British Couple Attempt To Guess What These Southern US Words Mean

British Couple Reacts To Guessing What These Southern US Words Mean
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Original Video - • Guessing What These So...
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[@jlpack62]

Millie serving James a Southern "Bless your heart" was perfect!

[@3b1g4k]

As a Texan that was perfect usage.

[@billcole3669]

She nailed it! Classic!

[@HiSummerWasHere]

Well done, Millie! 👏🏽

[@christianoliver3572]

@@3b1g4k Hell yes!! Corpus Christi here!!

[@Wiley_Coyote]

I'd say she proved she understands the more cutting interpretation of that phrase, and it went right over Beesley's head. 😅

[@karladoesstuff]

I'm a southerner, and I've never heard "hissy" used that way. "Hissy fit", however, is VERY common.

[@genekillingsworth8994]

I've heard women from parts of Alabama that were born in the early 1900's say "That baby is about to throw a hissy". Basically synonymous with tantrum. I don't recall ever hearing anyone born post-war or any men use that term.

[@admthrawnuru]

Interesting. I do use it like that. So it must be used differently in different areas of the south.

[@jasonweible2834]

I am not sure where he is getting his definitions but "Hissy" is just short for "Hissy fit". I usually heard it as "throwing a hissy" but in all cases it means a tantrum. I've heard it recently so it is definitely still in use.

[@80sGamerLady]

Yeah I agree. I have heard of only "hissy fit" but I guess maybe in some pockets it might be different.

[@the_cheka]

I have NC

[@danielcollins2897]

I absolutely love the way Millie looks at James when he says something really off the wall. Also, Millie nailed the "bless your heart"

[@Ruckus22242]

me to

[@carrierobison7448]

I'm from the South and yes, these words are really used in a casual relaxed conversation. Most of these slang words were passed down from older generations. I love that you have picked up the famous Southern phrase "Bless your heart".

[@endymionstcyr8224]

In case you are still baffled: Druthers evolves from “Would rather” as in “I’d rather”. This becomes “i’d ruther,” which slurs together into “I’d druther” and this lead playfully to “If I had my druthers…”

[@JPMadden]

@@mrich1976 "Djeet" is something you might hear here in Rhode Island. We even had a restaurant by that name.

[@joeday4293]

My Georgia uncle says "ruther" instead of "rather" - "I'd ruther have cake than pie." It's a short leap to "druthers" from there. My "druthers" = my preferences.

[@raymo6795]

...I am American, and I did not ever put that together, makes sense

[@dragon-ed1hz]

"If I had my druthers, I'druther have my druthers than any other thing I know."

[@masyelraf]

Druthers is not just southern. We use it in Maine. The north eastern area on Maine (ironically referred to as downeast) has their own dialect that is quite similar to the deep south Acadia dialect.

[@sunnyfoster1855]

Southerner from Tennessee here. No matter how many of these you got right, Milie's proper use of "Bless your heart" gets you the win ❤ Great reactions!! Keep 'em coming!!

[@C.O.G.]

This Tennessean has to agree with you. Millie sounded so charming when she said that to James. She's a southerner at heart!

[@jenniferbriggs3796]

Hey from Tennessee! We love y'all!

[@yusukelee9590]

these were so easy growing up in Florida and Tennessee my whole life

[@yusukelee9590]

i spoke too soon some of these like druthers are foreign to me haha

[@janegherardi]

We used to call strollers buggies. There’s even a tongue twister about it. “rubber baby buggy bumper.” Say that really fast three times! ☺️

[@tyronemarcucci8395]

A commode is actually the water tank used for flushing a toilet, John, crapper, throne, etc.

[@josephharrison5639]

Southerner here, I’m fixin to watch more of y’all’s videos but your guesses went all catawampus

[@LadybugLuv]

Lol! Perfect!

[@anndeecosita3586]

😂

[@malindabailey8778]

I'm fixin to watch em but I gotta stop piddling around and acting all catawampus 🤣

[@alexandramiles-lasseter8263]

Should be 'fixin ta'

[@blacksnapper7684]

@@alexandramiles-lasseter8263 eh depends I live in SC and I’ve heard “fixin uh”

[@tammycosby4495]

A lot of “Southern words” have multiple meanings. For example, a buggy can be a grocery cart or a baby carriage (also called a stroller) or a specific style of horse drawn carriage. Fixin’ can mean you’re preparing to do something or getting things ready for use or it can mean the side dishes for a meal, such as “I’ve got all the fixins for a delicious Christmas dinner.”

[@angelabenson2527]

I thought those same things

[@rozi2089]

Yes, horse drawn carriage here in Oklahoma.

[@shannonnichols3415]

Same

[@riothero313]

In my experience it is; we have a:"insert main course" and "all the fixins". Fixins are basically trimmings and such.

