It’s time for this month’s Appalachian Vocabulary Test-take it and see how you do.
- Racket
- Ramsack
- Ramstudious
- Ride
- Rightly
- Racket: a noisy fight, a sudden loud occurrence. “I didn’t get no sleep last night. Oncet them kids came in they set up such a racket in the livingroom I had to get up and throw’em out.”
- Ramsack: to ransack while searching for an item. “Did you hear what happened down at Mrs. Green’s? Shes gone to visit her girl out in Raleigh and while shes gone some good for nothing bunch ramsacked her house.”
- Ramstudious: quarrelsome. “That girl has got so ramstudious you can’t hardly stand her. If she don’t get off her high horse there ain’t no body gonna fool with her.”
- Ride: to tease or aggravate. “We’us all down at the store riding ole James. He ain’t never going to live down shooting that fake deer and getting caught by the law.”
- Rightly: correctly. “I don’t rightly know who’s in charge of this shindig but I’m about to find out!”
I found this month’s words especially interesting. I use and hear racket, ride, and rightly on a daily basis.
I honest to goodness thought ramsack was the correct word-instead of ransack. So that tells you how often I use and hear that one.
I’ve never heard the word ramstudious. I came across it in my Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English. I love the word! I’m going to make a conscious effort to add it too my daily vocabulary-it shouldn’t be too much trouble since I have 2 daughters who can be very ramstudious.
Please leave me a comment and tell me how you did on the test.
Tipper
30 Comments
Janet Smart
December 13, 2011 at 8:00 amI’m with you on this one, I’d never heard of the word, ramstudious.
Judy Mincey
December 11, 2011 at 11:34 pmRamstudious new to me. Use ransack and all the others regularly.
EBet
December 11, 2011 at 2:35 pmI got 1 & 5!!!!!
Becky
December 11, 2011 at 2:00 pmI have heard and use all of those except Ramstudious. My that’s a long word!
kat
December 11, 2011 at 8:05 amNever heard of ramstudious. We say rambunkious which evidently means the same.
Suzi Phillips
December 10, 2011 at 10:47 pmNever heard of ramstudious & I thought it was “ramsack” til I learned to read. Racket & rightly are everyday words round here. And of course, Mitchell will put a saddle on you & ride you into the ground if you give him half a chance!
dolores barton
December 10, 2011 at 10:00 pmI was okay with four of the five. I have to agree with others that I have not heard ramstudious. I have a new word added to my vocab. Thanks!
RB
December 10, 2011 at 8:38 pmI’ve used racket, ride and rightly in those ways; ramsack sounds like it’s just a regional mispronunciation like warsh and ejukashun, but it may be an improper cross between the words ramshackle and ransack, Lord who knows. But I’d dearly love to know how the word ramstudious came about…might be an interesting story.
God bless.
RB
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Bob Aufdemberge
December 10, 2011 at 8:34 pmLike most others, I never heard of ramstudious, and it was always “ransack” instead of ramsack. The others are in pretty common use, even out here on the edge of the Great Plains.
Larry Proffitt
December 10, 2011 at 5:58 pmTipper , The other words are common to us but like you never heard of ramstudious.Larry Proffitt
Mamabug
December 10, 2011 at 5:15 pmI’ve heard all these used except number 3; that one was a new one to me.
barb Johnson
December 10, 2011 at 5:14 pmKnow and use them all but ramstudious….
Tipper
December 10, 2011 at 4:44 pmKenneth-I like thinking of you NC folks way out there-and I’m glad they took part of NC with them when they went way out west!
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Gary Powell
December 10, 2011 at 4:03 pmOne of the phrases that I remember from my Granny’s was “I reckon”. It was used in place of “I think so”. Hadn’t thought about it in a long time. I reckon you stirred up old memories.
Sassy
December 10, 2011 at 3:20 pmUsed them or heard my Mom use them all except ramstudious. I tried to guess and I thought cramming for a test, vigorous study.. LOL.
Ramsack/Ransack it all meant the same to me, I didn’t even notice. My Mom used ramsack. Her fave was ride… Along with telling my Dad to not ride her about something she add “get off my back!”
kenneth o. hoffman
December 10, 2011 at 2:45 pmTipper: like most of the others,ramstudious is new to me. but as i think on it i use all the others. it seems those good folks from n.c. brought all they could carry with them when they came west. blessing on all. k.o.h
Eva M. Wike, Ph.D.
