Continuing education ...

My next-door neighbor, who is an actual native of North Carolina (one of the few natives around here with all the move-ins from all over the country) has given me a number of sayings and bits of wisdom that are actually helping with my "North Carolina continuing education" process.  So between her and her husband (who is also a native), I plan to apply for semi-native status (do you suppose this is a real residence category?) before too long. 

Check out the latest installment ...

 

When she gave me this bit of local knowledge, I was really surprised at how  close to  "southern Hi-o" talk a lot of these sayings really were. I really remember growing up using #6 before trips in the car on Sunday afternoons. So this list, along with my childhood "fetchin' up" has really spared me a lot of misunderstandings, and that has made my education a bit easier.  I'm also sure that a number of my Army buddies will attest that some of them (like numbers 2,3,4,and 8) are pretty close to official Army knowledge and talk.

Now, I bet you thought the above-listed items were all I have come across since I have been here...WRONG!! Check out these gems that I came across (and thanks to the North Carolina  Life and Language Project) ..

1.  "I speak North Cackalacky."  The most probable origin is that it developed from a kind of sound-play utterance once used to parody the rural ways of people from Carolina. In the 1940s, “Cackalacky” was used in a somewhat derogatory way by outsiders. For example, servicemen assigned to rural bases in the state in the 1940s referred to their environs as “Cackalacky,” deriding the rural ways of native North Carolinians. Though it may have been intended as an insult, over time the term was re-appropriated by natives, and it is now embraced affectionately as a positive reference to state identity.

2. "Dingbatter"  At the time, outsiders on Ocracoke and other Outer Banks islands were referred to as foreigners or strangers, but the term dingbatter seemed like a perfect way to describe the lack of common sense sometimes exhibited by tourists who tangle their fishing lines with commercial fishers and think the middle of Highway 12 is a walking trail. To this day, outsiders on Ocracoke are referred to as dingbatters, though it is losing some ground to the blended term touron, a combination of tourist and moron.

3. "Might Could"   The expression might could is hardly unique to the Tar Heel State. It is as widespread and Southern as kudzu! But in North Carolina, it is so common that it is barely noticeable – unless you are a Yankee transplant.  I'm told that this is a favorite expression of politicians around here. It means one "might"  do something and "could" do it - but may or may not do it!

I'll keep working on my education.  Hope y'all have also learned some things in the process so you don't end up ...

All Goobered Up!!

Hooah