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. Calf rope: enough; I give up. “Them boys’d get to wrasseling and they’d go at it until one of them hollered calf rope.”
2. Call: to recall especially a name. “There was John Dockery and two other men but I can’t call their names. Anyway, they came down there and before you know it they had that whole porch put back together where it’d fell down in the storm.”
3. Carry: to take or bring. “I’ve got to carry her to Franklin Monday week to get her social security started.”
4. Caution: a great wonder, unusual event; an unusual or amusing person. “That girl is a caution! She’s been like that since she was knee high. They ain’t no telling what she’ll do next.”
5. Clean: all the way; completely. “He pulled the wagon clean to the top of that big hill and then he got in it and came down through there just a flying!”
I still hear all of this month’s words/phrases except for caution in my area of Appalachia. Hope you’ll leave a comment and tell me how you did on the test.
Last night’s video: July was Glorious in Appalachia.
Tipper
Subscribe for FREE and get a daily dose of Appalachia in your inbox
I ask for prayers for our family. My Daddy died at 3 this afternoon the 31st. He’s been on hospice for over a year. No more suffering,or worrying. He finally made it home to rest. Ricky Tuggle from Winder Ga.
Thank you for your prayers everyone.
I’m so sorry! I will keep praying for you and your family. I know you will all miss him terribly.
God Bless you, Kourtni. I will pray for you and your family.
Kourtni, I am so sorry to read this. I know you deeply loved your daddy and will miss him greatly. I am praying for you. So sorry for your loss.
Oh, I forgot to mention my hubby says “haul” instead of “carry”. I really took notice of his choice of words once when he drove me to the doctor. He told someone that he had to “haul” me to a doctor’s appointment. I said to him that I’m not a cow that you put in a trailer or trash you carry to the dump. He apologized for his choice of words, but has many time since said he had to “haul” this or that to wherever he was going.
Tipper we use all those words except ‘caution’ in the ways described. I’ve never heard caution used in that manner. We say things like, “they’re a card”, “they’re a case”, or some might say “they’re a real piece of work” to describe someone that does things odd or different. Calf rope was and still is a common saying here. My daddy taught us to finger fight and when he would get us in a hold we had difficulty getting ourselves out of, he would say, “say calf-rope” or say “uncle” and I’ll let you go. Apparently finger fighting or using finger holds on someone was a favorite game or past time he and his siblings played while growing up. It wasn’t dangerous as in real fighting, but that is what they called it. We would sit beside our opponent and grasp their hand, we would then commence to try to get their fingers in a hold that would make them cry uncle or calf-rope. I loved the game and have even put my brothers on their knees. I have no idea where my daddy learned to finger fight, but to me and my siblings it was great fun and we played it all the time. Have you or other Acorns heard of finger fighting?
I haven’t heard of it 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
I have not been in the house all day today. The weather is so nice. I have never heard caution or calf rope here in NW NC. Wish everyone a good weekend.
I’m a-grinning. Know and have used all of these as far back as I remember. And they bring to mind some of many variations that mean the same thing but with more emphasis. Once again I am also made to wonder how much Appalachian language stems from the 1611 KJV (all the pioneers would have known of most likely). Regarding “clean” the KJV speaks of the priests standing in Jordan until the Israelites were “clean passed over” Joshua 4:1 & 11. I reckon if one ‘llowed as how that was so it would mean we hold on awful hard to old ways of saying and doing. Wouldn’t want Aunt Arie to find us all rank strangers.
Clean, carry, and caution are words I have heard or used.
Calf rope and caution are new ones to me.
Love hearing these; so many remind me of my Mama.
Always enjoy the vocabulary words
Calf rope and caution are new to me.
Thank you, Tipper. Today’s Vocabulary Test brought back memories of my dear mother.
The only two I use are carry and clean.
I have never heard “caution” used in that sense, but I have heard “case,” as in “He’s a case, all right; he’s one for the book.” If something was shocking or startling, my Grandpa Alexander would say, “That was a fright, wasn’t it!” or “Ain’t that a fright?” I never heard anyone else use that expression.
God bless all the people suffering storm damage, God bless Papaw Tony, somebody sent me some really nice green beans yesterday, yum yum, thank you for praying for me, I have not received any test results yet, I will let you know when I do, God bless you very much
“Caution” is also a term used for a safety car period in a car race, i.e., for those few who may not know, when due to a crash it is not safe for the cars to go at normal speed and trying to overtake and pass each other. A yellow flag is waved (though the drivers, depending on the series they race in, will have a yellow light come on on their dashboard or steering wheel). The driver(s) in the crash will be checked to make sure whether they are OK, and the debris on track will be cleaned off. The other drivers bunch up behind the safety car and go at a much-reduced rate of speed till it is safe to resume racing. Why all this explanation? There are some drivers causing cautions, who themselves are cautions. They’re real head-scratchers, though not in a good way.
