My Father’s people were from Eastern Kentucky. My Grandfather used the expression “It’s hotter than Garbrol.” I have no idea how to spell the word, but have tried for years to find out if anyone else used it. Any information that you have will be most appreciated! Keep up the great and important work!
—Linda Smith
It’s certainly not been hotter than garbrol at our house recently unless you count standing right up close to the woodstove 🙂 I’ve never heard the saying Linda remembers. Have you?
I love old words and sayings from Appalachia and I’m always glad when folks send me one I’ve never heard.
Last night’s video: Organizing for This Year’s Garden & Putting Christmas Away.
Tipper
Subscribe for FREE and get a daily dose of Appalachia in your inbox
Tipper, thank you so much for getting my question to the group. I am so thankful to each of you for taking your time to provide information about Garbrol (garboil).
Sounds like the mystery is solved – thanks to all of you. I wish my father was still with us so I could tell him. We talked about this word often. Somehow, I think he knows!
Connie Smith – I can’t tell you what it meant to me to hear that this word was used in your family. I felt like I found gold when I read your comment! Although my father was born in Eastern Kentucky, his parents moved to West Virginia after the Depression.
My mom used to say this! I think she heard it from her mom and grandparents. My mom was from West Virginia. I always thought it was a strange saying but I never asked her what it meant or where it came from!
What a fun post today, Tipper. Thank you. And thanks to everyone who commented, speculated and just plain perplexed over garbrol, snow and the privilege of being a good neighbor.
Thank you, One and All!
I’ve heard “hotter than Haiti”, “hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk”, “hotter than he**” which is about the same as hotter than haiti.
I’m sorry y’all! Up here in Southern Michigan (at least that part of where I live is still “southern”) it colder than “a witch’s _i_ (letters left out for obvious reasons) at 6 degrees this morning, but we haven’t had snow for several days. Some of my Georgia friends have been wishing for snow, so I said I’d gladly give them ours for a while. Guess it worked. I can’t complain too much, though, today there is sun. That’s something we haven’t seen for too long.
Hey, I am friends with an older church member that was raised in Michigan before making a career out of the military and marrying a lady from Florida. He teases us and says he is no longer a northerner, now I even eat grits. I hope this is not offensive, but he tells me about the Yuppers and Trolls in Michigan. The Yuppers live above the bridge in the UP and the Trolls live below the bridge. Since you live in southern Michigan I guess we know which one you are! Yes I left out a certain part of the male body when I mentioned cold brass monkey. I just said he was singing high tenor.
I wonder if he was saying “ hotter than a Garbo?” As in Greta Garbo. Just a guess.
Southern Indiana here, enjoying being snowed in here, a week now.
Sorry to write again. I just had to stick up for people who are praying for snow. I lived in the California mountains for 3 years. Many people rely on winter snow. They plow the streets, rent out their cabins for tourists. Some simply have shovels and shovel the snow for you. Yes you hear rich people live in the ski areas. Many people are very bad off and have children. We used to do secret Santa for kids. Many people like me just remember a happy time. We get a couple of days of snow here, and it’s enough for me. There are many reasons to wish for snow, I doubt they are selfish reasons.
Now they are saying 3 – 9 inches tomorrow. Tipper, I’ll mail you some of our snow. Everyone, stay safe and warm. Anna from Arkansas.
In eastern KY, we make up our own words. Ort to instead of ought to is one word that comes to mind. I have never heard Garbrol used to describe hot weather but, Garboil, the word and definition Debbie found was likely the original pronunciation. Another winter storm warning was just issued for my area. I’d love to send every inch of snow we are expecting to Brasstown, NC!
“Hotter than a $2.00 pistol”
Tipper, I don’t want any snow, God bless you
I think you’re supposed to get snow soon, Tipper! I am excited for you!
Sounds like the adoption of the French word might well be the answer. I think soldiers brought some French words home from WWI. One example from where I grew up might be the French “beaucoup” which we pronounced as “boo coo” meaning “very many” or “very much”. And when the subject is heat, some folks did not want to say the more common version of being “as hot as Whelling, West Virginia” (without the W and ing). I grew up hearing “hot as blazes” or even “hot as a hot pistol on the fourth of July”. I wouldn’t be for knowing whether Appalachian folks are worse than most to make up their language as they go, but I kinda suspect it. And Randy, maybe we all ought to pray that Tipper gets heavy snow just at her place? But then they do have that hill and would need to be parked at the bottom…. Hard to know sometimes just how to pray best for folks you care about.
