Can You Speak Southernese? Trivia Quiz

Answer: I don't have any plans.

If a Southerner says that he is going to "piddle around", he means that he does not really have anything planned. To piddle means to waste time or work aimlessly. You can piddle around the house or piddle around in the yard, for example.

Answer: Unless something unforeseen happens

If you hear someone say that they will be there "If the Lord is willing and the creek don't rise", they plan on being there unless something out of their control happens. In the old days,before our modern system of roads and bridges, you might not be able to make it, even if you wanted to, if the creek rose too high to cross.

Answer: Shopping cart

In the South, we call shopping carts buggies and I don't really know why and I can't find anyone that does. They are called a "shopping cart" or a "basket" in most of the United States. They are also called "trolleys" in the United Kingdom. Though they have been in use since the 1930s, the modern telescoping cart that we are familiar with today was designed in 1946 by Orla Watson.

Answer: Surprise

Shut the front door is an expression of surprise when you don't want to "drop an F bomb". For example: Jill: "Did you hear that Ron got Jenny pregnant?" Kelly: "Shut the front door! I thought she was seeing Robert."

Answer: Bad

Rode hard and put up wet means that they look bad or mistreated. When you ride a horse it works up a sweat. Before you put it back in the barn you have to let it cool down and groom it. If you put it up wet, he will look and feel bad the next time. The horse also may become ill tempered if treated that way.

Answer: That's so good makes me want to slap my mamma.

If you taste something that you like so well and tastes so good, you may say that you want to slap your mamma. This implies that my mother is not feeding me food that is this good and I want to slap her for it. It is just a figure of speech though because nobody would slap their mamma and live to tell about it.

Something that would knock a buzzard off a gut pile would smell very bad. A buzzard (or vulture) eats dead animals, so the pile of guts would smell very bad, to make the buzzard leave it would have to smell even worse.
That dog just don't hunt means that something isn't working or isn't right. If your hunting dog won't hunt he isn't doing what he is supposed to do or he isn't doing his job.
Kiss my grits is a phrase made popular by a character on the television show "Alice". A character named Flo was a waitress from the south working in a dinner and she used that saying as a euphemism for a less acceptable phrase.

Answer: Lazy

If someone won't hit a lick at a snake, they are lazy. To hit a lick in this instance means to use something to strike the snake. If they wouldn't even try to get away or kill a snake that was trying to attack them, they certainly wouldn't do any real work. Some snakes in the south can be aggressive and come after you, so most people try to stay away from snakes in general.

Answer: Faking

If you are playing possum, you are faking something. When a possum is threatened, it will actually faint and appear dead. In a few minutes it will regain consciousness and go about his business. So if you are playing possum you are pretending or faking something like a possum fakes his death.

Answer: Congratulate them

If you are walking in high cotton, you are successful or are doing very well. If your cotton crop was high, it was growing well and you will have a profitable harvest. So if someone is walking in high cotton, congratulate them because they are doing well and happy about it.

Answer: Quit misbehaving

Being ugly means acting up or misbehaving. If you are told to stop being ugly, you better straighten up before momma "jerks a knot in your tail". If you don't behave you will be in trouble.