“Grab and growl, supper’s ready!”
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I first heard the saying grab and growl from The Deer Hunter. After we were married I learned the saying came from Miss Cindy’s parents. For years, I assumed it was a family saying until I ran across it in a few books-one of which is It’s Not My Mountain Anymore written by Barbara Taylor Woodall. Barbara’s mother used the phrase grab and growl, among others, to gather her brood around the table to eat in the same way The Deer Hunter’s family does.
Tipper
29 Comments
Daniel
May 28, 2021 at 5:19 amFunny, when my daughter found a group of little feral kittens, I put them in an empty water trough, and put a mouse in there with them so the kids could watch. The kittens looked up and mewed for awhile, then noticed the mouse moving around. A couple stopped and stared at the mouse, kind of shook their heads and then pounced. One got it, and then with it’s mouth full of mouse began growling at at the others when they approached. Grab and growl?
Bob Osterberg
January 29, 2021 at 6:41 amTipper, I came across one of your youtube videos, and found it so interesting and enjoyable, that I continued watching your channel for hours! It reminded me of a good friend of mine that I met while in the Navy. He was from Kings Cross, NC. We used to tease each other about our accents! Mine from Connecticut, and his from Appalachia! Never in disrespect, but with a healthy respect for our different upbringings!
Thank you for your time spent, teaching folks about each others differences and commonalities! It is something the world needs right now.
Catharine
May 22, 2018 at 6:17 amMom used to say, “Well, put your foot on it ‘n’ growl!” when my table manners got too messy. Especially when she’d made fried chicken & we’d been smelling it for an hour, we’d just grab a piece & dig in.
Betty "JO" Eason Benedict
April 17, 2018 at 6:25 amNeed to learn the “Boarding House Reach”, then grab it and growl! 🙂
Fran Dixon
April 29, 2017 at 10:23 amI can remember my dad saying grab it and growl. I also remember mom saying take a old cold tater and wait. Thanks for the memories. I hadn’t thought of these things in a long time.
Eldonna Ashley
April 18, 2017 at 2:29 pmMy daddy always told us,”Grab it and growl.” With 5 of us kids we did that pretty well. Once in a while a cousin who was an only child would come for a meal. I think we overwhelmed her.
Don
November 25, 2015 at 4:36 amMy mom was from Appalachian roots and told me to grab a root and growl some 50 years ago. I’ve found a reference to it being said in Texas during the dust bowl era in the 30’s. Not sure of its’ real origin.
Staci
May 31, 2015 at 8:44 amI’ve never heard this before and like the policy of Bill Burnett’s Dad.
I do believe I have just found my new mantra.
GRAB IT & GROWL!
Rev. RB
April 16, 2015 at 9:14 pmNever heard “grab and growl.”
I remember two sayings from childhood mealtimes, can’t remember who said them.
One was, “Come and get it before it gets cold and we give it to the dog.”
And “Take it or leave it.”
God bless.
RB
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Ed Ammons
April 16, 2015 at 6:31 pmI have never heard “Grab it and Growl.” It was more like “you better git in here right now if you want something to eat.”
We could use one of b.Ruth’s dipper gourds here about now. We’re catching a little break right now but it looks like more is coming at us!
Ethelene Dyer Jones
April 16, 2015 at 5:16 pmWe didn’t use “Grab and Growl,” so this one is new to me. “Soup’s on!” was a call to eat, as was “Come and get it, sich (such) as it is!” If we had a meal delayed for any reason (like the main dish needed more time to cook), we’d hear “If you’re so hungry, just take an ol’ cold tater and wait.”
Tipper
April 16, 2015 at 4:00 pmB. I know what you mean about the rain! Let us know how your gourds do this year! They sound great : )
Tipper
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Tipper
April 16, 2015 at 3:59 pmDolores-thank you for the comment! Applesauce, soup beans, onion, and cornbread : ) yes its a common Appalachian meal and I love it : )
Tipper
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Ken
April 16, 2015 at 3:54 pmTipper,
“Hey boys, come a jumpin.” That’s what mama said when she’d come to the kitchen door and holler at us boys. We’d usually be nearby, playing in the creek if it was warm weather. And we knew when it was about time for dinner or supper.
