Old Folk Sayings of Appalachia

I heard these old folk sayings every day of my life when I was growing up in north Georgia.  We are losing our way of speaking and becoming too generic for my taste. (Me included) I miss these colorful expressions. They are right to the point and say so much in so few words. I only hear them occasionally now, and when I do, they are music to my ears. I would like to share with you some of those sayings I most remember.

For the more obscure I will give the meaning. Most speak for themselves and need no clarification from me.

1. Pretty as a speckled pup.
2. That dog won’t hunt.
3. He is full of bull.
4. She is ugly as a mud fence
5. Talking like a house afire
6. Green as grass
7. Jumpy as a cat in a roomful of rockers
8. Drunker than a skunk
9. Looks like two cats fighting in a tow sack. (A big woman’s backside)
10. Fat as a pig
11. Skinny as a rail
12. Wet behind the ears
13. Happy as a cow in clover
14. Wish in one hand, shell corn in the other and see which one gets full the quickest.
15. Pretty is as pretty does
16. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.
17. Hotter than the devil
18. No need to buy a cow when you can get your milk for free.
19. Slicker than greased lightning (cunning)
20. Betwixt the devil and the deep blue sea
21. Don’t jump out of the frying pan into the fire.
22. A pot doesn’t call the kettle black.
23. Birds of a feather flock together.
24. People in glass houses shouldn’t  throw stones.
25. I will fix your little red wagon. (I will whip your backside.)
26. I will clean your clock. (I will whip you.)
27. You need a good dose of peach tree tea. (You need a whipping.)
28. Don’t sit and fiddle while Rome burns. (Get up and get to work.)
29. Raining cats and dogs
30. Sharp as a tack (smart)
31. Happy as a dead pig in the sunshine
32. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
33. Cold as a witch’s tit.
34. He’s blowing hot air.
35. She’s thirty if she’s a day.
36. A penny short and a day late
37. Pretty as a brand new penny
38. Boiled as an owl (drunk)
39. Tall as a Georgia pine
40. He wouldn’t know the truth if it looked him in the face.
41. He’s so ugly his mama doesn’t claim him.
42. He’s so tight he squeaks when he walks.
43. He’s as wiggly as a snake. (Wont admit to anything)
44. Get on the stick. (Get busy)
45. I will light a fire under you.
46. Butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.
47. Rob Peter to pay Paul
48. Dry as dust
49. He has a shell thicker than a turtles.
50. She’s putty in my hands.
51. He’s lost all his marbles.
52. The two of them are thick as thieves.
53. He is wearing blinders.
54. The older the ram the thicker the horn.
55. The early bird gets the worm.
56. Slow as molasses
57. Friendly as the day is long
58. Cunning as a fox
59. Clean our from under your own door step before you clean out from under someone else’s.
60. Trust to the lord and keep your powder dry.
61. Come on in and see how poor folks live.
62. That dog wont hunt.
63. He’s plum pie eyed. (drunk)
64. He’s slick as a whistle. (cunning)
65. He ain’t the brighest bulb on the tree.
66. She’s all sulled up.
67. She’s so ugly the devil wouldn’t have her.
68. Pretty as a brand new penny.

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http://socyberty.com/folklore/a-jackpot-of-old-folks-sayings/

http://purpleslinky.com/offbeat/appalachian-colloquialisms/

http://authspot.com/poetry/country-folks-had-a-way-with-words/

http://purpleslinky.com/jokes/jokes-you-might-hear-in-the-mountains-but-probably-wont/

http://socyberty.com/languages/north-georgia-dialect/