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. Cackleberry: a chicken egg. “Our chickens didn’t lay one cackleberry during the bitter cold weather we had over Christmas. Since the temperatures are warming up I hope they start the cackleberry production again.”
2. Cain’t see to cain’t see: before daybreak to after sundown. “I’m worried about him. Working from can’t see to can’t see day after day will wear a body down.”
3. Calf slobbers: meringue. “I can never get my calf slobbers to look as pretty as the ones in cookbooks, but they still taste mighty good.”
4. Caution: a great wonder, startling or alarming event, thing, or person. “Our girls have been cautions since the day they were born and I wouldn’t have it any other way. They keep us on our toes with smiles on our faces.
5. Charge it to the dust and let the rain settle it: when no actual debt recording occurs because such action is considered a waste of effort. “I’ve never heard anyone say this one, but I sure would like to bring it back into regular usage. It’s so descriptive.”
Hope you’ll leave a comment and tell me how you did on the test. I’ve heard the first three often in my life, but not the last two.
Last night’s video: Christmas at Celebrating Appalachia 22.
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The only one I had heard was “caution.” Your beautiful and smart daughters are a true caution. You are truly blessed to have them. Sending love to you and your family. I plan to make your chocolate chip cookies for my son-in-law. He cut his finger and has to have surgery to reattach a nerve. Those cookies will cheer him right up!
Calf Slobbers – funny story. My grandparents raised cows and, as a young ‘un, I had seen many calves and their slobbers. When I was a kid, I LOVED my grandmother’s chocolate pies with meringue until one of my aunts called it calf slobbers. I wouldn’t touch it for years after that because I thought grandmother had actually gathered up the slobbers from the calves out in their pasture and topped the chocolate pie with it! LOL
I’ve never heard any of those saying. I figured cackle berries were eggs, can’t see to can’t see was sun rise to sun set, but the other two I was totally stumped. The calf slobbers just grossed me out, even when I saw the meaning. I was thinking why in the world would somebody call meringue calf slobbers? Then it hit me, if you don’t want others to eat something you like you name it something gross so they won’t…lol…I don’t know, but maybe that’s why. I was scratching my head on caution because I’ve always been taught caution meant approaching danger, slow down or be careful. When I heard on the video you saying your girls have been “cautions” since the day they were born, I thought she must mean she had to tell them to be careful all the time…lol, well, I like your meaning a lot better in describing your girls. They are both wonders and great people!
I really enjoy vocabulary tests! I’ve always heard, charge it to the dust and let the rain settle it, calf slobbers my Dad said. The only one I had not heard was, can’t see to can’t see! Tipper you and your entire family has been a light to me, you educate and encourage, you brighten dark days, you freely share God’s love for which I’m so thankful that you do. Happy New Year as today is New Years Eve. May God bless you and yours❤❤
Super awesome, all of them (even Calf Slobbers hahahaha!) I’ve only heard of Cackleberries, but I immediately feel a connection to all, since I’ve read about them. My son (the English Editor) used to correct people’s saying, and I remember him telling me one day (during his college days) “he was wrong, there was no right way to say a word, the way a word was continually said, was actually wrong right!” Especially now I love what he learned!
I’ve heard all of these and a little partial to crackerberries, it’s just such wonderful and colorful word!
I really love our use of language!
Hi, haven’t heard any of those. One of our confusing words is “crook”.
A crook is a dishonest person; to go crook is to get annoyed or angry; to feel crook is to feel sick.
Not as much in common usage now as it was when I was younger which is probably just as well.
Never heard ‘calf slobbers’ but it makes sense. Have heard and used all the others.
Tipper; thank you and your family for adding some humorous enlightenment to my morning coffee!
Happy New Year!
I’ve not heard of any of these. They all sound like great Appalachian words and I mean to start using them!
All but cackleberry are new to me.
I’ve heard eggs called hen berries and hen fruit, too! And chicken squat (you have to look closely before you pick it up!)
Dusty brought me a dozen cackleberries the other day that were over $5.00. That’s about 41¢ each. I can remember when 41¢ would almost buy 2 dozen. Forget the goose that laid the golden eggs, now ordinary hens are doing it.
I’m familiar with Calf Slobbers, Caution and Charge it to the rain…
But I’ve never heard of cackle berries which I really like. It’s so descriptive. And Can’t see to Can’t see is also a new one to me.
BTW Tipper, I enjoyed you showing your favorite Christmas gifts. You shared that Matt got you one of those big electric roasters. It brings back such good memories to me. My dad bought my mom a big Westinghouse roaster that sat on it’s own matching stand. Mom would put a huge turkey and a bunch of dressing in it every year the night before Thanksgiving and would cook it on a low temperature all night. It was almost impossible to sleep with the aroma wafting through the house.
And when she and dad would render lard and had plenty she would put lard into her big roaster and make a big batch of her raised glazed donuts. That roaster is gone now but we have one just like it and used it during the holidays to free up the oven for other things.