December 10, 2011 at 2:43 pmTipper: I’d be plumb plezzed if youd scuse me for maken two postiss today! I dun forgot what it wuz that I wanted to telya. But here ittis – all the words you can use in tha place of RAMBUNCTIOUS:
ROWDY, UNRULY, RAUCOUS, ROWDYISH, TERMAGANT, TURBULENT, BOISTEROUS, ROWDYDOWDY and TUMULTUOUS
Fance words mount not mean much to alot of folks. But in my case I jest can’t tell ya how imporant words are to me! Noser! Unless you spent your early yeers in the backwoods and was skeerd to say a word cause someone would laf at your way of talken, you jest dont know how it tis! Eber day I study words – like big words – and eber night I furget em!
Eva Nell
Charlotte
December 10, 2011 at 2:39 pmPassed the test with all but one: ramstudious. Love these tests!
Amy
December 10, 2011 at 2:30 pmI’m familiar with all but “ramstudious” but intend to add it to my vocabulary posthaste!
Eva M. Wike, Ph.D.
December 10, 2011 at 2:29 pmWellsir Tipper: As I’s studeng your list of words I’s pert nigh sertin youed had put RAMBUNCTIOUS on thar! As a yungen in a family of eleven yungens I heerd my mama use that big word many times! I alers felt it meant trouble wuz jest around the corner! Shore nuf is wuz most of the time! So alers im a sayen is you mout auta put that RAMBUNCTIOUS on your list next time!
Cheers,
Eva Nell
Ken
December 10, 2011 at 1:02 pmTipper,
I thought it was ‘ramsack’ too, and I’ve never heard of ramstudious, but I guess its a
word. This Spring will make 3 years since a guy broke into my
house and ramsacked the place. Our
Law people wouldn’t ever do anything, so I bribed some dope-
heads and got to the source where
my guns were bought, after six
months of research I did recover
some of my guns. I know who
these folks are but they have
never spent an hour in jail…Ken
John
December 10, 2011 at 12:29 pmRamsack, Rightly and Racket are all used regularly in England too in much the same way as they’re used in Appalachia. Ride I’ve not encountered, and certainly not Ramstudious. “Rantipole” is an old English word for a troublesome child.
Bill Burnett
December 10, 2011 at 12:06 pmI too have heard and used all of these except ramstudious, this word sounds pert near like an aigger and hisser (a law enforcement colloquiasm from aidder and abettor, meaning a person who enables another to get in trouble). Another good word that would fit right in with these is ramshackle meaning pert near about to fall in. Thanks for helping keep our beautiful colloquial language alive.
Sandra
December 10, 2011 at 12:05 pmi recognized them from the past, but it has been many years since I heard them used.
Alica
December 10, 2011 at 11:54 amI actually heard of some of these…Racket, Ride, and Ransack (with an n) weren’t unusual. Never heard of Ramstudious though!
Miss Cindy
December 10, 2011 at 11:44 amNever heard of ramstudious but now that you mention it I can hear it being used at your house this very minute. LOL
Not sure that I’ve ever heard ramsack for ransack. Those two sound so much alike that I’m not sure I would notice the difference.
Now racket I know well and use regularly. I’m one of those people who live a very quiet life without a lot of racket.
Ride and rightly I’ve heard all my life.
It really is funny how many words I thought were perfectly good English that are turning out to be on your lists!
Sheryl Paul
December 10, 2011 at 11:43 amGood ones this month. Caught me on ramstudious too, use the rest quite often.
Mike McLain
December 10, 2011 at 11:34 amNever heard ramstudious. Knew about the others, though.
B. Ruth
December 10, 2011 at 11:33 amTipper,
I don’t rightly remember ramstudious….sounds like a good one to use…It could have many applications around here…LOL
However, I use the rest quite often…I always thought ramsack was ransack with a n instead of a m..but maybe I weren’t hear’n so well!…That’ns a new wrinkle on my horn…lOl
Wish I could be at the Gingerbread Craft Show..sounds like so much fun…Are you selling some of your crafty things?
Thanks Tipper, great postes as always…
Smallgood
December 10, 2011 at 10:57 amI say racket, ride, and rightly. A common phrase for me in the office is, “I don’t rightly know.” Never heard of ramstudious.