I’d better red up the kitchen, my neighbor from Pennsylvania said as we finished our meal. A native of Georgia, I didn’t know exactly what she meant. When I asked, I found she was simply saying in a different way, It’s time to clean up the kitchen, whereas I might have said, “It’s time to wash the dishes.”

I found this conversation amusing because it had never occurred to me how hard it can be to communicate. It made me realize how difficult the language in the mountains can be to understand especially to people that are new to the area and vice versa. I thought about this, and before long I had a list of sayings I hear in the country quite regularly.

For instance, as a child growing up in the mountains of North Georgia in a small town called, Hiawassee, it was not uncommon to hear a mother say these words to her children, If you don’t be quiet, I’m whup the daylights out of you. It could also be said in another way such as, If you don’t stop that, I’ll wear you out!

Sometimes, she could be heard saying, You are getting too big for your britches, and this meant that the child was becoming somewhat of a smart aleck. Unfortunately, I have heard my mother say these same things to me at one time or another.

In the case of an illness or if a person simply was not feeling well, their condition could be described in a number of ways. For example one fellow might say to another, How are you getting along? To which the other one might say, Tolerable, just tolerable. This meant that he wasn’t doing too well, but not too bad off either. Another answer to the question might be, I’m fair to middlin, which pretty much means the same.

Over the years, my mom has said to me many times, You look a little peaked around the eyes todayor You are green around the gills. This meant my facial coloring was not the best, and she suspected that I was coming down with something, which was another way of saying,You are getting sick. If a person was feeling good, he might reply, I’m fine as a frog’s hair, split three ways. Sometimes, you could hear someone say, I’m feeling fit as a fiddle, which meant in fine condition. If a person was not in a good mental state, it could be said of him, He’s a mite tetched in the head. I have heard folks diagnosed as, Crazy as a bed bug or Crazy as a bat. It is still very common to hear someone say, She’s as pale as a ghost or if they are deceased it has been said, They are as dead as a doornail.

There are several different ways of referring to a lady’s appearance and some of them are not very flattering. I remember telling a small child, You are as pretty as a speckled pup under a red wagon. She was standing close to her mother, and I heard her whisper in her mother’s ear, Momma, I’m not no doggie, am I? I tried to explain to her that I was not calling her a dog, but she kept saying over and over, I ain’t no doggie with an irritated look on her face. Another flattering comment might be something like, You’re as pretty as a picture or You look as fresh as a daisy. For an elderly woman, a comment such as, You’re as spry as a spring chicken could be nice, whereas, You look a fright or You are getting fat and sassy, might not go over too well. I have been told as a teenager many times, You’re as skinny as a rail, and at the time I didn’t like that comment too much. The one I liked the least I’ve heard my mother say many times, Beauty is skin deep, but ugly is to the bone.

A person’s character could be described in a number of ways. If he was not too trustful, it might be said of him, He’s a snake in the grass. If he was a wicked man, he could be described as, Mean as a snake. For a man with considerable charm, it might be said of him, That fellow could charm a black snake. If he had a stubborn quality about him, you might hear someone say of him, That man is as stubborn as a mule. To indicate his anger, it could be said that he was, Fit to be tied. An easygoing person might be described as,Cool as a cucumber, and a well thought of man could be called, Good as Gold.

If a person was referred to as being, Thrifty, that meant that they were saving with their money. If someone was doing well financially, you might hear this saying, They have it made in the shade. If they are not doing so well, they might be called, Poor as Dirt or Down in their luck. To be labeled stingy or selfish, it could be said that, They are tight as a bark on a tree or Tighter than Dick’s hatband.

Just recently, my husband left on a trip to Knoxville, Tennessee about a hundred miles from our home. I knew that he would be gone most of the day even though he told me, I’ll be back after while. Since we have been married a long time, I have learned never to wait on him, when he makes this remark. As usual he came back home late in the evening. I smiled inwardly, when I saw him walk in the door. Sometimes, I have heard him say, as I questioned him as to how much further it would be on a car trip. His reply would be, Oh, it’s just over the hill a little piece. I soon found out, Over the hill, could mean at least fifty more miles. An old-timer might say, I’ts just a fur piece, meaning it is a long way, but still not describing just how far away it is. Another way of describing distance is to say while pointing with the index finger, It’s over yonder. While traveling along the highway a mountaineer might say to his passenger, This jalopy is purring like a kitten, which describes the sound of the vehicle they are driving. If it is a fast car or truck it might be described as being, Fast as greased lightning, and another passenger might say to his driver, Floorboard it or Give it the gun which means full speed ahead.

There are many different ways of showing astonishment or agreeing with a statement. If you are standing alongside a group of men gathered at a country store, you might hear these remarks. Well, I’ll be dad-gem, shore-nuff or aw-shucks. If called for, rougher language can be used, but usually not so much in a public place.

If a person comes into a restaurant and sits down to eat a meal, you might hear them say, I’m starved to death or I’m hungry as a bear. When they finish I’ve seen folks lean back in their chair, pat their rounded belly and say, I’m full as a tick. I must admit, this is my least favorite saying.

Just recently a friend shared with me a bit of gossip about someone who had gotten into a bit of trouble. I found myself saying the same words I’d heard my deceased father say many times before, If you’ll keep your nose clean, you won’t have anything to worry about.

Also, after purchasing some new makeup that did not exactly fit my skin type, I said these words to my husband, You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear!

Not long after that, I heard myself quoting another one of my father’s sayings after hearing of an injustice to one of my friends, Just give him enough rope, and he’ll hang himself.

While I have been typing this, I have derived immense pleasure from delving into our way of life and our form of communication. In no way do I wish to demean or be critical of this kind of language or way of life. The people I know are sincere, live uncluttered lives and enjoy it at a relatively slow pace, and I am one of them.

Over the last ten years that I’ve been a writer, I have been fortunate to have my work published in literary journals, anthologies and magazines, and in the Spring I will have my first chapbook published titled, “When the Sap Rises.” As you can see I never stray very far from my heritage, and ever now and then, my mountain dialect come through loud and clear. Believe it or not, I don’t want to change that either, I’m proud it.

I believe this old saying will sum it up completely, You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl.