John, ft. phr. A niggardly or stiDgy person, one who does
things in a cheap style : often used attributively. Compare the different
sense in the Standard Dictionary.

Check, ft. A piece used in the game of checkers. Bare. Draft man is
common.

Checks, ft. An indoor game with marbles, being a series of movements
of catching and placing t he marbles (usually five) in various combinations,
forms, etc. Compare jacks.

Cheer (t/er), ft. The common pronunciation of chair. Chur is sometimes
heard.

Cheese, «. Used as a plural. " Pass me them cheese.''''

CheWSday, n. Tuesday.

chicken-bone, ft. Specifically the wish-bone. See pulley-bone. "You
come under little sister's chicken bone, and I do believe she know'd you was
coming when she put it over the dore." Major Jones's Courtship, xii.

Chicken feed, ft. phr. Small change, nickels and dimes.

Chigger, ft. A tiny insect, the red-bug.

Chil(d)ern, ft. Children.

Chim(D)ly, n. Chimney.

Chim(b)ly-SWeep(er), "■ Chimney-swallow. Universal.

Chimney-sweeper, n. The chimney-swift. The latter is rarely or
never heard. See also sweeper.

Chinch, n. Bedbug.

Chinchy, adj. Full of or infested with bedbugs.

Chippy, ft. A harlot.

ehist, n. A chest, a substantially made box with a hinged lid or top.
Chest is rarely heard.

Chitlin(g), n. Chitterling : chiefly in the plural.

Chittlin(g)-l>read, n. Cornbread cooked with bits of chitterling in
it, — a heavy, greasy diet greatly enjoyed by the negroes. Cf. cracklin-bread

Chomp, r. i. and tr. To champ. See also next entry.

Chonk, v. i. To eat noisily. " You chonk like a horse."

choose, v. tr. Used as a polite refusal at table. " Will you have some
butter? " " No, I thank you, I wouldn't choose any."

Chop COtton, v. phr. To thin out the young cotton plants with hoes.
See vi ,1 'tun -chopper, etc.

chops, n. pi. Cracked Indian corn. Universal.

Christian-flycatcher, n. A bird that builds under the eaves of
houses or in hollows, always using a cast snake-skin in the nest. Perhaps
a corruption of crested-flycatcJier.

Christmas, ft. Whisky, especially in the Christmas egg-nog. " Has
it got enough Christmas in it ? "

Christmas gift, n- phr. A greeting on Christmas morning. The per-
son who is caught, i.e., who is greeted first, is expected to give a present to
the one who catches him. The custom is passing away.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 299

Cllllg" (t/Bg), adv. Chock. " The tub was chug full of honey."

Chug- (t/ug), v. tr. To punch, strike a punching blow.

cliune, n. and v. Tune.

Chunk, n. 1. A short, thick piece : used especially of light-wood (resin-
ous pine). " Go out in the old fields an' pick up some chunks." 2. A partly
consumed piece of firewood.

Chunk, v. tr. 1. To throw stones or other objects at. Common. 3.
To poke (the fire).

chunky, adj. Short and thick.

cinch, n. A sure thing, a clinch.

cinch, v. tr. To make sure of.

Cincinatti, n. The name of a game of marbles.

Ciuderilla, n. Cinderella : the only pronunciation heard.

circle, n. An earmark. See crop.

circumstance, n. In the negative expression 'not a circumstance
to,' a mere bagatelle in comparison with.

Clahber, n. Milk that is allowed to stand until it sours and thickens.
Also as a verb. The full form bonny-clabber is used, though in some locali-
ties it is rare and even unknown.

clam, v. tr. To climb. Pret. clammed or clum.

clap-in, clap-out, n. phr. The name of a game.

Clay-pea, n. A reddish variety of the cowpea.

claybank, n. A yellowish horse.

clear, adv. Entirely. Very common.

clear-seed, n. A free-stone peach. Also used as adj.

clear swing", n. phr. An open opportunity, a fair chance. " Give
him a clear swing, and he'll beat you every time."

clever, adj. Honest, good-natured, kindly. Rarely used in any other
sense.

Clift, n. Cliff.

clip, n. A sharp blow.

clip, v. i. To run rapidly. "He clipped it off down the road at a good
lick.''

Clil is, a. Clevis, an attachment on a plow.

clost, adj. Close.

clothes-press, n. Wardrobe. The common term.

cloud, n. A clouded playing-marble.

clum(b), pret. and pp. of climb. Sometimes dumbed. See clam.

clumsy-jack, n. A clumsy, awkward fellow. " He's a regular clumsy-
jack."

coach-whip, n. A black snake, so called from its resemblance to the
old-fashioned plaited leather coach-whip. Compare black-runner. Also
kot/ehwip.

coat, n. A dress or frock for a woman or child : used chiefly by negroes.

cobbler, n. A pie made in a deep pan with a crust on top only.
Often specifically designated, as peach-cobbler, potato-cobbler, etc.

COd, n. A testicle.

codger, n. A countryman, a rustic.

cold as Mixes, adj. phr. Very cold.

300 DIALECT NOTES.

COld-natlired, adj. Cool-blooded, easily made cold.

COllard greens, n. phr. Collards. "I'm a living monument to col -
lard greens, corn liquor, and good nature.'" Country newspaper.

COllash, r. i. To clash, collide : a combination word.

COllOgue, v. i. To collude, to be on intimate terms with.

COlume, ft. Column.

COmb, a. Eidgepole. saddle of a roof. "On the comb of the house."

come across, c. /ihr. To give in to, make concessions to, pay up.

Come ... a week ago, adv. phr. A week ago from the next — com-
ing day mentioned. " Come Friday a week ago, I went to see him about
it."

Comeback, v. phr. 1. Call again. 2. To reply, make retort.

come l>y, v. phr. 1. To visit. 2. To inherit, get. "He comesby his
temper honestly."

Come ill, v. phr. To calve.

COinc it, v. phr. To succeed. " He tried hard, but he couldn't quite
come it."

Come it on (over), <•. i>hr. To get the advantage of. "He couldn't
come it on me."

COme-off, n. See pretty come-off, a.

conic on, r. phr. To get on. " How do your folks come on ? "

come out at the big (little) end of the horn, v. phr. To come
out successfully (unsuccessfully).

conic through, v.phr. To get religion. "She had a hard time, but
she come thn at last."

comfort, a. A padded quilt, a down quilt.

comforter, n. A rubber nipple used to soothe a baby. Also called
fooler.

complected, adj. Complexioned. Often used by fairly well educated
persons.

compoodle, n. Same as caboodle.

Confab, n. Conversation, conference.

con fed, a. A confederate soldier, a veteran of the civil war.

confiiit einent, a. Contrivance. See quotation at folderol,

conniption fit, n. A fit of uneasiness, impatience, etc. About the
same as duck-fit.

consarn, n. Concern. See the quotation at folderol.

continental damn, n. phr. Used to express the trifling or worthless
nature of something. "It ain't worth a continental damn," i.e., a plain,
unequivocal damn.

Contraption, n. Contrivance.

contrary ikmi-tre-ri), adj. Stubborn. Also used as a verb in the
sense ' go contrary to the wishes of, oppose.' " He contraries me evy chance
he gets."

COntr*ary-wise, n. Contrary, stubborn.

coon, n. A negro. " Strike down the barrier between Caucasian and
Coon, and bring social equality." Xeics/injier.

COOn, ». i. and tr. To go on all-fours. " I cooned every log we come to."

cooter, n. A terrapin.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 301

COpp(e)ras britches, n. phr. Home-made trousers of coarse domes-
tic dyed with copperas.

corker, n. A knock-out blow, a good blow.

corking', adj. or adv. Fine, excellent. " We had a corking good time."

corn, n. Corn liquor. " He had so much com in him he couldn't walk."

corn-crib, n. A bin or sealed section in a barn for storing maize.
The regular bulged com-crib, common in the north and west, is rarely seen in
the south.

corn tier, »i. Corner. A negroism.

corn-dotlg'er, n. A loaf of cornbread : not the same as ash-cake.

COrn-pullin(g-) time, n. phr. The time for pulling or harvesting
Indian corn, usually September and October.

corn-shuckin(g), n. A husking bee.

corporacity, n. Body, corporal or physical make-up. Often heard in
the humorous expression, " How does your corporacity seem to segashuate ? "

corruption, n. Pus.

COSe, conj. Of course. Common. Frequently in cose.

COStes, 3d sing, of cost.

cotch(t), pret. and_pp. of catch.

COttige, n. Cartridge.

COtton-basket, a. See hamper basket.

cotton-chopper, n. A hand or workman who chops cotton. Also
simply chopper. " Choppers are hard to get this year."

cotton-choppin(g) time, n. phr. Time to chop cotton, from late
May through June.

cotton pat eh, n. phr. The common expression. Cotton field is rare
cornfield common; corn patch rare.

cotton-picking time, n. phr. The time for picking cotton, begin-
ning in early September and extending into December. The terms harvest,
harvesting) time, are restricted to the small grains, and as these crops are
often insignificant, the words are rarely heard. Other terms in common use
are corn-pulling time, fodder-pulling time, etc.

cotton-sack, n. A bag with a strap for hanging over the shoulder,
used in picking cotton.
counting out rimes.

(1) '• Eeny-meeny-miny-mo,

Ketch a nigger by the toe,
Ef he holler let 'im go,
Eeny-meeny-miny-mo. "

Sometimes meeny, meeny, miny-mo is used.

(2) ' ' One-a-ma-nu-ry, dickery, seven ;

Alabo, craekabo, ten, eleven ;
Pee-po, must be done,
Twiggle, twaggle, twenty-one."

country cousin, n. phr. Menses.

country-cracker, n. A backwoodsman, a rustic. The term cracker
is specifically applied to a Georgian.

DIALECT NOTES.

count the t ies, ft. phr. To walk the railroad track when one hasn't
the money to ride.

coupon, ft. Pronounced kiu-pon.

coverlid, ft. Coverlet, counterpane.

COWCUmber, n. Cucumber. Rare.

cow-lick, a. A tuft of hair on the forehead, which seems to have been
licked backward. This is ordinarily considered a mark of comeliness. " He's
go! a double cowlick" i.e.. two cowlicks.

COW'S tail, n. phr. The last one. " He is always the coiv's tail." "You
are always like the old cow's tail."

crab-lantern, n. A half-moon pie made of dried fruit and fried.

Crack a Smile, v. phr. To smile.

Cracker, ft. A Georgian. Sometimes called corn-cracker, which was
probably the original form of the word.

cracklin, ft. A small bit of tissue of pork after having the lard fried
out. See quotation at fat-gourd. " Burnt to a cracklin."

Cracklin-bread, ft. Cornbread cooked with cracklins in it, — a great
delicacy among the negroes.

Crack Of day, ft. phr. Early dawn, daybreak.

cramberry, n. Cranberry.

crain(-jain), mlr. Completely, entirely: used with full. "The jar
was cram-jam full."

Crank-Sided, adj. Having one side longer than the other, crooked,
out of shape, askew.

crap, n. and v. Pronunciation of crop. Very common.

crap-grass, ». Crab-grass.

Crap out, o. phr. To fail to make good in the game of craps. Also
used in college slang of failing on examination.

craps, ft. A game at dice: a very common mode of gambling among
the negroes.

craw, »'. A chicken's crop or gizzard: commonly applied in figurative
phrases. See sand {grit) in one's craw, stick in one's craw.

crawfish, o. i. To back out of a trade, proposition, etc.

Crawl, v. i. To creep, as a child. "One must era k7 before he walks,"
is a common saying. Creep is not used in this sense.

crazy as a bat, adj. phr. Very crazy.

crazy as a bedbug-, adj. phr. Very crazy, silly, foolish, etc. Com-
mon.

Crep, pret. and ///». of creep.

crinklety-Cranklety, adj. Crinkled, roughly creased. "Myclothes
are all crinklety-cranklety."

cripplety-crumplety, adj. (rumpled.

critter, ». Creature. Applied to animals or older persons. "Poor
(.I" critter ! She's on her last legs."

Cr6ker-sack, ft. A hag made of burlap or coarse brown hemp. Uni-
versal. The first element was doubtless originally crocus, the final s being
absorbed byT the initial s of sack.

crooked as a ram's horn, adj. phi . Very crooked.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 303

crop, n. An earmark of ownership or identification, used in marking
swine, cattle, etc., being a piece cut off at the point or tip of the ear. In
addition there are the undercrop (a piece cut off on the lower side of the ear),
and the over-crop (from the upper side of the ear). Other marks are the
over-square and under-square, the split (of which there are several kinds,
the simple split being a straight downward slit), the bit (a semi-circular cut,
the under-bit being on the lower side, the over-bit on the upper side of the
ear), the swallow-fork (a triangular cat), the circle (a hole in the ear), etc.
Each farmer has his own mark made up of a combination of these. For
example, the mark used by my grandfather was " a swallow-fork in each and
an underbit in the left." The custom of marking is still in vogue though
not so common since the advent of hog-proof fences. See also dewflap.

crope, pret. and pp. of creep.

cross as a (old) bear, adj. phr. Exceedingly ill-humored.

Cross as X, adj. phr. Very cross or ill-humored.

cross one's heart, v. phr. Used in emphatic asseverations as equiva-
lent to a solemn oath.

cross-vine, n. A porous vine much used by boys for smoking.

crow's-foot, n. A form made on the fingers with a string.

crumplety, adj. Crumpled, rumpled.

criunple(ty)-lioriied, adj. Having irregular or twisted horns. A cow
with such horns is often called Crumplety horns, or simply Crump.

Clicklebur, n. Cocklebur. Universal.

Clld, n. Pronounced kud. "The cow chews its cood."

cue, n. Barbecue. "Judge Denson gave a cue to a number of his
friends on Monday evening [afternoon]." Newspaper.

culbert, n. Culvert.

curl, n. The tendril on a watermelon vine. A melon is said to be ripe
when the curl, i.e., the particular tendril at the axil of the melon stem,
has turned brown or is dead. Often pronounced kwirl by the negroes.

curleycu(l)e, n. A flourish, particularly in writing.

Clirp \ interj. The common call for horses. " Curp ! curp .' Curpy,

curpy ' coltie ; here's your mammy ! "

CUr-winch, interj. The common call for cows. See winch.

CU-sheepy, n. A children's game. The leader continually cries cu-shei'/ni
the other children follow and answer each time baa-a-a. In the end the
leader turns and tries to catch a sheep before all get back home.

euss, v. and n. Curse. The latter form is rarely used colloquially.

custard, n. Custard pie.

cut a (big') dash, v. phr. To made a display. "When Christmas
comes we'll cut a biff dash." J. C. Harris, Tales of the Home-Folks, p. 5.

cut and run, v. phr. To start quickly and run away.

cut butter, o. phr. Used in negative expressions of a dull knife.
" Your ole knife wouldn't cut butter."

cut loose, v. phr. To begin.

/•lit out, v. phr. 1. To run away hastily. "Take hold of him before
he cuts out." Major Jones's Courtship, xix. 2. To supplant in some one's
affections. " She cut Mary out of her beau."

CUt (up) didoes, v. phr. To cut capers, to act smart.

304 DIALECT NOT1

cut up flack, r. phr. To do mischief, romp around and tear up things.
Cypuss, a. Pronunciation of cypress. " The ci/puss-knees are thick in
this swamp."

dad-blame(<l), interj. A mild expletive.

dad-blast, interj. A mild imprecation.

dad-burn, interj. A mild expletive.

daffy, adj. Foolish, idiotic.

< 1 : » ii l>ust it, interj. phr. An expletive.

damdest, a. Utmost, best. ' • He done his damdest. "

dauder, a. Anger, temper, spirit. "He's got plenty of dander."
Also in the common phrase ' to get one's (lander up.'

dang', o. and n. A mild variant of dam,,

dark, n. Dusk. The latter is not used.

da r)sen*t, o. phr. Dare not. (Originally third person daresnH.) "I
dassen't touch it."

de, adj. The. So also cKs, dat, dem, den, dere, etc. These forms have
not been entered because they are so distinctive of the negro dialect. The
use of these forms is rapidly increasing among the white people, however.

dead, adj. Unconscious, senseless. "He was knocked dead for a few
minutes."

dead. adv. Entirely, completely.

dead as a door-nail. adj. phr. Entirely dead.

dead as Hector, adj. phr. Entirely dead. Very common.

dead-line, n. In the game of marbles, a line drawn near the ring. If
one's taw falls short of this line on the first shot, he is dead, and must drop
out of the game.

(dead)loads, n.phr. A great quantity.

deadwood, n. Advantage. "I've got the deadwood on him now."

deaf as a (door) post, adj. phr. Exceedingly deaf.

death-STVeat, n. Perspiration on a person just before dissolution.

deef, adj. Deaf. " Ole Kit's both blind and da Loxgstreet.

Georgia Scenes, p. 80. Still common.

deest ric t I, ft. District.

deficit, ft. Pronounced di-fi- -it.

demean, o. tr. To degrade.

des, adv. Just. Chiefly a negroism.

despise, o. tr. To dislike. •' I despise to sweep."

devil's horse, ft. The praying mantis. Sometimes called devil's rid-

ini'j\ hues,-.

devil's snuff-box, n. A puff ball.

dewflap, n. A mark of identification or ownership on cattle, made by
cutting a strip of skin on the lower part of the neck just above the breast, so
as to allow it to hang loose like a flap. Compare dewlap. See crap.

diacumbelicum, ft. Bowel trouble, diarrhoea. Facetious.

dicker, ft. Plan, fashion. "They got it up accordin* to the latest
dicker." Rare.

dickunce, interj. Dickens.

dickunce and Tom Walker, the, interj. phr. Very common.

diddle, . tr.-d.iidi. 1. To toddle, dawdle. 2. To copulate.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 305

dicly (dai-di), n. A baby breech cloth, a diaper.

did you ever, interj. phr. Common among the women.

die, n. See straight as a die.

diffunt, adj. Different.

diggin(g)s, n. pi. Neighborhood, region.

dike, n. A display of dress. " He's on a big dike to-day."

dike, v. tr. To dress oneself so as to make a display, to dress well.
"He diked himself in his Sunday-go-to-meetin clothes." Probably from
deck with influence of dight.

diked up (or out), adj. phr. " He was all diked up in his best clothes."

dil-dally, v. i. To dillydally.

din gnat ion, n. Damnation.

dinky, adj. Neat, trim. Common.

dinky, n. Sweetheart. Rare.

dip, n. As much snuff as will adhere to a dampened wooden tooth-
brush (q.v.).

dip, v. i. To use snuff. " She dips."

dipper, n. One who uses snuff.

dirt cheap, adj. phr. Very cheap. Common.

dirt-dobber, n. The mud-wasp. Also called simply dobbcr.

dirt-eater, n. Clay-eater. The latter term is rarely used.

dirt-road, n. Public highway : distinguished from railroad, pike, etc.

dirty, v. i. To void excrement.

disappillt, v. To disappoint. Also disappintment.

dish-rag, n. The sponge gourd, the towel-gourd.

disk-plow, n. Plow fitted with a revolving disk: called coulter or
simply plow in the north and west.

dispepsy, n. Dyspepsia.

disremember, <■. tr. To forget. Common.

distracted lneotin(g), n. phr. Protracted religious services. Face
tious and usually abbreviated to ' stracted meetin'.'

do about, v. phr. To bestir one-self, get busy, hurry. "Do about,
boys, and let's get this job done."

dob, v. and n. Pronunciation of daub. "Fill it with moss and d<it> it
with clay."

dobber, n. Dauber. See dirt-dobber.

do by, r. phr. To do for, give opportunities to. "He's done well by
his childern."

dob darn, dod drot, interj. phr. Mild imprecations.

dodger, n. Corn-dodger (q.v.).

dog cheap, adj. Very cheap.

dog-dare ) r f/, To challenge defiantly.

double-dog-dare »

dog-gone, interj. Very common.

<log-goned, adj. Darned.

dog(-gone) my cats, interj. phr.

dog-Latin, n. A kind of language made up of transposed syllables,
initial letters, etc., used by children. See J. C. Harris's Gabriel Tolliver,
p. 334, where an extensive sample is given. Also called hog-Latin.

» )

306 DIALECT NOTES.

dog-nap, n. A Blight or troubled Bleep. Cat-nap is more common in
th;-

dog's foot, t lie. phr. Used as an expression of disgust or con-

pt. •• The dog's foot ! I'll do no such thing ! "

dog take it, inter/ phr.

doing > , a. pi. Prepared dishes, especially fancy dishes.

doll-baby, i. 1. a dull. 2. & sweetheart.

doll-rags, n. pi. 1. Small pieces, bits. 2. Belongings, clothes. "I
packed up my doll-rags and left."

doltage, ■ Dotage. Nbtcommon.

domestic, n. \ coarse while cotton cloth, bleached or unbleached.
Not used in the plural form except for grades or rolls of the goods. A mer-
chant speaks of getting in Ins domestics, but he sells live yards of domestic.

dom i neck it . n. A lured of chickens having a mottled coloration.
Also used attributively "Catch that ole dominecker hen." Dominique is

not Used.

done, pp. This is commonly used as an expletive auxiliary, adding the
force of completed action to the main verb. " He's done gone and done it
Also widely used as a preterit.

dony, n. Girl, sweetheart. Probably from the Sp. doiia. "My dony
don' wear no drawers," — a line from a popular negro song.

doo-funny, n. A thing the oame of which one cannot readily recall.

I >OOley(-yam), n. A fav< rite variety of the yam sweet potato.

do one dirt, v. ///</•. To do a mean act to, treat unjustly or uncivilly,
injure, harm.

do one that (this; a way, v. phr. To do that (this) to one. "I
didn't think you would do me that a way." A child never says " do that to
me,'' but "do me that (a)way."

dost, n. and o. Dose. "If you like sech folks it's a thousand pities
you've come lure, for you'll ^\i a doste of 'em." J. C. Harris, Free Joe, p.
180. The plural is dostes. Compare postes, etc.

doty, adj. Decayed : said of wood. Not in general use.

double-Cabin, n. A cabin of two log rooms with an open hall between,
and all covered under one roof.

double-jointed, adj. Having joints of abnormal suppleness or free-
dom of motion ; very large and strong : often pronounced dgainted.

double-tree, n. A pair of whiffletrees for a two-horse wagon; also
the beam to which the Bingle-trees are attached.

dougb, n. .Money.

dough-face, ". A false-face or mask, especially a comical or ugly one ;
also a person wearing such a mask, especially in costume as a mummer (see
fantastic). Originally dough-face was literally a face made of dough. Com-
pare the quotation. " Two boys . . . agreed to furnish dough-faces for
tle-m all. Nothing more ghastly than masks of dough can well be imagined."
Eggleston, Hoosier School-boy, eh. 18, p. 120.

do ii p, '■. phr. To wash, starch, and iron (clothes).

do ut (en), cory. Unless. See without.

ddve,i>ret. of dive. Pronounced dev or ddv. Rarely d&ved.

draff, n. Draft. " Draff horses. "

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 307

(Iraf(t)-man, n. One of the pieces used in the game of checkers or drafts.

(Iraf(t)S, n. Checkers : rarely called by the regular name.

draggin(g), n. Impertinence, fooling. "I don't perpose to take no
draggin'."

drain, n. Whisky. A general term not always limited to the sense 'a
drink of whisky.' " It's a little stronger'n water an' not quite as strong as
dram." J. C. Harris, On the Wing of Occasion, p. 170.

drank, pp. Drunk. "I have already drunk." Drunk is avoided by
the fastidious, apparently on account of the association with drunk, intoxi-
cated. The regular pp. drunk is in common use in rural speech. It is also
used as a preterit.

drap, ». and r. Drop.

draps. n. pi. Liquid medicine to be given in doses of so many drops ;
hence, any liquid medicine.

drap(t), pret. andjjp. of drop.

dravy, /*. Gravy. A facetious perversion in the phrase, "If you can't
say dravy, say dreece, by drannies." See granny.

draw in one's horns, v. phr. To retire, leave off boasting. Com-
pare the habit of the snail.

dreen, v. and n. Drain.

dreen ings, n. pi. Drainings.

dreinp, pret. of dream. " I dremp a dream last night."

drib, n. A driblet, a drop, a small quantity. " He paid him up in
drills."

dribble, v. i. To drivel. "You make me dribble at the mouth."

dribs-like, adv. In small quantities. " His money come to him dribs-
like."

dried-apple dam(n), a, n. Used to express the trifling or worthless
nature of a thing. " It ain't wuff a dried-apple dam(n)." Compare tinker's
dam, of which this may be a variant.

drop one's candy, v. phr. To make a big blunder, do something to
cause the failure of a plan. Probably the phrase originated at the candy -
pullings (q. v.), which were often held out of doors ; if one dropped his candy,
he naturally lost it on account of the grit and dirt.

drops, n. In the game of marbles, the privilege of standing and drop-
ping one's taw upon an opponent's taw when he has called and taken the
privilege of ups (q.v.). Sometimes called draps.

droAvnded, pret. and pp. of drown. Almost universally pronounced in
two syllables.

drug', pret. of drag. Very common.

drilllk, pret. of drink.

drunk as a coot(er), n. Very drunk.

drunk as a fiddler's bitch, adj. phr. Extremely drunk. Common.

dry as a bone, (chip, gourd), adj. phr. Very dry.

dry-grins, n. pi. A state of feeling in which one is so teased, embar-
rassed, or chagrined that he can do nothing but grin. "Look at John.
He's got the dry-grins." (Is there any connection with chagrin ?)

dry so, adv. phr. Plainly, just so. "I always take my whisky dry so."

dry up, v. phr. To stop talking.

DIALECT XOTES.

