Your Natural Use of Traditional Texas "Idiom/Slang" (movies, living)

[TexasReb]

Greetings Fellow Texans,

I gotta explain this one a bit. In fact, I want to back-track even more and say I am posting TWO polls this week. Reason being, the one on "Carry Laws" provoked such good, lively, discussion, I wanted to continue it on a related tangent...

On the other hand? I thought it might be good to "lower the level" a bit, and create one a bit more light-hearted.

I finally just decided to go with both. Soooooo, y'all will see two of them this week. One intended to be "fun" and the other, more "involved" and perhaps, controversial. I hope that makes sense...especially after I present both of them.

Anyway, this is the first:

As most of us know, because of mass-migration, etc., the classic "Texas tawk" has lost -- over the years -a noteable amount of its domination in our fair state. Especially in large urban areas, and in south Texas.

Soooo? What terms/phrases/pronunciation, are still part your natural useage...?

BTW -- this is multi-option, and be encouraged to add those of your own!

P.S. The second poll will be posted shortly!

[Austinite101]

I've never heard most of these. Only one that is fairly common around DT is y'all.

[ReppingDFW]

I've heard all of those except for Doodlebug and "Cotton-Pickin Hands"... I never use any of them, though.

[TexasHorseLady]

I'm familiar with the first 4, and with Doodlebug for ant lion (I think you're thinking of it as being used for isopods, aka Pill Bugs), and have been known to use them on occasion even recently. I remember cotton-pickin' hands but it went out of usage long, long ago in my experience and I think I heard it mainly in movies.

Rollin' R's was more along the lines of "They're not from around here, are they?" when it was heard. Never heard Tex-izz.

[TXNGL]

Ah! Another poll that has me sitting on the back patio talking to myself, trying to figure out how I pronounce things!

I chose:

Coke
Y'all
Emphasis on first syllable
Doodlebug

Having issues with Tex-iss, Tex-izz...leading to the talking outloud, probably once again worrying my neighbors. Not sure which way I'd go with that one if I wasn't concentrating on it.

I also chose other because I emphasize the first syllable in 3 syllable words, as well. Trash COM-pact-or. My ex always thought that one was funny.

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by ReppingDFW

I've heard all of those except for Doodlebug and "Cotton-Pickin Hands"... I never use any of them, though.

"Cotton pickin' hands" used to be in Texas/South, a fairly common expression in the metaphorical sense of "slapping" someones hands, or reminding them of rules of the house. For instance? A kid or adult went in to the kitchen and started trying to sample the pie or whatever before "dinner-time"? Then the mother or grandmother would say something like "Keep your cotton-pickin' hands off that (whatever) until we are ready to eat.."

Sometimes it was used in a more irritated way, for example, someone (parent or friend or whatever) would say when they wanted someone to leave their stuff alone..."Would you keep your cotton-pickin' hands off this stuff..?"

Generally, it was used in a mild manner. I think the roots of the expression trace to the fact that in the Southern United States, especially after the "Civil War", picking cotton was not exactly a grand way to make a living. And those who did poked fun at each other. Gradually, the expression sorta came to apply to those who were a bit "uncouth"...or something like that.

Hell, I don't know. It is just one of those phrases, that one knows what it means, but not able to explain it completely, and you had to have been there. LOL

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

I'm familiar with the first 4, and with Doodlebug for ant lion (I think you're thinking of it as being used for isopods, aka Pill Bugs), and have been known to use them on occasion even recently. I remember cotton-pickin' hands but it went out of usage long, long ago in my experience and I think I heard it mainly in movies.

Rollin' R's was more along the lines of "They're not from around here, are they?" when it was heard. Never heard Tex-izz.

I didn't explain that one very well, TH. Sorry! I meant...well, let me say it this way... with the spelling of Texas? How do you phonetically pronounce the "s" at the end?

Do you say is as "zz" or "ss" sound?

[lonestar2007]

LOL Guilty of them all except the Tex-izz.

Can't believe you left out one of the most common saying of Texans . . . fixin' too.

So, if you'll excuse me now, all this polling has left me thirsty. I'm fixin' to go head down yonder to the store and get me a Coke.

[lonestar2007]

Originally Posted by TXNGL

Ah! Another poll that has me sitting on the back patio talking to myself, trying to figure out how I pronounce things!

I chose:

Coke
Y'all
Emphasis on first syllable
Doodlebug

Having issues with Tex-iss, Tex-izz...leading to the talking outloud, probably once again worrying my neighbors. Not sure which way I'd go with that one if I wasn't concentrating on it.

I also chose other because I emphasize the first syllable in 3 syllable words, as well. Trash COM-pact-or. My ex always thought that one was funny.

Too funny! I was doing the same. . again. I finally decided Tex-iss is closer to what I say, although as I keep thinking about it, who knows, maybe it comes out as Tex-izz at certain times. LOL I just never had given it any thought.

I say COM-pact-or as well.

You're right, Reb. Fun post!

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by TexasReb

I didn't explain that one very well, THL. I meant...well, let me say it this way..., with spelling. Texas? How do you phonetically pronounce the "s"? Do you say is as "zz" or "ss"?

iss, not izz.