sayings | Keira's Place

This Blog by Cher’ley Grogg

Who do you think of when you hear “Dadburn It”? “Dadburn it, Joe, what in tarnation are you doing?”. A lost episode.

My mom had lots of colorful sayings like, “If he ever gets that garden plowed we’ll draw a ring around the house.” How about, “if wishes were horses all poor men could ride.” One saying Del’s mom and my mom both used and then I used it too was “When my Stephanie Ferrell Claypoole's photo. ship comes in.” Now, that’s been replaced with “When I win the lottery.” When my oldest grandson decided to get married, He said, “Grandma, you remember what you always told me.” I said, “What’s that honey, Grandma told you a lot of things.” He said, “You said you’d dance at my wedding.” I used to tell him, “If you’ll get me a glass of water, I’ll dance at your wedding,”

How about “Fetch me a glass of water.”? Are we losing something by correcting all the colorful sayings? Which sounds better to you? “Leave me be.” Or “Leave me alone.” Do you use the word “Ain’t”? Remember there ain’t no such word as ain’t, because the teacher said there ain’t. You the teacher would say, “Ain’t is not in the dictionary.”

Shortly after we moved to Kentucky, a woman worried over her son’s accomplishments in school called me and said, “Weren’t no need in them there tests.” Thinking she was kidding (funning), I giggled. By the time she had finished her next sentence, full of embarrassment, I realized she actually talked that way. I would never laugh at someone on purpose, or hurt someone’s feelings, so fortunately she thought I was laughing in amazement at his dilemma. *I’m sure many people think I talk like a hick* I try to pick up cute little sayings and I try to remember the ones that my mom, grandma, or Del’s mom used. Since I grew up with country sayings and ways, this isn’t a far reach for me.

This comes from Chapter 2 in my novel “Stamp Out Murder”. James Freeman, a city slicker, is talking to two old Geezers in Wanton, WV. “I ain’t never been on the Internet, but I hear the youngsters talk about it. Got just about everything on there, they say. I didn’t know Benson even used a computer. He ain’t never invited me into his office. Course his office is just a room in the back of the store. I imagine it’s buzzing down there today. Too bad Old Sam come up dead.”

A saying is something that is said, notable in one respect or another, to be “a pithy expression of wisdom or truth”. There are a number of specific types of sayings, follow this link to be informed.

Do you use colorful language? What saying did your parents or grandparents use that you still use?

Sta mp Out Murder”.