<lul»>, rt. A term La marbles, used \v lun two men are knocked out of the
ring : doubh

(I uck, <>. A cigarette stub.

<1 n «- K . v, tr. To baptize by immersion. Facetious.

duck-fit, "■ A tit of excitement, impatience, or uneasiness; a spell of
' jim-jams '; a tantrum. " Horace Greeley . . . and his friends bad a good
many duck-fits about it." J. C. Harris. On the Wing of Occasion, p. 195.

duckin(g), n. Baptismal services. " Did you go to the ducking^"

duds, ft. pi. Clothes. " Wait till I get my duds on."

dull as a frOW, adj. phr. Very dull : said of any cutting tool. The
meaning of frow is almost entirely lost sight of, but the expression is a
common one. " .My old knife is as dull as a frow."

dllUlb-Chill, "• phr. Ague and fever without the violent rigor. "I
had a dumb chill this morning."

dummy, n. 1. A small-sized locomotive engine: also the train pulled
by Buch an engine. "Are you going to Opelika on the c/tt»i}>n/?" 2. A
dumb person.

dunipy, adj. Grumpy, sullen. Common.

dung-hill Chicken, n. A common chicken: opposed to the fancy
breeds.

<hi*t, o. i. To make dust fly by running, hurry. " Git up and dust, yon
lazy rascal ! "

each, v. i. To itch. Common in rural speech.

•• Milk an peaches,
My nose eaches."

ear-hob, n. Earring. Common.

«';in| (1st), n. Yeast. This is the universal pronunciation.

eat, ''• tr. Pret. et, even among the best families; et, it, ttn, and et are
used in the pp. Pret. ate let i lias .-omein through the schools.

eat fine's hat, v. phr. Used in emphatic asseverations. "I'll eat my
hut if you do what you say you will."

eat philopeua, aeephilopena.

eggbread, n. Cornbread made with eggs.

elbow-grease, n. Strength, muscular exertion, manual labor.
" Chambers county soil responds to the combination of intelligence, ferti-
lization and elbow grease." Newspaper.

ell-an'-yard, n. The bell of tie- constellation Orion. "The ell an'
yard are a-making ther disappearance. '' J. C. Harris, Balaam and his
Master, p. 221.

ellum, ". Kim: chiefly in slippery ellum.

elOCUte, 0. i. To recite in elocutionary style.

endivior best, n. phr. Besi endeavor. " I'll do my endeevior best to

OU."

endurin(g), prep. During.

endurin(g), adj. Lasting, continuing. ''lie slept the whole endurin
tit,,-
ep, adv. Up: used principally in speaking to a horse. " Get ep.''
Episcopal, n. An Episcopalian. Common.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 309

epizootics, n. 1. A disease among cattle. 2. Among persons, ' the
blues,' the mulligrubs. " He has a bad case of epizootics."
er, conj. Or. The r is usually lost.

es, v. A contraction of let us. " I tell you what es do." Sometimes
farther contracted to e.

et, pret. and pp. of eat (q.v.).

ev(e)nin(g), n. Afternoon, the time from noon till dark. Late this
evening is used to indicate any time from four o'clock till dark. Sundown
and dark are used for dusk. "I'll see you at two o'clock to-morrow even-
ing."

even Stephen, adj. phr. Exactly even.
ever, adj. Every. Not so common as er;/.

everwllich, pron. Whichever. " Take everwhich (one) you want."
ever(y) which a way, adv. phr. In all directions.
evy, adj. Every. Also evything, etc.
excusin(g), prep. Excepting.

exquisite, adj. Almost universally accented on the second syllable.
fac, n. Fact.

tare one down, v. phr. To deny flatly, face direct proof boldly.
"He/oced me down that he warn't there, an' I saw him."
fair, adv. Fairly. " He hit me fair in the face."
fair fight, n. phr. A fight with bare fists.

fair fist and skull (fight), n. phr. A right without weapons. Also
as adv. " He can whip ary one of you, fair fist and skull."
fair up, r. phr. Of the weather, to clear up.
fall <>tt", ''• phr. To become thin, lose flesh.
fam(D)ly, n. Family.

family-favor, n. Family resemblance. "You can see the family-
favor in every one of the Satterwhites."

fail out, B. phr. To whip, chastise. "He had met the great Brindle
Dog in the road, and had fanned him out in a fair fight." J. C. Harris,
Mr. Babbit at Home, p. 187. Common.

fantastic, «. A mummer. Still in common use in the villages. See
the quotation. " He dressed himself up after the style of the ' Fantastics,
as modern mummers were called in the South just prior to the war." J. C.
Harris, On the Wing of Occasion, p. 82.

i"aiitastical,». Same as fantastic. Bare.
far side, n. phr. Farther side.

fat, adj. In marbles, when one's taw stops inside the ring he is said to
be fat. St ink is the term used in Texas.

fat-gourd, n. A receptacle for grease, meat drippings, etc., originally
a large gourd used for this purpose. " The best man at a horse-swap that
ever stole cracklins out of his mammy's fat-gourd.'" Longstreet, Georgia
Scenes, p. 24.

f*at-i-gued, adj. Fatigued. Facetious.
fatty-bread, n. Same as cracklin-bread.

faiis(t) \n. Seeficr. Perhaps the origin of this word is the dog in

failS(t) dog S the Faust legend: Faust dog, faust, faist, fais. " Wun
er deze yer \Wfausez," is common among the negroes.

310 DIALECT NOTES.

fausty, adj. Meddlesome, like a little fiee. Al-.> faisi i.

failt, pret. and ]>/>. of fight. " I was jist seein' how I could a faut."
!.■ is - s, p, 11.

favor, n. Family resemblance. "Those who had known the old lady
remarked the 'favor1 — as they called it — as soon as they saw the grand-
daughter." J. C. Harris, Tales of the Home-Folks, p. II.

favor, v. tr. To resemble. Universal.

fa\ orite, n. and adj. Pronounced lY-vn-vait by the illiterate.

faze, p. tr. To make an impression on, affect, harm, disturb: usually
in negative i ons. "He drunk a quart of whisky, but it didn't faze

him."

feard, adj. See afeard.

fel, ft. A familiar contraction of fellow. " How are you, ole/eZ?"

feller, ft. Fellow.

ferget, v. Forget. Often pronounced fergit.

fesser, a. Professor. Sometimes fess is used as a familiar term of
address outside of the class-room. Every man that teaches is called a pro-

fess up, v. phr. To confess. Slang.

fetcll,i7.fr. Pret. fetched, fotch(t). To bring forth, utter. Also in other
senses. " Kefotch Buch a yell that the woods fair trembled." The word is
very <"mniou in rural speech, but is felt as an extreme vulgarism by the
semi-educated.

fetching, fetchy, adj. Charming, attractive.

fettle, ft. Condition, trim, order, repair. "I'm in fine fettle to-day."

fice ) ft. A small dog, a terrier. Common. Plural sometimes

lj».t (faist \ fistes, faustes. See faust and fisty.

fice-dog, n. Sameas/ice.

fiddler's bitch, see drunk as << fiddler's bitch.

fiddlesticks, interj. Common.

field-pea, <>1<I field-pea, ft. A kind of cow-pea, so called because
it is the only crop that will grow on the old or worn-out cotton fields.

^Hadj. Fifth.

fifth class, ft. Sub-freshman class. Also fifth classman.

fifth quarter, n. phr. 1. The hide and tallow of a dressed animal.
2. The small pieces of a dressed fowl, as the liver, gizzard, etc.

figger, ft. Figure.

figure-four, ft. A trap or set of triggers in the form of the figure 4.
Pronounced figs-fd.

find, o. tr. To give birth to: used of all domestic animals, but particu-
larly of cattle. " The cat has/-;"//'/ some kittens."

fine as a fiddle, adj. phr. Extremely fine.

finicky, adj. Finical, over-nice, fussy, mincing. Common. Finikin(g)
is not used so f;tr as I know.

first-Class, ft. phr. Senior class. Common. Also first classman.
Juniors are called second classmen, sophomores third classmen, and fresh-
men fourth dassmen. Sub-freshmen are fifth classmen. These forms are
passing, but they are still in use at the A. P. I.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 311

fish-fry, h. A picnic or fishing party where the fish are caught and
fried on the grounds.

fishing for love, n. phr. A young people's game.

fish(ing)-WOrm, ». Angle-worm. Commonly called bait.

fist, h. See fi cc.

fist, n. Handwriting.

fist and skull, adj. or adv. phr. Without weapons. " A. fist and skull
fight." See fair fist and skull fight.

tisty (faisti), adj. Meddlesome, boringly bothersome, like a little fice
or fist.

fit, pret. and p/j. of fight.

fitified, adj. Subject to fits.

fitteil, adj. Fit. Common.

fit to kill, adv. phr. Heartily, excessively. "I laughed fit to kill."
Also as an adj. in the negative expression 'not fit to kill,' i.e., worthless.

fixill(g)S, n. pi. Prepared dishes, especially fancy dishes, desserts, etc.

fix to, v. phr. To get ready to. Chiefly in the ppr. "It's fixin(g) to
rain." " They're fixin? to leave."

fizzle, v. i. 1. To break wind. 2. To fail completely.

fizzle, n. 1. A breaking of wind. 2. A failure.

flaberg"ast(er)ecl, adj. Exhausted, limp from exhaustion, run-down,
"lam completely flabergasted to-day." Cf. D. X. iii, p. 61 for a different
sense.

flat as a flounder, adj. phr. Very flat. Common.

flat-footed, adv. Plainly, bluntly, resolutely.

flat-head, n. A wood-worm found burrowing in dead wood, enpecially
dead pine trees.

flinderation, n. The state of being in flinders or fragments. Com-
mon.

flinders, n. pi. Fragments. The singular is not used.

fling up, o. phr. To vomit.

flinktum-flunktum, ». Sweetheart. Rare.

fi i |), adj. Loose in morals, immodest, unchaste.

flip, n. Same as slingshot but not so commonly used.

flustrate, o. tr. To confuse, befuddle ; chiefly iu pp. "She was all
flustrated."1

flutter-mill, n. A small undershot or overshot water wheel, a child's
plaything.

fly around, v. phr. To court, pay attention to. "What girl is he
flyin? around now ? "

flyin(g)-jinny, n. A merry-go-round. Universal.

fly off the handle, v. phr. To become angry, lose control of one's
temper.

foalded, pp. of foal. Common.

fodder, /!. The leaves of Indian corn cured in the air. The word is
never used of any other kind of hay.

fodder-pullin(g-) time, ». phr. The time for pulling fodder, usually
the first weeks in August.

22

312 DIALECT NOTES.

folderol, n. A bit of foolishness, a gewgaw. ''She . . . pictur'd out
to your Aunt Sally ev'ry flower an' folderol an' all the confluteruents that
the consarn had on it." -). ('. Harris, sister jane, p. 1G8.
fool, adj. Koolish.

fooler, n. A ni pi ile for consoling a baby. Also called comforter,
fool headed, adj. Foolish.

fool self. Used ra various reflexive phrases, "his fool self," " my fool
self," "your fool self," etc.

foot-adze, ft. Adze. Common.

foot and :i half, n. /<///-. A jumping game. The players jump over
the one who is 'down,' as in leap-frog, the difference being the length of
the leap, as the game progresses. See also half-over.
foot-lOOSe, adj. Free, disengaged, unshackled.

for all, adv. flu '■ Whatever. " Don't swaller the seed for all you do."
forecasted, pret. and pj>. of forecast. Newspaper usage. Common.
forepart, n. Early part, front. "The forepart of the day ; the fore-
part of the wagon."

for good and all, adv. phr. For all time.

fork, r. fr. In chess, to move a piece so as to attack two pieces at once.
See get britches on.

for keeps, adv. phr. In games of marbles, for good. See winance.
for to. prep. phr. In order to. " What did you come here/or to do?"
Common among the illiterate.

forty-'levcn, adj. A large number of. " There was about forty- leven
mosquitoes on me."

forty miles from nowhere, adv. phr. Far from any civilized or
settled section.

fotch(t), pret. and pp. oi fetch. Chiefly among the negroes.
foul, adj. Weedy, grassy. " My cotton is awful foul."
found, pret. and pp. of fine. "The mayor found him ten dollars and
costs." Not unusual.

founder, v. tr. and i. To make sick by overfeeding.
fourth elass, ft. phr. Freshman class. Also fourth classman, etc.
fox-berry, a. The berry on the common bramble (q.v.).
i*OX-flre, ft. The phosphorescent glow on decayed wood. Common.
fox-trot, o. i. To take the gait known as fox-trot. "My horse can
fox-trot." Common.

fraction, ft. A small quantity, space, etc. "Move it just a fraction."
frail, v. tr. To whip soundly, beat with a stick. "The livin' human
bein' that stirs her up'll have ter frail 'er out, er she'll frail him." J. C.
Harris, At Teague PoteeVs, p. 105.

frailin(g), n. A beating. " I'll give you afrailin1 if you don't mind."
frat, ft. Fraternity. " There are ten / 'rats in this college."
f rat-man, ft. A member of a Greek-letter fraternity.
frazzle, ft. A remnant, a shred. Often used figuratively. "I was
worn to a frazzle." Roosevelt, " We've got 'em whipped to a frazzle."

frazzle, v. tr. To wear to shreds, fray: often with out. "My coat
was all frazzled out." Often used figuratively. " After this long day's
tramp I was completely frazzled."

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 313

frazzled, pp. Tangled, frayed. " Her hair was of a reddish gray color,
and its frazzled and tangled condition suggested that the woman had recently
passed through a period of extreme excitement." J. C. Harris, Free Joe,
p. ITT.

French harp, ft. Harmonica.

French mocker ) ft. The butcher bird. Also called logger-

French mocking" bird ) head(q.v.). There is a superstition that this
bird would speak French if its tongue were split.

French philopena, seephilopena.

fried-apron, ». A flannel cloth soaked or 'fried' in hot grease and
hung like an apron over the chest for protective and curative purposes in
treatment of croup, colds, etc.

friz, pret. and pp. of freeze. Frez is also used.

frock-tail, n. A cutaway coat. Also frock-tail coat.

frog-, n. Toad. Very common.

frog-house, n. A small cave or hollow mound made in dampened
sand by children, usually by heaping the sand about the bare foot. Toads
often appropriate these ' houses ' as hiding places.

frog-sticker, ft. A pocket-knife : often used humorously as a term of
derogation. " Lend me jour frog-sticker," i.e., ' lend me that sorry old knife
of yours.'

frog-stool, ft. Toad-stool.

frolic, n. A country dance or party.

from A to izzard, adv. jiltr. Thoroughly, from one end to the other.
" I know this town from, A to izzard."

fry, a. Fried meat. " Pass me the fry."

fryiii(g)-size(d), adj. Applied to half-grown children. "There were
half a dozen fryin'-size girls there."

full as a goat, adj. phr. Intoxicated, very drunk.

full jis a tick, adj. phr. Very full : rarely used of intoxication.

full up, adj. phr. Very full, busy, etc.

fum, prep. From.

funky, adj. Musty, foul-smelling.

funny-bone, n. The crazy-bone. Universal.

furder, adv. Further.

fur-side, n. phr. Further side.

fuss, /*. and r. Quarrel. The word is rarely used in the sense of
' make an ado over trifles, fret.'

fus(t), adj. and adv. First. "Never keep behind your boss when you
fuss come on the ground." Loxgstreet, Georgia Scenes, p. 154.

gab, n. Idle talk, mouth. " Shut up your gab."

gaiter, n. A low cut shoe : chiefly in plural. Congress gaiters are high-
cut shoes with elastic insertions.

gal, n. Girl.

galded, pret. and pp. of gall.

gall, ft. Impudence, brazen assurance. "He's got the gall of a Bay
State mule."

gallavant, v. i. To go about as a gallant, go courting, run about.
" He's gallavantin around among the gals."

314 DIALECT NOTES.

(jailer J , n. A veranda or porch. Also railed piazza (often pronounced
paiaea). All these terma are used, hu1 gallery is perhaps the commonest
in colloquial usage. Front gallery, back gallery, side gallery, are used to
designate the position of the veranda.

gallus(es), n. pi. Snspenders. See one-gallused.

galoot . n. A Eool, a simpleton.

ganglin(g), adj. Awkward, louse-jointed. "He's a great big, awk-
ward, ganglin feller."

ii : 1 1 ► o. i. To yawn.

gaps (gasps), n. pi. A disease of chickens, in which the chicken gapes
continually.

garden-sass, n. Vegetables, particularly greens, salads, etc. The
Bimple form sass is rarely used.

gaub . ■ A gob, a lump or mass. " You nasty, good-for-nothing,

snaggle-toothed gaub of fat." Longstbeet. Georgia Scenes I The Fight), p. 56.

gear(s), n. Harness, especially the simple harness usi id in plowing.

gee dgi), b. i. To agree, get along. Often in the phrase gee horses.
" Them two don't gee horses atall."

geeminetty, geeminj (crickets), geeminy Chris(t)mas,
gee-whillikins, geewhilligins, geewhiz, interjections.

Gen(er)al Green, n. phr. Grass and weeds in the growing crops.
'• The campaign carried on during the past two weeks against General Green
is about to be crowned with success." Newspaper.

genyuwine (ain), adj. Genuine. Sometimes pronounced dgin-i-wain.
'• Why. it's ginnywine coffee '." J. C. Harris, Tales of the Home-Folks, p.

Georgy, n. Georgia.

gert, girt, n. Girth, saddle-girth.

get away with, o. phr. To get the advantage of, play a joke on, fool.
" Sou can't get away with me." See also quotation at nigger-tuck.

gel I > i-i t <-li«"s on, o. phr. In chess or checkers, to move a piece so as
to attack two pieces at once so that both of them cannot escape.

gel one's company, v. phr. To punish one, chastise one. "You
,ind, or I'll get your company."

gel one's tag, v. phr. To whip or chastise one.

gel tin' bulge on. v. phr. To get the advantage of.

get 1 1 1 «' deadWOOd On, v. phr. To get the advantage of.

gettill g)-place, n. Used in evasive answers. " Where did you get
that ■" •" At the getting-place." Gitn is the common pronunciation.

gel In u<>, do, See, etc.), <■. phr. To have a chance to (go, do, see,
etc.). Universal.

get-up-and-get, n. Energy, activity. Usually pronounced git-up-
lit . " He's got plenty of git-up an'-git about him."

get upon the wrong Side Of the bed, v. phr. To rise from bed
in a had humor. Also get out of bed with the wrong foot foremost.

gin j prep. Against, before, by the time. "You better be thu that

ginst v work gin 1 get back."

gin, pret. and pp. of give. " She gin me a look that made me proud."
See also quotation at yerb.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 315

ginger, ». Life, snap. " He lacks ginger."

. , \-n. General.

ginnerl )

give, pret. andj)£>. of give. "I would 'a give it to her if she had 'a ast
me for it." Common.

give a wide berth, v. phr. To give plenty of room, keep away from.

give down, v. phr. Said of cows in regard to milk. " Ole Sook won't
give down her milk till the calf sucks."

give in, v. phr. To declare, render. " Three or four countrymen . . .
passed into the court-house to give in their taxes." Harben, The Georgians,
p. 6.

given-name, n. The Christian name, all but the surname.

give one bringer, v. phr. To give one severe punishment, make it
hot for one.' " I'll take a cowhide an' give you bringer if you don't mind."

give one fits, v. phr. To heat or berate soundly, to punish severely.

give one bail Columbia, Happy Land, v. phr. To punish, beat,
berate. Happy Land is sometimes omitted.

give out, r. phr. 1. To give up, postpone. " We've done give out
goin'." 2. To announce. " They give out a meetin' at Boyd's school-house
for next Sunday."

qive-way, n. A child's game at drafts in which the object is to get
rid of one's men as rapidly as possible, the one first exhausting his forces
being the winner. Each player must ' jump ' at every opportunity.

gizzard, n. 1. The seat of one's courage. 2. Life : in the specific phrase
' to save one's gizzard.' " I couldn't reach it to save my gizzard," i.e., ' no
matter how hai'd I tried.'

glass, n. A playing-marble made of glass.

glut, n. A wooden wedge used in splitting logs.

gnat-butter, n. Decayed skin tissue.

gnat's heel )n. phr. Any thing very small. "It fitted to a gout's

gnat's toe-nail ) toe-nail," i.e., perfectly.

go, v. i. To intend. " I didn't go to do it." Universal.

go (a-) streakin(g), v. phr. To go hastily, run about.

go-by, n. A cut direct. Often used in the phrase ' to give one the go-
by,' i.e., ' to neglect, leave out of consideration.'

go by the board, o. phr. To go beyond recovery, be lost completely.
" He's gone by the board."

God's country, n. phr. A name for one's own country, section, or
state. " I'm glad to git back to God's country agin." Said particularly after
a visit to some western state.

go halvers, o. phr. To go halves, divide into equal shares.

goin(g) on, ppr. Proceeding. " I'm nine, goin(g) on ten years old."

go in partners, v. phr. To go into partnership.

gone COOIl, n. phr. A doomed person or animal.

gone gOSlin, n. phr. A doomed person, one hopelessly involved.

goner,/). One gone beyond recovery. " He's a goner."

goober, n. The peanut. Common. Also the name of a local train
running between West Point, Ga., and Atlanta.

316 DIALECT XOTES.

goober-grabblcr, n. A Georgian. Sometimes used of any back-
dsman.

good, adj. Well. " 1 feel pretty good to-day."

good and ready, adj. phr. Fully ready. "I'll go when I git good
Also good and tired, etc.

good (fine, poor, bad) success, ft. phr. Perhaps a survival of the
earlier use, though the etymological sense is entirely lost sight of.

good for so(re) eyes, adj. phr. Very pretty.

goodness (me), goodness gracious (me) alive, good graci-
ous, gracious me alive, etc., interjectional phrases. Used mostly by
women.

goody, interj. An exclamation of delighi among children.

goody-goody-gout, interj. The beginning of a vulgar rime.

"Goody-goody-gout !
Your shirt tail's out !
Five miles in and five miles out :
It yon don't put it in, I'll run you up a spout."

go oil' half-cocked, v. phr. To speak prematurely or without delib-
eration, to do something before one should or is ready.

go On one's faro, <•. j,hr. To go free or on credit.

go on with one's rat-hillin', v. phr. To proceed.

gOOSe, v. tr. To punch or motion to punch (a person) with the finger,
making at the same time a short smack or hiss. Some persons are said to
be goosey, and they jump spasmodically when goosed.

goosey, adj. Extremely nervous or ticklish: said of a person. When
one motions to goose him. he jumps spasmodically.

gOOSe hangs high, the. Everything is in fine order. The goose
honks high is not heard except sporadically among the well-informed.

gOOSe-neck (hoe), ft. A hoe with the connecting piece between the
blade and the handle in the shape of a goose's neck. Distinguished from
Scovill (q.v. i.

gooses, n. pi. Geese. Fairly common. (?eeses is sometimes heard.

goozle, ft. The throat, the neck.

gopher, ft. A burrowing tortoise, Testudo Carolina, common in the
Southen Gopher-hole is the burrow or hole of the tortoise.

gopher case, n.phr. A hard case, (Middle and south Alabama.)

gosh, interj. Often used in the expletive ' by gosh ! '

go fco grass (an(d) eat mullen), u.phr. Used in disgust or impa-
tience.

go i O Sleep, v. phr. Of the sensitive plant, to fold its leaves. " If you
tech that vine, it'll go to sleep."

gotten, j>ji. of get. The form got is considered improper by the educated.

gouge, v. tr. To cheat, overchai

go up the spout, v. phr. To fail utterly, go beyond recovery.
"He's gone up the spOut.^

gourd, a. Dipper ; often used of ordinary tin or metal dippers.

g rabble, o. tr. and i. To dig with the fingers or with some small imple-
ment. " I was grabbling potatoes with a table fork." See goober-grabbler.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 317

grabbler, n. One who grabbles or digs with the fingers.
grabs, interj. Used in minced oaths, as 'by grabs,' 'good grabs,' etc.
"We ain't dead, by grabs, and nowheres nigh it." J. C. Harris, Tales of
the Home-Folks, p. 262.

grandaddy-graybeard, n. The fringe tree. Also called grancy-
graybeard.
granny, grannies, interj. A mild expletive.
granny, n. 1. Menses. 2. An accoucheuse, a midwife.
granny gTUntS, n. phr. 1. The stomach ache. 2. The menses.
granny, granny, grunt, n. phr. The name of a children's game.
grass-sparrow, n. The common field sparrow.
grass-Spur, n. Same as sand-spur.
gray-mOSS, n. Spanish moss.

greased streak of ligiitnin(g), n. jihr. In the phrase 'like a
greased streak of lightning,' i.e., with extreme rapidity of motion.

grease-spot, n. Used facetiously in such expressions as ' to knock one
into a grease-spot,' ' nothing left of him but a grease spot,' etc.
greasy, adj. Universally pronounced gri-zi.

great big, adj. phr. Very large. Common. " He's a great big fellow
now." Often pronounced gre big.
great guns, interj. phr.
great Jehosaphat(s), interj. phr.
great mind, see he a great mind.

great shakes, n.phr. Used in negative expressions with the force of
an adjectival phrase, meaning 'of no great importance or worth.' ''I
knowd he warn't no great shakes."

grinnin(g)-Jake, n. A person who makes a habit of grinning, a sim-
pleton, one easily abashed or confused.

grit, n. Soil, earth, especially the road. " Bill Smith and me can hold
any Singin [St. JohnJ that ever trod Georgy grit." Longstreet, Georgia
Scenes, p. 81. See also hit the grit.

grit (sand) in one's craw, n. phr. See sand in one's <-raiv.
grits, n. pi. Cracked Indian corn. Common.
grOCer(y)-man, n. Grocer. Common.

groun(d)-hog case, n. phr. An extreme case, no other alternative.
" It was a ground hog case with him."

groun(d)-pea, n. The peanut, goober, pinder. All four words are
used, but perhaps goober is the favorite.
grub-ax, n. A worn out or dull ax used to grub stumps, etc.
grubbin(g)-hoe, tt. A mattock. Universal.
grub-WOrm, n. The larva of a beetle, the grub.
guard'een, n. Guardian.
guinea, n. Guinea-fowl. Universal.
Guinea, n. See Ballyhack.

guinea, guinea, squat, n. phr. A children's game.
guinea (water-)melou, n. phr. A small worthless melon that grows
voluntarily in cultivated fields.

gum, inter/. A mild expletive. Also by gums.
gllinp, n. A silly person, a fool. Very common.

