My life in appalachia - Jaws

Chitter and Chatter sporting their very first Easter Hats

Overheard the other day: “That littlest girl came back and set with me. She’s so cute! You know shes got those jaws that you just want to pinch or kiss or both!”

Chitter and Chatter had those kind of jaws too.

A few other ways the word jaw is used in Appalachia:

  • If he’ll ever quit jawing we’ll go to the house. (meaning if he would quit talking)
  • I found out a long time ago me and him don’t jaw. (meaning their personalities clash)
  • If he ever pulls that stuff on me I’ll jack his jaw! (meaning-I’ll whip his butt)

Tipper

Appalachia Through My Eyes – A series of photographs from my life in Southern Appalachia.

 

 

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34 Comments

  1. Don’t forget “Flap jaw”. My mother would complain about running into certain women at the grocery store because they were “flap jaws”. Also used on me when I was being particularly talkative.

  2. Tipper,
    Those are beautiful babies and
    we’ve watched them grow up into
    gorgeous mid-teenagers and they
    have kept their heads on straight.
    That is a tribute to their parents, I think…Ken

  3. Beautiful babies. I always enjoy your vocabulary lesson. In the second meaning, I have heard the term gee-haw meaning difference in people’s personalities…don’t think I have heard jaw used in that manner. Happy day!
    Carol

  4. Ain’t that where you put your baccer. In your jaw? You know, your chaw. You take your out pocket knife and cut off a chaw of Kentucky Twist and put it in your jaw.
    “Delivered with love by Patricia Haynes.” Did she deliver the babies?

  5. Loved the baby pictures of Chitter and Chatter! From beautiful babies, lovely young ladies grow! And as to pinching their jaws, it was–and I’m sure still is–a temptation! All your uses of “jaw” I’m familiar with but don’t use them as often as previously. And, back to pinch-able jaws (cheeks), my six-months old great grandsons, Samuel and Josua Jones, have want-to-pinch cute, sweet jaws, too. I’m collecting pictures of them now, and their parents share a lot through facebook!

  6. Tipper,
    Heard those jaw statements too…
    As well as “What’s the matter, you got lock jaw?”….”Hey boy, you got a chaw (baccer) in that jaw?” “That cold fudgesicle give me the jaw freeze!” “He’d smack you so hard yore jawbone would be on the other side of yore head!”
    Oooh, and the one that always gives me the creeps is…”I’ll lock yore jaws so you can’t speak”, from the song “Oh, Death”….
    Those are sweet pictures of the
    girls…Chitter and Chatter or synonymous with the word jaw…LOL
    Great post Tipper,

  7. oh my what adorable little girls and they are still adorable. Yes I have heard the word “jawing” used a long time ago. Even up here in Kansas.

  8. they are just adorable and i can tell it is them, they have changed but still recognizable. i have heard all the jaw sayings.

  9. I’ve heard the boxing jaws part.. you have to sweet girls and they were and still are so beautiful, just like you.. I love their little fat jaws..have a good day

  10. Tipper,
    I’ve heard all those jaws sayings and those jaws sure look kissable. They look like something Mary Cassatt would have painted!
    My Granny used to say about such children…”That child looked so sweet, it was all I could do to keep from biting her!”

  11. Danielle’s granny used to tell her, “I want some rouge the same color as what’s on your jaws” :)”

  12. Oh my how precious! Those little jaws are certainly kissable, but those little noses are the cutest things ever! They were little living dolls! I have heard the word jaw used in all the examples. My aunt used to tell us kids that if we didn’t quieten down and behave that she was going to jack our jaws.

  13. Chitter is trying to shield her jaw that someone just pinched or is getting ready to. Chatter is saying,”I dare you!” How cute! Who could resist?

  14. Like Don I’ve always heard of pinching cheeks but the rest of the Jaws comments are very common. Doc Kelly never pinched my cheeks but he pert near took a patch of hide off’n my side every time he could sneak up behind me. It didn’t matter to him that many of these incidents occured while I was an officer and was armed. His technique was to catch skin between his pointer and middle finger, pinch and twist. I’m sure if it hadn’t been for his advanced age he would have earned many a jaw jackin.

  15. Beautiful babies Tipper!
    My mother use to tell us if we didn’t behave she was gonna box(smack you) our jaws. And believe me she meant it too.
    Well, I would like to sit around here and jaw all day but I have work to do!

  16. The first two meanings I was familiar with, but the third one I had not heard used that way. Interesting to say the least!
    Those little cuties really looked like fun to get laughing.

  17. This post makes me laugh, what with your examples and everyone’s comments! Makes me smile real big, wonder if it’s makin’ my jaws pinchable!

  18. Those are the cutest jaws I ever saw, but then I could be partial. I hear grandmother sometimes are. lol
    I don’t remember ever hearing jaw used to say two people didn’t get along.
    Certainly hear jack your jaw all my life. Also heard Jawing as too much talking.
    Don’t you just love all our colorful expressions!

  19. For that particular occasion, I believe we’ve used ‘cheeks’ instead of jaw, however heard and used all the others. Cute picture of those girls.

  20. I’ve only heard and used the first one, And that picture!! I would love to pinch and kiss those jaws! My son had fat cheeks and dimples, so he got that a lot! His baby, too.

  21. Such adorable little cheeks, it does want to make you pinch them. I’ve always pictured the jaw as the bone portion that opens and closes..which makes sense with the flappin your jaws saying which I’ve both heard and used.

  22. Yep, heard and use all those. Now if that picture don’t make you smile there is something wrong with you… cute…

  23. Whip is what you do to cream. Butts get whupped! Now I can’t stand around here flappin my jaws all day. I gotta get goin!

  24. I believe I’ve always heard and used cheek instead of jaw when it comes to pinching or kissing.
    There was a druggist here in Bryson City, Doc Kelly Bennett, who would absolutely pinch the fire out of your cheek. In my case, it was the one on my face, but I’ve heard tell that cute girls were subject to having their posterior cheeks pinched.
    But whether it is cheeks or jaws, you had some pinchable cuties, alright. Of course they’re still cuties, but I’ve got a feeling that unwanted pinching would get you a good pop in the jaw.
    Is that Chitter is on the left and Chatter on the right?

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