Your Appalachian food looks
delicious…Ken
Eleanor L., Ohioi
April 16, 2015 at 12:59 pmTipper!
Coming from the North (Ohio) as I do, I’ve not heard many of your expressions, but I surely enjoy them all. “Grab and growl” is truly funny.
Eleanor L., Ohio
[email protected]
Gayle Larson
April 16, 2015 at 10:24 amI can remember my brother following our prayer Amen with “OK everyone, grab it and growl”.
Pamela Danner
April 16, 2015 at 10:11 amNever heard that one.
Pam
scrap-n-sewgranny.blogspot.com
Bill Burnett
April 16, 2015 at 9:23 amI’ve always heard “Grab it and Growl”. This not only applied to food but also applied to any task or problem that needed to be addressed. My Dad’s policy was that when something needed to be done you “Grab it and Growl”. I guess this was Needmore’s version of “Git-er-Done.
Mike McLain
April 16, 2015 at 9:21 amI always heard “Grab IT and growl”.
Shirl
April 16, 2015 at 9:11 amI used to say grab it and growl when the food was ready, but I don’t remember where I first heard it. My mom never used the saying, so I must have heard it from my in-laws.
Tamela
April 16, 2015 at 9:07 amColorful! – and,I imagine, very descriptive if feeding a large number of hungry and competitive folks!
Suzi Phillips
April 16, 2015 at 8:58 amYummy photo! Grab and growl is a new one for me-
dolores
April 16, 2015 at 8:40 amThat’s a new one for me to learn. I like the picture – looks like applesauce, beans and a rice/grits, onion, and ????. Is this an Applachian type of dinner?
Julana
April 16, 2015 at 8:31 amI have heard my dad say, Grab a root and growl, as if everyone needed to pull together at the same time…
b. Ruth
April 16, 2015 at 8:23 amTipper,
Never used “grab and growl”, but have heard it or read it in “It’s Not My Mountain Anymore”! I don’t remember any of my family saying grab and growl!
I used to yell, “grubs ready” or “soups on”! Even if there was no soup or heavy grub…!
Sometimes I would say, OK boys “hit and get it”, time to eat! Most of the time, I didn’t have to worry about my gang getting to the table…LOL
I am sure there are more saying’s that I used back in the day, but can’t remember any right this minute.
Thanks Tipper,
Interesting post this morning….
PS…If it ever quits raining and the ground warms to 85 degrees, I plan on planting the many various gourd seeds I purchased this year…My dipper gourd seed from a old gourd from NC that my Mom had was opened and seed used. I planted them last year, now have 15 or 20 gourds. Not all came true, (to a long dipper), but most did…so much fun…I bought this year, giant Apple gourd seed, Large Basket gourd seed, Mini-Spinner gourd seed, Longest gourd in the world seed?, no not sure what I will do with that one…I had one long gourd I bought and painted it like a snake…very freaky and fun!
Gina S
April 16, 2015 at 8:13 amMy grandsons monitor one another to make sure a brother doesn’t get a larger portion. They growl, too.
Gwen
April 16, 2015 at 8:05 amMy dad said this, too! I thought he made it up to be funny. He is from Blue Ridge in North Georgia.
TimMc
April 16, 2015 at 7:46 amYep use to be said a lot when I was growing up by our Dad,, meant “dig in boys”.. it’s time to eat.. I quess it was like feeding a pen full of pup hounds they’ll all eat out of the same pan and growl while eating,, of coarse sometimes caused a fight to break out… We didn’t feed our old dogs that way they would fight and half kill each other..
Miss Cindy
April 16, 2015 at 7:28 amYep, that’s what my mother used to say when food was ready to eat. Of course if there had actually been any grabbing or growling, it would be woe to the grabber or growler, for sure.