318 DIALECT NOTES.

gumption, n. Sense. "He'sgol plenty of gumption.'*

gaunter, n. See sure as gunter.

f*M ine, ppr. Going. A negroism, but often used by the white people in
rural districts.

hack, v, tr. To guy, confuse by guying, rattle. " We tried to hack the
pitcher " Chiefly heard in the j>p. in the sense 'chagrined, rattled.'

buckle, n. BriBtle, feather. Used in the sense of becoming angry with
one. •• That feller's been a-raisin' his hackle at me ever since I been here."

,,:,<l :l f r. phr. Had. Cf. D. N. iii, 139.
had of i

Hail Columbia (Happy Land), n. phr. Used to express a severe
drubbing literal or figurative. " We caught Hail Columbia, Happy Land ! "
S( e give one Sail < 'olunibia.

hail-over, n. A game. See description in D. N. i, 341. The cry ' hail

over '. ' is called by the side throwing the ball to give warning. Anti-over,
andy-over, etc.. are not familiar to me.

hain't, o. neg. Has nut, have not.

hair (n)or bide, n. phr. Sign. Used in negative expressions. "I
haven't Been hair nor hide of it."

half-Over, /(. A game somewhat similar to leap-frog. The player who
is down tucks his head low, and the other players leap over him from
tie- side. The leader institutes various pranks, such as a slap, a kick, a
pinch, or combinations of these, and if any player fails to follow the lead he
is down. "Hats" is one of the leads. The players pile their hats on the
back of the one who is down. If a player dislodges a hat, he is down.

hall, /'. A berry-like fruit, the haw. Red halls and yellow halls are
common in the South.

had vers, n. pi. Halves : in the expression ' go halvers.'

I la milt oiliail, n. A horse of the Hamilton breed. Frequently called
Hambletonian.

hamper basket, ". /</"'. A hamper, a large open basket made of
white-oak splits for holding cotton, coin, etc. Also called cotton-basket.
Hamper alone is very rare.

hand, n. 1. An adept, a skilled player, one devoted to any pursuit.
"He's a great hand at marbles." 2. A handful, especially a handful of
fodder (q.v.). " Five to eight hands make a bundle."

handk(er)cher, .<. Handkerchief. Sic the quotation at harri/cane.
Also pronounced haenkts/'if.

hand over list, adv. phr. With great ease and rapidity. "I made
money hand over fist in them days."

hand-runnin(g), adv. In succession, consecutively.

handwrite, n. Handwriting.

hant, n. A ghost, a spirit.

bant, v. //'. To visit as a ghost, follow up as a spirit. Haunt is not
used in any sense except as a literary word.

banted, adj. Haunted.

happen-so, /<. An accidental occurrence. "It was just a happen-so."

happen to an accident, v. phr. To suffer an accident.

harass, p. //■. Universally pronounced haeraes.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 319

hard, case, n. phr. A person impervious to religious appeal, a bad
character.

hard nut, re. phr. Same as hard case.

hard row of Stumps, re. phr. Trouble, a difficulty.

Hardshell, n. A Primitive Baptist.

harp, n. A harmonica or mouth harp. Also called French harp.

harrow, n. Pronounced hara.

harry cane, n. Hurricane. Common. " The gals waved their para-
sols and hankerchers like a perfect harryeane." Major Jones' s Courtship,
xxi.

haslet, n. 1. The windpipe of an animal. 2. The liver and lights of
a slaughtered pig.

hatch out, v. phr. To hatch. Common.

have a crow to pick with one, v. phr. To have a grievance
against one, have a quarrel for one.

have off, v. phr. To remove, take off (coat, hat, shawl, or the like).
" Have offjonr things an' set a while."

have . . . to, o. phr. See D. N. iii, 139. " I have hud watermelons to
keep till Christmas."

head-hank(er)cher, re. A head-rag (q.v.).

headish, adj. Headstrong. " He's a little heacHsh."

lieadlig'ht, n. A diamond, a solitaire. "I see she's got a headlight
on her finger." Slang.

head-mark, re. A reward for staying at the head of a class for a
specified length of time.

head-rag*, n. A kerchief, a cloth (usually brilliantly colored) formerly
widely used by negro women for covering the head. Sometimes called a
head-hank(er)cher.

heap, n. A great deal, a large quantity. The plural heaps is not heard.

lie&ru, pret. andpjj. of hear. " I've always hearn it was wonderful in
hives and measly ailments." Longstreet, Georgia Scenes, p. 192.

hearth, re. Pronounced hse]> or herb.

hearth-broom, re. A small broom used only about the open fire-
place. Sometimes called parlor-broom.

heart-leaf, n. A plant, the wild ginger.

heave, v. i. and tr. To vomit. Common.

heeled, adj. Safely fixed, well provided for, provided with plenty of
money. Cf. all-heeled.

heig"hth, n. Usually pronounced hait]?.

hell-cat, ji. A mean, spiteful person.

hellion, ». A wild harum-scarum fellow, a devil.

hell of a time, re. phr. A hard time, a difficult task. "We had the
hell of a time gettin' there."

•pret. and pp. of hold.
Ii 1 1 i "

hem and haw, v. phr. To hesitate.

hendance, n. Hindrance.

hender, v. tr. To hinder.

» hen-fruit, n. Eggs.

DIALECT NOTES.

ben-nest, ». Hen's nest.

lien-party, n. A party to which women only are invited.

hep, r. and ». Help. Very common.

hern, pj-on. Here.

Hessian, n. Still commonly used as a term of opprobrium.

lift , pret. and pp. of fteat.

hiaeapooka (hai-sek-a p"u-ka), n. An onnamable or indescribable
disease, general debility. " ['ve go! the liim-n/n,,, ka, I reckon.-' Alsofeioca-
pookunv s).

hick(o)ry, n. A switch of any kind. "I'll get a peach-tree hickry
after you."

llick(0 r.\ oil, n. phr. Chastisement with a hickory.

hide the switch, n. A children's game. Also hiding the switch.

hidin(g), n. Hide-and-seek. " Lo'b play hiding."

high-COCkalorum, n. Same as high-muck-a-muck.

high-fatal in, adj. Highflown, up-to-date, aiiisk.

high horse, Bee <</< ,< high horse.

high-jinks, n. Boisterous conduct, pranks. Rare.

high-muck (-a-nuick), //. Chief officer, boss, manager, leader.

hike lip, v. phr. To twitch or pin up unevenly. "She had her dress
hiked up at the hack."

hike (out), v. i. To start out, hasten away.

hill-hilly, //. A mountaineer; hence, any backwoodsman or rustic.
" I ome listen to me. yon lazy hill-billies."

hill of beans, n.phr. Used in the negative expression ' not worth a
hill of beans.1

hip-hoist, n. In wrestling to lift or hoist one over the hip. Pro-
nounced hi]> haist.

hisn, pron. His.

hisself, pron. Himself.

hisl haist), o. tr. To hoist. This form is used also in the preterit,
but histed is the commoner form.

hit, pron. it: chiefly for emphasis.

hit, v. tr. and i. 1. To plant or work so as to secure good results. " I
felt it right with my cotton, but my corn didn't hit this year." 2. To go,
travel. '• I must hit it for home."

hitch-post, -rack, -rein, nouns. Hitching-post, -rack, -rein.

hit in high places, v. phr. To hurry over, go rapidly and carelessly
over.

hit the Ceiling, v. ,,/,,-. To fail on examination, fall through. Col-

■ slang.

hit the grit, v. phr. To go, especially at a rapid pace. " I made him
hit the grit."

hit tin' si<l<> of a meetin(g) house, v. phr. Used hyperbolically
in derogation of one's marksmanship. " He couldn't hit tin1 side of a meetin'
house with his ole six-shooter."

ho (h .<',i. interj. Whoa.

hoe-Cake, ■ <■ Cornbread baked in a flat pone in an open vessel.

hog and hominy, <>. Meal (pork) and bread.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 321

hog-killing" time, n. A lively or good time, a carouse. Hog-killing
time is also used as a term for early winter (December). The first 'cold
snap '(called hog-killing weather) is usually taken advantage of to kill and
salt down the pork.

hog-Latin, n. Dog-Latin, gibberish invented by school-children.

hog-meat, n. Pork.

hogzit, n. Hogshead.

hold down, v. phr. To fill (a position) satisfactorily. "I can hold
down that job.'"

hold Oil, v. phr. To hold, stop. " Hold on there a minute. I want to
see you." Universal.

holey, adj. Full of holes. " My socks are more holey than righteous."

holler, v. i. To halloo : used of any sort of cry.

holler, see all-holler.

ho(l)p(t), pret. and 7}/). of help. " He hope me dig that ditch." At table,
"I'm mighty well hope. I thank you."

holt, n. Hold. " Ketch holt.'' Common. See underholt.

holy Moses, interj.

homely, adj. Homelike.

hominy, n. Cracked Indian corn. See also lye-hominy, big-hominy.

hone, 0. i. To pine, long. " I was honin for a dram."

hon(ey), n. Darling, sweetheart. Common. " Come here, Aon."

honey, v.i. To seek to display obsequious or fondling actions. "Don't
come honeyin around me.v Also transitive with up. "She honeyed him
up till she got what she wanted."

hongry, adj. Hungry.

hoo-doo, v. tr. 1. To cheat one in a trade, defraud. "He hoo-dooed
me out of all I had." 2. To conjure, bewitch, put under a hypnotic spell,
etc., bring bad luck to. Vopdoo is not familiar to me.

hook, n. Account : in the phrase ' on one's own hook.'

hook up, 0. phr. To hitch up.

hoop, v. and n. Whip : especially common among the negroes.

hoorah, v. tr. To guy, joke. "You want to be careful how you
hoorah me."

hoorah, boys, interj. phr. A common form of exhortation to a gang
of men at work.

hoorah in hell, n. phr. In the expression 'not worth a hoorah in
hell,' i.e., ' absolutely worthless.'

hope, pret. and pp. of help. See holjit.

hope I may die, v. phr. Used in emphatic asseverations.

hop one's collar, v. phr. To fight one, jump on one to whip him.

hoppergrass, n. Gi-asshopper. Both forms are in use.

hoppin(g) mad, adj. jj/u-. Exceedingly angry.

horn-shoggle, v. tr. To cheat, get the better of in a trade. "He
horn-snoggled me outen my watch."

horny-head, re. A fish with several pairs of hornlike protuberances
on the head, the fresh-water chub.

horse-fiddle, n. A string roughened with resin and tied to some
object that will rattle when the string is vibrated. See tick-tack.

322 DIALECT NOTES.

horse of another color, n. phr. A complete change in affairs,
another proposition or situation. Winn one mentions some detail over-
look, d or concealed up to the time, he is often met with the exclamation,
•• Oh, well, that's ,i horse of another color."

boss hos), a. Horse.

hot in the collar, adj. phr. Angry. (Is there airy connection with
choler I)

hot-water tea, n. phr. Same as kettle-tea.

llOUn(d) Clog", a. phr. Hound, a low. mean person.

hour by sun, /i. phr. An hour before sunset or after sunrise.

house-raisiu(g'), n. A gathering of neighbors to erect a log house for
one of tliem.

how come, inter rog. phr. Why. Sometimes pronounced huckum.

howsomever, adv. However.

howdy, '■. i. and tr. To greet. " I saw them howdym* one another."

IlOWdy-dO, n. The common form of salutation reduced to a noun in
the -use, ' commotion, uproar.' " She found a pretty hoivd>/-doa.t her house
when she got home."

huffy, adj. Angry, out of temper. "Well, now, don't git huffy
about it."

hill-gill, n. A guessing game. The formula runs : " First player. Hul-
gul. Second player. Hand full. First p. How many? Second p. Four
(his guess)." See jack-in-the-bush.

hull, a. and v. Shell.

hullabaloo, n. Commotion, ado. "He raised a big hullabaloo."
Rarely hellabaloo.

human, n. Human being. Common.

hunch, b. tr. Of a calf, to butt its mother's udder when sucking.
This is supposed to make the cow give down her milk.

him (lord, adj. Hundred. Universal.

bunkum-bunkum, adj. Very fine, excellent, good, etc. "That's
all hunkum-bunkum."

hlinky-dory, (all), adj. phr. Exactly right, quite snug.

li ii r )> . interj. Whoa.

hurt, '■• i. To suffer.

hustings, n. A platform for political speech-making; the 'stump.' Not
common colloquially but often seen in local newspapers.

hyenous (hai-"i-nus), adj. A variant of heinous, probably by association
with hyena. Rare.

hymn, n. Sometimes pronounced haim.

ice-cream supper, n. phr. An evening entertainment at which ice-
cream is sold.

idea, a. Pronounced "ai-di. 'ai-di-e, or ai-di.

idea, the, interj. phr. With stress on both first and second syllables.

idiot (idgat), n. A common pronunciation.

I know hy my QOSe an(d) my two hi*;- toes. A pert retort or
answer to the question, ' How do you know : '

ile, ". Oil.

I'm am. A common reduplication.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 323

immediate(ly) (imidgatli), adj. or adv. Commonly so pronounced.
in, prep. Commonly used in locutions where into would be preferable.
ill a family way, adj. phr. Pregnant. The form usually heard else-
where is ' in the family way.'

ill (all) one's born (lays, adv. phr. In one's life. " You never heard
sech a racket in all yourborn days." Common.

independent as a wood-sawyer, adj. phr. Extremely inde-
pendent.

independent(ly) rich, adj. phr. Very rich, sufficiently rich to live
without work.

Indian-hen, n. The small blue heron. Also called shide-poke.
infare, n. A feast given by the groom's parents in honor of the bride's
coming to her new home.

ingenerly, adv. Generally: originally in general. " I most ingenerly
plant my cotton when I see the first dog- wood blooms." Also inginerly.
ingun, n. Onion.
inguii-set, n. Onion set.

ill one's mind, adv. phr. In one's opinion, not in fact. " He's a big
man, in his mind."

instid, adj. Instead. Steel is also commonly heard.
interduce, interduction, v. and n. Introduce, introduction.
ill-turn, n. A method of tripping in wrestling.
invite, n. Invitation.

Irish, n. Temper. "By that time I got my Irish up, and I was ready
to fight."
Irishman's (po)tato, n. phr. Irish potato.
it , iiron. Emphatic use for that.
itch, ii. and v. Pronounced it/.

jack, a. 1. Same as jack-snapper. 2. A sort of worm which lives in
the earth in a small bored hole. Children amuse themselves fishing for
jacks. The worms will seize a straw poked into their holes, and the}' may
be jerked out as a fish. Also called jack-worm. 3. A jackass. 4. A literal
translation. College slang. 5. A piece of metal with five tines or protu-
berances, used in the game of jacks.

jack, v. To use a literal translation. " He jacked his way through the
entire Latin course." College slang.

jack at all trades an(d) good at none,//, phr. Applied to one
who does many things indifferently well.
jacking-up, n. A reprimand, a severe reproof.

jack-iii-the-bush, n. A guessing game. The following is the for-
mula for the game : " First player. Jack in the bush. Second player.
Cut him down. First p. How many licks? Second p. Five (his guess)."
Compare hul-gul.

jack-leg, n. A bungling workman, a cheat. Often used attributively.
"They swallow every dost that's give 'em by any jack-leg preacher that
comes along."

♦lack Robinson, see before one can say Jack Robinson.
jacks, n. An indoor catching game played with small five-tined metal
pieces.

32 1 DIALECT NOTES.

jacksnapper, n. The olick beetle.

jack-up, >■. tr. To reprimand, reprove severely.

jack-worm, n. Sameasjacfc, n. 2.

Jacob, V. false statement, a lie ; also a liar. A euphemism. "That's

a Jacob." " You're a Jacob."

Jacob, '•. i. To tel] a falsehood, lie. "You're a — Jacobin.''

Jacob's ladder, n. A form made on the fingers with a string.

jam, adv. Completely: often in the phrase jam full.

janders, •>■ Jaundice. Noi common.

j:i ii 1 (dgsent), /). Jaunt, trip.

jaw, n. Impertinent balk. " Don't gi' me none o' yo' jaw."

jaw, o. i. To converse, especially in a scolding fashion. "We were
jest sittin' there jawin?"

jaw-back, v. phr. To retort saucily.

jaw-breaker, n. A big word.

jay-bird, -'. Blue jay. This bird is popularly supposed to go to hell
on Fridays to carry fuel (sand) to keep up the devil's fires. The following
familiar rime illustrates the universal use of this form of the compound :

Jay-bird sittin' on a hick'ry limb,

He winked at me, I winked at him,

I picked up a stick an' hit 'im on the chin ;

" Look a-here, little boy, don't you do that agin."

jealOUS, adj. Envious.
jrailis, a. Jeans.

jeans, n. Trousers. Facetious. "How much money have you got in
your./' ans I "
jeck, 0. and n. Jerk.

jedge, n. and v. Judge. A common illiterate pronunciation.
jedgment, n. Judgment.

jeeminy, jeeminy crickets, jeeminy Ghris(t)mas, interj.
jeewhill i.mins, interj. Also jeewhillikins.
Jebosaphat Jenkins, interj. phr.

j«'ll, r. i. To become jelly, congeal into jelly. Common.

Jerusalem crickets, interj.

j<"><< , adv. Just. Similar words show the same change in pronuncia-
tion. Jestiss of the peace is commonly heard.

jew, v. tr. To beat down the price. "I tried to jew him, but he
wouldn't jew." Often with down.

jewlarker, •>. A person of fine dress, manners, etc., a beau, a lover.
" They waz jewlarkers thar from ever'wheres." J. C. Harris, At Teague

PoteeVs, p. 100. Also jeirlnrki/.

jice or jist , n. Joist.

J in, ". In the expression ' the jig's up,' meaning all is over, the plan is
discovered, etc.

jigamaree, n. A gewgaw, a thingumabob. "Mary was sewin' some-
thing mighty fine and white, with ruffles and jigamarees all round it."
\fajor Jones's Courtship, xv. Common.

jigg(er)ed, pp. In the exclamatory phrase ' I'll he jiggered."

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 325

jim-crack, n. 1. A sorry sort of person, a ninny. " He's a regular
jim-crack." 2. A lie. " He told me a jim-crack."

jim-crow card, n. phr. A currycomb : so called because tbe negroes
sometimes use it for combing the kinks out of their hair.

jim-dandy, n. Intensive of dandy: often used attributively. "He
has a jim-dandy crop of melons."

jim-jams, n.pl. A fit of nervous jerking, a spell of the blues; also
delirium tremens.

jimmies, n.pl. The delirium tremens. " I believe he's got the jim-
mies."

jim-swinger, n. A long-tailed coat. "I had on my jim-swinger."
Also jim-sicigger.
jinks, interj. In the mild imprecation ' by jinks.'
jilie, v. Join.
jint, n. Joint.
jinny, n. A she-ass.
job, n. and v. Jab. Common.

Job's coffin, n. A form made on the fingers with a string.
Job's turkey, see poor as Job's turkey.

joe darter, n. phr. A very fine or excellent thing, a shrewd or smart
person. " He's a. joe darter when it comes to trading."
Johnny Reb, n. phr. A Confederate soldier.
johny-quil, n. The jonquil. Common.
johnny-cake, n. A small corn meal cake fried in lard.
Johnson grass, n. A coarse, hay-producing grass, usually considered
a pest in cultivated lands.
joice, n. Joist. Often pronounced dgais.

joint, n. The piece or length of cane between two knots or joints.
" Gimme a, joint of sugar cane." Often pronounced jint.

jolly, n. A pleasantry, a merry joke. "Justice Brewer's jolly" title of
an editorial in the Montgomery Advertiser, June 23, 1905.

joree, n. A small swamp bird, the swamp robin ; so called from its
song. Universal.
josh, v. tr. To make sport of, jolly, tease.

jow, v. i. and tr. To jaw, talk in a scolding manner. " We joived for
'bout an hour."

jower, v. i. To quarrel, talk in a loud, scolding tone. " We joivered a
right smart."
jower, n. A wordy quarrel. " We got up a big jower."
jubous, adj. Dubious. " I felt a little jubus myself." Major Jones's
Courtship, xxi.

jug, n. The brownish purple, jug-shaped flower of the plant called
'heart-leaf ' (q. v.). 2. A jail. Slang.
jug- lull, n. In the negative expression ' not by a jugfull.1
juggle (dgug-1), v. tr. To punch or poke repeatedly as with a stick,
shake or move repeatedly as for mixing, etc. " We juggled the rabbit out
of his hole." "Juggle the jug up and down to make the sugar come out."
juice, n. Whisky.

DIALECT XOTES.

.jump, 11. An opportunity to take an opponent's 'man' in the game of
drafts. "• Von had a jump, but you didn't see it."

jumped-up, see he jumped up.

jumped-up, adj. Sudden, quickly and thoughtlessly arranged. "It
was a jumped-up affair."

jumpers, ft. pi. A one-piece garment for children to play in, ' rompers,'
q.v.

jumpin(g)-Off place, ft. pft»*. The end of (he world, a deserted or
uninhabited region. Sometimes fallin{g)-off place.

June-bus, ft. A large greenish scarabeid: common from early May
until August. "He jumped on him like a chicken on a June-bug," i.e.,
'very quickly and eagerly, tumultuously'. Also called zoon-bug and juny-
bug.

\\. A. (k§-§), ft. A member of the Kappa Alpha fraternity.

kag (ksBg), ft. Ceg.

karOSiue(-oil), ft. Kerosene, coal-oil.

keel over, v. phr. To fall over, especially to fall in a faint. "The
sun was so hot, that Mary keeled over."

keep a Stiff upper Lip, v. phr. 1. To keep silent, keep secret. ^3.
To preserve one's courage.

keer, ft. and r. Care. A very common pronunciation.

keerful, adj. Careful. Other derivatives are similarly pronounced.

kep, pret. and pp. of ki ep.

ker-choo, -chug, -chunk, -Hop, -slain, -slap, -slosh,
-Smash, etc.. adv. Imitative of the sound made by something falling
precipitously into water; also violently, rapidly, precisely, exactly.

kerflummux, v. i. and tr. To fall in a heap, fail ignominiously ; also
to cause to fall or fail thus, to bewilder, muddle, disconcert. " I got all fcer-
flummuxed, and couldn't do a thing." Also used with adverbial force.
"He fell kcrjliiuimn.,- off the bench. "

kerp, interj. The call for horses. See cu/-p.

kerspang, kerspank, adv. Intensive forms of spang, spank (q.v.).

ker-(w)inch, interj. The call for cows. Key-inch is also heard. See
winch.

kerzip, ft. See be off one's kerzip.

ketch, o. and n. Catch. Very common as a weak verb. pret. and pp.
ketch"!, and sometimes kotch(ed).

kettle of fisli, a pretty, n. phr. A bad state of affairs, a scrape, a
general mix-up. " Well, that's a pretty kettle offish."

kettle-tea, n. Tea made of hot water, milk and sugar. Also called
hot-water tea.

key weste(r)n crooked, adv. phr. Completely out of shape, position,
business, etc. "He knocked him key-western crooked." See sk;/ ictstern.

k i<-k, o. tr. To jilt, reject as a suitor.

kick like a Bay State mule, v. phr. To kick very vigorously.

kicks, interj. A term used in marbles as a penalty for the accidental
stopping of a taw, as by the feet.

kick the bucket, v. phr. To die. Common.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 327

kick up jack, v. phr. To raise a disturbance, cause a commotion, dis-
arrange things.

kill, n. Kindred.

kinder, adv. Somewhat, kind of. Cf . sorter.

kin-folks, n. Kindred. Common.

Kingdom-come, n. 1. Destruction, hell. " Where in the kingdom
come did you come from?" 2. The end of time, a long period. "That'll
hold till kingdom-come."

