It’s time for this month’s Appalachian Vocabulary Test-take it and see how you do!
- Fault
- Flavorable
- Flitter out
- Fly
- Fray
- Fault: to blame. “I don’t fault him for taking matters into his own hands I only wish he’d told me about it first.”
- Flavorable: flavorful. “I believe that was the most flavorable watermelon I ever ate.”
- Flitter out: to diminish; to lose intensity. “I was going strong and making good headway this morning when I first got started, but as the day wore on I flittered out.”
- Fly: to be overcome with great anger. “Now don’t fly mad-just wait a minute and listen to me explain things first.”
- Fray: a fight. “I heard tell there was a big fray at the football game the other night. Seems the ump made a call neither side liked and they all fell to fussing about it.”
I don’t hear flitter out or fray as much as I do the others-but all the words are common here.
I’m most intrigued by the word flavorable-who would have thought it’s Appalachian and apparently not even considered a real word-how did I miss that bit of knowledge?
As always, I hope you’ll leave a comment and let me know how you did on the test.
Tipper
“Flavorable” we usually say as “flavorful”.
“Flitter out”, we usually say as “petered out”, and it usually is referring to someone who got tired or tired of something all of a sudden, like – “My excitement just suddenly petered out.”
The others are pretty much as you defined/described.
God bless.
RB
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Jimmie-thank you for the comment-so glad you enjoyed visiting the Blind Pig!!! I dont know the exact variety I used-since it comes from my Uncles old pear tree. Firm pears work best-so look for a firm variety of pear. And keep dropping back by the Blind Pig when you can!
Tipper
Blind Pig The
Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
A most interesting website to me as I grew up in western Kentucky. I am trying to determine the variety of pears that are used in making pear preserves.
Ken-I snapped those pics the day we were looking for arrowheads in the big field by the Hiwassee River. The girl was looking for special rocks to put in her white bucket : )
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Haven’t heard “Flitter out” or “Fray”, but use and hear the others regular..
Tipper,
In the first picture, is the girl
(with the white cap on backards)
pickin’ berries? I can see one of
’em has already made it to the top
and in the skyline. Then in the
second picture someone is carrying
a big bucket. Guess I’m asking too
many questions…can I quit now?
…Ken
Only fault and fray are familiar to me, but flavorable is about to become part of my vocabulary! Once I said it, it sounded like a word I’ve always known.
Tipper,
I’ve gone and “flittered out” my comment on this post.
Don’t know how it happened…
Sorry, you’re going to miss it,
(tooting my own horn) it was going to be a goodn!
Thanks Tipper
I have heard and used all of them except “flitter out”. 🙂
Tipper,
I guess I’ve heard all these before,
but one of ’em reminds me of what
my mama use to say when she was
frustrated. “Oh, Flitterdick!” I
still don’t know what she meant!
All these Appalachian Vocabulary
words bring back nice memories.
…Ken
These vocabulary tests are more fun than an overturned truckload of mush-melons at a family picnic! ‘Flavorable’ and ‘Flitter out’ are new to me, but please, remember that at one time Appalachian was a second language to me. (Not anymore, though) I have flew mad a few times, and flew in the face of adversity but I’ve never flittered out, I ‘pooker out’ instead. as for ‘Fray’, I use the whole word ‘Affray’, especially when I’m doing one of my W. C. Fields impressions: “Yaassss, I felt it my duty to do my part in the affray, so I carefully tripped up one of the contestants with my walking stick as I passed by and continued on my way…”
being red headed – I can lean toward the tendency to “fly off the handle”
which leads me to another one — crusty old guy infers that I ride a broom regularly
and those two must tie together somehow.
Have heard all of these in various uses all my life.
Love
Yep, I’ve heard and said them all Tipper. Do I get a hundred?? lol.
I remember hearing that something was ‘squashed flatteren a flitter’.
My Meemaw employed the word ‘flitter’ in several connotations. One of my favorites was, “That cake was flat as a flitter!”
I got all of the above except the use of ‘fly’, unless, “fly off the handle.” ‘Flavorable’, I have never heard, but is self-descriptive and makes sense.
“Fault” – – check
“Flavorable” – – that’s a new one for me.
“Flitter out” – – not that way: to ‘flitter about’ is more familiar to me; meaning to move about or work of various projects in a graceful, delicate but ADHD way – sometimes annoying, sometimes cute and endearing.
“Fly” – again I’m familiar with a variation: “fly into a fit” would be used as you have described it.
“Fray” – check.
You always find such interesting topics and the Vocabulary Test is one of them. Wouldn’t it be cool if someone could do a comparison table on common vocabulary and their usage for various sections of the country – deep south, midwest, northeast,southwest, etc.?
I’ve heard fault,flavorable,fray and flew into a rage.
Flitter out – I don’t think I would have guessed its use in a long time. The other four I could make sense of before checking the answers. I have now added a new term to my knowledge. Thanks!
Where I’m from, we use fly and fault just like you did in your examples. Not sure I ever heard the other words. I say tuckered out instead of flitter out.
I have never heard the word flavorable, but its meaning seemed apparent. For a candle dying, I would more likely say it flickered out. Flitter around would be my way to describe a body that couldn’t settle down. Love your vocabulary tests!
Tipper, I know about flying mad, done it and seen it. I know about frays but am pleased to announce that I have never participated in one. LOL!
I do fault him for the whole mess, he ort not to have been there in the first place.
I’ve never flittered out nor have I eaten a flavorable watermelon though, as you know I do love watermelons.
Thanks, Tipper, I like these vocabulary tests. They remind me of old friends and introduce me to new friends.
I’ve heard “fault” used like that but not the others. “Fray” is a shortened version of “affray” meaning a public fight. I’ve seen that in old newspapers.
I have heard and used them all except fray. My parents used to say, “Now, don’t fly off the handle”.
Flitter out and flavorable are new to me, the rest I hear and use quite often
Heard them all except flavorable. I’ve heard some of the old folks talk about becoming weak or fainting as flickering out. That time I slammed my finger in the car door I just about flickered out. Maybe it’s analogous to a candle going out.
Tipper–I reckon I’m going to have to take a remedial class in mountain talk. For the second straight quiz one word is new to me.
I have never heard flavorable, and for me the word flitter is primarily used in another context; namely, flat as a flitter. I don’t know but have always assumed that expression is a play on fritter, which is (at least to me) a flat corn cake.
Jim Casada
I never heard “flitter out” before. I have heard all the others.
Flitter-I am not sure what it is but I do know it is awfully flat.
Fly- That is what you do with all them flish you caught.
Fray- That’s what happens if you don’t keep your britchy legs rolled up.
Fault- A crack in the earth crust where massive plates are being forced together or pulled apart. Sorry God, I didn’t mean to break it. Brother said you said it was alright to play with it. So its his fault, right?
I have never heard flavorable. I grew up with the others, except Grandmother said fritter out. Interesting group this month.
I use or have heard four of the five words. Number two, flavorable, I am not familiar with the word or its use.
Have a wonderful Wednesday from middle TN!
I don’t believe I’ve ever used flitter out. But, those apple dumplings we made last night sure were flavorable!