Merci Beaucoup!
George Jones sang “She was hotter than a two dollar pistol” referring to a car of course.
I’ve never heard of Garbrol either. Could the word be Garboil? It doesn’t mean hell per se but is a state of total confusion, Tumult, Uproar, etc.
I looked it up Google too,
but only to confirm what I already knew!
Hey that rhymes! Does that make me a poet?
Tipper you’ve got our minds to working on the Garbrol. Its helping take my mind off other things this morning! I do believe you will get your snow ,sure hope so! We are about 2&1/2 hours south east of you & we will get some too. May need to park on the upper as last snow had to put the tractor to use. You will have some beautiful footage for us but enjoy it first!
I’ve never heard that saying, but it certainly has been cold here this week too. Was 17 degrees this morning. Expecting about 4 inches of snow tomorrow thru Saturday in my area of East TN.
The snow is coming…I am sending it to you tomorrow from Chattanooga.
I’m in NW Ohio, as my late Papaw would say “it’s colder than a well diggers a$$” out right now. It was 1° a couple of days ago. We have 2 inches of snow at the moment. It’s expected to get colder over the next few days. Typical January weather for our neck of the woods. I’ve never heard the expression Linda spoke of, it’s a very peculiar one to me. I would like to know more about it though.
Blessings.
Never heard of the expression “garbrol.” Debbie’s explanation for “garbrol” sounds logical. Most of the ice on our trees melted off yesterday with the bright sunshine. About two inches of snow covered with ice remain in the yards but roads are clear. Temperatures have remained in the 30’s during the day here in Va but in the teens at night. We’re supposed to receive 1-3 inches of snow Friday evening. Our high for today is 34 and sunshine with 15 tonight. Hopefully there will be no more ice.
Hi Tipper, According to Brasstown weather forecasts, your big snow is coming Saturday! I know you are excited and probably won’t believe it until you see it. I hope to see a video soon of you sledding down your driveway!!
I have never heard of the word, but it does sound as if it might be from a French word. My ancestors came from Ireland, Scotland and France. The French were Huguenots who fled France. They first settled in England and the English King then sent them to Virginia to settle a colony . My ancestors spread south into the Carolinas, Georgia and then back into the mountains of Georgia and North Carolina. My people eventually settled in Polk and Rutherford County, NC. My Grandfather was always coming up with words that were foreign to me, but when I took French in school I was surprised to find similar sounding words…..of course his had a definite mountain twang to them….and yes a lot of rs…..and then in English class I had a wonderful teacher who pointed out how many of our “mountain words” came from Old English. If you read the Canterbury Tales, it sounds like some of it could have been written from a cabin in the Smokey mountains…..aren’t words fun!!!!
Depending on the year used, he could have Ben referring to Eva Gabor. As in it’s hotter than Eva Gabor.
Sounds like a strong possibility to me Matt T.
I have never heard that word. I have heard a lot of colloquial “hotter than” phrases though. I think a lot of the ones I heard growing up came home with veterans of WW2 (training and combat) and CCC experiences. My paternal granddaddy had one he used to say often and it was, “it’s hotter than blue blazes”. That was one of several he had (one of my favorites was “I’m fagged out”,,,it is in the dictionary).
The sun is shinning now at about ten o’clock CST here in NW Alabama. The forecast is for snow. I think the weather folks see the storm as “too close to call” and wish not to commit. Instead, they use general phrases like, “we can say we will see some frozen precipitation”, etc. The first forecast were for 10-12″. The last time I looked it was for 3″ with .10″ ice. That was specifically for the U.S. Hwy. 278 corridor (Tupelo, MS-Rome, Ga and more to the east). I don’t mind the snow, but ice is not my friend during the winter months. It was 19F at my house this morning. Temps have been around freezing and below since Monday. We will just have to wait and see where the snow/rain bands fall and what the temps do in the next 24 hours. Stay safe, fed, and warm. Don’t forget to check-in on your neighbors that might need any assistance.