King's ex(cuse), n. phr. In the sense reported.

kiimery, n. Kindred, kin-folks. "I've got so much poor kinnery I
can't count 'em."

kiss the (old) COW, v. phr. In the common expression " ' Every one
to his own taste,' said the old woman that kissed the cow."

kiss the COOk, v. phr. At table when one takes the last piece on a
dish he must be willing to kiss the cook.

kit an(d) bilin, n. phr. The crowd. Usually in the expression ' the
wbole kit an bilin.' Cf. kit and cargo of the middle west.

kite, v. i. To run fast. " He went fcrtm' down the road."

kittle, n. Common pronunciation of kettle.

kiver, n. and v. Cover. Sometimes kyiver.

knee-high to a duck, adj. phr. Very small or short. Usually in
negative expressions. " He ain't knee-high to a duck."

knock about, v. phr. To walk or wander about.

knock (a)long, o. phr. To move on leisurely, move along. "Well,
I better be knockin' 'long tow'ds home."

knock (a)round, v. phr. To go or wander about.

knock-down, v. phr. To introduce. "I'll knock you doun to that
girl." Also as noun.

knock-down and drag-out, adj. phr. Showing no quarter, with-
out regard to ' Queensbury rules.' Also used as a noun.

knock the socks ott", v. phr. To punish severely ; also to surpass.
" He can knock the socks off me at marbl*

knock winding, v. phr. To give a staggering or knockout blow to.

knock wood, v. phr. An expression used to indicate that some one
has told a lie. Also used by boys after a crepitum ventris. Also wood up.

know 15 from bull('s) foot, o. phr Used in negative expressions
to indicate one's ignorance or illiteracy. " He don't know B from bullfoot."
[The foot- or track-print of a bull is somewhat like the letter B.]

know to one's soul, v. phr. To know: an impatient intensive. " I
do know to my soul, I never seen such goin's-on."

knowed, pret. andjpp. of know. Common among the uneducated.

knuckle down to it, v. phr. To put one's best efforts forth, work
steadily and tenaciously, apply oneself assiduously. "If you want to pass
that exam, you will have to knuckle down to it."

knucks, n. pi. 1. A game at marbles. 2. The knuckles. " He hit me
on the knucks." 3. A weapon of iron or brass used over the A.'« uckies. "He
hit me with a pair of kni^ks.^ Often called brass knucks.

Kolb-gem, n. The name of a famous variety of watermelons developed
by Governor Kolb of Alabama.

23

DIALECT NOTES.

kotch(ed . and pp. of ketch.

K. P. O Pi), n. A Knight of Pythias.
kroker-sack, -•■• croker-sack.

Kuklucker, n. A member of the Ku-Klux Klan. "Watch out for
the kukluckers."

klirp, etc., see curp, etc.
kyarn, n. Carion. A negroism.

kyarn-crow > Carrioncrow.
kyarny-crow )

k> ore, • and v. Cure.

[TO BE COMPLETED IN VOL. Ill, PART V.J

DIALECT NOTES

Volume III, Part V, 1909.

A WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA.

(Continued from Part IV, 1908, p. 328.)

lack to / I?, phr. Equivalent to 'almost,' and used with preterite forms

like to j of various verbs. "1 lack to fell, I lack t<> went crazy, I lack
to missed my train, etc." Like to is about as common as lack to. This
almost universal idiom has probably been developed out of a confusion of
such expressions as " I lacked but little to fall (of falling"), and "I was like
to fall." The past tense of the last verb is probably due to attraction, lack to
and like to being associated in their oral forms with lacked to and liked to.
Sometimes have is inserted before the preterite of the verb, especially in the
reduced form a. "He lack to ' a ' killed his fool self." The present of the
verb is used in questions like the following : " Did you lack to fall ? "

Ladies' Aid (Society), n. phr. In the sense repoi'ted. Universal.
See D. N. iii, 144.

lady,/'. Wife. "Did you bring your tody along?" The madam is used
in the same sense.

lady-pea, n. A small white pea, considered very desirable as a table
vegetable.

Lafayette, n. The name of a town, universally pronounced la-f*eit.

Laggerstreamer I re. The crepe-myrtle. This is a sort of popularized

leggerstreamer ' form of Lagerstrcemia, the botanical family name,
from Magnus N. Lugerstraem 1 1696-1759), a Swede and friend of Linnaeus.

laid, pret. and pp. of lay and lie. The form lain is never used except
by pedants and purists.

laig(l§g), n. Leg.

lain, v. tr. To strike a hard blow. Not thought of as slang.

lambaste, r. tr. To beat severely.

lambastin(g'), re. A thrashing. Also figuratively of a tongue-lashing.

lamp-lighter, re. A paper spill. Also called pipe-lighter.

Land-sakes (alive), interj. Sometimes land sakes a livin(g). See
xtil.es.

larn, o. To learn: a backwoods pronunciation. Commonly used for
tench. Book-larnin, n., is fairly common.

larrup, r. /;■. To beat, thrash.

larrupin(g), n. A beating, especially with a strap or leather thong.

24

:•, I 1 DIALECT NOTES.

Lasses, /i. The lull form is rarely heard in illiterate speech except in
asking for a second helping. " Gimme sonic nm' hisses."

Last button on Jacob's coat, the, n. phr. The last thing. Also
the lust pea in the dish.

last of pea pickings, n. phr. The last choice: used to indicate
the worthlessness or undesirability of a person or thing.

liiiiiih (l83f), n. Laughter. " 1 was so full of laugh I couldn't hold in."

laugh «>n the other si«l«* of the mouth, o. phr. To cry.

la\>>> iiuissy (poll my soul ), interj. phr. Lord have mercy upon
my soul: a feminine ejaculation. Sometimes among negroes lawsee massy
is heard. See lordy.

lay, '•. to*. To bet : used in emphatic asseverations. "YouRose! if you
don't quiet that child. 1 lay I make you." Longstreet, Georgia Scows, p.
i:;u. Common, especially among the illiterate.

lay, o. i. To lie, recline : painfully common.

lay-by, <-. phr. To cultivate for the last time, finish cultivating (corn,
cotton, etc.).

lay for, b. phr. To lie in wait for; to plan an opportunity to get even
with.

layine-by time, <*■ phr. The time when crops are laid by ; also the
season of rest after the crops are laid by. " We're goin on a camp-fish in
layin-by time."

lay off, r. phr. 1. To plan. " 1 laid off to do that next week." See
'low. 2. In plowing, to plow single furrows at certain distances. "I've
been lin/in iff cotton rows all day."

lay-out, ft. I irowd. "The whole lay-out got drunk."

Ia\ out, r. rhr. Of cows, to stay away from home at night.

layo(vers) to catch meddlers, ft. phr. An evasive answer to chil-
dren. " What's that ? " " Layos /•< ketch meddlers; you better watch out,
or hit 'ill ketch you."

laze, v. i. To be lazy, lounge, loaf. Often with (a)round, {a)bout, etc.

lead-horse, ft. The horse on the right in a team of two, the foremost
horse on the right in a team of four or six.

Leaf, lief, ft. Leave, pennission.

Irani, v. Ir. To teach. Common.

Least little, adj. phr. Tiniest. "She's the least little thing you ever
saw."

leas t \\ ays, adv. Leastwise. The latter is not heard.

leather-wing(ed) (bat), ft. The common mouse bat.

leave, adv. Lief. "I'd just as leave do it as not." See also live, adv.

leave, r i. To leaf. "The trees are leaving out. and every thing is
pretty and green."

leave one with the bag to hold, v. phr. To have one in the lurch,
alone and empty-handed. See snipe-hunting.

led, ft. I.id.

leetle, a. and a. A pronunciation of lit tie with special and prolonged
emphasis on the i sound to indicate a very small amount, etc. : used in this
way by all classes. " Just a leetle (bit) more, please."

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 345

legged, adj. Always pronounced in two syllables, as bow-leg-ged, long
leg-ged, etc.

leggerstreamer, n. See laggerstreamer.

Legon, n. A Leghorn fowl : usually with a qualifying adjective, as
brown, white.

lemine, r. phi-. Never mind, don't bother. Used when a speaker asks
for something and then changes his mind. "Bring me the ax. Lemine, I
don't need it now." Xemine and nummine are also heard.

leillllie, 0. phr. Let me. Universal.

lent, pret. and pp. °f lean.

less, v. A common contraction of let us. Sometimes further contracted
to es, and e.

less, conj. Unless.

lessen, conj. Unless. " He'll go to perdition, lessen the Lord have
mercy on him."

let, v. tr. To leave. '; Let me alone ! " See lemme.

let, n. Failure. " He made a complete let on that proposition."

let the cat out of the hag", v. phr. To disclose a secret.

let the (old) cat die, v. j^hr. To allow a swing to come to a standstill.

li-ahlc, adj. Used in the facetious retort, " you're li-able to be mistaken."

lihery (lai-be-ri), a. An illiterate pronunciation of libra,-)/.

lice, n. sing. Louse. "I found a lice on me." Not common, but the
plural lices is fairly common among the illiterate.

license, n. Frequently used as a plural. Sometimes the form licenses
is used. '" Did you get your licenses ?"

lick, n. 1. A stroke or blow. 2. Rate of speed. " We were makin' a
good lick."1

lick, v. tr. To whip, chastise, overcome, excel.

lick and a promise, n. phr. A hasty and imperfect treatment or
effort. " I just gave my bed a lick and a promise this morning."

liekin(g), n. Beating.

lickity-split, adv. At a rapid pace.

lic(o)rish, n. Licorice.

liderd, lighterd, n. Lightwood. pine rich with resin, fat pine.

liderd knot, n. phr. A pine knot or root, rich with resin, also the
light from this. " He got his education by liderd knot*."

lie, n. Liar. " He called me a lie, and I knocked him down for it."
Universal.

lie bill, n. phr. Libel. Facetious.

lie down, v. phr. To go to bed. Retire is rarely used. Lay down is
by far the common form. See lay, v. i.

lief, n. Leave. See leaf.

life-everlasting, n. The plant commonly known as rabbit-tobacco.

lift, r. tr. To pay off (a mortgage, a debt).

light, 0. i. To alight.

light-bread, n. Common wheaten loaf-bread as distinguished from
biscuit. The generic term bread is used of cornbread.

light complected nigger, n. phr. A mulatto.

DIALECT NOTES.

light(e)nin(g)-bug, ft. A firefly.

light in, v. phr. To begin, enter into operations. "Light in and help
yourself to that chicken-pie."

lightnin, v. i. Tolighten as of lightning. " It lightnined in the north
Last night."

light OUt, '•. phr. To start rapidly. Fret, andpj?. always lit.

light wood, ft. Rich pine. So called because of its use for making
torches or lights. Usually pronounced liderd (laiderd).

like, v. tr. To lack. " We jusl liked a little of bein' through."

like a chicken (hen) on a June-hug, adv. phr. See June-bug.

like a Chicken with his head chopped off, adv. phr. Wildly,
excitedly.

like as not, adv. pin-. Likely.

like tight img) lire, mlr. phr. With great energy, haste, force, etc.

like tor. o. phr. Like. "I would like for you to go home with me."

like t lie woods afire, adv. phr. Very rapidly and enegetically.

like to, see lack to.

lily-White, adj. and ft. Used to designate the faction of the Republi-
can party which is unfavorably inclined toward the negro. See black-and-
tan.

limber as ;t dishrag, adj. phr. Very limber, exhausted, lacking in
nervous energy.

limber-jaek, n. A limber person, one who goes through bodily con-
tortions. Common.

line (out), » . tr. To read off (a hymn) one or two lines at a time, the
congregation singing as the reader pauses. This practice is still common
among the illiterate, especially the negroes.

linsey-WOOlsey, ft. The cloth: now obsolete in colloquial speech.

lip, ft. Saucy talk, impertinence.

lippity-Click (Clip), adv. Rapidly : imitative of the sound.

lis(t)en at, o. phr. To listen to. " Listen at the mockin-bird."

little bitsy, little bitty, adj. phr. Very small, 'little bit of a.'
" She was a little bitsy thing then."

live, adv. Lief. "He'd just as live kill you as not." Cf. Julius Ccesar,
I. i 95, for the pun on lief— live.

liven up. <•. i. To enliven.

Liza (Jane), ft. Used euphemistically for lie or liar. " He's a Liza."
" You told me a Liza Jane." Occasionally as a verb, "He lizared on me."

loblolly, ft. Any slushy or sloppy mass, as of mud. " The rains have
made a perfect loblolly of the roads."

locus, /'. Locust. PI. locusses.

loney, v. i. To stand alone : said to a baby.

long-lifed, adj. Long-lived.

long, conj. Because : with of. " It was long o' them Smith boys that we
didn't come on time." Rare.

long, "</'•. Along.

long shot, a, /<. phr. In the negative expression 'not by a long
shot,' i.e., not by a great deal.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 347

look a-liere hush, interj. An expression equivalent to ' I am greatly-
surprised at what you say.'
look at you ! interj. An expression of reproof, with accent on at.
lookin(g), adj. Appearing. " What sorter lookhi' thing is it?"
look over, d. phr. To overlook. Rare.
loony, n. A crazy person, a fool.
loostes(t), adj. superlative. Loosest. Rare.
lord-god, n. A red-headed woodpecker.

Lorcly, Lordy niussy (pon my soul), interj. Lord have mercy
upon my soul.

lot, n. Barn-yard. The latter word is never used. " Put the horses in
the lot."

lots and cords, n. phr. A great number.

love-vine, n. A yellowish, threadlike, twining parasitic plant : the
dodder. So called because of the custom among young people of plucking
a section of the vine and, after naming it and circling it over the head three
times, throwing it on another bush. If it grows, the person after whom it
is named loves the one who throws it.

low, a. Short. The latter word is rarely or never used of a person.
"Look at that little loiv man."
low, v. tr. 1. To allow, assert. 2. To plan, purpose.
lowance, n. Allowance.

low-Cllt \adj. Used of oxfords. "He wore low-quartered

low-quartered ) shoes "

low-down, adj. Mean, low, vulgar. "He's a low-dovm scoundrel."
low-lifed, adj. Low-lived, common, low-born.
lozenger, n. Lozenge.

lulu, n. A remarkable person. Sometimes lulu-kapoodler.
lumber, v. i. To go with great noise. One is said to be in the lumber
and stave business when he is out of a job. The explanation given is that
he lumbers up one street and staves down another.

lye-hominy, n. Hulled corn: made by soaking the grains in lye.
Also called big hominy. Cf. hominy.

mackerel sky, n. phr. A sky characterized by numerous small white
cumulous cloud formations somewhat resembling mackerel.

madam, n. Used somewhat as a term of abuse. "Come hereto me,
madam." In speaking to any female animal, the term is often used in
impatience or anger. " Woah, madam '." "Saw, madaml"
mad as a hornet, adj. phr. Very angry.

mad as a wet hen, adj. phr. Exceedingly angry. Also madder 'na
wet hen.
mad as (old Dan) Tucker, adj. phr. Very angry.
maget, n. Maggot, skipper. " The meat has magets in it." Skipper is
used quite as frequently.

magic lantern, n. phr. Japanese lantern.
mail man, n. phr. The postman, the rural delivery postman.
make a <woj>, v. phr. To raise a crop. Universal. " My school will
be out in time for me to make a crop."

348 DIALECT NOTES.

make a mash On, v. phr. To attract, cause to fall in love.

Uiake a paSS at, r. phr. To attempt, attempt to strike.

make a poor out, v. phr. To do poorly, make a failure. "He tried
to praj . but he made a poor out at it."

make one come tO taw, o. phr. To force one to do something he
qoI desire to do. "When the time comes for him to pay me up, I'll
make him come to taw."

make one's flesh crawl, o. phr. To give one the nervous creeps,
cause one's flesh to quiver.

make OUt like, V. phr. To pretend that. " He made out like he was
drunk."

make smoke come out of one's eyes, v. phr. A boy's trick.
The victim must press his hand on the smoker's breast and watch for the
smoke to come out of the eyes. The lighted end of the cigarette or cigar is
then applied to the back of the victim's hand.

make the hark fly, o. phr. 1. To progress rapidly with one's work.
2. To stir up hard feelings, speak plainly to one.

make the riffle, o. phr. To succeed, overcome all obstacles. "He
couldn't quite make the riffle.'''

make tracks, o. phr. To run away, go rapidly.

male-COW, >u A squeamish term for bull, used occasionally by women.

mammy, n. Mother ; also a negro nurse, especially one who cares for a
vei v young baby.

man, «. Husband. Not usual except in the form old man, (q.v.).

manyfac, n. Manufactured tobacco in contradistinction to home-raised,
or natural leaf tobacco.

mark, o. tr. To mock. Heard also in marking-bird.

marse, marster, n. Master: still politely applied by elderly negroes
to any prominent or well-to-do white man.

marvel, n. Marble.

marvels, «. pi. The game of marbles.

mash, v. tr. To crush, press upon. " Get off, you are mashing me."

massacr'ee, v. and n. .Massacre.

match-scratch(er), n. A frictional device for striking matches.

maw, n. Mother. Cf. paw, father.

may-pop, n. The passion-flower, the fruit of this plant. Universal.
So far as I know, May-apple is never used. See also molly-pop.

meanery, n. Meanness. " The nwancrij of some folks is past reason."

measles, n. Practically universally used as a plural.

meet up with, v. phr. To come across, meet by chance. Not used in
the sense overtake.

meet in(g), n. Divine services ; specifically, protracted services. " When
are you goin to have your meetvn? '. "

meetin(g)-hOUSe, n. Church build in 4.

mellow-hug1, n. A small water-beetle, Gyranus natator, the whirligig :
so called from its mellow, apple-like odor.

memher, v. To remember.

mend, 0. i. To improve in health. Also as a noun in the phrase 'on
the mend.'

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 349

-meilt, suffice. Commonly with strongly accented pronunciation in
president, settlement, compliment, etc.

mess-up, v. phr. To litter. " The house is all messed up"

Methodist, n. Almost universally pronounced Methodis, and occa-
sionally Mefodis.

middler, n. The marble in the center of the ring. See quotation at
plump, v. Also called middle-man.

middlin(g), n. Side-meat, side of bacon. Universal. Sometimes mid-
dlin(g)-meat is used.

might can, might could, v. phr. Might be able. "Go to see Mr.
Smith. He might can tell yon."

mighty, adv. 1. Quite : in the phrase ' mighty right.' 2. Very : ex-
tremely common before adjectives.

mile, n. For the plural miles.

milk-cow, n. A milch-cow. Milch is not used so far as I know.

million, n. Melon. A negroism originally used facetiously, but now
often unconsciously. Milon is frequently heard among all classes.

mince, v. i. To eat sparingly. " She minced along through the dinner."

mind, v. tr. To remember. "I mind me of a story I heard once."
Also to remind.

mine, v. tr. To mind.

mirate, v. i. To make signs of admiration, express wonder.

miration, n. An expression of admiration. " He made a great mira-
tion over the baby."

misch'eevous, adj. A common pronunciation. Also misck'eevious,

misdoubt, v. //•. To suspect, doubt. Bare.

mislick, n. A false blow.

misremember, v. tr. To forget. The common form is disremember.

miss, n. Sometimes used by negroes and very illiterate whites for Mrs.
The latter is usually pronounced Miz, the sonant being very distinct to dis-
tinguish it from Miss. The forms mis, mizes, mizres, mistress are all heard,
but miss is a recognized negroism.

mist, v. tr. and *'. To drizzle. " It's a mistin' rain now. and it'll be a
pourin' befo' you git home."

mistiss, n. Mistress : still in use by the older negroes.

mistletoe, n. Universally pronounced mis'lto.

mistrust, o. tr. To suspect. '"I mistrusted he was at the bottom of
it." Not common, susjiicioned being more frequently used.

mixer, n. One who gets on well with all classes. " John ought to be
a politician, he's such a good mixer. "

mixtry, n. Mixture.

mix-up, n. A confused fight.

mix up, v. phr. To come to blows, clinch in fighting. "They pretty
soon mixed up."

mizzlety, adj. Drizzling.

mocker, n. Commonly used for mocking-bird. " They say . . . that
ef a gal puts on a man's hat when she hears a mocker sing at night, she'll
git married that year an' do well." J. C. Harris, Free Joe, p. 183.

DIALECT NOTES.

molly-COttontail, n. The gray rabbit. Also called simply molly.
•• What did ye kill (" "1 got a couple of mollies.'' A familiar negro rime
shows the form molly hai e.

•• Ole molly liar.
What ye doin' dar,
Settin' in de cornder

Sniokin' a segar."

molly-pop, n. Same as may-pop. Rarely heard.

inoimuux (up), o. tr. 1. To botch, spoil in the making. "He mom-
muxed up that house." 2. To mix badly, confuse utterly. "He got all
momrtui.eerf upon that job.''

monst(r)OUS, adv. Very.

mont, n. Month. Chiefly among the negroes.

moii ill of Sundays, u. phr. A long time. " It's been a month of
idays since I saw you."

moonshine, n. Illicitly distilled whisky.

moonshiner, n. An illicit distiller. "The moon shiners were Union
men and Republicans." J. C. Harris, At Teague Poteet's, p. 60.

more tireder, double comp. "You'll be more tireder 'an what you
are gin you git back." Also more hetterer. more prettier, etc.

more ways to kill a <lo.n- thau chokin(g) him with butter,

n. pltr. Implying that there are other good ways to do a thing.

mortgaged property, n. phr. An engaged person. Also engaged
- <<lj. in sense of engaged. "No use lookin' at her. She's mortgaged
property ."

morning, n. Any time from twelve o'clock midnight to twelve noon.
Forenoon is not used colloquially. See evening.

mosey, v. i. See mozy.

mOSquitO-hawk, n. The dragon-fly, especially one of the larger
varieties.

mOSS-bird, n. The wood-pewee : so called because the nest is coated
on the outside with lichens or moss.

most, adv. Almost. Painfully common.

mouf, n. Mouth : a negroism rapidly -raining ground among the whites,
esp scially in the derivatives, as mouffle (mouthful).

mo light, pret. o. Blight. Very common. " I mought. an' then agin I
moughtn't."

mount 'aineOUS, adj. Mountainous.

mountain-sweet, ". The name of a celebrated variety of water-
melons.

mourner, n. One under conviction of sin in a religious revival.

mourner's bench, ". phr. The front bench or seat in a church
where the mourners are assembled.

mozy, o. i. To loiter, go leisurely. " 1 better be mozyvtC on to'rds home. "

~S\ rs., ". See miss.

Mr. Smarty, «. A smart Elick, oi e who tri<-s to act smart.

much, v. '/'. To make much of : usually with up. " They muched her
up ter(ri)bly."

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 351

muchly, adv. Much, greatly.

mud-cat, n. A catfish. Often used as a term of opprobrium.

mutl-sill, n. An unconverted person, a hard case. "There are some
mud-sills around that ought to be saved." Not common.

mud-turkle, n. The mud-turtle : chiefly among the negroes.

muley(-cow), n. A hornless cow. Also called butt-head.

mulligrubs, n- A nt °f Da(l humor, the blues.

mumble-peg, n. Muinble-the-peg. The forms mumblety-peg, mum-
bly-peg, etc., are unknown to one. The following terms are used in the
game : turn-in. turn-out, drop in the well, shave the pate, slap the baby, ride
the old gray mure (to water), picks or pick-fingers, over-the-head, pig-ears,
knees, cJtin, nose, etc.

mumle, v. i. To mumble. " He was mumlin' to hisself."

municipal, adj. With accent on third syllable.

in us, v. Must. Common.

mush-melon, n. The musk-melon. Very common among all classes.
Also mush-mil(li)on.

muss, n. Confusion, disorder, mess. " Things are all in a muss."

muss, v. tr. To put in disorder, mess. " The child's dress is all mussed
up."

mutton-head, n. A dull, stupid person, a bore.

my me alive, interj. phr.

nabel, n. Navel.

nachul, adj. and adv. Natural.

nail, v. tr. To strike, hit. " I nailed him side o' the head."

liairn, nary one, pron. Not any, ne'er a one.

nairy, adj. or pron. Ne'er a, neither, no.

nairy a red, n. phr. Ne'er a red cent, nothing.

nap, n. Something given as a gratuity to a purchaser. Used in and
around Mobile in south Alabama. Compare lagniappe in same sense in
Louisiana. To boot is the only form of the expression used in east Ala-
bama. See f limn in.

natural (born) fool, n. piir. "He's just a nachul born fool, that's
all there is to it." Is this a survival of the obsolete sense of natural, a
fool S

navigate, v. i. To move about, guide oneself. "He was so drunk he
couldn't navigate.'1''

naw, adv. No.

near(aibout, adv. phr. Almost, nearly. " We are near bout done this
job."

near-by, adj. Adjoining, neighboring. Common among all classes.

near as peas, adj. phr. Very near. "I come near as peas killin'
myself." Often nigh as peas.

necked, adj. Naked : a very common pronunciation.

neck of the woods, n. phr. Community, neighborhood. Used face-
tiously.

needcessity, /!. Necessity. Occasional.

negroize, v. tr. To convert into negro dialect ; to make a negro of.
" It [the stor}'] has been negroized to such an extent that it may be classed

:;.v.' DIALECT XOTES.

as a negro legend." J. C. Harris, Nights with Uncle Remus, Introduction.
(Nol in the diets.)

QegTO pllilist, n. A negro lover: newspaper usage. Also negrophile
and negroph ilism.

neighbor, v. i. and tr. To send in occasional table delicacies, borrow
small amounts of sugar, coffee, etc. Common.

nestes, pi. of nest.

never, adv. Very commonly used for not. "I never done it."

new-gTOUnd., n. A newly cleared tract of forest or swamp. Never
called a clearing so far as I know ; but clearn up or clean up new ground is
often heard.

news-butcll(er), i>- Vendor of newspapers, etc., on a railway train.

