It’s time for this month’s Appalachian Vocabulary Test – take it and see how you do.
- Fall to
- Favor
- Fit
- Flint rock
- Floweredy
- Fall to: to begin or start. “We were all just standing around talking when Larry fell to beating the tar out of ole Sam. A bunch of us pulled him off but I never did figure out what in the world brought that on.”
- Favor: to resemble. “Cutest little boy you ever saw with the curliest hair. He favors his Daddy a whole lot.”
- Fit: suitable; ready to use. “He thought I’d come down there and save his hide again. I’ve told him and told him that truck ain’t fit to ride in much less try to work out of. He needs to get a dependable vehicle to drive if he’s ever going to make any money.
- Flint rock: flint; tough. “Now I’m telling you some of those boys off Junaluska are tough as flint rocks.”
- Floweredy: floral pattern. “He came in down at the store wearing a floweredy shirt and we laughed at him till we cried. Said his sister bought it for him when she went to Hawaii.”
Are you familiar with this month’s words and their uses? I use all of them-and I’m proud to say they are still commonly used here in my area as well!
Tipper
I regularly hear and use all but flowerdy. Makes me wonder what happened to that word up here.
I’ve used all but Flint Rock, and instead of saying Floweredy, I say Flowery (I guess that’s how it’d be spelled).
God bless.
RB
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Ah! More interesting words to add to my Applachain knowledge. Thanks! I could figure out four of them, so I think I am doing better.
I have heard of “fall to” but I don’t hear it used much in my neck of the woods. I hear the others pretty often.
Tipper, I have heard them all and use them all ..I even have heard of fall to.
a flint rock wud be hom to me mammy sed i wussant born she sed she fount me under a flint rock.
Heard them & use them all. We were more likely to say “fell In”–“everybody fell in and we got the garden cleaned out before dark”.
Missed you yesterday!!
Tipper,
In the second picture above, I sure
hope that tiny cute little girl
don’t get hurt when she jumps off
that shovel she’s standin’ on!
…Ken
I know all of them and use some. In regard to fall to it was he fell in to beating the tar out of him. Grandpa would use fit for fight. Such as, those two fell in to beating each other and fit all over the hillside. We also use tough as a pine knot.
My wife and I were discussing terms used and she brought up the term flew all over me. Like, he said something mean about my friend and it just flew all over me and I gave him a piece of my mind! I love the vocab. test!
Have heard and used all of them though I’m more likely to say “commenced to” than “fall to”.
Good discussion of using “fit.
And “knuckle bumps” has a new expression (replacing high fives) these days.
What do y’all think about the homogenization of language supposedly encouraged by folks watching T.V. and influenced by the manner of speech used there? – and news anchors trying to speak in a way that supposedly appeals to a broader audience?
– – just thinkin’ – –
I use them all, though ‘fit’ is also the past tense of ‘fight’ when I fall to exaggerating my knowledge of my second (or is it third?) language. Them Junaluska boys is tougher than whang-leather, too, but I ain’t fer sure what whang-leather is.
We’re a week past returning from Eastern Kentucky and a long visit with the Mountain Woman’s kin. those grand-babies do favor her so….
‘Fell to’ comes out as ‘fell into’ sometimes: “That hillside was covered with sprouts so we all fell inta ’em with grubbin’ hoes and cleared ’em out by dinner-time.
Floweredy – I know what it looks like of course but I’ve always thought it was a mispronunciation of “Florida”, where we useta see Yankee visitors wearin’ ’em. the flowers were huge, so we knew for sure that the shirts weren’t made from feed sacks.
Do you know how to tell a native of Florida from a snowbird? the natives are the ones wearing jackets…
It has been a long time, but this time I knew ALL of the terms.
Tipper,
I’m more like Miss Ledford, instead
of saying “fall to” I’d probably
say “commenced to”. All the others
are familiar to me pretty much.
Where in the world did April and
May go? …Ken
All excepting ‘fall to’ are a part of my everyday language. In place of it I have heard and used commenced fighting or whatever activity. My Mama said ‘fit to be tied’ whenever she felt stressed.
I say them all except flint rock. When I was in my twenties, I heard a man from south Georgia tell a woman from up north that her son favored her. She said, “He does love his mother”. That’ s when I realized how southern the way we use the word was.
I’ve heard and used all of these. I hope all went well for the “Pressley Girls” at Nantahala, would loved to have attended but I’ve been a bit under the weather so I was unable to make it. Keep up the good work.
Heard and used them all except fall to. I would have said “went to” in the place of fall to.
Tipper,
Heard them all, used most, except fall to…I have “failed to”
as well as, “fall to” the bottom, if I get too close to the edge. Them fits that kept me “falling to” aren’t too much of a problem anymore, mostly they keep me stropped in, and I don’t git out much! So, now like a sheep, I just “fall in line” and move along with the rest! “Just kiddin'”….
Thanks Tipper,
Good to see Jim comment! I wondered when he was a’goin’ to escape outta that garden patch!
I betchs’ that poor cottontail got the worst half of the hoe!
I’ve heard of all of them and use them except “fall to.” We usually say “commenced to” as in he commenced to beating the tar out of him đŸ™‚ And I’d never thought about using “favor” like that as being Appalachian!
Thanks for posting!
Dear friend,
I have heard or used all the words. Have a day filled with sunshine from middle TN!
Know them all. Use most of them. Did them boys have a fallin out before they fell to tradin knuckle bumps.
Is that a shevel on a fencepost? There was a big bird sitting there some time or another. Know how I know? He left his shirt.
I know all these words but am more likely to use favor, fit, and floweredy than the other two. I used to sew a lot and was always partial to floweredy material.
I only know of or use the first three. I esp never heard of 4. The last one makes sense as a matter of pronunciation I guess
Tipper–I’m familiar with all of these, although I would add an alternative usage for fit; namely, as another word for fighting. “Those boys off Hammer Branch fit at the drop of a hat.”
A second usage, more closely related to the definition you give, relates to health. I would bet many of your readers have heard or used “fit as a fiddle” to describe someone’s physical well being.
Jim Casada
Flint rock I know used as a fire starter.
Floweredly, never heard that one. Like it though.
All the rest are words I use often.
Have heard of all of them except fall to.