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.
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1. Trifling: of little value or account, despicable; aggravating. “That boy is trifling and I can’t see why in the world she’s fooling with him.”
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2. Top out: to reach the top of a mountain. “Once we topped out the view was glorious. The sunshine was bright even though the fog still lay thick down in the settlement.”
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3. Tetched: crazy, feeble minded. “I’m afraid she might be a little tetched. Some of the things she says just don’t sound right.”
4. Toddick: a small amount. “Go down to Granny’s for me and ask for a toddick of sugar. I didn’t realize I was almost out and I already started the cake.”
5. Twicet: Twice. “I’ve called her twicet in the last week and she didn’t answer either time.”
All of this month’s words are beyond common here, except toddick. I know I’ve never used toddick and I don’t believe I’ve heard anyone else use it either. Hope you’ll leave me a comment and let know how you did on the test.
Today’s Thankful November giveaway is two used copies of “The Foxfire Book” which is about hog dressing, log cabin building, mountain crafts and foods, planting by the signs, snake lore, hunting tales, faith healing, and moonshining. For a chance to win one of the books, leave a comment on this post. Giveaway ends Tuesday December 4.
The winner of the “Wild Fare & Wise Words” is Linda who said: “Lovely collection of memories. This recipe sounds very much like one my mom made. I always preferred it over the fruitcakes. But then, apple pie is my favorite, too. And nothing like a sweet, crisp apple on a golden fall day. A family apple orchard would be a real treasure. Thank you for sharing the memories along with the recipe, Jim.”
Linda please send your mailing address to me at [email protected] and I’ll get the book to you.
Tipper
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41 Comments
Terry Huffaker
November 12, 2021 at 7:35 amDon’t recall ever hearing “rod duck” used! As others have noted, we frequently hear “tad”, “smidgen”, and a “pinch” in reference to small amounts. So many great words in your lessons, Tipper. “Keep em’ comin”! Think your “November Give Away” is a wonderful tradition; extremely gracious of you and all your family sharing a bit of your “Appalachian Heritage and Life”. Thanks muchly!
Waldena
December 1, 2018 at 11:20 pmJust remembered, I “topped off” my gas tank tonight when I purchased gas. I often use words and don’t realize that I have.
Waldena
December 1, 2018 at 11:16 pmUse all but “toddick”. Always appreciate your vocabulary tests.
LINDA
November 30, 2018 at 11:55 pmHow exciting to win the “Wild Fare & Wise Words!” I am looking forward to receiving it. What a treasure!
Thank you for offering it. –and for drawing my name. 🙂
Charline
November 30, 2018 at 8:24 pmI only knew ‘tetched’ and ‘twicet’. I know the definition of trifling, but never heard it used in conversation outside of books or drama.
I would very much like to replace my old copies of Foxfire, which I so generously loaned out and never got back.
Tom Deep
November 30, 2018 at 4:03 pmInteresting set of words Tipper.
Jackie
November 30, 2018 at 2:16 pmI also never heard of toddick. All the others have been and are still very familiar. I hear tetched often in descriptions of me.
Bill Burnett
November 30, 2018 at 1:01 pmI’ve heard them all except toddick. I’ve heard top out used also when we were stacking hay, it meant we would pack hay tightly around the pole and sometimes drop an old tire down over the stack pole to try to keep as much water out of the center of the haystack.
Dee
November 30, 2018 at 12:36 pmNever heard Twicet or Toddick but have heard a tad of sugar. I have heard Topped off but it is so far back in my memory that I think it had something to do with filling a gas can. I remember my grandparents using the word “tetched.” I have heard trifling as Ava mentioned.
Joyce Brown
November 30, 2018 at 11:55 amNever heard of toddick, used tad instead.
Joe Penland
November 30, 2018 at 11:16 amAll are common except toddick. This is a brand new word for me.
Cynthia
November 30, 2018 at 11:11 amI’ve used trifling all my life. I’ve heard tetched never used it.
libby rouse
November 30, 2018 at 10:50 amAll the words are very familiar, except Toddick, love hearing all our old used words!
Wanda Devers
November 30, 2018 at 10:20 amAll but toddick! I remember “top out” used differently though–the pigs “topped out” when they were big enough to sell or to eat.
Trifling is my favorite of these!
aw griff
November 30, 2018 at 9:47 amI’ve never heard toddick but have read it somewhere. Tipper, you point out words many of us use and don’t know they aren’t used everwhere. No wonder when we travel out of state people want to know where we are from.
A friend’s family were recently in southern AL. and a southern lady wanted to know where they lived in northern AL. They are from e.ky.
Trifling is a word I use but more apt to say nocount.