Ncw-Vcar's ijit't, interj. phr. A greeting on New Year's day, usually
made with the hope of getting a present. The custom is passing.

nil), n. Nibble, a cautious bite. "I got a nib, but he wouldn't bite
good."

nicker, v. i. To neigh.

nigger, n. Negro. Almost universal. See also steain-nigger.

nigger in the wood-pile, n. phr. Some concealed purpose or
reason. " I thought there must be some nigger in the wood-pile." Very
common.

nigger-luck, n. Fortunate chance. "You can't beat me playing
dominoes. It's jest your nigger-luck that gets away with me."

niggerly, adv. Niggardly.

nigger-Shooter, n. A slingshot (q. v.).

nigger-toe, n. The Brazil nut: so called because of its dark rough
she]]. Never called negro-toe.

nigh, adj. and adv. Near : also used specifically of the horse on the left
in a team of two.

nigh-cut, n. A near cut, a by-path.

nincompoop, n. A ninny, a silly person.

ninny, n. Milk from the breast; also one of the breasts.

it i 1 » and tuck, adv. phr. Nearly even, half and half.

nit, nix(y), adv. Variants of no. Slang.

nO-(ac)COUnt, adj. Worthless. Sometimes no-countest, supl.

nog, n. Egg-nog: beaten eggs, milk, sugar, and whisky: the usual
Christmas drink. Universal.

noggin, n. The head : often tised of a child. " He bumped his noggin.'11

n orate, v. tr. To narrate or report. " It got norated aro and that there
was to be a fvolic at Ward's mill."

normal, n. A normal school, etc., in the senses reported (D. N. iii, 148).

nose to itch. A sign that some one is coming.

no, sir, boss, adv. phr. Emphatically no.

no such of a thing, neg. phr. No such thing.

notch on a stick, n. ]>hr. In the negative expression ' not worth a
notch on a stick,' i.e., absolutely worthless.

Mother (nuj>-a), pron. adj. An othei. The n is clearly detached from
the a and attached to the following word in many similar cases.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 353

nother, conj. Neither. "There ain't nobody there, and there ain't
likely to be nuther." Both the conj. and the pron. are of ten contracted to
nur.

notion, n. See to my notion.

notionate, adj. Notional, changeable, given to hobbies. Universal.

not on your life, adv. phr. By no means.

nowheres, adv. Nowhere.

noxvoinik(y), n. Nux vomica.

nox vomit, n. Nux vomica.

nubbin, n. 1. A small, undeveloped ear of corn. " A couple of wean-
ling pigs . . were fed and fattened on nubbins and roasted white-oak acorns. "
J. C. Harris, Tales of the Home-Folks, p. 4. Universal. Of. D. N. i, 332,
342. 2. An unborn child. Facetious. " He has six children and a nubbin."

nude(r)n, pron. Another one.

nulin- (nbn), niibr, adv. Variants of no. Also naw (q.v.).

null, n. The iron point or spinner of a top. Universal among boys.

null, v. tr. To strike the spinner of a top into another top. Also used
absolutely as the name of a game. " Le's play null."

number-ten, n. Water-closet. College slang, A. P. I. (Formerly
common at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn.)

numskull, n. A stupid person, a fool. Universal.

n 11 111 m i IK-, adv. Equivalent to never mind. Sometimes num-you-
mine, but this is always used as a sort of threat.

nur, conj. Nor.

nuss, n. and v. Nurse.

nut, n. Head. See be off one's nut.

nutty, adj. Mentally deficient, crazy, foolish.

obfusticated, adj. Excited, frustrated. Facetious.

odds, n. Difference, hindrance. "That ain't no odds to me," i.e.,
" I can do it with perfect ease."

of, prep. Used redundantly after verbal nouns. " He kept a bothering
o/us."

otfen, prep. Off of. '• He couldn't make nothin offen me."

oft and on, adv. phr. Off and on. Occasionally heard, as is also a
distinct t sound in often.

okry, n. The common pronunciation of okra.

ol(d)-man, n. 1. Used as a prefix in speaking of elderly men. 2.
Husband, a wife's term, but used also in the third person.

ol(d)-fiel(d), n. Worn-out or abandoned farm lands : often used attrib-
utively as " Old-field pines," i.e., short-leafed pines grown up in old fields.

old lad(y), n. Used before the name of elderly women. Also used for
wife. See old tvomnn.

ol(d) maid, n. A cultivated flower, the zinnia. Common.

ol(cl) man, n. 1. Used before the name of elderly men. 2. A wife's
term for husband.

Ol(d) Ned, n. phr. Bacon. "We had plenty of Old Ned and corn
dodger."

Ol(d) Nick, 11. phr. Satan. " He was as mad as the Old Nick."

354 DIALECT NOTES.

Ol <1) Rip, n. /-///-. A bad tempered man, the devil.
ol(d) witch, ft. phr. A children's outdoor game. See D. N. iii, L48,
where the well-known rime is recorded.
ol(d)-woman, n. Wife. Often pronounced ole 'oman.
ole, adj. Common pronunciation of old.
oil.-, prefix. Oh-. Common in such words as onnatural, onlucky, oncivil,

on, prep. Pronounced on.

on a high horse, adj. phr. Elated, in fine spirits. "We're all on
h igh It < tsst s. "

onct (wunst), adv. Once. Cf . twist.

Ondecent, adj. Indecent.

One, pro?i. Equivalent to 'one or the other.' "I had to buy or sell,

our. "

One-gallused, adj. Wearing only one " gallus " or suspender strap.
Osed of primitive or simple rustics. "The little freckled, barefooted one-
gallused buys of the country school house will make the best citizens of the
state."

one-horse, adj. Second or third rate, small, insignificant.

one-idea'd, adj. Having but one idea. See idea for pronunciation.

Oneway, adj. Single or straight as contrasted with round trip.

Onliest, adj. superlative. Only. Facetiously or consciously used, espe-
cially as a noun for sweetheart. " She"s my onliest."

on one's head, adv. phr. Angry, beside oneself. "Don't git on ;/«'
head, now."

On shares, <"/,-. />/,,-. For a share of the produce or crop. On halves
Is very common. A third and a fourth, i.e., a third of the corn and a
fourth of the cotton crop, is a frequent method of renting to small farmers,
who ar<- usually called croppers.

On the anxious bench, adj. phr. In a state of anxiety or uneas-
iness. " His gal keeps him on the anxious bench half the time." Also used
of one under religious conviction.

On the make, adj. phr. Improving or recovering from illness.

On time, adv. phr. or adj. phr. On credit. " He can get anything he
wants on time." " The cash price is fifty cents ; the on time price is seventy-
Hv.

ontwel, adv. Dhtil.

oodles, a. Quantities. Oodlins is not used.

Opelika, ft. An Indian name, the name of the county-seat of Lee
County, usually pronounced o-pi-1-ai-ka. but often 6-pi-l-ae-ki. Also by
strangers, and hence facetiously by the home folks, o-pel-i-ka.

orphan t, ,t. Orphan.

Otzickity, interj. An exclamation of pain or distress.

oudacious, adj. Audacious.

onrn, pron. poss. Ours.

oiiu-li I, interj. A cry of pain. Both forms are common, but ou is more
frequently heard.

out, n. See make << poor out.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 355

OUt-and-OUt, adj. Thoroughgoing, complete. " Old Bill Jones is
an out-and-out rascal."

OUtdacioUS, adj. Audacious.

out-doin(g')est, adj. superl. Most surprising, most difficult to man-
age. " He's the out-doinest child I ever saw."

Outdone, adj. Put out, displeased, frustrated.

out-doors, adv. phr. used as n. Outside the house. "Bigger 'n all
out doors."

OUten, prep. Out of. Compare Jew of Malta, IV. iii. "His brains
drops out on's nose."

outlay, ft. The lot, the crowd. Compare layout in same sense.

out of soap, adj. phr. Having no more to say, out of ideas.

out of whack, adj. phr. See whack.

tout) On the carpet, adj. phr. Said of one who is a candidate for
matrimony. "They say Widow Jones is out on the carpet again."

overhit, overcrop, n. Earmarks. See crop.

overdoes, v. Third person singular of overdo, pronounced duz by the
illiterate. So also undoes (duz).

overliet, pp. Overheated.

Overly, adv. Excessively, very. Used especially in negative expres-
sions. " My crop is not overly good this year."

oxen, n. Ox ; pi. oxens.

oxford, n. A shoe with the upper cut low, i.e., below the ankle.
Usually in the plural. This is a commercial term and is rarely heard among
the people. See slipper.

oyster, ft. Commonly pronounced oist/a.

oyster-plant, n. Salsify. Also called vegetable-oyster.

paddle, '-. tr. To spank, whip. Also ' paddle the fillin(g) out of one,'
to beat soundly.

palin(g), n. A picket, a fence stave ; paling is practically the only term
in use in the South.

pallet, ft. A bed of quilts made on the floor. If a mattress is used, it is
called a " bed on the floor."

pam (paem), n. Palm. •

pauuuy, adj. Palmy.

panel, n. One tier of a rail fence, or one section (from post to post) of
a picket or board fence. Is def. 11 in the Standard Dictionary a mistake '.
Panel is never used in the sense of a single fence-rail in the South. "A
panel [of the garden fence] had blowed down in the night." J. C. Harris,
On (lie Wing of Occasion, p. 185.

pan out, v. phr. To result, succeed. "His plan didn't pan out as he
expected."

panter, n. Panther.

pants, ft. pi. Trousers : in general polite use. See britches.

pap(py), ft. Father. Perhaps not so common as paiv, or papa.

parched pindar, n.phr. Eoasted peanut.

pard, ft. Short for pardner, a variant of partner.

pare-DOil (peer), v. tr. To parboil.

356 DIALECT NOTES.

parlor-broom, n. A hearth-broom (q.v.).

passel, ». Parcel, batch, lot, etc. " How did you come on raisin'
chickens this year. Mis' Shad : " '' La Messy, honey ! I have had mighty
had link. 1 had the prettiest jnts<i you most ever seed till the varment
took to killin' 'em." LONGSTREET, Georgia Scenes, p. 195.

pass t he t lino of <lay, r. phr. To exchange greetings.

paster, tt. and r. Pasture.

pal ioneo, ft. A candy made of burnt sugar and pecans.

Pattigei partridge.

pott ige )

paw, a. Father. Cf. maw, mother.

pay one's doctor-bill, v. phr. To void excrement, go to stool.

pea, ft. The balance weight on a steelyards.

pears like, o. phr. Appears as if . The subject is usually omitted.

peart, adj. Lively. Also as adv. "The old mare went along right
peart."

pearten, v. i. and tr. To hasten, go faster : often with up. " We
will have to pearten up if we expect to get there on time."

peavey, «. A lumberman's can thook.

pecan, n. Pronounced pik'on.

peckerWOOd, ft. Woodpecker. Universal.

peek on, o. /'/*'•- To take advantage of, bully, impose on.

pcarcli (peert/), n. Perch. Not uncommon.

pea-t urkey, ft. A single word, anything. " She never said pea-turkey
in me about it."

peek of trouble, ft. phr. A great deal of trouble.

pen, ft. Penitentiary.

peewee, ft. A small marble used as a ' stick-in ' in playing for " keeps.''
Also called pisawt e.

penance, n. Dependence. Also used in the sense of reliance.

pen-point, n. A steel pen.

pennyryal, ft. Pennyroyal.

penstaff, n. A penholder. Pen-stock is rarely heard.

pepper-box, ft. The name of a small legifminous plant and its fruit.
When the seeds are dry the pod makes a tiny rattle if shaken. Also called
partridge (pottige)-pea, and rattle-box.

peppergrass, ft. Chickweed.

pepperment, ft. Peppermint.

per-, prefix. Constantly confused with 2"'° and pre. Perfound, per 'ces-
sion, perpose, etc., persent, perietal, perpare, i>erserve, etc.

perfesser, ft. Professor. See/es.se>\

perzackly, prezackly, zackly, adv. Variants of exactly.

pestiferous, adj. Annoying, bothersome. "These pestiferous mos-
quitoes."

pet, n. Aboil, carbuncle, or the like. "I've got a pet on the back of
my neck."

peter out, <•. phr. To fail, gradually decline or come to naught ; also
to he exhausted. " I was allpetered out when I got there."

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 357

peth, n. Pith.

pethy, adj. Pithy.

philopena, n. A variation of the regular game is called French philo-
pena, in which one of the participants eats a bit of candy or a kernel of a
nut from the other's mouth.

pllleem, n. Phlegm. " It put him in a mighty fine sweat, and loosened
all the phleem, and opened all his head." Longstreet, Georgia Scenes, p.
193.

picayune, n. A trifle : in the expression 'not worth a picayune.'

picayuiiisli, adj. Easily fretted, overcome with respect to trifles.

pick, v. tr. 1. To play (a banjo or guitar) ; also to play with difficulty
on the piano. 2. To begin or stir up (a quarrel).

pickaniuy, n. A negro child : this is not a colloquialism in east
Alabama. The term is known only in ' coon ' songs.

pick at one, v. phr. To irritate one, stir one up as to a fight. " He
picked at me all day." Sometimes peck at one.

picnic, n. An easy undertaking, a soft snap. "That was a regular
picnic. It didn't take me half an hour to do it."

piddle, v. i. To waste one's time at trifles, do small jobs about the
house. Universal.

piece, n. Distance. Universal. "It's a good piece to town. Come
and go a little piece with me."

pie-print, n. Likeness, spit. " He's the very pie print of his daddy."

pigeon-wing, n. A fancy dance step : often used in the expression
cut the pigeon wing, i.e., dance the pigeon wing.

pigee or pigoo(p), interj. The final word in a call for pigs. "Pig!
Pig! Pigoo!" If aloud call is necessary, "pigooup," or " wooup, xcooup,
pigooup /" is used.

pile, n. Money; all the money one has. "It takes my pile to buy
that."

pinchers, n. Pincers. The latter form is rarely if ever heard.

piney-woods, n. The common expression for backwoods.

pine-Straw, n. The fallen needles or leaves of pine trees. "Cover
your strawberries with pine-straw." " Put pine-straw in the stables for the
horses or cows to lay on."

pine-blank, adv. Point-blank.

pin-headed, adj. Little-brained.

pint, n. and v. Point.

pipe-lighter, n. A paper spill or taper used for lighting lamps, pipes,
etc. Called also lamp-lighter.

piroot (p'airut), v. i. To root or nose about. "What do you come
pirootiii1 around here for ? " From pirouette, but associated in the popular
mind with root.

pis-ant, n. The pismire, a small black or red ant with a strong odor.
This species does not sting so readily as the common or stinging ant. The
word is felt as a vulgarism.

pisletry, n. Psaltery. A facetious or ignorant contortion.

pitch-OUt, v. phr. To start suddenly. " Be pitched out for home."

358 DIALECT NOTES.

pizen, -'. Poison.

pizen-oak, n. Poison oak.

pizzle-grease, n. A kind of lard or grease made by boiling the penis
of a hog. a popular salve or ointment.

place, n. Borne, farm. "When you comin ont to outplace."

plait,", and v. Universally pronounced plaet, never plet. Braid is
rarely or never heard.

plank, 11. A sawed board. This is the common word, board being
ased specifically of a short piece of sawed lumber.

play whaley, o. plir. To upset one's plans completely, do the wrong
thing, ruin everything. " Now you've played whaley ! "

pleg, a. and v. Plague. Common in such expi*essions as ' Pleg take it ! '
• Pleg your lime ! ' This pronunciation is used only in an exclamatory way.

plegged, adj. Plagued, darned. " You plegged rascal."

plug, o. *. To work steadily, put in steady blows. "I'll just keep
plugging at it till I get it done."

plug, a. An old worn-out horse. "Where did you get thatj>/Mg you
are ridin' I " Also plug-ugly.

plug, "■ A filling in a tooth. Also as verb. "He plugged my front
tooth.*' '' He put a gold }>li<g in my tooth." Universal.

plug-Ugly, »• An ugly person or thing, especially an ugly horse.

pi 11111(b), adv. Entirely.

plump, adv. Squarely, fairly, exactly.

plump, v. tr. To hit squarely. Used often in marbles. " He plumped
the middler from taw every time."

plump, o. i. and tr. To shoot (a marble) through the air so as to hit
another marble before touching the ground.

plum-peach, n. Clingstone peach.

plunder, n. Household goods.

plunk, a. A silver dollar, money: usually in the plural. "He's got
the plunks."

pi n nl;, v. tr. To 'plank' or lay down. "He plunked down the
money."

point-blank, adj. Direct, straightway. Also as an adv. Often
pronounced paint-, and sometimes pain -bkenk.

Poka, «. Loachapoka, a village in Lee County, Alabama.

poke-easy, n. A lazy or slow person or animal.

pom per, v. tr. To pamper. Pomparcd up is frequently heard.

pony, n. A literal translation. Also called jack. College slang.

poor, adj. Pronounced po or p6a.

po(or) as a fence rail, adj. phr. Very poor.

po(or) as .lob's turkey, adj. phr. Very lean, emaciated.

po(or) mouth, n. phr. Poverty. " He's always puttin' up the po'1
mouth, when he's jest as well off as the rest of us."

po(or) (bad) .success, n. phr. See good success.

pop, '• tr. 1. To crack (a whip). Common. 2. To snap or break.
•• Pop thai watermelon open."

Pop, n. A member of the Populist party.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 359

pop-eyed, adj. Having prominent or protruding eyes.

poppy-cock, n. Foolishness, stuff.

pop the whip, n. phr. A boys' game, snap the whip.

pore, adj. Poor. P6 is perhaps the more common pronunciation.

posish, n. Position. " I'm not exactly in a posish to do what you ask."

possum, n. Opossum. The foil form is never heard.

possum, v. i. To deceive, pretend. " He's a.-possumin."

postes, n. Plural of post.

pot-gut, n. A pot-bellied person. Also used as an expletive. " Pot-
gut your hide ! "

pot-gutted, adj. Pot-bellied ; often used in exclamations and some-
times corrupted to pot -gut it !

pot-liquor, n. Liquor from boiled gi^eens or field peas and fat meat.

pot-rack, n. 1. A guinea-fowl. 2. A crane attached to an open fire-
place for hanging the pot over the fire. Now obsolete.

pounding', n. The custom of sending to the minister's home groceries,
preserves, etc., each participant being supposed to give a pound. "We
gave our new preacher & pounding last week." Sometimes called pound-
party, but the latter is used in a specific sense.

pound-party, n. A party to which each guest brings a pound of eata-
bles.

pow(e)rful, adj. Exceedingly, very.

prare (praer), n. Prairie : a south Alabama pronunciation.

preacher-coat, n.phr. A frock coat, a Prince Albert coat.

preach one's funeral, v. phr. 1. To preach one's memorial sermon.
2. To rebuke harshly. " I'll preach his funeral next time I see him."

preachin(g), n. Church services. See also meetin(g).

preachiu(g)-time, n. About eleven o'clock in the forenoon.

preemptory, adj. Peremptory : an error commonly made by the edu-
cated classes.

prespiration, n. Perspiration. Sweat is felt to be vulgar in certain
social circle*.

prespire, v. i. To perspire.

pretty, n. A toy, something pretty. " I wouldn't take a pretty for
that knife." Common. Also purty.

pretty as a picture, adj. phr. Very pretty : often used of a fine
specimen of fruit, perhaps out of respect to the highly colored plates in
the fruit-tree canvasser's book.

pretty come-oft', n. phr. An unfortunate circumstance, a regretta-
ble condition. "It's a pretty come-off that yon are not ready for meetin'."

pretty is as pretty does. "Handsome is as handsome does" is
rarely heard.

pretty kettle offish, a, 11. phr. See kettle offish.

pretty pass, n. phr. A peculiar or astounding situation, an abnormal
condition : used in a derogatory sense.

prissy, adj. Very particular, over-nice, precise, squeamish. " Once
when I was courting, I spoke of a sitting hen, but the young lady said I
25

360 DIALECT NOTES.

was too prissy for anything." J. C. Harris, Mr. Rabbit at Home, p. 40.
l"ni\ ersal.

prize, '•• tr. To raise with a lever, pry.

prize, ft. A lever. Universal both as verb and noun.

pro. n. A prohibitionist .

probly, adv. Probably.

projeck, o. and a. Project. "He is always a projeckini with some
new contraption."

prom us, n. and r. Promise.

prone, r. tr. To impress deeply or vigorously, put in at birth. " It
jnsi warn't prmiri! into thai dog to ketch that rabbit."

prong, ft. Twig or branch of a tree, fork of a stream. Used rarely in
the Becond sense.

prospect, r. /. To visit a place in quest of a home. "He's gone out
west prospectirC '."

proud, adj. Glad, happy.

proud, v. i. To be in heat : said of a female dog. Also prowl in same
sense.

proud ;is :i dog with two tails, adj. phr. Very proud.

psalm, ft. Pronounced ssem.

puff, ft. Shortened dough rolled thin and fried in hot lard.

pug-Ugly, ft. A very ugly person : often used as a term of familiar
address. " Hello, old pug-ugly ! "

puke, ft. and v. Vomit. Felt as a vulgarism, but in fairly general use.

puke, Ji. A low or contemptible fellow.

pilkish, adj. Inclined to puke or vomit, nauseated.

pull, '•. 'c. 1. To arrest. "The policeman pulled him." Slang. ",'.
To pick or pluck. "The baby pulled the flowers." Universal.

pullikins, ft. />!. A dentist's forceps. This is an interesting example
of folk etymology. Pelican is the name of a dentist's forceps, so-called
because shaped like the pelican's beak. Naturally pull-ikin resulted, and
the final -s was added on the analogy of tongs, pincers, etc.

pull(y)-1)One, n. Wishbone. Very common.

pull t he bell-cord over a blind mule, a one-eyed steer, etc.,
'•. phr. To plow.

pull up, o. /,/(/-. To stop.

pull up stakes, r. pin-. To remove.

pump, ''. i. To swing oneself by an up and down motion while stand-
ing in a swing.

punkin-yam, n. A yellow yam potato.

puny, adj. In poor health. Universal.

pu(r)sley, n. Purslane. Universal. By confusion ynth. parsley. "Go
pull up some pussley for the pigs."

pu(r)ty, adj. and n. Pretty. "I'd give a purty to know how come
Fountain Flournoy to have sech a mortal weakness for a Yankee." J. C.
Harris, On theWing of Occasion, p. 58.

pushency, "• Emergency. "In case of pushency, you can call on
me." Facetious.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 361

pussle-gutted, adj. Same as pussy-gutted.

puss(y), g'i(ve) me your corner, n. phr. Name of a children's
game.

pussy-gutted, adj. Corpulent, having a large abdomen. Often used
as a term of contempt. " You low-lifed, pussy-gutted scounderl."

put, v. Often pronounced put.

put a bug in one's ear, v. phr. To tell one a secret, put one on to
a secret.

put a spider in one's biscuit (dumpling, bread, etc.), v. phr.
To tell one a piece of bad news, do one an injury. A facetious way of say-
ing ' poison one.'

put it all over one, v. phr. To beat or surpass one completely.

put on, v. phr. To act consciously, show off.

put-on, n. A person who puts on (in the sense above). " He's a regu-
lar put-on."

put on dog, v. phr. To make a display of style.

put tlie big pot in the little one (and make soup out of
the legs), v. phr. To cook a big meal, prepare for visitors, try to surpass
oneself in such preparation.

put up, o. phr. To take lodgings, stay. "He put up on me for two
mont's, an' I jes couldn't stand him no longer."

quare, adj. Queer.

quicker than one can say Jack Robinson, adv. phr. Very
quick.

quateriii(g), adv. Diagonally.

quarters, n. pi. Houses or 'quarters' set apart for the slaves, and
later occupied by the farm hands. Sometimes quarter is heard.

quirl, v. and n. Curl. See curl.

quituate, v. To leave college or school before graduation. Facetious.

quoil, v. t. To coil. Also pronounced kwail.

rabbit-foot, n. A conjurer's sign and implement. See work the rab-
bit-foot on one.

rabbit-hop, n. A kind of fancy dance step.

rabbit-tobacco, n. Life-everlasting, cudweed. It is a common
practice among the young boys to smoke or chew the dried leaves of this
herb.

racer, n. 1. A small fleet-footed lizard. See sand-sifter. 2. A black
snake noted for its fleetness. Usually designated black-racer. See black-
runner.

racket, n. A personal encounter, fight.

raft, n. A quantity, a large number. "A past-due mortgage on the
plantation, and a whole raft (as you may say) of small debts." J. C. Har-
ris, Tales of the Home-Folks, p. 36,

ragge < y , adj. Ragged .

ragtag and bobtail of creation, the, n. phr. In the sense
recorded. See D. N. iii, 152.

rail, adj. Real.

rail(ly), adv. Really.

