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Can you speak Cliffside?

Every region of the country has its own peculiar words, expressions and pronounciations. Somehow, we natives of the Cliffside area feel ours are particularly special. (At least special enough to list them alphabetically on a website.) We hope you'll submit your favorites by clicking here.

Word or Phrase Meaning Usage New?

A fine howdy-do exasperated reaction to an unexpected or undesired circumstance Now that's a fine howdy-do!

A piece some distance The old sawmill is down that road a piece.

Ain't got a lick a sense stupid; foolish Well, if he even thinks about marryin' her, he ain't got a lick a sense.

Ar or Who you gonna choose, him ar me?

Bad to inclined to; has a propensity for My uncle Bob was bad to drank.

Bedroom suit bedroom suite We bought a bedroom suit at Miller's Furniture.

Been a bein' past condition She ain't nearly as well as she's been a bein'.

Bless your heart you/that poor thing Well, bless your/her/his heart

Boogerman the devil You better be good or the boogerman will come git you.

Bring be worth What do you think that cow will bring at auction?

Car shed garage We keep our lawnmower out in the car shed.

Come across find; discover Holler if you come across my missing car keys.

Come up a storm (or shower) storm will occur Looks like it's about to come up a storm.

Continueds movie serials After the newsreel and the cartoon they showed a continued.

Cow horns will hook, doesn't believe Unrealistic, not in touch with reality He doesn't believe cow horns will hook.

Cut out the light turn off the light Wish you'd cut out the light so I can git to sleep.

Dibs baby chicks I bought me a dozen of them dibs at the hardware store.

Dinner lunch We'll eat dinner right after the 11:00am church service.

Directly after a while She'll be along directly.

Dope soft drink I'm gonna drank me a dope.

Drive ... in the ground like a stob! humorous threat You keep foolin' with me, I'll drive you .....etc.

Eh, law oh, well; too bad; alas Eh, law. He'll end up in prison, you wait and see.

Ellenber Ellenboro Jimmy Sparks lives up 'air not too far from Ellenber.

Evenin' afternoon He'll be here about two o'clock this evenin'.

Fall of the year fall; autumn Last time I saw him was in the fall of the year.

Far fire Put another log on the far.

Far board fire board; mantel Got a cigarette? I left mine on the far board back at the house.

Far City Forest City I think he lives in Far City.

Fell off lost weight You have fell off since the last time I saw you.

Futher farther, further. To avoid confusion about which word to use, we adopted a hybrid word to fit all occasions. And futhermore, you'll find that the ocean is futher away than you think.

Git a wheel Tear off in a car, spinning the wheels Everytime he takes off in his Thunderbird, he gits a wheel.

Going to the store going shopping I'll be back after 'while, I'm going to the store.

Git Gone Leave, be missing I'll put off sweeping the porch 'til y'all git gone.

Granny woman haggard old lady Pore Hattie, in the past few months she's come to look like a granny woman.

Hard hired Cliffside Mills hard me on the day after Christmas.

Hawg-killin' time cold weather You know, I believe it's hawg-killin' time.

Heck far mild expletive Well, heck far, I never seen the like!

Hen aigs eggs We gonna dye some hen aigs at Easter.

Henretter Henrietta She's the purtiest girl in Henretter.

Hep help I can't hep it, but I'm still in love with you.

Here 'while back some time ago. Not as long ago as 'way back yonder, but prior to some date in the last week or two. I run into him in Far City here 'while back and he was wearing 'at new wooden laig.

Hind end posterior, butt I wish somebody'd kick him in the hind end.

Hisself himself Ernest got hisself a new Studebaker.

Hoodoo fool, deceive Don't you try to hoodoo me!

Humdinger special or unique individual or thing 'At '55 Chevy I got is a humdinger.

I declare good heavens, my stars Well, I declare, I ain't never seen nothing like 'at!

Idey idea I ain't got no idey.

I'll be doggone my heavens; I swear; I can't believe it I'll be doggone, he run off with that hussy.

Jeet? Did you eat? Jeet yit?

Jerk a knot in ... tail punish, straighten out If he keeps that up, Mr. Beatty will jerk a knot in his tail.

Kingdom come end of time It will last til kingdom come.

Knowed knew Hung hisself, eh? I never knowed him to do that before.

'Light and come in alight (from your conveyance) and enter our home Why don't y'all 'light and come in? (Undoubtedly a term carried over from "horse and buggy" days, when one would alight (come down) from a carriage or stage coach.

Loaf bread white bread Put a slice of baloney between two slices of loaf bread.

M'daddy my father (pronounced MUH-DADDY') That old reed hook belonged to m'daddy.

Mess portion, quantity She picked her a mess of poke sallit.

Moseber Mooresboro Grandma is buried in Sandy Run cemetery over at Moseber.

Nanner pudd'n banana pudding I'm saving room for some of that nanner pudd'n.

No 'count worthless Since my health turned bad, I jist ain't been no 'count.

Of a mornin' mornings, on mornings I always enjoy the sunrise of a mornin'.

Old as the hills really old Grandma is old as the hills.

Orten to ought not You orten to do that.

Outta whack undone, broken The links on this page are outta whack.

Paper poke paper bag She put my groceries in a paper poke.

Piccolo juke box Why don't you play somethin' on the piccolo?

Piled up in the bed be, remain, in bed I went over there at dinner time and he was still piled up in the bed.

Pitch a fit express displeasure When my sister came home late, Mama pitched a fit.

Pizzle-sprung exhausted, tard, wore to a frazzle I tell you, after following that mule around all day, I'm just pizzle-sprung.

Pore underweight; skinny Since she had her operation, she's pore as a snake.

Puttin' on the dog being uppity Look at that hat he's wearing, ain't he puttin' on the dog?

Quare peculiar He's a quare one.

Red as a gobbler's snout florid His face was red as a gobbler's snout.

Rinch rinse Rinch the soap offa your hands!

Rite smart a lot, a goodly amount There's rite smart a cotton left in the field.

Roas'n'ears roasting ears Go down to the corn field and pick us a sackful a roas'n'ears.

Rulfton Rutherfordton You wanna ride with me up to Rulfton?

Scarce as hens' teeth in short supply Snuff dippers are gittin' scarce as hens' teeth.

Show, or picture show movies, movie theater Let's go to the show tomorrow night.

Squallin' crying She left the room just a squallin'.

Standin' shut down The mill is standin' this week.

Straight shot direct route You jist turn left right down air and it's a straight shot to Chesnee.

Suit a clothes suit I put on my best suit a clothes.

Sweet milk milk I love corn bread crumbled up in a glass a' sweet milk.

Tard tired I can't get up, I'm too tard.

Tater potato Most years we store our taters under the house where the pigs can't git to 'em.

The house home I gotta git along to the house.

They buildup to an exclamation They, hellfar! He's gonna kill hisself.

Tight as Dick's hat band stingy; miserly Don't count on him paying that high a price, he's tight as Dick's hat band.

T'mar tomorrow I cain't thank about that today, I'll thank about it t'mar.

Toenails cashew nuts When Tommy Hamrick and his daddy went to Spindale they bought some toenails.

Tote Carry How 'bout totin' this anvil? My arms are tard.

'Way back yonder years ago; long ago Grandpa bought that mule 'way back yonder.

Whuppin' whipping You better behave or you'll get a whuppin'.

Wore to a frazzle exhausted After climbin' 'at hill, I'm jist wore to a frazzle.

Yore your Is 'at yore coat?

You'nses yours Is that little shoat one of you'nses?

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