Ill adjective Of a person or an animal: Angry, vicious, harsh (esp in phr ill as a hornet); also used in compounds, as in ill-tempered.
1886 Smith Southern Dialect 350 And there are still others which have not, so far as I know, the authority of Old English: … ill (cross, vicious, “some rattle-snakes are iller’n others”). 1895 Edson and Fairchild Tenn Mts. 372 The cow is ill when she is pestered. 1917 Kephart Word-list 413 = ill-natured, vicious. “That feller’s ill as hell.” 1939 Hall Coll. Gatlinburg TN He was a awful ill teacher. (E. W. Dodgen) ibid. Tow String Creek NC we understand your ill way of talking. (Grady Mathis) ibid. White Oak NC “He’s as ill as a hornet” [said of a person who’s been on a drunk or had a bad night of an kind].
Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English
I’ve heard the word ill used to describe someone who is hateful, grouchy, or in a bad mood all my life. It is still commonly used in that manner in my part of Appalachia.
Matt has accused me of being ill when I get up in the morning ever since we were married. It’s true I am ill of a morning. I’m one of those people who need a while to wake up and get started with my day before I start talking. Matt and Katie jump right into a new day with both feet. I sort of have to wade in 🙂
The saying ill as a hornet is also common in my area of Appalachia.
I’ve written about being ill in the past, but was reminded of the usage a few days ago when I read Aunt Arie tell about how her poppy never said an ill word to her mommy even though the same couldn’t be said for her mommy.
Tipper
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Help me, Tipper. There was a word my Granny Hester used to describe a grown man or woman who would throw childish temper tantrums. I can’t recall what it was. Do you happen to know what it was?
Iv heard the term Having a Spell and having a conniption fit. Not sure if that’s spelled right or not.
Oh and a hissy fit. Iv Heard that a lot. That may be the adult version of tantrum.
Thank you, Carolyn and Tipper. I think they come close. Granny Hester would use the word hissy but I’m thinking it was a part of a bigger word that made the person sound like they were immature. She might have called it a toddler-hissy-fit. At my age, I have to let it sit awhile in my brain before the right answer works to the top.
JC, the ones that Carolyn shared come to my mind too. Was it any of them?
Yes, used that term the other day at my husband!
Just now reading today. I have heard “ill” used this way my entire life and still use it this way here in NWNC.” Ill as a hornet” is common speech. “What are you so ill about” is also a common question when one is found to be in an ugly mood.
I am going to let you married men in on a secret I learned early on in my marriage. To keep your wife happy and from being ill, give her a reason to fuss at you each day. She will be happy and feel like she is doing her duty! I was real good at doing this. Fussing at you each day goes along with her watching you work and do something and then telling you “you should have done it this way.” I am going to be in TROUBLE with the lady members!
Hi Tipper and Acorns. I had an early appointment with a Bone scan at the hospital this morning. Praise GOD it is just a routine test I have every year because of low bone density and taking steroids for another disease I have. I’ll find out tomorrow how it went. My scans look like I had a spinal fusion. I used to work at the Texas Back Institute and saw plenty of scans and x-rays of fused spines. I assisted in one back surgery. The surgeon cut the patient from the base of his skull to the tip of his tail bone. He asked me what I thought of that. I replied to him in a matter-of-fact way and asking him if he wanted the tenderloin or the chops. I told him where I’m from we split hundreds of hogs every year in much the same way. He was the one that ended up shocked. Sorry about the rabbit trail. On being ill, Ed and I both wake up pretty chipper. Ed does when he wakes on his own time but if he has to set the clock of be roused, he can be pretty ill all day long. Even when he was a baby, I’d never know when he was awake in his bed. He would sit there and play quietly till I went to check on him. Then he would see me and smile so big and say “Hi.” My daughter, Ann, is like you Tipper. She needs a broad berth till she wakes up fully. I keep everyone here and up Wilson Holler in my prayers. I love y’all.
I get up most days like Matt and Katie, ready for the day and usually pretty talkative. My daughter on the other hand is the worst case of I’ll as a hornet. She’s awful and down right mean. After a while she’s sweet as honey. Thank goodness no one sees her until she’s awake good.
I hear ill-tempered and ill-mannered. We don’t use the word, ill, by itself to describe someone’s mood or demeanor. I have heard, “Don’t speak ill of the dead.” I am definitely a morning person. If I get moody, it would be in the evening if I am too tired maybe. I try not to be like that. Mornings are my happy time! I always drove my kids crazy talking too much when they were getting ready for school. I also like alone time very early in the morning, so I can go both ways a little. I enjoy talking to God first thing.