362 DIALECT NOTES.

rain pitchforks, ». pin-. To rain heavily.

rain tadpoles, o. phr. To rain heavily.

raise sand, r. phr. To make a great disturbance, get angry and stir
up confusion.

raisin(g), n. Bringing up, manners. " You ain't got no raisin'."

rake one over the COalS, u. pftr. To reprimand or scold one.
Common as a verbal noun. " I'll give him a raking over the coals for that."

raml>ll(n)ctious, adj. Noisy and unruly, unconventional, boisterous.

ramps, n. A game at dominoes. Probably corrupted from rounce.

ranishackle(d), adj. In bad state of repair, run down, unkept,
unstable. ••They lived in a little old ramshackle house on the bill." Also
used as a noun. "I wouldn't live in such a ramshackle."

raniscbacklet v, adj. Same as ramshackle.

ramstlldiOUS, ramstugloUS, adj. Kambunctious, rough and
ready ; also full of animal passion.

rang, n*. Rung.

rantankerOUS, adj. Unruly, mean, bad. "They never had such a
rantankerous nigger to deal with." J. C. Harris, Tales of the Home-Folks,
p. 48.

rapist, 'i. One guilty of rape : used by educated persons.

rap-jacket, n. A game in which the contestants stand up and whip
each other with keen limber switches until one yields or runs away. Also
irrii/i j,n-L-< t.

rare (raer or ran. c i. To rant, fuss and fume. "Don't come rarin
on me about it."

rastle, v. See wrastle.

rathers, ». pi. Preference, choice. Often pronounced ruthefs.

rat-killin(g), n. Business, task. " Go on with your rat killvn?"

rat-nes(t i, /<. A tangle in a child's hair. " Be still and let me comb
this rat-nest out. The rats slept in your head last night."

rattle-DOX, n. Same as pepper box (q.v.).

rattle it off, v. phr. To speak with great ease and fluency, talk much.

rattlesnake(-ineloii), n. A favorite variety of watermelons, having
a light gray rind with dark green stripes, somewhat like the coloration of
the rattlesnake.

rattlin(g), adv. Especially, notably. " A rattlin(g) good time."

razee, n. A drunken spree. " He's on a big razee."

razor-back, n. A lean hog that runs wild in the swamps. Hence
any poor grade of hog.

razzle-dazzle, ft. and o. Same as tick-tack, v. and n.

reach, v. tr. To hand. " Reach me that saw."

reb, n. A rebel, a Confederate soldier : the term is used with pride.

recess, ,,. Accented on first syllable almost universally.

reckon, v. i. and //•. To suppose, think, 'guess.' Very common.

rehob(tail), intensive inter j. " No (yes), sir, rebobtail ! " Probably
originally " No, siree, Bob ! "

receipt, a. Recipe.

reconiinend, n. Recommendation.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 363

red-eye, n. Whisky.

reclish, n. Radish.

reesiil, n. Eaisin. Cf. Falstaffs pun, 1 Henry IV, ii. 4.

regular, adj. and adv. Regular(ly).

remember of, v. phr. To remember. " I don't remember of it now."

reiicll, v. tr. To rinse. Universal.

re nig", v. i. To renege.

resk, n. and v. A not uncommon pronunciation of risk.

resurrect, v. tr. To restore to use.

retch, ». tr. and i. To reach. Somewhat rare.

rheumatiz, n. Rheumatism.

ribbet, n. and v. Rivet.

rich, adj. Greasy, full of lard, short. "These biscuit are mighty
rich."

rickets, n. pi. St. Vitus's dance.

ride one (a) bug- huntin(g), o. phr. To punish one, whip or chas-
tise one. " You better mind or he'll ride you a bug huntin'."

ride Shanks'* mare, o. phr. To walk, go on one's own shanks.

riffle, n. 1. A ripple. 2. An effort. 3. See make the riffle.

rigamarole, n. An incoherent jumble or succession of ideas, rigma-
role.

right, adv. Quite, very. " He is right much worried over it."

rigilt down, adv. Downright. "That's a right-down pretty baby."
J. C. Harris, Tales of the Home-Folks, p. 269.

rights and lefts, n.phr. Fruit patties with the dough on both sides, a
sort of fruit doughnut.

right sharp(ly), adv. phr. To a considerable degree, more than ordi-
narily.

right smart (chance), n. phr. A considerable amount. " He's got
a right smart (chanst) of cotton."

right sinart(ly), adv. phr. To a considerable degree. " He was a
right smart hurt."

rigor, n. A slight chill, a mild shaking as from malaria.

rile, v. tr. To make muddy or turbulent ; to make angry ; roil is the
original form.

ringed, pret. andp/>. of ring.

rip, o. i. To go rapidly, go to destruction : in the slang expression ' let
her rip.'

rip and rear, v. phr. To rip and tear, rage and scold.

ripe, adj. Said of a boil when it is ready to be lanced.

rine, n. Rind. Universal.

ring-bound, adj. In the game of marbles, when one's taw stops on
the line of the ring, he is called ring-bound and loses his turn. See fat.

ring-man, /(. One of the marbles placed in the ring.

ring-round, n. A ring-worm. Universal.

ring-streaked and striked, adj. phr. Striped irregularly. Some-
times ring-streaked and striped is used. The -ed is always pronounced as a
separate syllable.

364 DIALECT NOTES.

rip out, r. phr. To utter violently.

rippit, n. A fight, a mix-up. Universal.

rip-roodle, v. i. To romp, go tearing about.

rising, >i. A boil.

riz, prep, and pp. of rise.

roacb, o. tr. To comb or brush (the hair) straight hack from the fore-
head : al<o. to come up nut of the water so as to sweep the hair back thus.
"Watch mo roach my hair, boys."

roach, n. A cow-lirk. a topknot, a foretop.

roach-COmb, ft. A semi-circular comb used by children (girls) to
roach the hair back over the forehead. Formerly common, but now out of
style. Sometimes roaching-comb.

roasit)img)-oar, ft. Green corn, usually on the cob, but applied to
any sort of dish made of green corn. The almost universal pronunciation
is rosn-ear. Bosn-i/ear is also heard. Often used attributively, as " rosn-ear
time."

rODUStouS, robustious, adj. Robust, strong. Facetious.

rock, ft. and o. Stone. " They picked up a lot of rocks and rocked the
chickens out of the patch."

rook fence / , ei n

- //. jilir. Stone wall.

rock Avail s

rode, pp. of ride. Ridden is rarely heard among the uneducated.

rompers, ». i>l. A one-piece garment for children to play in.

root", n. Plural commonly roovi>s.

room. '•. i. To lodge.

rooster, n. A lascivious man. " He's a regular old rooster.''

root hog or die, o. phr. To work for oneself or perish. " He had to
root hog or die." Very common.

rope in, v. '/'. To deceive, decoy. "He got roped in by the circus
folks."

rot ni n, j}j>r. Rotting.

rot(te n, «. i. To rot. "That roof will rotten out in less 'n a year."
Common, especially in the ppr. rottnin(g).

roughage, n. Coarse feed for cattle, horses, etc., as hay, fodder,
shucks. Also called rough-feed.

rough an(d) tumble, n. pAr. Atussle. Also used attributively. "A
rough and tumble fight."

rough-house, ft. An uproarious condition, loud noise and great con-
fusion, particularly in a mess-hall. Also as a verb. " We rough-housed 'em
because they wouldn't give us enough to eat." Slang.

rounance, interj. A term used in the game of marbles for permission
to move around to a more suitable position.

roun(d), <<. A rung.

rounder, -<. Loafer.

rou lid t rip. adj. Return : used of a return trip railroad ticket.

roust, o. >f. and i. To rouse, ~t ir about vigorously. "Tiny rousted us
up before day."

rozum, ". Resin, rosin.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 365

rubber, n. A gum overshoe : usually in the plural. Overshoes is used
about as commonly as rubbers. Gumshoes and gums are not known.

rucas, ruCUS, n. A row, an open quarrel, a disturbance.

rue back, v. phr. To seek to withdraw from a bargain, back clown
from one's bargain. "We swapped knives, and then he wanted to rue
back."

run, pret. of run. They broke an' run." Sometimes runned is heard
in pret. and pp. " We lack to got runned over."

run down, v. phr. To vilify.

run off, v. phr. To survey (land).

runt, n. The smallest pig in a litter : not used of other animals. Some-
times applied facetiously to a small person.

run with, v. jjhr. To associate with, go in the company of.

rustle, v. i. and tr. To hustle.

rusty-cuss, n. A dark-colored, rusty-looking lizard. Also called
rusty-back, rusty-buck.

ruta-begger, n. Ruta-baga, a variety of turnip.

ruther, adv. Rather. Common.

sack, n. A bag of any kind. " Put it in a paper sack'." Universal.

Sacrament, n. Pronounced s'e-cra-mant.

sad, adj. Soggy. " This cake is sad, but it's good,"

Sadday, a. Saturday. Very common.

safe, n. A portable cupboard. Cupboard is never heard except in
nursery rimes.

saft (saeft), adj. Soft. See treadsalve. Rare.

sagashuate, ». i. To get on. Often in the facetious greeting, 'How
does your corporosity seem to sagashuate ? ' Also seg ishuate.

sakes, sakes alive, sakes a-livin, land sakes alive, for pity
sakes, for the lord sakes, etc., interj. phrases.

salt and batter, n. phr. Assault and battery. Facetious and rare.

salt-risin(g') bread, n. phr. A slow-rising bread, so called because
the yeast is set with salt. Rare.

salty, adj. Salt. The latter is rarely used.

sam (saem), n. Psalm. This pronunciation is sometimes heard in the
pulpit.

sand in one's craw, n. phr. Courage, tenacity. Also grit in one's
craw. See crow.

sand-sifter, n. A small fleet-footed lizard. Also called racer, swift,
swift-jack, swift -j<-n n y.

sand-spur, n. The sand-spurry. Universal.

sarch, v. and n. Search.

sashay, v. i. 1. To move consciously, go in ostentatious way, put on
airs in moving : also to court, act the gallant. Often with around. 2. A
term in dancing, same as chasse~.

sass, ,i. 1. Sauce : chiefly in garden-sass. 2. Saucy talk, impertinence.
Common.

Sass, v. tr. To talk saucily or impertinently to. Sometimes sassy. "Don't
you come sassy ing me.''

366 DIALECT NOTES.

sassafac, <i. Sassafras. Compare satisfac, a facetious contortion or
a folk etymology.

sassafras tea, n. /</</•. A beverage made by boiling sassafras bark or
roots. It is supposed to add to one's beauty.

SaSSdlger, n. Sausage. ''His lips stickin' out like a link of green
sassengers." Facetious.

sassy, adj. Saucy, impertinent.

sassy, u. tr. To talk saucily to.

sassyparilla, n. Sarsaparilla.

satisfac, ». Sassafras. Facetious.

save one's manners, v. phr. To do something out of courtesy
which one dislikes to do, only to find that the one favored cannot accept the
courtesy ; also to ask one out of courtesy to do something which it is well
known is out of the question for him to do.

saw, interj. A command to make a milch-cow standstill. Often fol-
lowed by the derogatory use of madam. "Sato, madam] I'll bust you
open ef you don't saw."

saw gourds, v. phr. To snore. Facetious.

say for one, ». phr. To tell or advise one to do, order. " The doctor
suiil for me to take something, and so I took a horse."

says I (sezai). Used in reporting direct discourse after the analogy of
soys he (sezee).

say-so, n. Authority, permission, affirmation. "Don't do it on my
say-so." Often pronounced sesso.

SCadS, ". pi. Money ; also a large quantity or number.

scaly-bark, n. A small soft-shelled hickory nut; also the tree on
which it grows.

SCan(a)louS, adj. Scandalous.

SCape, o. tr. To graze, mark slightly. "The bullet just scaped his
scalp."' Cf. skelp in same sense, D. N. ii, 329.

scarce as lien's teeth, adj. phr. Very scarce. Scarce is often pro-
nounced skes.

scare up, v. phr. To find, get. " Maybe I can scare (sheer) up a dol-
lar or two."'

scare, v. and n. Pronounced skeer. "He was nigh skeert out'n his
wits."' Also skeery, adj. Very common.

scarify, o. tr. To scare, frighten.

SCase 'skes). adj. Scarce.

scat, interj. Said to a child when it is about to sneeze.

scoot, '•. tr. and i. 1. To squirt, eject forcibly. See sheet. 2. To run
away hurriedly.

school butter, n. phr. A teasing call to school children. Not heard in
-oiue localities, but common in others. ^

-.cooler, a. A kind of narrow plow, — so called because it makes the
earth ' scoot.'

SCOrripin, n. Scorpion. Rare.

scotch, o. i. To assist one in an undertaking, help out in a minor way.
•• You go ahead with the job. and I'll scotch for you."

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 367

SCOUU(le(r)l, n. Scoundrel.

Scoville-lioe, n. Also simply Scoville. A hoe largely used in the
South, especially in chopping cotton, invented by and named after a young
man from Connecticut who settled about 1850 in Eufaula, Ala., as a clerk
in a supply store. The hoes in use previously were of soft iron and became
easily dulled. Scoville conceived the idea of a hoe with a thin plate of steel
on the inner side, so arranged that the softer metal on the outer side would
wear away more rapidly and thus keep the edge constantly sharpened.
See gooseneck hoe.

scrape, n. A wide-winged plowshare used for shallow cultivation or
for merely ' scraping ' the crust : often used for breaking middles in cotton
culture. Also right-winged scrape, left-winged scrape, etc.

scrape, v. tr. To plow cotton, etc., with a scrape : sometimes with tip.

scratch, v. tr. To strike (a match). Universal.

Scratch, n. The devil : often with Old. " He is as mean as the Old
Scratch."

scratch-pad, n. Cheap writing tablet for scratch work. Also called
scratch-tablet.

scrimp, v. tr. and i. To skimp, dole out sparingly, be stingy. "We
lived on scrimped rations."

scriinption, n. A small amount, a bit. " You never had a, scrimption
of sense."

serooch, v. i. 1. To crouch down or under. 2. To push or squeeze
in, scrouge.

serouge, v. i. and tr. To push or crowd ; squeeze in. Also pronounced
scrooge (skrug). " Keep back ! Don't scrooge so ! *'

SCrilb, n. A ball game played as a substitute for base ball when there
are not enough players to make up two sides. There are two batters, and
when one is put out, the catcher goes to the bat, and each out-player moves
up one position. In case of an out on a fly, the batter exchanges places
with the one who catches the fly.

SCUlll, pret. and pp. oi skim.

SCUll(t), pret. and pp. oi skin.

season, n. A heavy rainfall, rain sufficient to make the moisture of
the top soil penetrate to the moisture of the subsoil.

Sech, adj. Such.

second-handed, adj. Second-hand. Common.

secont, adj. and n. Second.

seed, pret. and pp. of see. Very common among the illiterate.

see daylight, o. phr. To get some satisfactoi-y grasp of a subject, see
one's way out of a difficulty.

sef, reflex, pron. Self.

seen, pret. of see.

segashuate, v. i. See sagashuate.

sence, adv., prep., conj. Since.

servig'rous (ser-vai-gres), adj. 1. Headstrong, strong-willed, obsti-
nate, pugnacious. "He's the most servigrous white man in the land." A
negroism used frequently by whites. 2. Severe, savage. "It's pretty ser-
vigrous, but nothin' killin' yet."

DIALECT NOTES.

set, u. i. Almost universal for sit.

set-line, n. A fishing-line set out for fish : especially a trot-line (q.v.).

mI one back, d. phr. To cost one. "How much will that book set
me i

sel one's cap for, u. phr. To seek to attract for matrimonial pur-
poses, win as a lover. Common.

*<-t out, v. j)Jn\ To transplant. "It's a good time to set out tater
Blips

M't 11 ]» to, o. phi-. To court, woo.

Seval, adj. or pron. Several.

seven-year itch, n. phr. An itch supposed to last for seven years.

shacklety, adj. Dilapidated, run-down. See ramshackle.

Shake, n. Act of getting rid of, the slip. "We gave him the shake
before dinner." Slang.

shako a stick at, v. phr. Used in exaggerated statements. "We
found more rabbits than you could shake a stick at."

Shakes, n. See great shakes.

shank, n. The latter part. " The shank of the evening (the afternoon)."

Shanks's mare, see ride Shanks's mare.

Shape, n. Condition. " My affairs are in bad shape."

Shares, n. pi. See on shares.

sharp stick, n. phr. A switch, an instrument of punishment. "You'll
have to get a sharp stick after that boy."

Shattered corn, n. phr. Scattered corn, loose grains of corn.

Shaver, n. A small boy, a lad.

Shebang, n. A contrivance, a thing of any kind; also in a general
sense, the concern, business : often in the expression ' the whole shebang.'

Shed, adj. Rid. " I couldn't get shed of him." Also shrt.

Sheepskin, n. Diploma. College slang.

Sheer, n. Common pronunciation of share.

shelf- worn, adj. Shopworn : the only term used.

shellot. n. Shallot. Universal.

shell out, o. phr. To run away precipitously, leave hastily. "We
had to shell <mt from that place."

^liHl out (the corn), v. phr. To pay (the money).

Shell-road, ". A road of shells, often found along the gulf-coast. A
common expression for making fast time is ' to go like 2 : 40 on & shell-road.'

Shenannigin, verbal noun. Fooling: often with around, "Quit
your shenannigin." Common.

Sherbert, n. Sherbet. Universal.

slM-t, d. ',: To shut.

^lii<l<'-]>oke, n. The small blue heron. Also called shite-poke and

IiiiliilD heil.

shimmy, n. Chemise. Also sometimes shimmy-tail.

Shindig, «. A party, an entertainment. "Are you going to the shin-
dig at the school house, to-morrow night 3 " Not limited to dances or balls.

Shindy, n. A fuss, a fracas.

shine, p. /;•. To throw or cast light in (an animal's eyes) : a method of
finding the quarry when hunting 'possums, coons, etc., at night.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 369

Ship-Stuff ) n. Wheat bran: so called because it is always shipped

ship-feed ) from a distance.

shoemake, n. Suniack. Sometimes pronounced shwmcek.

shoot a clog-, v. phr. To go to stool.

shooting-match (the whole), n. jj/i/-. The entire crowd or party.

Shoot, Luke, or give up the gun. Imperative sentence, begin or
give place to another.

shoot off one's mouth (or hazoo), v. phr. To talk, break in on a
conversation, have one's say.

slio(re), adj. or adv. Sure.

sho(re)ly, adv. Surely.

short John, n. phr. Same as cheap John.

Short horse, SOOll curried, proverb. Applied to an easy or insig-
nificant piece of work, a meager meal, etc.

short rows, n. phr. In the sense reported, D. N. i, p. 342.

Shorty, n. A person of short stature.

shot, pret. of shut.

Shuck, v. tr. To remove the husk from an ear of corn ; hence to remove.
"Shuck them duds."

Shuck, pret. and pp. of shake.

shuck, ;). The husk of an ear of Indian com : usually in the plural.

Shuck-pen, n. A pen made of rails for holding shucks: used to
express a considerable number or quantity. "Asa matter of fact, Jeff, the
little beagle, could have whipped a shuck-pen full of them." J. C. Harris,
Tales of the Home-Folks, p. 47.

shucks, interj. An expletive exprensing disgust or impatience. Very
common.

shyster, n. Primarily a sneaky, unprincipled lawyer, but applied to
any sort of rascal or quack.

sich, adj. Such. Also sech.

sick, adj. 111. The latter word is rarely used.

sick a bed, adj. phr. Quite ill, too ill to be up. One who is 'up and
about' may say, "I'm sick a bed to-day, but I jest won't give up." Sick in
bed is also frequently heard.

side, o. tr. To plow close to young cotton so as to throw the soil from
it. This enables the choppers to work more rapidly.

side-meat, n. Bacon. Universal.

side-wiper, n. A sweeping blow.

side the head, adv. jihr. Equivalent to ' on the side of the head.'

sieve, n. Pronounced siv. Not in common use, sifter being the usual
word.

sight, n. 1. A great deal. " I'd a sight rather not do it." 2. A crowd,
a number. " There was a sight of folks at nieetin' to-day."

sight unseen, adr. phr. Without examination : said of a blind swap.

silly, n. A silly person, a fool. "Go and do it yourself, you sj'//;/."'

silver-side, n. A small minnow with bright silverlike side scales.

sim(h)lin, )!. A sort of squash or gourd.

sim(b)liu-head, n. A fool, an idiot.

n. bister.
ssv I

370 DIALECT NOTES.

Sim(l))l in-headed, adj. Foolish, simple. "You simlin-headed
idiol

Simmon, it. Persimmon. Almost universal. "This simmon beer is
powerful good."

Simon pure, adj. phr. Genuine, true. Sometimes used as a noun.
'• llr's i he Simon pure."

singing', (all-day), n. phr. A gathering of singers to spend the day
in practising. Dinner is served on the ground, and a general good time for
all is the order of the day. Sometimes called a ' Sunday picnic'

siiiii'iiii:" convention, n. phr. A singing festival.

singletree, n. A swingletree, whiffletree. Neither of the latter terms
is used.

Singsongy, adj. Of a singsong character, or in a singsong manner.
" The new preacher drawls out his words in a singsongy way."

siree, interj. Used as an intensive. See "No, sir, boss."

siss

sissy

Sist(e)rin, n. pi. Sisters. See bretherin.

size, v. tr. To estimate. " To size one's pile," i.e., estimate how much
money one has. " To size one up," i.e., find out his character.

skeart, skeared, pret. and pp. of scare or sheer.

skedaddle, v. i. To run away in haste, flee. Common.

skeer, v. and n. Scare.

Skeery, adj. Scary, easily scared.

Skeet, o. tr. To scoot (water), spew out of the mouth, especially
between the teeth.

Skeeter, n. Mosquito. Slang.

skeore In. A peg or wooden pin improvised as a button for the sus-

Skewer > penders. Also called bachelor's button. [Probably originally
securer. ]

skew \ ee, see all skew vee.

Skift, n. Skiff.

skillet, n. An iron cooking vessel, having (usually) three pot-like legs,
a long handle, and a cover, — commonly used for baking in an open fireplace.
See also tote one's own skillet."

Skim, n. Scum.

Skimp, o. i. and tr. To scamp. The latter is not used. See scrimp.

Skimpy, adj. Scanty, meagre.

skill, v. tr. To climb : usually with up. "You ought to 'a seen him
skin up that tree." Sometimes shin up is heard.

skin out, V. phr. To leave suddenly, run away.

skint, pret. asxdpp. of skin. See also skv,it.

skin this eat, o. phr. Winn one is doing something and is interrupted
by an on-looker with advice, one retorts impatiently, " I'm skinnin' this cat,
and you are not paid to hold the tail."

Skipper, n. A meat maggot.

skum(med), pret. and////, of skim.

skim t ', pret. and pp. of skin.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 371

sky-high, adj. Very high.

sky-lark, v. i. To go romping about, go on a foolish errand.
Sky western crooked, adj.phr. Helpless, senseless, winding.
Slack, n. Impudence.

slam, n. An uncomplimentary remark, a malicious insinuation. "That's
a slam on me."

slam, v. tr. To make an uncomplimentary remark about. "He
shimmed me to my back, but he darsen't do it to my face."

Slam-bang1, intensive adv. " He ran slam-bang into a hornet's nest."
Slap, adv. Entirely. " We worked till slap dark. " Also as adj.
slep, pret. and pp. of sleep.

slew, n. Slough; a channel, artificial or natural, for water. " A mill
slew." Also used as an expression for a large amount. "We caught a
whole slew of fish."

slice, n. A wedge-shaped cut of watermelon. Sometimes slish. Also
as verb, to cut into slices.

si irk, adj. With ease, quickly. " He made that money slick." A
common catch among boys is based on this sense. "Do you want to know
how you can make a nickel slick '." " Yes." " Grease it."
Slick, adj. Slippery.

slick as a button, adj. phr. Very easily, adroitly. Also slick as a
whistle.

slick duck, n.phr. A shrewd person, a sly one.

Sling1 ' n. A sling-like weapon made by attaching rubber bands to

slingshot i a forked stick or handle. Also called.///^ and n igger-shooter.

Slippance, n. The act of slipping. Used especially in the game of

marbles as a cry to get a second trial when the marble slips from the fingers.

"Ef you can't do good by slippance, do it by stealth." J. C. Harris, At

Teague Poteefs, p. 157.

Slipper, 'i. A low-cut shoe. Same as oxford. Slipper is the common
term in the South.
slippery ellum, n. Slippery elm.

Slip-up, n. A failure. " He tried to do it, but he made a slip-up."
slop, n. Swill, kitchen refuse.

slop, o. tr. To feed swill to. Sivill is rarely or never used. "Go slop
the hogs."

slop-sided, adj. Overbalanced, leaning to one side, lop-sided.
slorate, v. tr. To destroy, kill large numbers of. "We just simply
slorated doves at the dove-shoot."
slosh, n. and v. Slush.
sloshy, adj. Slushy.
slow-coacb, n. A sluggish person.

slow mule race, n.phr. A race in which the contestants ride their
opponents' beasts, belaboring them with hands and fists. The last mule
out wins the race.

slue-foot(ed), adj. Having big ugly feet ; also having twisted or
crooked feet.

slug, n. A drink of whisky.

372 DIALECT NOTES.

Slliack-dab, intensive adv. Same as slam hang.
Small-fry, ft. tnsignificanf persons or things.

Small-potato, n. A person of little or no importance. Common.
smart, n. Degree, amonnl : with right. See right smart chance.
Sinart-EUick, n. A conceited or impertinent i^erson.
smart-Elliek v, adj. Smart, impertinent, prankish.
smell-melon, *i. A small melon, curiously marked and having an
agreeable odor; Queen Anne's pocket melon.
smidgen, ft. A very small piece. Common.
smithereens, ft. pi. Fragments.
snack, ft. A slight or insufficient lunch.

snag, " • 1 • A dead tree trunk, especially one obliquely placed in a stream.
Also used figuratively. "He struck a snag." 2. A broken or irregular
tooth.

snaggle-tooth, n. A broken or irregular tooth, a tusk.
snaggle-tootb(ed), adj. Having irregular and decayed teeth. Uni-
versal.
Snake-doctor, ". The dragonfly. Also called mosquito-haul..
Snake in the grass, n. A deceitful person, a betrayer.
snake-medicine, n. Whisky.
snap-bean, n. String-bean.
snatchin(g), adj. Fine, charming.
Sneakers, n. pi. Rubber soled shoes, tennis shoes.
Sneaking notion, n. phr. Suspicion.
snide, -*. A deceptive rascal, a cheat.

Snipe-hunter, n. One who goes snipe hunting or has a practical joke
played on him.

snipe-hunting, n. A practical joke in which the victim is led to
some distant swamp and left to hold the bag for the snipe to run into. See
leave one with the bag to hold.
Snoot, n. Snout, nose.

snowball, n. A common appellation for a veiw black negro.
snowbird, ft. Applied to the common field-sparrow. Called also
gra.ss-sparrow.

Snuff-Swab, n. A wooden swab for rubbing snuff.
snug as a Imij;- (in a rug), adj. phr. Very snug or cozy.
SO, conj. Provided that.

SO, adv. Straight, without adulteration or addition. "I always take
my coffee so."

