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. Unfitten: unfit. “I don’t care what nobody says its unfitten for children to disrespect their parents.”
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2. Unionalls: long underwear. “With this cold weather we’ve been having I’ve hardly took off my unionalls.”
3. Unlessen: lessen. “Unlessen they want me to come down there and give them a piece of my mind, they better change their attitude.”
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4. Up in under: under. “She dropped her ring and it rolled up in under the tv. We liked to have never found it.”
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5. Upscuddle: a quarrel. “When Chitter and Chatter were little they had lots of upscuddles, thankfully they never lasted long.”
Although I’m familiar with all of this month’s words, not many of them are common today in my area of Appalachia. The Deer Hunter was the first person I ever heard say up in under. Back in the day when we were first dating I teased him about it. I said how could something be up and in and under.
I’ve always used the phrase slide up to indicate someone falling. Granny and Pap use the phrase too. The Deer Hunter had never heard slide up before he met me. So he gave my teasing right back by asking “Well how could anyone slide up? You always slide down.”
Hope you’ll leave me a comment and let me know how you did on the test.
Tipper
Come cook with me!
MOUNTAIN FLAVORS – TRADITIONAL APPALACHIAN COOKING
Location: John C. Campbell Folk School – Brasstown, NC
Date: Sunday, June 23 – Saturday, June 29, 2019
Instructors: Carolyn Anderson, Tipper Pressley
Experience the traditional Appalachian method of cooking, putting up, and preserving the bounty from nature’s garden. Receive hands-on training to make and process a variety of jellies, jams, and pickles for winter eating. You’ll also learn the importance of dessert in Appalachian culture and discover how to easily make the fanciest of traditional cakes. Completing this week of cultural foods, a day of bread making will produce biscuits and cornbread. All levels welcome.
Along with all that goodness Carolyn and I have planned a couple of field trips to allow students to see how local folks produce food for their families. The Folk School offers scholarships you can go here to find out more about them. For the rest of the class details go here.
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26 Comments
Tis Me
January 26, 2019 at 8:48 pmIn my area we have different phrases. When I was young I remember hearing “she wouldn’t have a truck with them. Truck meaning nothing to do with them. We say “warsh clothes” and everyone lives up the mountain (meaning outside of our town).
Tommy Counce
January 26, 2019 at 3:17 pmHere in Northeast Mississippi you may hear something is “useless (or useful) as (mammary glands) on a boar hog”
Quinn
January 25, 2019 at 6:20 pmDon’t know about sliding up or sliding down, but I got plenty of experience in sliding OFF, back when I used to ride horses 🙂
Sanford McKinney Jr
January 25, 2019 at 5:50 pmYeah, heard them all except “Upscuddle”!
Miss Cindy
January 25, 2019 at 3:55 pmDon’t recall ever hearing upscuttles but I have heard the rest. I really like up in under, it’s so descriptive!
Jim Casada
January 25, 2019 at 12:31 pmTipper–I’d like to think I’m at least somewhat literate and possessed of a decent vocabulary when it comes to mountain talk, but upscuttle is new to me. As for the underwear, I’ve heard long handles and long johns far more often on unionalls.
Interestingly, a good many years ago while turkey hunting in either Missouri or Iowa during a spring cold snap, I heard a local describe the weather as “Long Handles Winter” in the same fashion as we would use Blackberry Winter, Dogwood Winter, or Catbird Squall.
Jim Casada
Janis Sullivan
January 25, 2019 at 12:15 pmNo go on unionalls. Only the third word I have ever missed on these tests. One of my favorite items. So great of you to do all this for us. I like reading the comments also. Don’t slide up this winter.
Bob Dalsemer
January 25, 2019 at 10:52 amThere’s a verse in an old song:
“I bought me a set of union underwear,
To keep me from the cold and the chilly air.
I wore it six months without exaggeration,
And I couldn’t get it off cause I lost the combination.”
Pamela Danner
January 25, 2019 at 9:33 amI love the monthly Appalachian vocabulary test! There are several words here I have heard many times!
aw griff
January 25, 2019 at 9:32 amMost familiar with up and under. Unionalls, I’ve heard union suit. UPscuddles, I’ve never heard. Unlessen and unfitten I’ve heard but not words I use. I got a F this time.
Shirl
January 25, 2019 at 9:31 amUp in under and unlessen are the two I’m most familiar with and both are used quiet often around my house.
Cynthia
January 25, 2019 at 9:29 amI’ve used up under, as in the box is up under the bed. I enjoy these vocabulary tests, as I love words and language. I’m a newly retired Latin teacher. Yes, they still teach Latin in my neck of the woods.
Paula Rhodarmer
January 25, 2019 at 9:25 amTipper, I use “up in under” from time to time. The others, with the exception of “upscuttle” I have heard used.
L. A. Rickman
January 25, 2019 at 9:19 amSeein some unionalls inunder the Deer Hunters chin there,
but don’t think it’s unfitten.
Ron Banks
January 25, 2019 at 9:01 amUp in under and slide up are familiar to me.
I’m sure I either do use or have used both and both together.
Don Byers
January 25, 2019 at 8:51 amI enjoyed today’s topic so much I liked to died.
Alice
January 25, 2019 at 8:46 amI slipped up on the ice one time and slid up in under the back porch.
I would’ve been skint up worsen I was unlessen I had on my unionalls.
Dee
January 25, 2019 at 8:36 amUnfitten and up and under are the only ones I remember hearing.
Ann Applegarth
January 25, 2019 at 8:32 amThe only one I have heard is “unionalls” — but not for long underwear. The Unionalls that I wore as a young child were one-piece coveralls made of striped denim that I wore for everyday playing.
Ed Ammons
January 25, 2019 at 8:29 amI knew them all but upscuddle. I always thought upinunder was one word as is waybackupinunder.
Upinunder means you’ve got to get down to get it. Waybackupinunder means you’ve got to get the broom. In the case of a coon inunder a rock cliff, you get a stick and twist him out.
When you busted your butt tother day did you slide up or slide down?
Larry Proffitt
January 25, 2019 at 8:08 amTipper, I have heard all of today’s words used but the only one routinely usef would be “up in under”Larry Proffitt
Gayle Larson
January 25, 2019 at 7:49 amI am not familiar with any of these but I do believe I have heard up and under.
Ron Stephens
January 25, 2019 at 7:47 am2.5
1. unfitten = 1/2 always heard “not fit for ___________
2. unionalls = 1/2 always heard ‘union suit’ for the red one-piece.
3. unlessen = 1/2 always heard just ‘lessen’
4. up in under = 1. yep, sounds familiar.
5. upscuddles = 0 never heard that one.
Sheryl A Paul
January 25, 2019 at 7:06 amUnfitten is the only one I know this time
carol roy
January 25, 2019 at 6:30 amEnjoy all your phrases and words most I/we do not use ‘in my neck of the woods’! However it is always fun to learn the meanings and how they are used.
tmc
January 25, 2019 at 6:02 amWow, familiar with all of them even slide up, say it like this, “now slide up’n under the truck and change the oil”. See, I get that.