Love the vocabulary test but I only knew the first two. “Calf slobbers” makes perfect sense so now when I eat a pie with meringue, I will think of that, LOL. Can’t wait to tell my son that one because he loves a chocolate pie piled high with calf slobbers!!! And if I tell the granddaughters that one, no way will they eat it, LOL. Thank you for teaching me something new today from Appalachia! Loved last night’s video also!!
Heard all but No. 5. Calf slobber always made me not want the meringue on pies. I still don’t like it!!
Yikes! I haven’t heard any of those words:) Usually, in my childhood I’ve heard a lot of the old words you’ve mentioned in former tests. I do love to hear chickens cackle though so that word sure makes sense and when I was down south the chickens cackle was sweet music to my ears.
Loved your Christmas vlog and everyone in it! The little elephant is absolutely beautifully carved and I got tears in my eyes seeing the precious quilt of your grandmother, Gazzie, that Corie had restored. I have quilts my Mother made with those tiny little squares that I dearly love and I have an old quilt that was given to me, which belonged to a precious Aunt. It is called a friendship quilt where friends and members of the family make a quilt and embroiderer their names on it. My Grandmother’s name plus many of my Aunt’s cousins and friends had their names on it too. It is 92 years old and tattered but I would be afraid to wash it. Thanks too for all your cooking recipes, some I already knew and make, but I didn’t know about an Arrsh Cake. I’m going to look back through my Grandmother’s old recipes to see if she had one.
Oh my Daddy called the meringue calf slobbers!!! Heard that all my life!
Tipper–I’m usually familiar with all the vocabulary words and phrases through either verbal or written usage, but this is the first time I have encountered #5. It’s a dandy though–highly descriptive.
The only one I’ve heard is cackleberries. The calf slobber one, yuck. Can’t see to can’t see, I will use that one. I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate the time you guys spend on your sites. I know how much thought it takes and can be overwhelming at times. I know all your followers appreciate it. !!!
I never heard of any of them but I love cackleberry and calf slobber!
Tipper, you stumped me on nrs 1-3, but they make perfect sense. BTW, every time I view those photos of Christmas Bread and Chocolate Bon-Bons I do indeed get a case of “calf slobbers!”
This is my worst test score ever! I have only heard #1 a few times and never heard or used any of the others.
Calf slobbers and caint see to caint see about had me cracking up so here I almost laid a cackleberry!!! That was absolutely the funniest stuff I will see all day or maybe longer. The only thing maybe as funny is the day I watched my cat and a squirrel go at it. They ran at each other exactly at the same time, bit each other at exactly the same time, screamed at exactly the same time, and took off in opposite directions at the same time. It’s right up there, Tipper, on the belly laugh chart. I needed that so thanks to you and the fam! Oh yeah, now they say ( on a certain search engine) elephants are expectant for 18-22 months ( so which is it) which I swear is way different than what I read in the past. I suppose I will never know for sure cause I’m not planning on hanging around any… lol so my apologies for my ignorance.
Don’t know why, but none of the instagram photos are coming through. Maybe because I am not on instagram?
I’ll say 4 of 5 though “cackleberry” rarely. My Dad commonly said “charge it to the dust and let the rain settle it.” I’m also used to hearing “a sight” to mean the same as “a caution”.
l have only heard #1. My Dad would say that sometimes. He also said “hen fruit”.
Number 3 could quick kill an appetite!!!!
Most of these added to my vocabulary.
Have heard some of them…How about this one that I heard an old friend who has passed say, “He took and went to Adlanner”
Adlanner JAWJA where there’s good horse pistols if you’re sick? Lol
Never heard 1 nor 3, but they make perfect sense! Love the vocabulary tests!
Working Cain’t see to Cain’t see it easy this time of year. I Cain’t wait for it to go back normal.
I have often used number 5. When growing up my family along with my neighbors were poor and often helped out one another without expecting to be paid. We only asked for them to help us out sometime. When asked how much do I owe you, we would say things like number 5. Even today it is hard for me to charge for helping someone, I like to say I charge so much you couldn’t pay it any way so forget about it or you can pay me with a glass or two of cold water if you don’t think that is too much.
Those are all great! I hadn’t heard #3&5 used before, but as with most all Appalachian phrases, they make good sense.
My grandmother called meringue meringue. It was those goopy whipped toppings and whipped creams she called calf slobber.
I have never heard number 3 or heard number 4 used like that. I have heard and have often used the others. I don’t know about your barn yard buzzards (chickens) but my old bones sure are glad to see it begin to warm up.
Well this is different, I have only heard cautions before. I’ve been called one myself in my younger days. don’t think I could eat something called calf slobbers tho. Now cackle berries kinda make sense, heard the word but no context.
May I say one more time, I think the vocabulary tests are the best!
I can see how “calf slobbers” could refer to whipped cream because that’s what a calf’s mouth looks like around it when it sucks but meringue is made of egg whites. Ain’t it?