SO, adj. and <<. Pronunciation of sore.

SOak, >'. //•. To strike, hit. " Soak him one in the neck."
soap, see out of soap, soft soap.

soap-gourd, n. A gourd or other receptacle for holding soft home-
made soap.

SOCk, v. tr. To throw a stick vigorously. " Sock it to him."
SOCk-dollager, n. A knockout blow, argument, etc.
SOf(t)-peach, n. Freestone peach. See clear-seed.
Sof[1 I SOap, n. phr. Flattery, soft talk.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 373

SOg, v. tr. To saturate with water, etc. Used especially in the pp.
" We were all completely sogged by the rain."

SOgging, adj. Saturated. " Our clothes were sogging." As adv. often
in the phrase ' sogging wet.'

SOlemncholy, adj. Solemn. Facetious.

SO-long, adv. Good-bye.

some, adv. Somewhat. Universal. " He is some better to-day.*"

some punkin, n. phr. A person of importance. "He thinks he's
some punkin." Some punkin s is not used so far as I know.

SOllierset.S, n. Somersault. The form without -s is rarely or never
heard.

some several, pron. phr. Several.

somewlieres, adv. Somewhere. Often abbreviated to somers.

son of a big-shoe, ft. phr. A playful or facetious contortion of son
of a bitch, you."

soii-of-a-g'illl, ft. Used playfully, or as a term of abuse.

SOlit, pret. and^i. of send.

SOOk, interj. Used in calling calves. " Sook, sook, sook. soofc-calf ! "
The vowel varies from u to uu according to the emphasis or loudness of the
call. Also used in driving cows or calves. " Sook out of here, madam ! "

soon, adv. Early. The latter is seldom heard.

sorry, adj. Inferior, worthless.

sorter, adv. Somewhat, partially. Universal.

sot, adj. Set : often in the expression *' Sot in one's way."

SOt, pnt. and pp. of sit.

sou> V interj. Used in driving pigs.
suwee >

SOUl'-grass, a. Wood-sorrel.

souse, v. Pronounced sauz.

I*a ■"*■ -adv. Exactly, squarely, completely. Also kerspang, kerspank.
spank )

Spanish-goober (-groundpea, -peanut), n. A small but prolific

variety of peanuts.

Spanish leap-frog, ft. phr. A game in which three players are
down, as in leap-frog, two with buttocks together with hands clasped under-
neath, the third putting his head underneath and grasping a leg of the
other two. The other players must turn somersault over these.

sparrow, ft. Pronounced spar-a. So ara, hare, etc.

spasomy, adj. Inclined or likely to have spasms. "The baby seems
right spasomy.'1'' Spasm is always pronounced in two distinct syllables.

spat, n. A slight quarrel or dispute. " They had many harmless dis-
putes and spats about the matter." J. C. Harris. Tales of the Home-Folks,
p. 277.

Speakin(g), n. Political meeting where candidates ' orate.'

Speakill(g) image, n. phr. Exact likeness. " He's the speakm1 image
of his daddy." Compare spit an(d) image, (s.v. sjrit) of which this is no
doubt a variant.

Speck, v. tr. and i. To suspect.

31 I DIALECT XOTES.

specks, ". pi. Spectacles.

speckled -pea, ft. The common cow-pea.

Spell, 0. <>'. To relieve by turns.

spell bonnyclabber. The expert reply in b-a-u-g-h n-a-u-g-h
c-1-a-u-g-h b-a-n-g-h. Now a rare pleasantry. So also moccasin snake.
"Mizzard-o-double-ockasin, moccasin : snizzard-a-k-e, snake, — moccasin
snake."

sperit, Speritlial, etc. Spirit, spiritual, etc.

spider-nes(t), n. A cobweb. Dniversal.

spiel, 'i. Talk, especially exaggerated talk. College slang.

Spiel, '■• ''• To talk fluently and in an exaggerated vein. "He can spiel
all right."

Spike, '"• tr. 1. To mix an alcoholic with a non-alcoholic beverage.
Chiefly in the pp. ' • This lemonade is heavily spiked." Also as noun. 2.
To keep watch on, hold under suspicion. "We've got him spiked." 3.
To pledge to a Greek letter fraternity.

spile, v. To spoil.

Spilldle-legged, adj. Same as spindle-shanked.

Spindle-shanked, adj. Having long slender legs or shanks.

spit, ft. Image, likeness. The common expression ' spit and image ' is
pronounced sjidtin image, and in the popular mind the word is related to
tlie verb sjiit, to expectorate. " He's the very spittiri1 image of his daddy."

split, '■. i. 1. To rim away hurriedly. 2. To burst with laughter.

split,/*. An earmark. See crop.

split the diff[er)ence, v. />l*r. In a trade to meet each other's offer
by half the difference between the two.

spoke, pp. of speak.

Spondulix, n. Money.

Sposen, ppr. Supposing.

spot, v. tr. To guess correctly the questions a professor will ask on
examination. College slang.

Spreaded, pret. andpjo. of spread.

spread-nadder, ft. A snake, otherwise called spreading-adder. This
is an interesting example of a chance return to the original form nadder.

spread oneself, v. phr. To make an unusual effort, go to consider-
able expense in entertainment.

sprint; chicken, n. phr. A young or inexperienced person: used
always in negative expressions. "She ain't no s/,ri,n/ chicken, I can tell
yon."

spry as a kitten, adj. phr. Very spry or active, lively.

spryness, n. Activity, agility. Not recorded in modern dictionaries.
" It won't do for old people that's going to dance to take up much time in
standing : they'll lose all their spryness." Lo.xgstreet, Georgia Scenes,
p. 20.

spunk, v. i. To show courage : with up.

spunk, ». Courage, spirit, mettle.

spunky, adj. Courageous.

spurrer, ft. A horseman's spur.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 375

square, n. The triangular flower bud of tbe cotton plant. Cotton is
said to shed when the squares fall off.
square-daiice, n. The quadrille.

1 [-prets. of squeeze.

sqoz )

squilieb, v. tr. To squint. " If I didn't see that fellow wink, and that
woman squinch her face, then hell's a dancing room." Longstreet, Georgia
Scenes, p. 185.

squiiicli-owl, n. Screech-owl.

squirrel, ft. Pronounced skwurl.

squirt, ft. A conceited or brainless person : chiefly with young.

squush, r. i. and tr. To mash, step in mud or the like.

stack of Bibles, see sivear on a stack of Bibles.

Stack of boues, n. phr. An emaciated horse.

stacks, stack loads, n. pi. Large quantities.

Stag-dance (-dinner, -party), ft. A dance (dinner, party) at which
men only are present.

stalded, pret. and pp. of stall, to mire or be brought to a standstill.
" My horses stalded, and I couldn't go no further."

stairsteps, ft. Stairway. Universal.

Stanchious, adj. Substantial.

stand, ft. An amount of plants sufficient to insure a good yield. "I
didn't get half a stand of cotton."

stand one in band, v. phr. To be to one's advantage, behoove.

start, adv. Entirely, completely: a variant of stark. "He was plum
start naked." Cf. A.S. steort. M.E. start, tail.

state-bouse, n. Privy, water-closet.

stave, v. i. To go rushing alonp;, making a lot of racket. Compare
I a utbev, v.

steam-nigger, n. A mechanical contrivance in saw-mills for adjust-
ing logs that are being sawed. Also called simply nigger.

steen, adj. An indefinite or large amount of. Also as noun. Slang.

step oft', ». phr. To get married.

stewed witch, n. phr. Used to indicate a very uncomfortable bodily
condition or state of feeling. "I feel like a stewed witch this morning."
Similar expressions are boiled owl, grated potato, etc.

stewed up, adj. phr. Out of temper, angry, in bad physical condition.
Usually with all. " I'm all stewed up with a cold to-day."

stick, v. tr. 1. To prick. 2. To impose upon in a trade, cheat.

stick-bean, ft. Pole-bean.

Sticker, n. A spine, a thorn. " This bush is full of stickers."

stick-at-itiveness, n. Tenacity, endurance.

stick-in, ft. A marble used as a stake in playing for keeps.

stick in one's craw, v. phr. To be hard to master or stomach. "I
find that the two or three miles to come is sticking in my craw." J. C.
Harris, Blue Dave, p. 179.

Stick-in-the-mud, n. An ugly or unentertaining person, a slow-
coach. The origin of the term may be 'stick and mud,' an ugly, inferior
kind of chimney made of crossed sticks and daubed with mud.
26

376 DIALECT NOTES.

•

stiek-to-it i\ eiieSS, ft. The quality of tenacity and endurance.

Sticks, it. jd. Backwoods; any section far from cities or towns, but
usually a timbered section, piney-woods. Compare the Prov. Eng. stick,
timber.

stick to one like a sick kitten to a hot brick, v. phr. To
stick \ 'i v\ closelj to > >ne.

stickum, n. Mucilage, paste.

sticl, /i. Stead. Also in bed-stid.

st id, adv. Instead.

stiff-Starch, a. A children's game.

StilyardS, ft. pi. Steelyards. The etymological idea of the compound
is entirely lost sight of among the common people. The form without -s
is rarely used.

Stingin(g)-ant, n. The common black ant as distinguished from the
black or red pis-ant (q.v.).

stinkin(g i-.jiin, ft. A small malodorous terrapin or terrestrial tortoise.

Stoh, ft. A stake, a small post.

st ol>, v. tr. To stab.

Stocking feet, ft. phr. The feet with stockings on, but no shoes.

Stock, lock, and barrel, ft. phr. Everything, the complete outfit.
" He has sold out, stock, lock, and barrel." Also lock, stock, and barrel.

Stold, pret. of steal.

Stomp, v. i. and tr. To stamp.

Stomping-ground, n. Place where one is accustomed to be, one's
old haunt. Cf. stamping-ground in D. N. ii, 331.

Stone-bruise, ft. A deep bruise on the foot.

StOne-glaSS, ri. An agate playing-marble. Often called simply stone.

stop a bread-wag'Oli, r. phr. Used in negative expressions to indi-
cate that one hasn't a five-cent piece. Imported slang.

Store-bought, adj. Bought at a store, manufactured : contrasted with
home-made.

story, ft. A liar, a story teller. " You are a story." Euphemism.

story, 13. i. To tell a lie. ''He storied about it." Pare.

Stove-pipe (hat), n. phr. A high silk hat, a beaver.

Stove-up, pp. A horse is said to be stove up when his legs are stiff, as
from overwork or overfeeding. Also used of persons in the sense 'worn
out, done up.' " You look sorter stove-up this morning."

Stracted, adj. Distracted. Facetious. Used especially in the phrase
• stracted meetinV See distracted meeting.

Straddle-bllg, ft. A politician who tries to please both sides, one who
is on neither side of a public question.

Straight, adj. Single, one-way : contrasted with roundtrip (q.v.).

Straight as a die, adj. phr. Very straight. "He tells that part of
it as straight as a die. "

Straight goods, ft. phr. 1. The truth, a true statement. 2. A per-
fectly honest person.

straight-out, adj. Downright, outright. " He's a straight-out rascal."

Strapping, adj. Large, muscular, strong.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 377

stretch, n. A single effort, a spurt. "I can swim a mile on a stretch."

strike oil, v. phr. To be lucky, hit upon a good thing.

Strike up With, v. phr. To meet accidentally.

Stubborn as a bobtail mule, adj. phr. Extremely stubborn.
Also stubborn as a bay-state mule.

Stuck OU, adj. phr. Fond of.

stud(-horse), n. A stallion. Also used as a term of familiar address
among men. " Hello, old stud, how are you ? "

Study, adj. Steady. Also stiddy.

study, v. i. To think, consider, ponder.

st ii nip, o. tr. To strike against an obstacle. One never hears of stub-
bing one's toes, or the like.

substancb, adj. Substantial.

SUCll a matter, n. phr. used as adv. Approximately, about that. " A
week ago or such a matter, he was here."

SUCk-egg", adj. Egg-sucking. "I'll have to kill that old suck-egg
dog." Common.

sucker, n. A sprout from the nodules of a corn-stalk.

sucker, v. tr. To rid (corn) of suckers.

suck-bole, n. A whirlpool. Common.

suddeut, adv. Suddenly. Of ten with like. " She died sorter suddent-
like."

sull, v. i. To sulk, become sullen or balky.

slimmer complaint, n. phr. Diarrhea: the disease often becomes
prevalent in the summer or in fruit season.

summons, v. tr. To summon to court. Common.

suinp-m, n. Something.

Sunday-go-to-ineetin(g), adj. phr. Best. " He has on his Sunday
go-to-meetin1 clothes."

Sunday-SChool words, n. phr. Curse words, oaths.

sundown, sunup, nouns. Sunset, sunrise.

Supple, adj. Pronounced sfl.pl .

sure, adj. or adv. Pronounced sho or shore.

sure as gun's iron, adv. phr. Very surely.

sure as gunter, adv. phr. Very surely.

sure as preachin(g), adv. phr. Very surely. " Some'n's goin to
happen as shore as preachin^ '."

sure as you are a foot high, adv. phr. Very surely.

Siire-(e)nough, adj. Genuine, real. i( A sho-nuf watch."

sure pop, adv. phr. Very surely. Usually pronounced sho pop.

surprise party, ». phr. A social gathering at the house of a person
who is ignorant of the plan until the guests arrive.

suspicion, v. tr. To suspect. A very common error.

sut (sat), n. Soot.

swade | v ty To persuade

suade )

swag, r. ('. To, sag.

SWage I Ui fr. To assuage.

suage '

378 DIALECT NOTES.

Swallow-fork, ft. An earmark mi pigs, cattle, etc. See crop.

swamp, r. tr. To plunge into overwhelming difliculties.

swan. v. i. A variant of swear as an oath. Sometimes "I'll swan an'1 be
darned " is heard.

s\\ ang, pre*, of swing.

sway-back, «. A horse with a concave back.

Swear on a stack of Bibles (a mile high), v. phr. An exag-
gerated (>r emphatic form of oath.

sweeper, ft. The chimney-swift.

sweel e)nin(g), ft. Sugar. Long sweetnin refers to molasses, short
sweetnin to sugar.

Sweet-S(hr)llb, ft. Calycanthus floridus, the sweet-scented shrub;
also the blossom of this plant. "We got a whole pocket full of sweet subs."
Universal. The children tie the blossoms in their handkerchiefs and keep
them until they ' mellow.'

swep, pril. and /iji. of sn-eep.

SWift(-jack), ft. Same as sand-sifter. Also swift-jenny.

Swigger(-tail), ft. A Prince Albert or cutaway coat ; also a dress-coat.

SWinge, v. tr. To singe.

sv\ Lnged, pret. and pp. of swing.

Swinger, ft. A bird that hangs its nest so that it swings beneath the
forked branch to which it is attached. Common.

Swing on to, v. phr. To hold, appropriate.

SWink, v. i. and tr. To shrink. Pret. sivunk.

swipe, o. tr. To take, steal. College slang. There is nothing dis-
honorable connected with the word or the action, as understood among
students.

Switched, pp. A mild substitution for damned. " I'll be switched if
I do."

SWitch(y)-tail, n. An immodest or forward girl or woman.

SWivet, n. State of excitement. Common.

swank, pret. of swink (shrink).

syrup, n. Pronounced se(r)up or si;(r)p.

Tabby, ». A familiar form of Tabitha (pronounced tae-b"ai-J>a) used in
the song,

" Go and tell Aunt Tabby

The old gray goose is dead,
The one she's been saving
To make a feather bed."

The tune is called Greenville in the hymn-books. The first and third lines
are repeated three times each, thus making two stanzas.

tackle, v. tr. To undertake, lay hold of.

tacky, adj. Shabby, out of style, showy, 'loud.' Common. A tacky-
party is a party in which the guests dress comically or ridiculously.

tacky, //. 1. A poor, ill-conditioned horse. " He's nothing but a tacky,
He an't as pretty a horse as Bullet." Longstreet, Georgia Scenes, p. 27.
Now rare. 2. A shabby, uncultured person, a backwoodsman. Common.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 379

"It was . . . the headquarters, so to speak, of a very earnest and patient
effort to infuse energy and ambition into that indescribable class of people
known in that region as the piney-woods ' Tackies .' Within a stone's throw
of Azalia there waa a scattering settlement of these Tackies. They had
settled there before the Revolution, and had remained there ever since,
unchanged and unchangeable, steeped in poverty of the most desolate
description, and living the narrowest lives possible in this great Republic."
J. C. Harris, Free Joe, and other Georgian Sketches (Azalia), p. 167.

tag, n. See get one's tag.

tail, n. The trail of a dress or skirt.

tailender, n. One who comes out behind.

take, v. Used as a quasi-auxiliary, adding an element of intentional or
willful action to the main verb : chiefly in the preterit. " He took and hit
me." " He took and took my book."

take backwater, v. phr. To retreat ignominiously, back down.

take-ill, n. A sell. " It was the most audacious take-in I ever heard
of."

take in, v. phr. 1. intr. Of school, church services, etc., to open,
begin. " School takes in at eight o'clock." 2. tr. To add new-ground or
stubble fields to the adjoining cultivated lands. 3. tr. To cheat, get the
best of in a trade.

taken, pret. of take. A very common error made by illiterate white
people, perhaps in an effort to avoid the still more illiterate tuck, a form
used chiefly by negroes.

take on, v. phr. To show great emotion either of joy or sorrow :
usually with over. " She took on terrible at the funeral."

take out, v. phr. 1. To unhitch (a horse) as from a plow, vehicle, or
the like. 2. To start and run away hastily. "When he heard that, he
tuck out for home."

take sick, v. phr. To become sick. "She was taken sick in church
last Sunday."

take the shine off, v. phr. To outshine, excel. Cf. take the rag off
in same sense. D. N. ii, '•'>'■'>'■'>.

take to the bushes, o. phr. To run away. Cf. ' take to the brush,'
D. N. ii, 333.

take up with, v. phr. To become attached to, consort or associate
with.

tale, n. A scandalous report. "They tell tales on her, but I don't
believe 'em."

tallow-dip, n. A dip candle. Now rarely heard.

tan one's hide, v. phr. To give one a whipping, flog.

tap, n. Nut for a bolt.

tarrapin, n. Terrapin. Universal.

tase, v. To taste.

tasted, adj. Tasting.

tas(t)e like more, v. phr. A complimentary and facetious expression
to indicate that one wishes a second helping. "Them biscuit tase like more."

DIALECT NOTES.

tater, >t. Potato. White potatoes are called Irish potatoes; sweet
potatoes are usually called simply potatoes. Tater is a negroism used exten-
sively among the illiterate whites. " Possum and taters is hard to beat."

tattle-tale, ». a telltale.

t:i\«'s, n. The description of one"> taxable property. "You better go
to the court-house and give in your fa. res."

tear up jack, v. phr. To raise a commotion, disarrange completely.
•• They pulled down the blinds and tore up jack generally."

t ech, l>. and n. Touch.

techous, adj. Touchous, techy.

teenincy (tl-n'ain-si), adj. Tiny. Also tincy (t-ain-si).

teentsy(-weentsy), adj. Very small. Also tintsy-vnntsy (q.v.).

teeiiy(-weeny), adj. Tiny.

teeter, v. i. To seesaw, move up and down, waver.

teethache, n. Toothache. Among the negroes, teefache.

tell, prep, and udr. Till, until. Sometimes twell.

tell, v. tr. To bid : used in the expression ' to tell good-bye.'

tend, v. tr. To cultivate. " He didn't half tend his crop."

tent ion, ». Attention.

tereckly, adv. Directly, presently, soon.

terra-eotta, n. Terra firma. Facetious. " We were not satisfied till
we landed on terra-cotta."

terrible, adv. and adj. Pronounced tumble or tur'ble.

teteh, n. and v. A variant spelling of tech, touch. " Don't you dare
letch that trot-line."

Texian, adj. or n. Texan.

t hanky, n. or v. phr. Equivalent to thank you. " I wouldn't give you
thanky for it."

thar. adv. There.

that, adv. So. Compare D. N. ii, 333.

that-a-Way, adv. phr. In that way. See this-a-way, ivhich-a-ivay.

that there, pron. or adj. pin-. That. Pronounced Saet-cea or 3aet-ar.

the(i)rn, pron. Theirs.

the(i)rselves, pmn. Themselves.

the longest pole gets the persimmon. Proverb meaning the
best man wins.

the one, two, etc. n. phr. " I would give it to you, but I haven't but
the one."

them, pron. adj. Those. Painfully common.

ther, pronunciation of there and their.

they. adv. Sometimes used for there as an introductive word. " They
was six of 'em."

they-selves, pron. Themselves.

thimble, n. The name of a guessing game.

thin as a (fence) rail, adj. phr. Very thin, emaciated.

tbingumybob, thingumydoochy, tbingumyjig, n. Applied
indefinitely to any thing whose name is not known or cannot for the moment
be recalled.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 381

think for, v. phr. Think. "It will take more time than you think
for."

this-a-way, that-a-way, which-a-way, adv. phrases. This way,
that way, which way. " I wouldn't treat anybody that-a-way."

this here, pron. or adj. phr. This. Pronounced Sis-yea.

thoat, n. Throat.

thother, contraction of the other. See tother, which is the commoner
form.

thouteil, adv. Without ; also as a conjunction, unless.

tllOW, v. tr. To throw.

thrash, n. 1. A baby's disease, an eruption in the mouth. 2. The
thrush. 3. A threshing machine.

til rash, r. tr. To thresh ; also to chastise.

thrasher, n. Same as tJirash, n. 2, 3.

three shakes (of a sheen's tail), n. phr. A very short time, a
trice.

three sheets in the wind, adj. phr. Half intoxicated.

thresh, n. Thrash. Rare. See thrash. 2.

thrihble, o. tr. To treble. Also tribble.

Ihribhle, adj. Treble. Common.

thrihs, n. A term used in marbles when three men are knocked out of
the ring. "Vence you thribs."

thrip, n. The original idea of a small coin is lost, but the negative
expressions ' not worth a thrip,' ' don't care a thrip,' are very common.

thro wed, pret. and pp. of throw. Usually thowed. See thow.

throw in, v. phr. Add gratis to a purchaser. So far as I know there
is not in east Alabama a noun equivalent to the broadus of South Carolina
(around Charleston), or the lagniappe of Louisiana (around New Orleans).
Najy, probably a shortened form of lagniappe, is used in and around Mobile,
Alabama. The expression ' to boot ' is common all over the South.

throw knives, v. phr. To swap sight-unseen (q. v.). "I'll throio
knives with you."

throw one down for one's job, o. phr. " I'll throw you down for
your job on the dummy."

thu ()m), prep, and adv. Through. Common.

thunder-mug*, n. A chamber-pot.

tickle, n. Tackle. Heard only in ' block and tickle.' Sometimes te.ckle
is heard.

tickle-box, n. In the sense reported, D. N. iii, p. 98.

tickled to death, adj. phr. Greatly pleased or tickled.

tickler, adj. Particular. " I wasn't doin' nuthin' in tickler." A negro-
ism.

tick-tack, n. A horse-fiddle (q.v.) attached to a window and operated
at a distance. See also razzle-dazzle.

tick-tack, v. tr. To use the tick-tack to frighten one. "We tick-
tacked old Jones last night."

tight, adj. 1. Stingy, close-fisted. 2. Intoxicated.

tight, n. Same as tight place. Often used of financial stringency.
" Tin in a tight for a little money."

382 DIALECT XOTES.

ti^lit a* a tick, adj. phr. Very tight or full : not used for intoxicated.
tight a* Hick's hatband. phr. Very tight.

tight place > pfcr A. close call, a difficulty, straits.

tight squeeze '

till the COWS come (home), adv. phr. Used to indicate a long
period of time.

tinker's <lain(it), n. phr. A worthless thing. Thought of as an oath,
and not .it all in the original sense of dam or wall. Cf. continental damn
and dried-apple damn, both of which maybe associated with tinker's dam in
sense.

tin-pan music, n. Poor music.

tinpanny, adj. Like a tin pan in sound.

t intsyi-wiiitsy ) (t'ain-tsi wain tsi), adj. Very small, tiny. Also teentsy
■ ntsy). Tintchy and tee achy are also commonly heard.

tip-top, adj. Excellent, extremely good, fine, etc. Also as culr.

tit, n. Teat. The latter is never used colloquially.

tit-tat-too (ti-tae-tu), n. The name of a children's game. It is played
by two players on a drawing of two parallel lines crossing two others as #,
the object of the game being to get three of one's marks in a line. Com-
pare " tee-tah-toe " as mentioned by Eggleston, Hoosier Schoolboy, ch. 5,
p. 36.

titty, a. A woman's breast, a teat ; also, milk from the breast.

toad-frog, '<. Toad. Universal.

tobacco, n. Tobacco spittle. " My mouth was chock full of tobacco."1'
Usually pronounced ta-baeka.

to bo sure, adv. phr. Surely, indeed: used interjectionally. "A
mighty fur ways Vermont is, tooby shore." J. C. Harris, Free Joe, etc.,
p. 34. Common among women.

tOCh(t), jiret. of tech or touch.

to-do, n. An affair, an event, a function. Also a fuss, confusion,
bustle.

tod(s), prep. Towards.

toe the mark (line), o. phr. To fulfil to the letter. " You must toe
the mark now. or you will be sorry for it."

tol(a)ble, adj. and adv. Tolerable. The common expression of mod-
erate health. " How are you to-day ? " " Jes' toVable."

tide, pret. of tell. Common.

tomato, n. Pronounced ta-nre-ta, ta nra-ta, ta-m"«e-t8, and sometimes
fom-e-to. From the plural a new form 'has arisen among the negroes and
illiterate whites, tomatus (ta-nv.-e-tus), pi. tomatuses.

toinwalker, n. A stilt. The latter word is rarely heard.

