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. They: exclamation of exasperation, surprise, or consternation. “She said “They law I can’t believe how you’ve grown!” I said “Well it has been 10 years since you saw me.”
2. Thickety: full of overgrown vegetation. “When I was a kid there was a thickety place down below the school house. Every year we would get to playing in it—making hideouts and paths. It was lots of fun but always ended up with the teachers banning us from the area.”
3. Thousand-legged bug: a millipede or centipede. “Pap used to tease Granny about the time a thousand-legged bug got on her during the night. It about scared her to death!”
4. Throw off on: to belittle, ridicule, or speak disparagingly of someone. “They were throwing off on her for not going. I told her not to worry a bit about them. She was sick and it’s silly they think she shoulda been there when she couldn’t even hold her head up.”
5. These’ns: These ones. “Now these’ns are real pretty when they bloom. I’ll give you a piece or two. They’re right easy to grow.”
All of this month’s words and phrases are common in my area of Appalachia except these’ns. I don’t hear it often, but I do have an aunt that says it.
Hope you’ll leave me a comment and tell me how you did on the test.
Tipper
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They law! Them girls ‘uz only about 4- or 5-year-old when you took up yore site, “The Blind Pig” and such. They played in a little branch down over the hill there.
Any way, that expression is common over here around Maryville.
I often say ‘eh law’ and often wondered what I was actually saying and where it came from. Now I know. I pronounce it like ‘aaaaa law.’ Drawing out the first part just a bit.
I have to admit, I always thought people were saying “Day Law”, Daaaaay”, or “Eh Law”. Also “Lawsy, Lawsy”.
I’ve heard all of these. My great grandmother used to say, “They, law!” I haven’t heard “throw off on” or “these’ns” in a while, but grew up hearing them used frequently. I didn’t know that a thousand legs was actually called a millipede until I was a preteen or teenager. I love these quizzes. I’m continuing prayers for Granny (and all y’all, too). Much love from SC, Jane ♥️
I just turned 80 so I’ve heard them all except thickety. They law and thrown off on is still used here in East Tennessee.
Everyone enjoy this beautiful weather..get outside and do something! Prayers for all.
Throwed off is a very common phrase in my family, and so is throwed up. She’s throwed up that time she had to take me to the store, till I’m sick of hearing it. The vocabulary test gets inside my head and makes me spend the rest of the day thinking about the way I remember my parents saying those exact words and similar ones that we are losing to a new generation of jargon and slang words I haven’t figured out yet.
I’ve never heard “they” used like that. These were some good ones. Have a great day!
We always say ‘thicket’ instead of ‘thickety’ although it is basically the same. We used to play in the thickets and the woods during recess at our elementary school and make forts.
I have heard and said ‘thousand-legged bug’ or just ‘thousand-legger’ many times over the years. That’s what I still call centipedes and millipedes.
I have also heard ‘These’ns’, but it is not something I hear a lot. I have never heard of ‘they’ used in the way you described or ‘throw on off’. Very interesting test this morning. Have a wonderful day all!
One I love is “Shaa”. My grandmother used it all the time. For example if I said to her “I saw Clyde at the store and he told me Effy died last week.” Her reply would have been “Shaa, I hadn’t heard that either.”
I think the word you mean is, “pshaw” but it’s pronounced the way you wrote it.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pshaw
I have heard and used all the words just as described. This’n sometimes takes the place of these’ns. My uncle used to say which when he wanted someone to repeat something.
I’ve heard all of those except for thickety. When somebody says that word over here in Haywood county they’re talking about one of the back roads between Clyde and Canton. I’m sure Matt knows it. I grew up on Chambers mountain so we took that route sometimes but more often we’d use Old Clyde rd to get to Canton. Now that I live in Waynesville and don’t need to go that way very often I get pretty nostalgic traveling those roads that I saw on a daily basis growing up. Hope y’all have a good day today, it’s rainy and dreary over this way this morning
I’ve not heared They used like that, but I have heared Thickety and Don’t throw off on me and these’ens before. I like mayonnaise on most things but I’ve never heared anyone say they like it in their cereal. I’ll pass on trying that…lol 😀
My friend still uses “they” and “law” a lot. He is 92. I am 82 and remember when those expressions were common every day.
My mom would sometimes phrase it, “They, law me!” and sometimes, “Well, I never!” or “Have you ever?”, leaving the conclusion to the listener(s). As for “thicket” and “thickety”, think noun and an adjective.
I love the ‘colorful’ phrases of old, and it is a sad day to see so many getting thrown by the wayside as each generation comes along. It is a good thing you are doing Tipper – keeping such treasures in the use. May those darling little boys learn them all and keep them going.
I flunked big-time.
I have heard the first one, and we still say it. Love reading these words.
My Granny would often say,”They Lord”.
Have heard all of them by older relatives who have gone on. Especially “They “ used with “law” by my grandmothers’ sisters. Precious memories ❤️
We either said”scat cat”” or “ Bless you “ when somebody sneezed.
None of them.
Hmmm 4 of 5. Don’t recall “these’ns”. Familiarity varies among the 4 though. Been awhile since I heard “they”. A close cousin is LILB (well, I’ll be!). ” Thickety” instantly conjours up sprouts about 5 years old or mountain laurel tangles. I have not heard “thousand-legged bug” since I was a kid. We used that name for both the yellow and black “centipede” as well as the bronze and reddish millipede. And I had not heard “throw off on” in a great long while either. Do not recall ever having heard “these’ns” so think I would remember if I had. (Though I increasingly resemble Sonny Reighard’s story about the memory course.) Your vocabulary tests add fuel to the fire of my wanting to move to where I would hear those voices as a common thing. We are sort of in a transitional location here in climate, language, folkways and so forth. Childhood grows increasingly a longed-for destination I reckon. It was a much more comfortable time to live in, though we did not know it then. Our children do not know how relaxed it was compared to now.
I’ve heard of “these’ns” and “don’t throw off on” but not the other words.
I failed this week’s test. only term families to my neck of the woods here in East Tennessee was ” Throw off on”.
I haven’t heard those words used.
Mayonnaise on cereal! That’s a new one!
Y’all have a blessed day❤️
I hear and/or say all these except they. So if we wanted to express shock or surprise we would say “el law”; not “they law”. My mama says that all the time. We will be sitting around talking and and all of a sudden out of nowhere my mama will say “el law I had a banana pudding in the fridge and forgot to get it out for lunch. Why I’m crazy as a bat”.
I meant to put a d on the word where. Like where’d did she go.
Those ones are good. Do you ever use recond? Like I recons I can go. Or where she? Like just where she go? I just love our language. Strange to some people, normal to us. Hope Granny has a great day. God bless.