It’s time for this month’s Appalachian Vocabulary Test. Take it and see how you do!
- Run: for a hunting dog to pursue an animal. “I hear our beagle Wilma just a getting it. She’s the runniest rabbit dog I ever seen.”
- Ruinate: to destroy. “Well we have one less lawn mower because after he got finished it’s completely runiated.”
- Riprap: loose rocks placed to prevent erosion. “I wish I had some of that riprap the state uses along culverts. I’d line the ditch of my driveway with it and see if kept it from washing so bad.”
- Rench: rinse. “Rench out this bucket and take it to your Daddy.
- Right smart: considerable amount of something. “I’m glad it rained a right smart last night. It’ll be good for the seeds we planted.”
I’m familiar with all this month’s words and hear them on a regular basis in my part of Appalachia.
How did you do on the test?
Tipper
Ed- I haven’t noticed any because I don’t know where one’s at LOL : )
Tipper
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
remember the movie..oh brother where art thou….the man said his wife had done “runn oft”….haint
he..ard that un yet..
4 out of 5 for me – not familiar with rench.
Other meanings of run:
1.Produce moonshine, as in “Run off a batch of
‘jack.”
2.Cost of something, as in “How much for the little
pot-bellied stove, Clancy? Stove’ll run you forty
dollar, Miz Pressley.”
Another version of ruinate is ruin’t, which many years ago could also mean injured, as in “he fell over that rock clift and got hisself bodaciously ruin’t.”
My grandma would say ” rench out that washrag.”
Heard ’em all but riprap, but from the definition that goes with it, sounds like it might be the similar to riffraff which I have heard, that has a variety of meanings, from a group of desirable people, to rubble and trash, to small odd bits of things, etc.
God bless.
RB
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I am familiar with rench and right smart.
Pam
scrap-n-sewgranny.blogspot.com
I know rench and right smart, but not the others.
Lonnie-LOL spell check doesn’t work on some of those words : ) I fixed it! Hope you have a great evening.
Tipper
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
Miss Cindy-LOL maybe its because your son uses the word so often : )
Blind Pig The Acorn
Celebrating and Preserving the
Culture of Appalachia
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com
I have heard all but ” riprap”.., learned a new word 🙂 love this page…
I’m with you on this. riprap is the only one I haven’t heard of.
I thought #2 said runinate. Does #1 say that Wilma is the “runniest” rabbit dog I ever seen? I guess I need to get my eyes checked. I wear glasses. I got them 16 years ago. They are the only pair I have ever owned. I have to get my drivers license renewed this year and now I am worried I might not pass.
I went today to visit a friend I know from long ago. He wasn’t at his shop where he worked for so long. His daughter was there and told me he was home. She said he had a brain tumor and couldn’t work any more. When I asked how he was doing, she said he had had surgery and was undergoing therapy. I didn’t ask to visit him at home because I didn’t know if he would remember me and didn’t want to cause any more pain than what he has already suffered.
Hi Tipper,you done burnt the gravy,you runt it.God Bless.
The more, er, “backcountry” folks up around here might say “wranch” for “wrench”—of course, us uptown hillbillies always said wrench…!
What about “atter” for “after”?
Well, see y’ns atter while–I gotta go & wrench out the drankers in the chicken house…
Ruminate & riprap got me this go-round!
Tipper,
I’ve never used #2 or heard of it
like that. I just say it’s “rurnt” when something is destroyed. But I’m thankful we have you to help keep the Appalachian sayings alive.
I love the playlist. There’s no
place like the Blind Pig and the Acorn to find Family Country Gospel Bluegrass to enjoy…Ken
The wild cucumber trees are blooming around here. I’m not much of a flower person but they always catch my eye in the spring. Have you noticed any yet?
I didn’t know “runinate” at all.
I thought “riprap” is the stuff you have to clear out after a blast before you can get to the coal. If it ain’t then what do you call that stuff? Maybe it is just stuff.
I was thinking of “run” in terms of paint, pantyhose and the illegal manufacture of alcoholic beverages. I totally forgot about running the hounds.
If you have a double zink, you can warsh in one and “rench” in the udden.
Looks like I missed a “right smart” of ’em huh? Looks like I’ll be getting held back again.
We used to kid my dad about ‘renching’ his hands. This post brought back fond memories of him. Thank you!
Also, love the gravestone photo!
Okay! I really had a secure meaning of three of the listed words – rench, riprap, and ruinate. The other two were lost on me, but then I am able to learn some new words. Thanks for the lesson!
Tipper: Maybe I am getting smarter – as I know all your words today EXCEPT RIPRAP! Of course as a youngen, our means of increasing our vocabulary was through the mobile library which came through the Matheson Cove during the summer time. But even so I still have lots to learn!
THANKS! Eva Nell
I love the old tombstone. Last week my lifelong friend & I rented a cabin at a state park in West Tn. We spent a lot of time graveyard walking. Found her husband’s surname on one stone–he’s the only family we’ve known with that name & none ever in that area so she’s got a good clue to follow. I know people think we’re weird but there is a wonderful peaceful feeling in most graveyards.
I am familiar with all but ruinate, we always called it trash or trashing something, an example would be “Don’t let Bill try fix the lawn mower, he’ll trash it till it’ll never run again.
Heard all but ruinate. Gonna use it next time my son ruinates something!!
Rench made me think of when my mother broke her arm and was in the hospital. Young whippersnapper of a doctor came in & was looking at the wounds. She said, “Is it dreening?” He said, “What?” He had no respect–I asked him where he was from & he told me it was somewhere where they spoke English. He really was a sweetie but ignorant–isn’t this speech closer to real English??
A+!!! Tho I don’t hear ruinated too much, all the others get daily use around here-
Not so well for me. Had not heard most of these used as defined in so long my memory failed me. Only got ‘right smart’ and ‘riprap’.
By the way, in Onieda, TN there is a car wash with big capital letters “CAR WASH” where someone has added a smaller “R” between the ‘A’ and the ‘S’ so as to get it right.
I had a history teacher in high school, a retired Army major originally from Jellico, TN, who had no Appalachian accent. He explained that he had realized it held him back in the army and he trained himself to lose it. While I honored his effort, I always felt sad for the necessity.
I think I vary, depending on the situation. But I’m not aware enough to be sure. I wish I were because I don’t like to be changable for the wrong reasons.
My husband & I did really bad with this test. Usually we know some of them, but missed every one today
Runiate and Riprap are the only word I do not use.
The others I still use today.
“Riprap” is the only one of these terms I knew. It may have originated in the Appalachians, but it’s in general use by civil engineers across the country.
Tipper,
#3 ….not often if at all.
#2,,,We usually hear “roorined”, “rurined”, or “rurent it”, instead of “runinate”! I’m not sure I spelled it so one could understand how “rurined’t” is pronounced…LOL
Thanks Tipper,
PS…We’ve had a right smart of sun this week…just wonderful Spring days!
Tipper–Four of these are quite familiar to me, but that is not the case with ruinate. I reckon I’ll have to ruminate on why I don’t know ruinate.
In the case of run, another usage which is at least equally familiar to me involves cooking or preparation of food-related items. For example, “We’ll make us a big run of molasses come fall” or “It’s time to make a run of strawberry preserves.” I’ve also heard run used in connection with illicit production of alcohol. “I do believe that’s the best run of tanglefoot I’ve ever made.”
Jim Casada
Tip, I’m 100% on this test. I have heard all these words. Among these words I like ruinate best. I’m not sure why it appeals to me. I guess because it is so descriptive.
I noticed you have three spellings for #2.