God Bless
Hey I got a chuckle from your Gabor comment. Much prefer it over the $2 pistol which has gotten a trashy connotation . Tipper has us working on the Garbrol Word for sure.
That’s a new one on me too.
I enjoyed snow as a child but as an adult going to work and having to stay at work overnight due to road conditions I don’t enjoy it. I pray for those without shelter. Also I pray for the fire victims in California. We enjoy your videos , it gives us comfort. God bless y’all and viewers
I’ve never heard that expression before, but Debbie’s reply sounds very likely to be it. We’re expecting to get 5 to 7 inches of snow tomorrow. Already, we’ve had 3 skifts, just enough to make the ground white and the last one is still hanging around.
Wow are you Blessed with seeds. I watched your video while walking the treadmill this morning at the local Gym…I try doing at least 25 minutes and at 5:45 in the morning with 31 degrees here in upstate Florida, it is a wakeup. My kind of wakeup with a friend. God’s Blessings on Granny and the rest of your clan.
I forgot to ask, did y’all get snow? I know you love it as much as I do. We received about 10″ total and they are givin another 3″ to 4″ tomorrow. I’m in hog heaven, but I can’t help but think of those still hurting from the hurricane. I feel selfish for enjoying it. May the Lord meet every need.
Debbie-no snow yet but I’m still hoping for a big one 🙂
Get ready, you are going to get some.
That’s unknown to me too. I did find garboil. You know how us people like to put an “r” in everything, so maybe it was added to the dialect. States it comes from an old French word garbouil which is related to the Latin word bullire which means “to boil”. It does state it’s an archaic noun I never heard tell of the word, but it’s always interesting to hear new ones! Thanks for sharing!
I think you are right and in context that makes sense. Lots of our words have origins back to the countries our ancestors came from.
There you go, Debbie. Or even “gar broil” as in gar, the fish, spiced up hot Cajun style. Gar can also be boiled Cajun style, like a crab boil. It’s not called “the poor man’s lobster” for nothing.
Never heard that expression and have no idea of what it would mean. For the last week and on into next week, the brass monkey has been singing high tenor in my neck of the woods because of the unusually cold temperatures. Looks like some of use will be getting snow tomorrow. I don’t mind pure snow as much as the freezing rain and sleet that is also predicted. There is not much of anything that can go on roads covered in a sheet of ice. I think and pray for the ones still dealing with the destruction from Helene and now the fires in California. I would like to ask the ones that have been praying for snow to stop praying!
Randy, I’m so sorry! I did not mean to sound selfish about the snow. We live in Indiana and seems we don’t get it like we use to. I work for my son in love and our company is a landscape/hay/nursery and snow business. Snow is what keeps our company of 20 employed during the winter. If we have a blessed snowy winter we pay the bills for the year.
The people in the mountains are always on my mind and we are helping when and where we can. I’m sorry it sounded selfish. I do apologize! God bless!
Debbie, it never crossed my mind that you or anyone else were being selfish. You do not need to apologize or feel sorry for anything. Just like Richard commented after 38 years of having to go on to work both day and night when it snowed, I no longer care for it. I can now sit at home and enjoy it but my son and grandson still have to go and I worry about them. My last sentence was meant to be humorous, I once saw a picture of a church sign that looked to have 3 or 4 feet of snow around it that had that wrote on it. Not trying trying to start any kind of argument but the snow in the south usually has a lot of moisture in it and often starts out as freezing rain and sleet before turning to snow. This makes for a sheet of ice under the snow and then if a road is scraped, the water from the snow that melts will run across the road and refreeze at night turning into a sheet of ice. I often drove to work on the back roads that had not been scrapped because of this. There would be ruts that I thought made it easier and less dangerous, and also very less traffic to contend with. Please don’t feel like you said anything wrong in your comment, sounds like snow is your bread and butter in your families line of work. By the way, anytime I would apologize and tell my dear wife I am sorry, she would tease me (I think) and say lowdown too. We not only loved one another but had fun teasing one another with remarks like this.
Randy, thank you for being so gracious! You are too kind! I always want to be sensitive when others are hurting. Thank you so much for your kind words! I always look forward to your posts!