Calf rope and caution are two phrases I have not heard. Clean is the one I use and hear most often.
Heard all of them but calf rope.
I’ve never heard “Yelling Calf Rope” & “Cautions”. I’ve used only “Clean” in the way it’s used in your blog. Instead of calf rope, we would use “say uncle”. I don’t recall ever hearing anyone in East TN use “carry” in the way it’s used in the blog, but I have cousins in Middle TN that use it like that.
I have never heard to give up by calling calf rope. We always called “uncle” to give up while wrestling or playing a game. We always just say we can’t “recall” or can’t “think of” a name. I have never heard anyone use call, caution, or carry in the ways you described. We always say clean as in “that arrow went clean through the target, and got stuck in the tree”, or “ we ran clean to the other end of the field and back”. It’s always interesting to learn new Appalachian words. I really enjoyed watching your July video last evening, and Katie’s video showing her Russian dolls. It’s always sweet to see Granny’s house.
Good morning Acorns & salutations, Tipper 🙂 I’d heard them all but calf’s rope. Your July round up was just wonderful. That sweet little Ira, standing on the chair, helping you, just melted my heart. He has the sweetest little voice. Back in an earlier video (can’t remember if it was yours or the girls’) when he and Woody were saying goodbye to each other with hugs and a kiss, my heart nearly burst! There’s nothing on earth as sweet as grandkids. Cherish (I can tell you and Matt do) these times because they’ll fly by. My “babies” are 24, 23 and on 8/31, the youngest will turn 20!! Heck, my great granddaughter is 13 months old! Time!!!!
All are familiar to me. We also used “Uncle” to give up and “He’s an odd ball” or “He marches to a different tune” for someone that acted strange.
All are quite common
Hi Tipper and Acorns. I use them all except “Calf Rope”. That is a new one for me. Maybe because I’ve never wrestled or been around it as a kid. Loved the July Round-up. You are all such a blessing in my life.
Tipper–They are all quite familiar, although come to think of it I don’t know that I’ve heard caution used in a dog’s age. It was common among old folks when I was just a sprout.
I’ve never heard of caution & have used re-call instead of call. As youngins growing up we didn’t use calf rope but used “uncle” instead.
I knew carry, clean and caution. I’ve never heard calf rope or “call” for recall.
I’ve never heard of caution & have used re-call instead of call. As youngins growing up we didn’t use calf rope but used “uncle” instead.
I’ve not heard “can’t call her name” or “yelling calf rope!”, but I have heard the rest. Randy, my daughter and son-in-law just moved to Columbia SC. They love the area and wanted my husband and I to go with them but we’re too old to make a change. I like Virginia, especially the weather.
Tricia, I live in Southern Greenville County about 90 miles north of Columbia. Where I live is still rural but changing. Remember Lou Holtz saying when he was the football coach at USC “Columbia is not Hell but is sitting right on top of it!” Columbia gets very hot and humid during the summer. I understand about being too old, I have always wanted to visit Virginia and Shanadora Valley (probably misspelled) during the fall, but now without my wife and because of my age and health, I will never get too.
I have not heard caution or calf rope or call for recall. But I am in the midwest.
My daddy did rodeos for fun (he was a farmer). He loved roping events. He was very skilled with a rope and I have seen him rope a calf many a time. He would like to hear it used that way. The image of a roped calf in my mind makes sense with using the phrase to mean give up. That calf has no choice but to give up and come around.
Praying for all in the storms. We had a big one last night that knocked out power for a short time. I am very thankful there doesn’t seem to be any damage so far.
Familiar with all except the first one! Have a blessed day in your holler!!!
I’ve heard and used all with the exception of “caution”. Not the majority by far, but some folks here use the word “curious” to describe someone who is a little unusual. Another phrase that comes to mind and used to describe a similar person is, “he is cut a little different”. One of side of my family from good Appalachian stock uses the word “quare” to describe a similar person. I use it sometimes. It an old Irish form of the word “queer”. Believe it or not, that word once was used to describe a person or thing that was unusual, odd, or strange. My daddy used that word often to describe such things. He also would use the word as an adjective (i.e. “he is going to keep on and end up “queering” the deal”). I love your “vocabulary tests”. Language is one of the “ties that bind” us Appalachians’ together.
Jeffery, I remember when “quare” was used to describe a person.
Not familiar with caution and calf rope. The other ones I have heard all my life.
I have not heard “caution” used like that. The others are familiar although a lot of times us boys would say “uncle” if giving up when playfully wrestling with one another.