I enjoyed your live last night. I am so sorry that Matt’s daddy still isn’t doing well. I am praying for Papaw Tony daily and that he will turn a big corner and regain his health.
In defense of rattlesnakes:
“Rattlesnakes are generally shy, sedentary, and non-aggressive, preferring to avoid humans and conserve energy, only biting as a last resort. They possess individual, consistent personalities—some are bold and active, others shy and timid—and display complex social behaviors, including forming social groups and even calming down companions.
Key insights into rattlesnake behavior and “personality” include:
1. Defensive, Not Aggressive: They prefer to hide or blend in when threatened, using their rattle to warn of their presence rather than attacking.
2. Individual Temperament: Research shows individual rattlesnakes exhibit consistent, unique behaviors in different scenarios. Some are bolder, moving faster and exploring, while others are shyer.
3. Social Life: Contrary to being solitary, many rattlesnakes are social animals that form groups, interact with specific individuals, and even form “friendships”.
4. Unique Social Habits: Females sometimes spend time with other, specifically pregnant, females. They may also use head-twitching movements to communicate with one another.
5. “Calming” Friends: Studies suggest rattlesnakes can help calm their friends, indicating a level of social interaction previously unknown.
6. Motherhood: Mothers are protective, staying with their young for about a week after birth to protect them, which is uncommon in many snake species.
Environment Interaction: Their behavior can be influenced by their environment and whether they are in a high-traffic area, which can lead to differences in how they behave when approached. ”
The Orianne Society
The Orianne Society
+9
While their reputation often paints them as vicious, they are largely misunderstood and seek only to be left alone, only attacking if they feel threatened or startled.
My wife was cranky all day yesterday. I had turned the thermostat from heat to cool a week or so ago and the temp in the house was in the low sixties. She wants it to be 80 or above. I finally turned it back for her last night which means I’ll have to switch it again in a couple of days. Her mother could get mad about something and stay mad for a week or more. She moved in with us and within a week I told her we didn’t allow that attitude in the house. I then opened the back door and pointed to a chair on the porch and told her she could sit there while she adjusted her attitude. Then said. “If you can’t then that’s your roost.” She went to her room and stayed until she heard I was going fishing. She came out wanting to go along.
In my area of N.C. ill as a hornet along with ill-natured is quite common.
Praying for Papaw Tony.
I’m a night owl who wakes up slow and needs some quiet in the morning. My husband is an early bird who comes out just bursting to tell me all the ideas he’s had since he woke up. I guess opposites do attract!
Beyond the familiar usages we all have heard and use, I’m thinking of “ill-advised,” “ill will,” ill-tempered,” “ill-natured,” “ill-gotten gain,” and, of course, “It’s an ill wind that blows nobody good.” I’m with Tipper on wading into my day: Please. No banjo music before breakfast.
I have heard “ill as a hornet” all of my life, too. I like to take my time getting adjusted to morning also.
I get up at about 4:00 AM every morning because my “ill cat” ( A tabby) has made the decision that I need not sleep any more. I also sleep with an all white “ill cat” who takes up most of the bed and some nights I have to hang on for dear life. Last night I had my 20 pound white “ill cat” on by my feet and my 22 pound orange “ill cat” by my head. They tell me its their bed and not mine and only allow me to sleep in it if I behave.
Diane wakes up every more “ill” until she has her first cup of coffee. My first chore when I wake up is to make a fresh pot of coffee so when she sits down on her chair it is there for her to stop her “illness.” After that she is so unill and sweet that honey bees gather around her.
God bless you. Continue to pray for Tony and also for a lady at my church who has to make a major decision concerning her health. Ron
A few days ago, this was me! I woke up ill! My husband said I looked like a thundercloud. I am usually a cheerful person of a morning, but I wasn’t that day! I like the word ill used this way. I didn’t hear it growing up, but we said hateful.
I hope everybody has a great day and all ill moods burn off like morning fog.
❤️ Meg
You never want to have the ill grace to rile Miss Tipper early in the morning, because when Mama isn’t happy, ain’t no one else gonna be happy either… 😉
Yes, ill as a hornet is a very common saying in these parts too.
Ill and contrary is how mom would describe one of the youngins that didn’t feel good. Another way we use ill is when a person has no couth, we call them ill-mannered. One of my daughters is like me; we like to sleep late and are nonverbal for an hour after getting out of bed. My youngest daughter is like her daddy; both were ill as a hornet, but they were up and at it and out the door in record time.
