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. Lap: tree tops and limbs left on ground after cutting. “I had’em cut down that big pine at the back of the house and the laps are a laying everywhere. I’ve got a lot of work to do.”
2. Lastest: last. “She said that was the lastest time she’s ever going to try to do that by her ownself. It’s just too hard for one person to manage.”
3. Lavish: an abundance. “There was a lavish of food at church for homecoming dinner.”
4. Lay by: to leave a crop to mature for the season after hoeing it for the final time. “Folks always look forward to lay by time. After that there’s time for going fishing and swimming.”
5. Least: smallest. “The least boy on the team is the best player by far.”
All of this month’s words are fairly common in my area of Appalachia except for lavish. I never hear anyone say that one.
Hope you’ll leave a comment and let me know how you did on the test.
Last night’s video: The Thread That Runs So True 8.
Tipper
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I am personally familiar with the use of least. I would hear my aunt tell people that I was the least in my kindergarten class. Born and raised in Cali, I thought it meant I was worthless. School was my first encounter with people who didn’t talk like us.
Y’all are precious! I was born 100 miles South of here, grew up all over the country and world (Dad was an airplane mechanic in the Air Force) INCLUDING New Jersey. I guess I mostly talk like a Kansan Filipino. And when we first landed here I know I heard a hundred times,”Yain’t from ’round here; er ya?” Well, we are now, have assimilated into this fabulous AMERICAN culture we are very thankful to live among. Folks are just folks. But WE still talk funny. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha Happy Independence Day!
We LOP off branches, so I have never heard the term laps, only the seat made by one sitting down or areas around something. The others I am familiar with.
I remember making pine laps many years ago when cutting pulpwood the old time way-5ft length cut with a bow blade chainsaw. One of Gene Smith’s relatives helped us load it by hand on the old pulpwood truck. You didn’t need to go to the gym after loading 3-4 cords by hand on the truck. The tree would be cut down and then cut into 5 ft lengths unto you reached the top and the limbs. The top and the limbs were left, might get another stick but we didn’t think it was worth the time to trim off the limbs. I heard them called pine laps but more often pine tops.
I’ve heard all of them in my family except lavish. We’d say “abundance” or “bucketsfull”. We’d say “lastest” as in that’s the final time on it and absolutely no more.
I’ve heard all of the words today! I still believe that somehow, someone in my ancestors lived in Appalachia! Our way of thinking, speaking, all match so many times. I believe that’s why I’m drawn to your channel and the twins channel; of course, I’m drawn to the girls because I am a twin. Praying for Cory and the baby, your mom and all the family. God bless you and yours! ❤❤
I’ll say I know 3 of 5. Do not recall ever hearing ‘lastest’ or ‘lavish’. Dad was a logger for a time and I helped in the log woods so “laps” was a common word there. ‘Lay by’ for the last plowing or hoeing out everybody understood then, not so sure about now. And “least” was practically the nickname of the youngest child in a family. Regarding L words, do folks in your neck of the woods say “lug” to mean “carry”? I was trying last night to lug around a trash bag which – unbeknownst to me – had the rinds of several watermelons in it. I don’t recommend it.
As a kid/teenager, I followed loggers and cut 5 foot pulpwood sticks from the pine laps. I had an axe, bow saw and a horse and sled. The last time I sold any I got $17.40 per cord. After paying $3 per cord ‘stumpage fee’ and $5 per cord hauling fee I had $28.20 left for two weeks work after school and on Saturdays. Big money then but lots of folks wouldn’t work one hour for that amount now. Most folks now want to sit in the shade but they want someone else to dig the hole and plant the tree for them.
Only lay by and least.
I’ve heard all of those words except pine lap. Been around pine trees all my life and would have said pine limb but I didn’t know they were supposed to be good to ward off bugs. I am pretty good at making Christmas flower arrangements and I have used them sometimes for that reason and they do smell good:)
I have heard all of those at some point or another, however I think I only really use lay by, least, and occasionally lavish myself. Oddly, one of the kids uses lastest from time to time, I’m not sure if it’s a word she’s just adopted from our language naturally or just a word she’s personally decide butcher on her own accord. Haha! This is the same kid who will fight you over ‘eatable’ being proper in her mind over ‘edible’.
Just knew least and lay by this time.
Heard and use them except I put the est on least.
I have heard most of the words at one time or another but not so much after I left my hometown. Least is the most common and one I still say often. I never thought using it in a sentence like your example was anything but the right way.
I do prefer leastest over the more mundane least! “It was the leastest little lemon you ever seen!”
All but lavish too here. I do use the word lavish to describe something beyond the means of ordinary people. Like the lives of the rich and famous. Lavish lifestyles.
To me the lap is only the very top of the tree. The growing end of the main stem. Logs, limbs and laps. I learnt that from my Daddy who was a logger, forester and a tree farmer.
Forked trees do have more than one lap though.
Since writing my first comment, I have looked and the song I mentioned is on you tube, another one of their songs I really like is an old one “What A Day That We Be.” They have different recordings of both of these songs. I like their recording of What A Day that shows them in a shop/garage singing without music.
This goes back to yesterday, I read the old post about Dry Dog Days and also Tricia’s comment about deer and dry weather. We have had hot 90 degree days and no rain since the beginning of June. It has been this way ever summer for last several years. In a ten mile trip yesterday I saw 5 dead deer on the side of the highway. 5 deer equal 5 tore up cars. I also saw two trees fighting over a male dog.
I’ve piled up many a pine lap for burning after SC ice storms did their thing. Lots of work made easier by having good neighbors come and help. Never used or heard lavish in the sense of your example, but we used lastest (and firstest) humorously.
Always enjoy the vocabulary shorts. I watch for them.
I’ve heard of them all. Except I’ve not heard lavish used in quite that way before.
I have heard some of these words/phrases. I have never heard of pine lap used for tree branches. The most commonly used here are lavish and least, but I don’t hear either of these used in the way you described very often. I always enjoy your posts and learning something new. I am sitting on my front porch this morning reading the Blind Pig, drinking coffee, listening to the birds, and enjoying the cool breeze. I just had to go out in the yard and chase a squirrel out of my apple tree. I wish you could see the sky here in WV this morning. It’s about the most beautiful I’ve seen all summer.
In the Bible, Isaiah 46:6 (KJV) lavish
I’ve heard “least” and “lay by,” but the others are new. I really enjoyed “a lavish of…” and intend to use it next time I see my grandchildren!
I have heard them all. Least I read in a book by Vicki Lane which resulted in my reading them all. she was introduced to me by Blind Pig so many, many years ago.
Well you have done it again, I have used and have heard all of those gems of our language. We are all hoping to see Chitter and Chatter’s youngins’. Praying for Granny and God’s Blessing on your growing family.
I have heard all of these words and say some of them. I also heard the older farmers talk about “lay by time” many times. I remember when families would wait until the crops were laid by to have “get to gathers.” It was a time to slow down a little and catch your breath before starting the harvesting season.
There’s a gospel song I liked to listened to sung by a group name The Gospel Plowboys. The title is “When The Crops Are Laid By.” The band’s leader died and I am not sure if the band is still together but you might be able to find it on you tube. I never listen to this song without thinking of my father in law and how appropriate it is to describe his life as both a Christian and a man that loved to farm even though he didn’t make his living by farming.