Dolores
November 30, 2018 at 9:46 amWell, you got me today. I am really a transplant, so I enjoy learning. Thanks for the schooling. I enjoy every minute of it.
quinn
November 30, 2018 at 9:33 amAll of these are words I would understand if I heard them used, but not one have I ever heard. I think this is a “first”!
PinnacleCreek
November 30, 2018 at 9:19 amToddick and topped off are not familiar. Tetched is used in an almost joking way at times, and when somebody did something absurd we would say they were “tetched in the head.” I certainly would like to win the Foxfire books. It would be an opportunity to learn something new about my favorite subject of Appalachia.
harry adams
November 30, 2018 at 9:17 amI also meant to tell you I made the oatmeal rolls yesterday as my first attempt to bake bread. I made half as rolls and half as cinnamon rolls. For a first try I think they came out wonderfully. I learned what to do next time to make them better and also where all of the wife’s tools are in the kitchen. No roll will go to waste and I had a lot of fun doing it. I will make them again for Christmas dinner.
harry adams
November 30, 2018 at 9:10 amListening to NPR yesterday, I heard a young woman from California say “boughten”. I immediately thought of your blog on colloquialisms. I was also surprised to hear that spoken in California from a person who I would not have suspected lived anywhere else.
also if either of the foxfire books is volume six, I need it to replace one I “loaned” and never got returned. My brother gave my father #1 when it first came out and I bought them as they were published.
Shirl
November 30, 2018 at 9:04 amI didn’t do well on today’s test. Twicet is the only word that I’m familiar with. I have heard my parents say teched , but used in a different way than your example. Mom might say something like, “I barely teched that iron skillet and it liked to a burnt my finger off.”
Alica
November 30, 2018 at 8:36 amUsually I’ve heard at least one of your vocabulary words/phrases, but these were all new to me! My sister and brother in law just moved to rural south eastern West Virginia, so I’ll have to share with her to see if she’s heard any of these Appalachian specialties! 🙂
Ron Stephens
November 30, 2018 at 8:35 am3. Do not recall ever hearing “toddick” nor “twicet”. Toddick reminds me though of “mommick” meaning ‘a mess’. The word I am used to hearing with the meaning of “toddick” is “dab” or maybe “bunch”.
Beauford Boatramp
November 30, 2018 at 8:33 amI thank I heerd all them words oncet or twicet. All sep that’n toddick. Never heerd that’n.
Alice
November 30, 2018 at 8:20 amAll of them except Toddick. Never heard that one. We do say tad, which might be a shortened version of toddick.
Larry Proffitt
November 30, 2018 at 8:13 amAll are common to me except toddick.
Ava
November 30, 2018 at 7:54 amI never heard of top out or toddick. Trifling is one of my favorites and have heard it all my life.
Nancy Schmidt
November 30, 2018 at 7:50 amJust looked it up.
Toddick: a measure used by a custom miller to take out a smeasure of grain for his toll for his work.
Merrimack Webster. Says it’s a term used in the South.
tipper
November 30, 2018 at 9:10 amNancy-thank you for looking it up! I found it in my Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English 🙂
Nancy Schmidt
November 30, 2018 at 7:44 amHi,
So if none of us have heard the word “ toddick” spoken, where did you find it? Is it a very local term somewhere? Interesting. A bit of research from readers needed?
Jim Casada
November 30, 2018 at 7:43 amTipper–Rarely do you have one of your vocabulary exercises which includes a word with which I’m unfamiliar. However, doddick is new to me. The others are quite familiar.
Jim Casada
Ed Karshner
November 30, 2018 at 7:26 amMy Dad not only uses twicet but also thricet.
Donna
November 30, 2018 at 7:06 amAll but toddick.
Carol
November 30, 2018 at 7:01 amToddick is a new one to me, too, Tipper. The rest were real common down here in the mill villages when I was a kid.
Gayle Larson
November 30, 2018 at 6:59 amToddick is a new one to me also.
richard beauchamp
November 30, 2018 at 6:57 amI knew all the words but toddic1 Please enter me in the giveaway .
Jim Keller
November 30, 2018 at 6:52 amToddick & Twicet are new ones for me. I use the rest daily. Always enjoy the vocabulary test keep them coming.
Sheryl A Paul
November 30, 2018 at 6:50 amToddick is a new one to me but the meaning was very obvious in the sentence. The rest very common in my family
Miss Cindy
November 30, 2018 at 6:49 amTip, I’ve never heard toddick either. It will be interesting to see if any of your Blind Pigs know that word! I know all the others and especially like tetched, as in tetched in the head. It’s so descriptive!
Roy Pipes
November 30, 2018 at 6:33 amNew to me were the words, Twicet and Toddict
tmc
November 30, 2018 at 5:18 amI’ve heard them all, and still hear most used today except toddick, don’t believe I ever heard it before.