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. Dark-thirty: when darkness falls. “Anymore he works so late he don’t never get home before dark-thirty.”
2. Dead as four o’clock: dead, unconscious, silent. “Was y’all busy today?” “No it was dead as four o’clock. I reckon everybody stayed home cause of the snow.”
3. Dead-level best: one’s utmost; trying your best. “Trying your dead-level best at everything you do is a trait Pap taught my brothers and me.”
4. Destroyment: an instance of destruction. “That storm that came through last night caused a destroyment up on the ridge. There’s trees down every where you look.”
5. Differ: it doesn’t matter. “They’re a quarreling about where to go eat. I told’em it don’t differ none to me but if they don’t settle on somewhere I’s gonna eat a banana sandwich. I’m hungry.”
All of this month’s words are common in my area. I would guess dead-level best is common across the US, but since it was noted in the Dictionary of Southern Appalachian English I wanted to share it and see how many folks are familiar with it.
Let me know how you did on the test.
Last night’s video: One of My Favorite Cream Pies: Butterscotch!
Subscribe for FREE and get a daily dose of Appalachia in your inbox
My family is from Appalachia, Wise and Norton VA and the surrounding areas. My Aunt Pauline was from the Wise and Norton area and she had the most unique and beautiful Appalachian dialect. It’s not like any other that you would hear, distinctly unique to the Norton area I suppose and I remember seeing a video on utube about this unique accent but I can no longer find it. I can’t duplicate it and I am desperate to find anyone who is familiar with this accent! If anyone on here reads my post and knows what I’m referring to or can provide a link to audio or video examples, please reply to me on here.
I love the words and phrases, but the page is just too busy and over-explained.
Do you use the word pethie? Meaning soft and spongy like an old potato.
Also, when we had a disappointment as children, my granny would say, “Well, we cain’t all ride the train and eat striped candy!”
Anita-we do use it 🙂 Love your granny’s saying!
Mama Roper was a true mountain woman! I use a lot of her sayings in my book
We still say dark thirty. But we also say bean thirty, meaning it’s about time to eat.
Some of these I haven’t heard for years. I spent some of my early life in Kentucky and the rest in Ohio. In Ohio I was forced by my Ohio father to stop talking “Appalachian.“ In college I had a professor who was studying American dialects who told me I’m “bilingual“ because I can speak with a Kentucky accent and a Midwestern Ohio accent! When I’m around people with a Southern or Appalachian accent, I slip back into my Kentucky accent, but otherwise I speak Midwestern.
O my gosh they are all familiar and I didn’t realize some many others use the same one. I am ‘fixin’ to do the Butterscotch pie tomorrow. Thanks again and God Bless
Oh, hadn’t heard of destroyment which would’ve been handy when we had our earthquakes back in 2011. Instead the word of the day became “munted” meaning totally destroyed.
Yep, most of those words are more than common here. The only one I haven’t heard is “destroyment”.
The phrase “dead as 4 o’clock reminds me of a phrase said around here that is similar. When talking about running to town on Saturday, many of the older folks might tell you. “Well, you better get a move on because they “roll up the sidewalks by dinner-time”. This means some businesses would close by noon. Another phrase we say here is “dead as a door nail” to describe anything not moving or busy.
I and others say “it makes no never mind to me where we eat.” We also say “differ”.
Dark-thirty is very common, and we also say nap-thirty. When my boys were little as soon as dinner was over, I herded them to their beds and would tell them it was “nap-thirty” especially if dinner run a little past their usual nap time.
Tipper, your butterscotch pie looks delicious in your video last night. Hubby and I love butterscotch pie. My recipe handed down from my aunt is almost the same as yours except she didn’t use cornstarch and instead used 3 tablespoons of flour. She used 4 eggs instead of 3. She used 4 eggs to make a large meringue on top of the pie. To make the swirls in the meringue, I swirl a round wooden spoon handle through the meringue, pulling it up ever so often to make the peaks. It don’t matter that the meringue is flatter, the butterscotch pie still delicious. Nowadays I see people put whipped topping on the pie because they don’t want to deal with the meringue.. especially if they use a boxed pie filling. Some kids also don’t like meringue. We love it the old fashion way like you made it.
I particular like the word destroyment! It just somehow speaks to me!
I was familiar with all of these except “destroyment”. Never heard that term before. The meaning was rather obvious though within the context you used it. I especially like the term “dark thirty”. I’ve heard it all my life.
All are still common here with the exception of “Destroyment”.
My grandmother’s butterscotch pie was THE very best! She always made it from scratch and saw to it that it was ready every time I came to visit.