[@patriciahughes4213]

Buggy can mean multiple bugs. Generally said when bugs got into the house in the evenings.

[@gPrussia11]

Piddling also means messing around doing nothing. My gran would always say oh I’m just piddling

[@nicholasmcmahan3147]

I grew up in Alabama and Tennessee, and spent many days in the country! Never in my life have I heard the phrase Drothers! And Bless your hearts for trying to guess these words lol

[@arayalenore8552]

Southerner born and bred and I'm gonna go ahead and say Millie gets to be an honorary southerner just just the proper use of bless your heart 🤣🤣

[@grumblesa10]

..and she pronounces "Nevada" correctly. I think she should be made an honorary American

[@JasonMoir]

As a North Carolinian, Millie saying "bless your heart" made me smile. You two are welcomed in the South anytime.

[@JesFan1030]

I laughed really hard

[@zacheryvorse8130]

They are indeed welcome in new York state as well, they were in the city there is an entire other state too see, the lakes are amazing it's just very snowy right now 😂

[@atvruler]

Im from Durham NC and some of these i aint heard of but theres a difference wen u live in a city vs live in the country... my girlfriend is from Charleston sc she calls it a buggy and i call it a shopping cart theres a whole lot of difference all thru the south i was born in Miami and that dont even feel like the US anymore

[@spinks1369]

Greensboro 👋🏻

[@marcussmith6805]

I'm born and raised in North Carolina, but some of these I've never heard of. I do know most though. The fact that neither could get "mudding" made me laugh. Also, the 'bless your heart' is golden in the Carolinas. Lol

[@TriStarFamily]

"Fixin" can also refer to a side dish at a meal. Example: "We're having country style steak and fixins for dinner."

[@beatricecampbell9631]

I'm a kentuckian and watching ya'll struggle with southern sayins made my day and the bless your heart made me smile but I have never heard of a washateria

[@annbuzzard5749]

I was taught that it was a Spanglish word for a laundromat as the word in Spanish for laundry is "lavanderia." Apparently, it was a brand name like Kleenex or Bandaid for washing services when Laundromats first started.

[@michaelrue1400]

I'd never heard that term before either, but laundromat was the first thing that popped into my head.

[@dallasstone4416]

This is too much fun. Where I'm from piddling the way he described it is called piddly. Piddling is when you're just wasting time.

[@markbiggs6302]

Exactly

[@TheDoomedRomance]

Yes!. Piddling is messing around. Piddly is a small amount of something.

[@markbiggs6302]

@Atheos B. Sapien that would be the word piddly not piddlin

[@malindabailey8778]

Exactly!

[@bryanmcbee2795]

Yes, piddly is an adjective whereas piddlin' is a verb

[@karlsmith2570]

In regards to the phrase "Catawampus", it can also make reference to a situation that has gone completely the wrong way

[@bigtex741]

Exactly. For example, imagine that it is a nice evening and you are sitting on the porch watching the sun go down, petting your little kitty and then the neighbors dog runs up starts barking and the cat freaks out starts hissing and clawing and trying to scratch it's way to the top of your head. You would later tell your friend: "I was sitt'n in my chair watching the eve'n, pett'n little Missy and then Bud's dog ran up barking and then everything went catawampus."

[@jasonweible2834]

That is completely true but it doesn't change the actual meaning. When a situation goes "Catawampus" it is the Southern equivalent of saying the situation went "sideways".

[@lawrenceshdow]

@@jasonweible2834 never knew that.. In the north we say "Kittywampus".

[@brandonmajors3007]

That’s how we used it growing up.

[@karlsmith2570]

@@brandonmajors3007 likewise

[@competetodefeat4610]

Having lived in the southeastern US (in Georgia) most of my life it's funny watching videos like this.

[@Marndarrr]

A “Fixin” is also a general word for meal item. “We got some fixins here on the table, help yourself.”

[@Jeff121456]

I (US) have called a baby stroller a baby buggy. In fact there is an old tongue twister that goes, "Rubber baby buggy bumper."

[@jasonweible2834]

There's also the term "Dune Buggy" which is a type of 4-wheeler vehicle. I think "Buggy" just means "wheeled contraption to carry something" and covers everything from cars to carts to strollers.

[@gillgetter3004]

Yes remember that tongue twister!!

[@valley5617]

Baby buggy was used for a long time. Stroller is fairly recent when different designs started being made. I’d say 1960s or so. I was never in a stroller - my mom had a baby buggy for us. I’m 65

[@MM-pl6zi]

You can also drive somebody buggy.

[@dazzledarkly]

“Piddling” has multiple meanings- I was piddling around instead of doing my chores. We got a piddling amount of rain instead of a gully washer. Rarely, but it could mean, I was piddling when it dribbled on my shoes.

[@kimgreene7782]

We use piddling as ..we are doing little stuff around the house or yard .