I can be a little ill until I get my coffee in my hand first thing in the morning.
I’m like Matt and Katie.. ready to go as soon as I get up and praising the Lord for a good night’s sleep and being able to get up and move. My dear husband was like that too and our boys always were in a good mood when they got up. I do remember my Grandparents using the words “he was as ill as a hornet” and I still use “mad as a wet hen” although LOL I’ve never seen a wet hen that was mad:)
Don
I don’t ever get ill, I get even!
I’ve always heard and used the word Hateful growing up and still do today. I think everyone gets a little hateful once in a while during their life, but never stay in that state of mind. Then I do know a couple of people that seem to live their lives being hateful all the time. I have also used it when my sewing machine, car, washer or any type of machine doesn’t work right.
Aunt Arie’s ‘never an ill word’ and your post go along with a phrase I have recently recalled from childhood “never a harm’s word”. The two aren’t the same but are similar. I had it in mind to ask you if you heard “harm’s word” in your area. Not so very long ago it was not wise to be ill or speak ill. The smart thing was – and still is – to think first about how others might understand and react to ill-advised and ill-spoken words. I try to always take my ill nature out on something rather than someone.
Ron I don’t recall hearing that but I like it 🙂
I haven’t heard “ill” used in this sense for many years. When I was a child mommy would say “don’t be ill tempered!” “She’s ill and may need her attitude adjusted by warming up her backside!” In all my years I’ve been accused of being ill tempered by this one or that one. I never liked the word even when speaking of “sick” people as opposed to “ill.” If anything I’m a realist and I need about an hour or two (possibly three) before I say too much or do too much. Even now, I laid back on the couch to just breathe after most of my chores got done. I am a highly strung individual I admit, but I’ve got GREAT Expectations (call me Pip) and most folks do not….thats us, Tipper. High expectations surrounded by smiling and even tempered critics. Lol
I’m like Matt & Katie. I’m happy to greet each day! I especially enjoy getting up on the early side. 6-6:30 & enjoying the peacefulness and solitude that I feel as the world is still waking up. Once 8 o’clock hits and phone calls or text from Dr’s offices, etc, can start…the world loses a bit of its magic. My grandson is like me. My granddaughters are like you, Tipper lol From babies to the young adults they are today. Aren’t we humans an interesting lot?!
Kim, for the last years of my working life, I would get up at 4:30 each morning and sometimes 2:30 on Friday mornings. Now I am retired and no longer sleep good -more like naps, Most mornings, I still wake up around 4-4:30 each morning and enjoy laying here in the quiet, peacefulness of the early hours. I live so far out in the country at this time of the morning it is total quietness except for an occasional airplane flying over or one neighbor leaving for work.
My husband is like you, Tipper, but I wake up like chatty Cathy in the mornings. We use “Ill as a hornet” or “iller than a hornet” here in upstate South Carolina too. Those mad hornets that threatened us at the beginning of the Covid pandemic should have been dubbed ill hornets!
I have heard the word (ill) all my life, and all the of the ones that you described above. I am like you Tipper, takes me a good while to wake up good some mornings. Another one that is often said is (must have got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning)
I am like Matt and Katie..I’m ready to go as soon as my eyes open. My family is more like you. It’s funny how that happens.
I often say “ill as a hornet” or “mad as a wet hen.” When I get real worried I will get ill. In all the years we were married I never saw my wife get ill tempered with her family, I can’t say the same for myself. When I was younger, had my wife and in better health, I liked to get up early ready to go, now I had just as soon stay in bed all day, my “want to” has pretty much left me.
I’m so sorry Randy, I want to lay in the bed all day too sometimes, it’s getting to where that is not pleasant anymore, God bless you
Norman, thank you. I feel selfish thinking of myself after seeing and knowing what you and others are going through. I can’t get B off my mind. I dearly love children and tell people my law enforcement career wouldn’t last my first child abuse case, one of us wouldn’t walk out of the room. I am in pain everyday, have to ask for help to do many things I did for myself ( similar to Matt) and trying to go on living without my wife really gets to me mentally. The happiest times of my life now are spending time with my family (especially my 3 boys), being with my friends at church or talking not texting to them on the phone. I also get great joy from the BP&A and reading the other members’s comments. I consider all you friends I have never met. Some of you may think of me as a hemorrhoid!