102 Bodacious Southern Words

Some weeks ago I posted a list of my personal favorite 101 Beautiful Words. I got the idea from those British people who only could think up seventy words—and only a few of them was pretty. I didn’t care for their list at all. No, sir. So I made my own list, and if you ain’t ever seen it, you can see it here. I'd be mighty pleased if you'd stop by. Door's always open.

Well, then, I got to thinking about My First Wife’s side of the family which is from Miss’ippi and Georgia. Those Southern folks we all love so well has given us some real good words. One recent afternoon, while I was sipping on some iced tea, I thought up a list of some Bodacious Southern Words. Then I had the good sense to get some help from My First Wife and her Southern friends. Well, we got us a real good list now. They also gave me a smatterin’ of real nice Southern expressions, too. So here everything is. Nothin’ special; just some down-home Southern words. And oh, yes. I'm willing to bet that in the stories of this Kudzu e-zine, sooner or later you'll surely find all these words as you read along—and then some.

(I probably left something out, so I’ll welcome your recommendations. Jest keep ‘em clean. And I don’t wanna hear no insultin’ stuff like you see in them books they sell at the truck stops.)

1. Grits
2. Fixin' to…
3. High-Sedity
4. Dixie
5. “I swan…”
6. Dumplins
7. Chitlins
8. Gussied Up
9. Coon Dog
10. Ya'll
11. Yonder
12. Bubba
13. Roll Tide
14. Mason jar
15. Double-wide
16. How-dee!
17. Craw-daddy
18. Kalinky
19. Gen’ral Lee
20. Shaped Notes Singin’
21. This here…
22. Whup!
23. D'rectly
24. Mint Julip
25. Uppity
26. Plum wore out
27. Hankerin'
28. Hey there
29. What-not
30. Antebellum
31. Graceland
32. Dawgs
33. Ain't
34. All ya'll
35. Cajun
36. Hog-callin'
37. Mississippi
38. Mercy!
39. Hushpuppies
40. Scarlett
41. Good ol’ boy
42. Hissy Fit
43. Roly-poly bug
44. Football
45. Po Boy
46. High-Falootin'
47. Darlin’
48. June bug
49. Lightning bug
50. Honey
51. Confederate
52. Sugah
53. Poke
54. Pure-dee
55. Bodacious
56. Hootenanny
57. Piggly-Wiggly
58. South
59. Moonshine
60. Debutante
61. Finger-lickin’
62. Folks
63. Shindig
64. Southern (Baptist) Comfort
65. Moon Pie
66. Boll Weevil
67. Kudzu
68. Bar-be-que
69. Liquored-up
70. Possum
71. Squirrel
72. Collards
73. Catfish
74. Yes sir
75. Sashay
76. Yes ma’am
77. Boiled Peanuts
78. Butter Beans
79. Please
80. Down-home
81. Thank you
82. The 3 Car
83. Fish Camp
84. Pee-cans or Pe-cahns
85. Everclear
86. Mama
87. Gators
88. Long neck
89. Snuff
90. Soo-eee!
91. Rebel
92. Magnolias
93. Holler
94. Tabaccy
95. Truck
96. Get ‘er Done
97. Reckon
98. Soul Food
99. Tote sack
100. Pining for…
101. Hoot
102. Ice Tea

…and a smattering of Southern Expressions

• “Damn Yankees!”
• “I declare…!”
• “I’m just sayin’…”
• “Bless ‘er heart…”
• "Well, now, little lady…"
• “Damn Northerners!”
• “Yer gonna mess and fall back in it!”
• “Yer talkin’ like a man with a paper butt.”
• “I’ll Fly Away, O Glory…”
• “Shall We Gather at the River…”
• “Yer not from around here, are ya?"
• "Ya'll come back now, hear?"