It’s time for this month’s Appalachian Vocabulary Test.
I’m sharing a few videos to let you hear the words and phrases. To start the videos click on them.
1. Katydid: insect that sits in trees or bushes and makes noise during hot weather. “The chorus of katydids that sing on hot summer nights comfort me.”
2. Keen: sharp; piercing. “My Papaw Wade was said to have keen eyes. When he preached they danced like fire.”
3. Keep your britches on: be patient. “Keep your britches on! I’ll be there in a minute!”
4. Kernel: a growth under the skin; a hard lump under the skin. “When I was a girl I had a little knot come up behind my ear. Pap told me not to worry it was a kernel and it’d go away on it’s on. He was right.”
5. Kin: a blood relative. “I’ve been blessed to live among kin my entire life.”
All of this month’s usages, except kernel, are beyond common in my area of Appalachia. Hope you’ll leave a comment and tell me how you did on the test.
Last night’s video: First Time Growing Corn in Years.
Tipper
I too grew up hearing all of the words except Kernel. I did hear Kernel used as in “There’s not a kernel of truth in that.”
I posted about a keen switch on the blind pig in an earlier post. Here’s what I posted:
“When we children pushed our patient mother to her wits end she would go out into the yard and cut a thin switch which she referred to as a Keen Withe. Merriam-Webster identifies it as a flexible branch that’s seeming to cut or sting. And Boy Did It!”
I worked with a lady who mentioned having a kernel on her wrist. And, of course, someone had to pipe up and ask if it was a Kentucky colonel/kernel.
Keening makes me think of the shrill, shrieking sounds made by the older ladies at the Greek funerals.
I thought I left a comment early this morning but I musta done something wrong. I have heard all of these words. I like to say “don’t get your drawers in a wad” rather than “hold on to your britches.” I have also heard kernel used to mean a little bit like in “there may have been a kernel of truth in what he said.”
Several have mentioned “keen” switches, man they would make a brass monkey dance, don’t put your hands back there, you would get it on them too. Back when I was a kid, I think my church planted some bushes beside the front door to make it convenient for our mothers to have switches. Some of us lifetime members were laughing and talking about the past when we were kids and how we would get took out of church and whooped and then brought right back into church. One of my dearest lady friends said her mother would bring a switch from home with her and lay it by the front door. I think I walked the aisle every Sunday to the front door, I was big enough to shave before I realized that I went for more reasons than to get a whooping. I ran from Mother onetime to the front of the church trying to get away from her, the preacher stopped his sermon, caught and held me until Mother could get me, boy did she lay one of me that time, I had not only misbehaved but embarrassed her too. Nowadays, whippings are suppose to cause us to have mental problems, but I haven’t noticed the whippings my generation got causing us any mental problems. We laugh about them when stand around after the service and talk about the old days when we were kids.
Randy-you didn’t do anything wrong I did 🙂 Somehow I failed to publish your first comment earlier today.
Tipper, don’t think anything about it, if not posting a comment is the worst problem I have, I don’t have any problems.
Being from the Midwest, when I was younger, I’ve heard these words and expressions used quite a bit. Not so much now. Had gotten old boils once and they were painful, they always seemed to have a hard seed or kernel in the middle. When salve was used to draw out the ugly matter in them, or squeezing, ugh, that kernel would come out of the middle. Again yuck. . Really liked this older blog and the story was so funny. My momma use to sing when working around the house, wonder if she had visited the medicine man.
Other than ‘kernel’ and ‘katydid’ I had heard the other sayings, — for ‘keep your britches on’ we also used ‘don’t get your britches in a twist’ (or knot) and ‘getting to big for your britches.’
Tipper, you have share a few fine, descriptive words. Thank you!
P.S. You and your family are beautiful, and the sound of your speech falls like sweet music.
All are known and used.
I’ve used them all. Enjoyed seeing Corie’s shower and Granny looked so good!! Also, the big garden looks to me like corn will be knee high by July:)
‘Kay.
Have heard all of these and use several. When I was a kid and in trouble, I was supposed to go get my own little branch for my switching and my mom always told me to “ get a keen little switch”!!!
Mammy used to say kernel but I haven’t heard it used to describe a knot under the skin in years. Daddy would warn us kids that if we didn’t cut it out he was going to cut him a good keen switch and we would be sorry. He didn’t do much discipline but the threats scared us to death. His worst punishment was when he made us girls sit on a bench and hug each other if we were caught fighting and arguing. I would rather have taken the keen switch punishment if I had a choice.
I’ve used and heard all those words except for the interpretation of kernel. We might say, there isn’t a kernel of truth in his words, to express doubt about the validity of what someone expressed. As a child I loved hearing the katydids. Living in a big city I don’t hear them as much, but I do still call them katydids. Thanks for the memories! Blessings to all.
Hey Tipper I love watching you all on YouTube . I’m originally from Pike co Ky “ part of The Hatfield and McCoy family’s”but now I live in southwest VA … I’ve heard all these sayings growing up and still hear them ….Keep your britches on “reminds me of “ hold your Tatar “ ….
I was wondering if you’ve ever done a piece on how people say names differently now than they used to . I named my daughter Sara after my great grandmother but my granny says they pronounced it like “Surry” instead of Sara …. I’d love to go back just for a day and visit the old days , I bet it was something…
Tonya-So glad you enjoy what we do! Here’s a video I did about names and how we change them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p3pwTz_Suw 🙂
I use all of these words and sayings except kernel. That’s a new one to me. My Mama always says “Keep your britches on”. I think it’s so sweet that your daddy used to call Katie—Katydid. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
I’ll say 4 &1/2, the half being “kernel”; think I heard it growing up but that was a long time ago. As to “keen” – my Dad would say, “keen as a briar” for any very sharp point. And then there was “a little keen switch” for bad-behaving children. I never heard “keen” used to mean “great” or “desirable” until a visit to Indiana in the 1960’s. I can recall it still because it confused me as I didn’t understand what was meant. It was in vogue as a slang word for a time but faded. Katydids to me mean country. They generally stay high in the tall tree tops so no trees, no katydids thus not the place for me.
I had forfotten about kernels until today’s post, and it reminded me of another term that was common in my childhood: a “risin'” or “risen”, which was a boil or an infected sore on the body. I remember having them on my legs. Perhaps the word was “rising” because they would swell and sometimes would need draining by squeezing. and treating by “painting” with mercurochrome or “merthiolate” (methylate, I think).
I’ve heard and used most in my life time, except kernel. We just called them knots or punk knots or poke knots since they usually came up after we got hit or poked on top of our hands on something causing them to appear. They always went away after a couple of weeks. I’ve used keen for a slightly different meanings, like, “He had a keen eye for details.” as for sharp in noticing things. Or “She was keen on that young fellow at church.” as for she took a liking to the young man.
We say “pump knot”. The use of that word came from our momma’s side. If someone had a knot on their forehead we called it a “pump knot”.
I’ve heard them all except kernel. That’s a new one on me. Enjoy the vocabulary videos, they’re some of my favorites.
I have heard all of these words used except “kernel” maybe?. I have heard “keen” being used. My mother used to say to me when I was “acting up”, go outside and git me a “keen” switch, and don’t get a little one ’cause I’ll go back out and get a good sized one. She used that switch around my legs and boy did it sting. I wasn’t too keen on misbehavin’ any more after that switchin’. Thanks for the reminder of these words. I grew hearing them from my eastern KY family.
since my early years i have had a kernal on the back of my neck,nobody ever said i would grow out of it,when in hospital 3years ago one of the nurses called it a strawberry. as i’m now 81 i think its too late to grow out of ! all the phrases are familliar to me in england.
I have heard all of these. I often say kin instead of relatives. I will say don’t get your drawers in a wad instead of hold your britches. I have heard kernel used for a small amount such as there might be a kernel of truth in what he said.
Thanks for sharing. I have heard and used, at one time or another, all of those wonderful words. Interesting that Katie has on a Gene Watson shirt just like my hubby has. Gene was one of his favorite singers along with Darrell McCall. Prayers for Granny every day and God’s Blessing on all of your growing family.
All are used by me at times. I haven’t had a kernel in many years but used to get them under my arms and inside my upper thighs.
I forgot to mention we also use keen like y’all do, but we also use it like, “he ain’t too keen on that idea”. I reckon it’s a dual purpose word for us.
Have a beautiful day!
We say all of these including kernel. When I was a youngun the lymph node under my ear was always swollen and Momma always called it a “swollen kernel under my ear”.
Thanks for sharing and keeping the old ways and dialects going.
We used keen as something we didn’t want to do or something we thought was wrong. “He wasn’t to keen about going to the doctor” ” I’m not to keen on that idea.” I too have heard the phrase “He has a keen eye”, meaning he has sharp or focused. The rest of them are very familiar to me.
My mama would punish me with a keen switch on bare legs when I needed it. That’ll make a ragdoll dance!
My grandmother used to say, “Don’t get pintucked,” which meant don’t be a sour puss.
All but kernel are common to us too! We are from the Florida, New York and Oregon!
I always love hearing the words I grew up on in these vocabulary tests! Kin is a common one as well as keep your britches on, also “you’re gettin too big for your britches.” when someone is mouthing off or acting high and mighty. My son knows when I say that one he better straighten up real quick 😉 I use keen a lot but have always used it more as a like or dislike, as in “I’m not keen going over there tonight.” Or “I’m keen on collard greens but my husband doesn’t like them.”