I have said or heard a few of these words with dead level being the most common. When measuring or using a level, I often say dead on it. I read yesterday’s comments again last night and my daddy could have wrote Ron’s comment about how to use an axe. He would have added if cutting small limbs laid across a chopping block, cut at an angle, almost 45 degrees, and not straight across. I also fully understand Sadies Belle’s last two sentences, it seems like yesterday I was in school and couldn’t wait to finish, now 50 years later I look back and wonder where the time and life went. There are many things I am no longer able to do and for one that was use to doing pretty much everything for their selves it hurts to have to ask someone else to now do it for you.
Thanks, Tipper, love your vocabulary test. I’ve always used dark thirty and dead level best.
I am familiar with all of them, but “dead as four o’clock” is one I say all the time.
I think this may be the first time I didn’t know most of those words although I knew the meaning. As a child I was either told to be home by supper time or before dark. Differ and dead-level best I have heard. Your video on making a creme pie brought back memories. I thought my Mother was the Queen of Cooking anything! She made the best Chocolate Creme Pie with meringue on top that had those elegant high swirls perfectly browned. Her Coconut Creme Pie was the same way. It took me a long time to get my Chocolate Creme Pie to be firm and not runny. Tipper, your Butterscotch Creme Pie looked delicious!
I enjoyed today’s vocabulary test. I use dead-level best, which I agree with it probably being the most common. I also use differ and have heard dark thirty, so I guess I didn’t do too bad. I also want to try that butterscotch pie. Looked delicious! Also, tell Corie I watched her sweet video about being a new wife and she and Austin are just precious together. I also wish she would write a kid’s book about Olive. That dog is so cute and funny, and I do believe slightly spoiled. I love to hear her talk to Corie and how she sits with her in the car, just too cute!! Looking forward to tonight’s reading. Have a blessed day!!
The only one I wasn’t familiar with was, “Dead as 4:00.” That’s a new one. 🙂
I use “dark thirty” all the time, though. 🙂
I’ve heard and used all but number 4. I knew what it meant as soon as you said “My two girls”.
Never heard of destoyment, but use and am familiar with all the rest of the terms. Sometimes I really get a big kick out of the Pressley clan! Y’all are tremendous fun! Don’t change a single thing! Love from frigid “like a well digger after an hour of work in winter” WV!!
In 1953 when I told my Uncle Rush Mauney at his store to “put my dope in a
poke” he knew to put my RC Cola in a paper bag.
Dark thirty, differ, and dead level are very common around my house
I’ll say 3 1/2. Never heard ‘destroyment’ (though I’ve made a few). The half is for “differ”. I’ve always heard it used as ‘not the same’ especially about people who do not ‘see eye to eye’. The KJV has the verse “Who maketh thee to differ one from another . .?” I am curious about why 4 o’clock is a dead time. There must be a reason.
I remember whenever I would ask my mom the time she would say “Time all dogs are dead, aren’t you glad you are a pup”! Didn’t think anything about it then but now, YIKES!
My mother used to use that one. Good memories. Thanks for adding that one!
Oh my goodness! We are black people, but my mother’s family hails from the hills of North Carolina. Her family always used these very same sayings. When I saw your comment I was reminded of how every single time I asked mom for the time of day, “Time all dogs were dead, ain’t you glad you’re a puppy?” was the funny answer.
Here’s one for you: “Lierrose catches all meddlers.” That was another one of mom’s sayings. It’s Scots-Irish I believe (we do have Irish in our background).
Here’s another one: “A cacklin’ rooster, and a crowin’ hen and a whistlin’ woman come to a bad end.”
How many won’t allow a woman to be the first one greeting the family on New Years Day? My mom believed strongly in that one too, and I found out that it’s from an old Scots-Irish practice called “First Foot.” Only a man was allowed to be the first at the door on New Years Day.
I always heard O’dark refer early in the day…before dawn.
I’ve heard “It’s half past O Dark Thirty,” and we say “Dead as a door nail,” and “Just do your level best.” I haven’t heard the others though. How about “I’m dead dog tired?”
Only dark thirty and dead level best.
Dead as four o’clock was common in Upper East TN as well as Dead as a doornail. There’s at least one book with the title, “Dead as a Doornail.”
These bring back taking me back to hearing my dear father and the words he used. He passed away last February but I still he his voice in many of these expressions. He said dark thirty and dead level best as well as other phrases you have mentioned in other entries. Thanks for the sweet memories.
We have always used the phrase “dark thirty” and also “quarter till dark”.
Love Appalachian phrasing as it isso descriptive. Hope you & yours have a good weekend Tipper. I’m going to try that butterscotch pie really soon.