Texas Thangs Hard To Translate (Mexia, West: ski resorts, bill, resorts)

[texasluver]

Originally Posted by jm21

Hmm...maybe there's some southern influence in the NW? Or lots of folk listening to country music? We don't use yonder, but I know what it means.

Tacky usually means tasteless or lacking in class/style here though. Thanks for the definition! Hmmm....I guess that's actually kinda similar when you think about it...

I am from Texas here too, Tacky as I have always known it means lack of class...in whatever situation..clothes, hair, attitude....anything that is not up to par!

Originally Posted by TexasReb

This is a new one to me. Quoting myself! LOL

Anyway, I feel like it is our Texas obligation, when sharing hard to translate words/slang/terms that we should at LEAST (for our yankee friends and/or new neighbors) provide the translation.

Acting up: Throwing a fit

Hmmm. Or does "throwing a fit" need a translation too?

I have recently been to South Carolina and the African American people there hollar all day long..."dem kid been showin ou" LMAO...(This I found out means that they are brats) and I thought Texas was bad with slang....we have nothing compared to that....

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by lonestar2007

Well, I forgot to add one of the more common sayings I grew up in, but in the process of doing so, I will also comment on the word well or as more often pronounced here in Texas as 'wail'. Ever notice how so many sentences begin with well, or rather wail, and then followed by, "I'll tell ya", or "let me tell ya". This is sprinkled all through the conversation. It goes like this, "Wail, how y'all been? Say, y'all seen ole Billy Joe lately? I swear, that boy was sposed to come by and fix my barn roof that's been leakin' for a spell now. Wail, I'll tell ya, these kids now days don't wanna do a lick of work! Huh, play on them darn computers all day long. Wail, it's been purt near three weeks now since he said he'd be right over, and I ain't seen him yet! I'll swear, that boy's worthless as **** on a boar hog! Wail, you see him, tell him I'm lookin' for him.

HAHAHA Great one, Lonestar!

On the topic of prefacing a statement though, here is another one to consider. Since we down here love to pass on old stories to others, ever notice that a good tale often starts with "I 'ner will fergit 'tat time that me and ol'...."

[TexasReb]

How about "plumb", y'all?

As in: "I plumb fergot it was our anniversary..."

Ok, ok, ladies, THAT example was intentional! *ducks the slaps here*

[blueskies49]

TexasReb, yer ornry!! How about "whenever"? Used instead of the word "when", as in "Whenever I'm ready to go, I'll let y'all know", "Whenever we had that party awhile back, the cops came and busted it up."

One of my favorites: "We're living in high cotton now!" or just "high cotton". Or as my hubby says, "sh*****' in high cotton" lol!

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by blueskies49

TexasReb, yer ornry!! How about "whenever"? Used instead of the word "when", as in "Whenever I'm ready to go, I'll let y'all know", "Whenever we had that party awhile back, the cops came and busted it up."

One of my favorites: "We're living in high cotton now!" or just "high cotton". Or as my hubby says, "sh*****' in high cotton" lol!

LOL Forgive me, BlueSkies, I couldn't resist that example!

Yeah, "high cotton" as a term for prosperity, or just all around good fortune is another good one.

It reminded me also of another term though that I used to hear quite a bit growing up, which was the adjective "cotton-pickin." It was usually used in an exasperated way. Such as "keep yore cotton-pickin' hands off of that cake until after supper!"

[BstYet2Be]

Originally Posted by TexasReb

How about "plumb", y'all?

As in: "I plumb fergot it was our anniversary..."

Ok, ok, ladies, THAT example was intentional! *ducks the slaps here*

plumb near

"I plumb near fergot it was our anniversary..."

You would have been better off, too!

[MSJones]

I'm rather fond of "I tell you what!"

For example:

"I tell you what, if my boss doesn't give me a raise this year, I'm gone!"

[TexasReb]

Has anybody mentioned "and them" yet? As in "Tell yer momma and them hi next time you see her." Or, "How's Bob and them doin' these days?"

Translation to our northern friends?

Personally, I'd say "and them" in the context and Southern vernacular, is a subjective term which, by extension, usually refers to:

1. The close family of the person to whom the request is made
2. The common friends/associates shared by the parties involved.

Ok, whatchall think?

[love roses]

I almost forgot about that one. People in Brazoria used that one alot when I was growing up.

[bingo08]

Originally Posted by TexasReb

I was just thinking, y'all.

Are there any Texas terms/words that you have found very hard to translate to an outsider? Generally speaking, when I say "outsider" I mean someone not from the South...since Texas talk is just the western extention of Southern American English.

But anyway, here are the two that come to mind for me:

"Yonder" and "Tacky."

By way of example, when I say "out yonder" to a yankee, I might as well be talking Greek. So far as "tacky" goes, men don't generally use that word. But our mommas and grandmaws and female kin do, so we have known since childhood what it means.

OK...my own definition:

Yonder: The indefinable distance between yourself and the object or location in question. It can range from ten yards to ten miles.

Tacky: Behaving or acting or speaking in a way that goes against your raising.

Y'all?

Hey texasreb,
I have heard both phrases (yonder and tacky) as a kid, also the phrase acting up. I was born and raised in the Boston area and it was said around here.