Tom Walker, sec devil ami '/'.,„, Walker, the.

tongue-palate, ". The palate of the mouth.

too bijj lor one's britches, adj. phr. Assuming too much author-
ity, overstepping one's prerogatives. " He's gotten a little too big for his
britches."

to one's notion, adv. ///</'. To suit one. according to one's desiiv.
•' He didn't do that to my notion."

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 383

tooth-doctor, n. Dentist.

tooth and toe-nail, adv. phr. With great energy, severity, activity,
etc. " We went at it (fighting) tooth and toe-nail." Very common.

tooth-brush (or -bresh), n. A snuff-stick.

toot one's own horn, v. phr. To blow one's own horn, praise or
advertise oneself.

top-crop, ft. The last part of the cotton crop, namely that near the top
of the stalks.

top-notch, n. The highest point.

top-notcher, n. A person or thing that reaches the highest point.

top of the pot, ft. phr. A person or thing of the highest value, the
most excellent one. " As we say down here in Georgia, she's the top of the
pot and the pot a bilin'." J. C. Harris, Balaam and his Master, p. 221.

tossel, v. and n. Tassel. Very common.

tote, v. tr. To carry. Universal.

tote, n. A burden or load. "That basket of cotton is too big a tote
for me."

tote fair, v. phr. To act squarely, do one's full share of work in any
common undertaking.

tote one's own skillet, v. phr. To take care of one's own interests,
paddle one's own canoe : a political phrase.

toter, ft. One who totes or carries. Pistol-toter is common.

tote the mail, u. phr. To run away from something very rapidly ;
'hit the grit,' 'get up and get.' " I made him fairly tote the mail out of
my cane-patch."

tother from which, pron. phr. "They both so 'zackly like, you
wouldn't know tother from which."

tother, pron. or adj. The other.

touch-me-not, >>. An ill-tempered person. Often pronounced tevh-
me-not.

touch with a ten-foot pole, v. phr. Used in negative expressions
to add emphasis. " I wouldn't touch if with <> ten-foot pole.'"*

tough, adj. Hard, difficult. "We had a tough time of it."

tough as whit leather, adj. phr. Exceedingly tough. Whit-leather
is used only in this or similar expressions indicating toughness.

tough it, v. phr. To rough it, live under hard conditions. Common.

tough it out, ». phr. To stick to a task or hold a position in spite of
difficulties.

tough nut, ft. phr. A hard case, a bad character.

tousle, v. tr. To disarrange, rumple, tangle : often with vp. " Don't
get your hair tousled."

tracks, ft. A game at marbles played with taws by boys as they walk
along. The one who is behind has the shot, but if one fails to strike his
opponent's taw, the turn passes no matter who is behind.

tracks, v. i. To strike a marble so as to make one's taw go in a desired
direction. "I can tracks sideways." " I tracksed right up to him."

trade-last, n. A compliment reported from a third party. " I've got
a trade-last for you.'"

DIALECT NOTES.

trade-last, o. To exchange compliments made by third parties. "I'll
■ -last with you."

traipse, <•. i. To go romping around, gad about. Often used in the
phrase ' traipsing and trolloping about.'

transom boarder, n. phr. A. transient boarder. Facetious.

trash (poor white), n. phr. The lowesl class of white people.

treadsaft, treadsalve, n. A prickly herb of the night-shade fam-
ily. Compare tread softly, the spurge-nettle.

tremendiOUS, tremenjUOUS, adj. Common variants of tremend-
ous. Tremendious big is a common collocation.

tricks, a- pi. Small articles, trifles. " Get your tricks together."

triflin(li), "<(/'. Worthless, low-down, mean.

trip, >i. A wrestler's trick with the feet or legs: still in common use.
"1 know several trips in wrastlin'."

troft, ". Trough.

trollop, o. i. To go romping about, go in a slovenly or slatternly way :
chiefly used of women. See traipse.

trollop, n. A slovenly or tomboyish girl, a romp,

tromp, r. tr. and i. To tramp, pack or press heavily with the feet.
" Thai big-foot nigger can tromp a hundred pounds o' cotton in that basket."

tromple, o. tr. and ('. Same as tromp.

trot-lino, n. A long fishing-line stretched across a pond or stream,
bavin.; many hooks pendent on short lines attached.

trots, ,i. pi. Diarrhea. Also back-door trots.

trucks, ". pi. A barrow-like vehicle with two small stout wheels used
in handling freight, a truck.

tuck, pret. aaapp. of take.

tucker out, v. phr. To weary, become weary or exhausted: chiefly
in the i>p. •• I am all tuckered oil?."

tuck one's tail, v. phr. To retreat ignominiously, be completely sub-
dued or overawed.

tuck(ing)"COmh, at. A comb used to hold the hair on the back of
the head.

Tuesday, n. Pronounced t/usde.

tumble-bug, n. The dung beetle.

t II in in \, a. Stomach. Nursery.

turkey-berry, n. The twin-berry, or partridge-berry (q.v.).

tumblesetS, «. Somersets.

tune, /'. and v. Pronounced t/un.

tlirkle, n. Turtle. A negroism.

turmile, n. Turmoil.

t ii in, a. A load, a burden, an armful. " Bring in a turn of wood."

turn, v. tr. To stop, keep out. " The fence won't turn hogs."

turn in, v. phr. To begin to work voluntarily: used with and and
some other verb to indicate united action. " I turned in and helped him
finish his job."

t urn out, '•. phr. To allow (land) to grow up in weeds, abandon from
cultivation.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 385

turn-tail, n. A coward, a deserter. Common.

turnup, 11. Turnip. Universal. Sometimes facetiously used for watch.

tussick, 11. Tussock.

twang", n. A sharp taste suggestive of whisky, brandy, and the like.
Marked Prov. Eng. in Cent. Diet.

twel, prep, and adv. Until : chiefly among negroes.

twict, adj. Twice.

twistification, n. A popular rural dance. The partners arrange
themselves opposite each other in a "lane" or double column. The head
couple join hands and promenade up and down the " lane," and then begin
to "swing," or "circle," the players in turn. The girl begins at the head
of the men's column, and the boy at the foot of the girls' column. The
partners " swing" each other between times as they progress down the lines.
In this way they are "twisting " or winding in and out continually : hence
the name, twistification. The game is not called a dance, and so does not
fall under the ban of church rules. Called " down the middle " in Texas.

tyke, n. A rascal, a scoundrel: used chiefly of children. " Come here
to me, you little tyke.'1''

ugly as a mud fence, adj. phr. Exceedingly ugly.

umb(e)rell, n. Umbrella.

un-, prefix. Often pronounced on-, as in oneasy, onhappy, etc.

unbeknowns(t), Without the knowledge of , secretly. "He went in
the house unbeknownst to me."

uncle, n. Any elderly man, especially an elderly negro man. Also
applied by children to any grown negro whose given name is not known.
" Uncle, will you show me the way home ?" A negro is never addressed as
Mr. by a white person.

Ullder-bit, n. An earmark. See crop.

underbody, n. A child's undershirt or bodice, used to support the
trousers and worn underneath the blouse or shirt-waist.

under-crop, n. An earmark. See crop.

underbolt, n. In wrestling, all underholt is the hold under both arms
of an opponent.

underininded, pp. Undermined.

undoes (duz), v. Third person singular. See overdoes.

undoubtably, adv. Undoubtedly.

untbougbted, adj. Thoughtless, ill-considered.

untbouglltedly, adv. Thoughtlessly. Practically universal.

up, v. i. To rise suddenly, act impulsively : used with another verb.
" He upped and frailed me out." " He t<» and tole the whole thing."

up and about, adj. phr. Used in expressing moderate health. See
sick a bed.

up a tree, adv. phr. In a bad fix.

up-bill business, n. phr. A difficult undertaking, a hard task, a slow
business.

upper-ten, n. The aristocracy.

upper-tendom, n. The realm of the aristocratic classes.

lips, interj. Used in marbles for permission to move one's taw up
behind one of the ring-men.

DIALECT NOTES.

up-See-doopsy, interj. Said in lifting a child.

t ■ | > to, adj. phr. About, intending to do. " What's he up to now '."

use around, v. phr. To frequent, be accustomed to, graze, etc.,
around (a particular place).

USe <l t <> COUld (WOUld), pret. V. phr. Equivalent to 'could (would)
formerly.' *' I use to could do thai myself."

use up, o. phr. To be exhausted or worn out. "I'm all used up."

USteT ' &sta). The common colloquial pronunciation of used to.

\ amOOSe, v. i. To run away hurriedly, clean out.

Varmint, ft. A wild animal, vermin.

vary, o. i. To deviate, turn from the direct way.

vence, /!. A term used in marbles, to prevent an opponent from an
advantage, or to prevent oneself from suffering a disadvantage or penalty.
Fend is not used so far as I know.

VigTOUS (vai-gres), adj. Fierce, vicious. See servigrous.

villyun, n. Villain.

Volunteer, ft. A plant that comes up from seed not regularly planted
but distributed by natural processes. Also as adj.

voinik, ft. and v. Vomit. Cf. noxvomiky.

vulgar, adj. Always in sense of obscene, never of common.

wade ill, r. phr. To begin a fight. " When he said that, I waded in on
him."

waggin, n. Wagon.

wait On, t>. phr. 1. To wait for. 2. To pay court to.

walking-papers, a. phr. Dismissal. Slang.

walk the chalk, v. phr. To obey implicitly, walk in the straight
way. act rightly, mind one's manners.

wallop, v. tr. To whip, beat.

wallopin(g), n. A whipping.

wallow, v. tr. To roll (a person) in the dust, throw in wrestling.
Pronounced waller.

wa'n't. A frequent contraction of was not, were not.

wanut (wonet), ft. Walnut.

wash-pot, ". An iron pot in which clothes are boiled.

warm (up) one's jacket, v. phr. To whip one.

Wash-hole, ft. A swimming hole.

washing, n. Bathing, swimming. " Let's go in washing." Common.

wash raj;', ft. The sponge gourd, the towel gourd. Sometimes wash-
, ag gourd."

was (was), n. Wasp. Also occasionally wast.

was^p.)-nes(t) hread, n. phr. A poor grade of light (white) bread,
being tough and porous : often used in the expression, 'drink branch water,
and eat wasp-nest bread.''

watch Out, v. phr. Look out, take care. Used interjectionally.

Water-haul, ft. A haul of a fish-net or a seine in which no fish are
caught ; hence a fruitless effort.

water-lizard, n. A newt.

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 387

watermelon-CUttin(g), n. An entertainment at which watermelons
are cut for the guests. " Miss Drake gave a watermelon-cutting in honor of
her guest. Miss Myrick."

watermelon-rine preserves, n. phr. Preserves made of the
peeled rinds of watermelons.

water-sogged, adj. Water-soaked.

ways, n. Way. Practically universal. See quotation at to be sure.
we all, pron. See yall.

wear the britches, v. phr. To rule a household: usually said of a
woman. " Mrs. B. wears the britches at her house."

weedin(g)-hoe, n. A common hoe, as distinguished from agrubbin(g)-
hoe or mattock.

well (wael), adv. A common pronunciation.
well-fixed, adj. Provided with plenty, well-to-do.
wench, n. 1. A negress of slovenly habits or bad character, a prosti-
tute. Often pronounced ivinch and frequently preceded by nigger. 2. A
term of abuse used in speaking of a cow. " Saw, you ivinch, you ! " See
also curwinch.

went, pp. Common even among educated persons. " I would 'a' went,
but I didn't think you would be there."
wet as a drownded rat, adj. phr. Very wet.
whack, n. Order, repair : in the phrase 'out of whack.'
whale, v. tr. To thrash, beat.
Whale(r), n. Something very large, a big lie.

whaley, n. Mischief: in the expression -play whaley (with),' i.e.,
spoil, ruin.

whalin(g), adj. Surprisingly large, whopping.
whalin(g), n. A beating.
wliar, adv. Where. Whur is also heard.

what for, adv. phr. Why. " What for did you do that?" Pare.
what might be your name? The usual rural expression in ask-
ing for one's name. Often mought is used for might in this expression.
" Whut maut be goname?" " It maut be Jones, an' then agin it mautn't."
whatneSS, n. Equal value, size, importance, or the like. "Them two
pigs are about of a whatness."

\vhat-you-ma(y)-call-it, n. Thingumbob.

wheel, n. A dollar : referring to the silver dollar which is in common
use, a dollar bill being almost an object of curiosity in rural districts.
whereabouts, adv. Whereabouts, where.

whet, n. A time, a while, a turn. "They talked quite a whet."1 "I'll
try it a whet.'''' Common.

whetrock, n. Whetstone. Common.

whoppin(g), adj. Very large or remarkable. Also as adv. "A
ivhoppin{g) big lie."

wbllt, pron. What. A common pronunciation.

whyn't. A common contraction for whg didn't, why don't, etc.
" Whyn't you come ? " " Whyn't he go an get it ?"
wide place in the road, n. phr. A small village. Facetious.

388 DIALECT NOTES.

widow (w)omau, n. phr. Widow. Common.

wife, n. 1. A room-mate or bed fellow: said of a boy. 2. Sweetheart,
oiif's lust girl. Chiefly college slang.

wil(d) as a buck-rabbit, adj. phr. Very wild.

wil(d)-canary, n. The yellow warbler.

wildcat whisky, ft. phr. 1 11 i < - i t whisky, • moonshine. '

wil(d)g'OOSe Chase, ft. phr. A fruitless or foolish errand or journey.
Universal.

white folks, ft. phr. White persons ; also a single white person. A
negroism.

Whitenin(g), ft. Face powder.

White-owl, »■ A chamber pot.

whit-leather, n. Sec tough us whit -leather.

who, /unn. Used for whom in all constructions and practically by all
classes.

Whole passel, n. phr. A large quantity or number. " A whole passel
of sheep went by."

whole team an(d) a little dog under the waggin, n. phr.
Used facetiously to indicate one's self-importance, energy, etc.

whoop (hwup). r. and n. Whip. Sometimes hoop, q.v.

w hop, v. ('. To fall or come down suddenly, flop. " Down he whopped
into a cheer."

whopper, n. A big or remarkable thing, especially a big lie.

'Whopper-jawed, adj. Having large, fleshy, or distorted jaws.

which a way, n. /</</•. Which way. " He drapped that business airter
he once seed its whichaways." J. C. Harris, At Teague PoteeVs, p. 132.

which a way, see this u way.

whicker, v. i. To neigh, whinny. Common.

Whiles, conj. While.

Whipperwill, ft. The chuck- will's- widow.

Whipperwiller, ". Same as the preceding.

whipple-de-w hoppledy, adj. Topsy turvy, in utter confusion.
" Things are all whipple-de~whoppledy in this house."

Whirlimyjig, Whirlimygig1, u. A inn wheel, a whirligig.

whirl, ft. A wheel or pulley on a well. Also called well-whirl.

whirl in, v. phr. To begin, especially with energy.

wild) goose ehase, n. phr. A foolish or fruitless trip.

wil(d )-rose, ». The sweetbriar. The latter is never heard colloquially.

wile, adj. Wild.

William, ft. A bank-note, a bill. " I'd give a ten-dollar william to see
that." Facetious.

William (a) Tremhletoe, n. phr. A children's game. The count-
ing out rime as I knew it runs :

• William (a) Trembletoe, he's a good fisherman, catches hens, puts
'em in pens, some lays eggs, some lays none, wire-brier, limber-lock, set
and think till twelve o'clock, clock fell down, mouse run aroun', o-u-t
spells out to old Jack's house."

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 389

The one counted out goes to some designated spot out of earshot of the other
players, who give themselves fictitious names of birds, animals, or vehi-
cles, assigning one name to the player who was counted out. Then follows
the following conversation : a

Leader. When you comin' home %

It. To-morrow afternoon.

Leader. What you goin' to bring ?

It. A dish and a spoon and a fat raccoon.

Leader. Which you ruther ride home on, a deer, a rabbit, etc. ?

It. A rabbit.

Leader. Well, come home on your tip-toes (all-fours, heels, etc.).
If the one who is it calls out the name assumed by one of the other players,
that player has to go and bring him home on his back. In this case the fol-
lowing conversation takes place :

Leader. What you got there ?
Carrier. A bag of nits.
Leader. Shake him till he spits.

Leader (to It). Which you ruther lay down on, feather-bed or a thorn-
bed ?

It. A feather-bed.

Leader (to Carrier). Lay him down hard.

will, n. A wen. Sometimes wind.

willow cat, a. A kind of catfish of a yellowish color.

winch, n. Wench (q.v.). See also curwinch.

wisteria (wisti-ria), n. Universal for wistaria.

wisllt, v. tr. To wish : used as a present. " 1 wisht he would come."

witlioil t(en), conj. Unless. Sometimes thout(en) or dout(en).

woman, n. Wife : with old. See old woman.

WOmen-folks, )'. pi. The women of a household or a community.
"My women-folks are cleanin' house to-day ; so I had to skeedaddle."

wooden-overcoat, n. Coffin.

word, go, n. phr. In the phrase ' from the word go,' from the begin-
ning.

work, v. i. To ferment.

WOrk like a Charm, v. phr. To work easily and smoothly, be a per-
fect success.

work the rabbit foot on one, v. phr. To conjure, get ahead of,
play a trick on.

work lip, v. phr. To knead. The latter is not used so far as I know.
Make up and work up are about equally common.

Worlds, n. pi. Lots, a great deal. " We had worlds of fun." A world
is sometimes used.

worm, n. The bottom line of rails in a zigzag fence. " Lay the toorm
carefully, and the fence will be all the stronger."

worn to a frazzle, adj. phr. Tired out, exhausted. See frazzle, n.

worse, v. tr. Pret. ivorsted. To outdo, whip. See ivuss, the rural
pronunciation.

DIALECT XOTES.

wrack and ruin, n.phr. Destruction. The obsolete form of wreck
is preserved in this phrase.

wrap-jacket, n. A switching contest. Also rap-jacket.
wrastle, ». i. and tr. To wrestle.

WraSt 1<T. . Wrestler.

\> rathy, adj. Angry.

wringed, pre*, and pp. of wring.

wrinkle, a new, <i. y>/c. A new trick, something new and fashion-
able.

\\ rop, o. tr. To wrap.

Wllff, '"'''. Worth. See quotation at dried-apple damn.

WUrp, interj. Whoa: used rather commonly in ordinary conversation
to indicate a sudden jolt or stopping. Wurp, sir! is also common.

\\ ursli, r. and ft. Wish.

wnss, adv. Worse.

wusser, adv. Worse.

Wlltb, adj. and ft. Worth. Sometimes >ruff.

yahOO, ft. A backwoodsman.

ynll, pron. pi. You all. This form is now practically uuiversal in the
South. It is never used with a singular significance, as has been asserted
by some. The regular possessive is yalfs. We all is also used, but the
words have not yet coalesced, and there is no possessive. " Where are yall
goin' : '' "Let's go over to yalfs house." So far as I know, you-uns and
tins ar>- not used in East Alabama.1

yaller, adj. and n. Yellow.

yaller-hammer, n. The yellow-hammer or golden-winged wood-
pecker. Also formerly applied to a Confederate soldier from Alabama, for
the sake of the rime. " He's an Alabama yaller-hammer."

\ ;i>s, adv. Yes. The vowel is sometimes d but more frequently ce.

\ ap, n. An ignorant fellow, a hayseed. See quotation at hill-billy.

Yank, ft. More opprobrious than Yankee. The term is applied to any
one who lives above the Mason and Dixon line. " He's a Yank from
Chicago."

yank, ft. and v. Jerk.

year, a. Frequently used as a plural. " Five year ago."

year, adv. Yes. Common.

year, n. Ear.

yearth, yarth, n. Earth.

yeast, ft. Universally pronounced east (ist).

yelk, ft. Yolk of an egg. Yolk is rarely heard.

yellow man woman, gal, etc.), n. phr. A mulatto. Yellow
person is also used. Pronounced yala.

yerfo, to. Herb. Sometimes yarb.

5 erk, o. tr. To jerk. " We yerked him out of bed."

1 Cf . C. Alphonso Smith, Publ. Mod. Lang. Assoc. , Vol. XXII (Proceed-
ings for 1006, p. xiii). " You all as used in the South." [Printed in The
Uncle Remus Magazine, Atlanta, Ga., July, 1907. J

WORD-LIST FROM EAST ALABAMA. 391

yes, sir, boss, adv. phr. Emphatic form of yes.

yistiddy, n. Yesterday.

yit, adv. Yet.

y6, a. Ewe.

yonder, adv. as n. Used with prepositions to express a specified place.
" In yonder,'1'1 i.e., in the place specified. " Over yonder" refers often to the
future life. Here and there are similarly used.

yo(re), pron. Your. Also ydz, yours. Yourself hecomes yas-ef.

you all, pron. See y'all

you bet you. You bet.

you bet your (sweet) life. Used as an emphatic affirmation. "Is
everything all right ?" " You bet your sweet life."

you can't get (squeeze) blood out of a turnip. Proverb.

you can't prove it by me. Equivalent to ' I don't know.'

you don't say. You don't say so ; equivalent to "I am greatly sur-
prised at what you say." A negro usage chiefly.

young' boss, //. phr. A term applied by the older negroes to the son
of their former master. Also politely applied to any young white man.

youiigun, n. Ayoung one, a child. " How many younguns you got : "

yourn (y6rn), pron. poss. Yours : used only by the illiterate.

yutber, adj. or pron. Other.

zackly, adv. Exactly.

zenia (zinia). n. The universal pronunciation of the flowering plant,
the zinnia. Also called old-maid.

ZOO 11, v. i. and (r. To make a humming or buzzing sound, to cause to
make such a sound. "- That rock came zoonin' by my head." " Watch me
zoon this rock.'*

zoon-bug, n. The June-bug. Also called zoony-bug. Compare Juny-
bug.

ZOOner, n. A person or thing that moves rapidly, a hustler. " She
shore was a zooner."

L. \V. PAYNE, Jr.

»

University of Texas,

Austin, Texas, Oct. 27, 1908.

System for Phonetk Spelling.

I. — Vowels, i'i as in father, ah, card, a for the sound of o in not, cot, top, when
the quality is Dearer a in father than ate in taw?, ce for the a in hat, mad, cap. a for
ilif <; in Ar.s7. /(k>n. when pronounced with a vowel intermediate between a and ce.

■ as in /'(/. ken. <'. ei for the vowel sound in paw, Mew. name. fate. Use ei when
the sound ends in a taint i. a la turned e) for the indistinct vowel written e in butter,
battery. -" for the sound in her, sir, curl. word.
i turned a) for u in up, but, o in .so/,.

t as in /, //. ,'>/'/. pin. / for i in machine, ee in bee, seed.

l turned c) for the vowel sound in taw?, haul, o as in not, cob, top, ii like the
vowel sound in law, haul, but shorter. 6,ou tor the vowel sound in no, dough, note.
Usee// when the sound ends in a faint it. d for the short New England sound
in stone, whole.

u for » la full, pull, oo in /<ooA-. fl for »» in fool, pool, u in rwde.

II. — Diphthongs, ai for the sound of £ in £ime, ^/><e. Use ai for the sound usual
in England, aw for the sound of on in round, house. L'se o» ord/c if either repre-
sents the sound better. 0/ as in bo*7. co/».

• 1 tor the sound in then. air. mare. Use a?a or ea if either represents the sound
better, oa for the sound in cord, hoard. Use da or oa if either represents the sound
better. i> for the sound in fear, peer, aria for the sound in ire. fire, wa for the sound
in poor, tour, aud for the sound in ftowr, tinrer. power. (After these diphthongs
ending in a, an r should be written only when pronounced, and the a should be
omitted when not really pronounced.)

yu for the sound in us<-. fete. pew. Use iu for the peculiar American sound in
dew?, new?, which is intermediate between ft and ;p"i. Thus ////» is English, niu is
American, but yHs, fyti. are both American and English. Write nu.dii when the
words are so pronounced.

In case the ear makes liner distinctions than these and it seems important to note
them, the sign for the nearest sound in the above list may be used in each case with
an exponent (a1, o\ r\ etc.) to be explained by the writer. Other signs may be added
later. As to quantity, it will be understood that in unaccented syllables the quantity
of vowels is naturally Lessened, and this lessening is sufficiently shown by the lack of
accent. Decidedly greater length than would be expected may be indicated by
doubling the letter. Nasality may be marked by , (a turned apostrophe) after the
letter, as at.

III. — Consonants. i>. d. /'. ;/ (always as in go, get), h. k, I. nt. n. p, r (always as in
red, rood, hurry . s always as in mason), t. v, w, y, z as usual. In addition : /for sh
in she; :: for z in azure, s in pleasure; ]> for th in think; 3 for tit in this; V for ng
in singing, n in sink, finger; also tf for ch in church : dl for j and dg in judge, g in
gem : kw for qu in quite ; hw for wh in when ; ks, gz for x {tax, exact). Doubled con-
sonants are not to be used unless the consonant is really long or produces the effect of
two consonants on the ear : as siti (city), sitd [sitter), autt'ok (outtalk).

The accent may be marked by ■ (a turned period) before the vowel of the accented
syllable. It should always be written, unless the accent is on the first syllable of the
word. A secondary accent may be marked, when it seems desirable to mark it, by
: (colon) before the vowel, as (eks:esiiriliti taeeessHnliti/).

Hyphens may be used when necessary to indicate syllable division and vocalic
character of /. r. n, etc. Thus, a-a is different from aa, ai-,) from aid; and izl-i
(easily) ina\ be written when the second syllable consists of / with no preceding
vowel.

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