[@julieleistiko5757]

Piddling from my growing up means wasting time. Where as piddly meant Small amount.

[@ronniestanley75]

In Alabama, messing around and doing nothing is called "Pee-diddling". And, "Piddling" is either drizzling or pissing. Now, I'm in Virginia. All the words are different here!😅😅

[@stefanfrankel8157]

I moved to Maryland from Pennsylvania many years ago and the first time I heard "piddling" used for a small amount was from a fellow worker who grew up in "Pigtown" in Baltimore City.

[@elouise5593]

@@stefanfrankel8157We used piddling for all those contexts here in Washington state.

[@OhTerrful1]

Fred Sanford: commode is a Japanese bathrobe.

[@tabbywilson1]

I always say "I'm fixin to go do laundry" 🤣🤣🤣

[@LittleRedYota]

I once asked a lady at the front desk of a hotel I was staying at, in downtown Sydney, Australia, if they had a "washeteria", and she looked at me like I'd grown a tentacle out of my forehead. Lol!!!

[@Ansible1000]

So would I, a lifelong Georgian!

[@vivians9392]

@@Ansible1000 Not in Texas!

[@louisianagirl480]

I'm a born and raised southerner. We speak our own language down here.

[@rossmacintosh5652]

Rebecca, that may be true but I understood everything you wrote. 😁

[@elizabethsjourney701]

@@rossmacintosh5652 some of us like to write correctly but we talk WAY different from how we actually write.

[@rossmacintosh5652]

@@elizabethsjourney701 Same here in Canada. Have a great tomorrow. Cheers!

[@louisianagirl480]

@@rossmacintosh5652 Just because we are southern doesn't mean you have to have poor writing skills. We may speak with an accent but some of the most educated people you'll meet are southern. I actually went to college to be an English teacher. 😆

[@HiSummerWasHere]

LOTS of euphemisms, idioms, colorful metaphors and made-up words down here!

[@lindabelcher8087]

"PiddleFartin around" is when someone is dragging their feet😂

[@cssimps]

Hey Millie & James. We live in Cincinnati, Ohio & my family owns a few jeeps. My son loves to go to mudding, as often as possible. He'll leave the mud on his jeep until rain washes it off. It's like a badge of honor to him, 'cause "that's what a jeep is for..." his words. 🤣

[@slpcorner]

I've always said "Cattywompus" - it just means something is crooked as a dog's hind leg

[@riothero313]

lol me too, I like saying it because people look at you like you are insane. Anything that is slightly askew I say it's cattywampus and watch for reactions. Just like people getting bamboozled lol xD

[@ZedrikVonKatmahl]

I say it catterwampus

[@MM-pl6zi]

I've also always said Cattywampus.

[@ganapatikamesh]

I think you deserve a point for Millie’s use of the Southern phrase: “Bless your heart” in one the ways it’s actually used in the South!

[@Wiley_Coyote]

Except James totally missed the burn. She meant one and it totally went over his head. She gets TWO points and he gets zero.

[@timhuffmaster3588]

“Bless your heart” is a southern term meaning, “you’re so dense” fix in is preparing to do something.

[@paulwells3641]

“A swamp of cacti” - my new favorite phrase. Beware of those desert swamps.

[@kenashburn5473]

One of the best things I've ever heard a fellow Southerner say is, "Looks like it fixin' to get ready to rain."

[@auldrick]

"Up" after a verb signifies a modification to its meaning, often suggesting intensity or completeness. For example, you tie your shoe, but you tie *up* a horse to make sure it can't wander off. You close a door, but you close *up* a room or shop when it's not going to be in use for a while. You cook a meal, but when you cook *up* a meal it's something a bit more elaborate. The "up" in these uses suggests a higher level or degree of action. So "hush" just means "be quiet", while "hush up" means "be *silent* ". Don't be hard on yourselves. Most of these are regional colloquialisms, and some of them aren't even familiar to Americans from other regions. Without more context, nobody stands much chance of guessing them.

[@crescentmoonchild4031]

That’s true about context….

[@michaelrue1400]

The only way I've ever heard cook up used is like "They cooked up a plan for robbing the bank."

[@Bear304inc1]

She got you with the “bless your heart “!!!!!🤣😂😅

[@JacyndaMinor]

Fixins can also be like, accoutrements or side dishes. Like, sundae fixins would be sprinkles and hot fudge and nuts and whatnot

[@joannhunter1034]

hysterical!!! Millie nailed the tone and attitude of "Bless your heart ". Being a southerner, loved this vid

[@richardlong3745]

Originally "Catawampus" was a word used by carpenters meaning a pieces of lumber that was warped in many different directions, so usefulness for a construction purposes was gone. A piece of lumber warped in just one direction can still be useful for construction but when lumber is catawampus it basically only good firewood.

[@billh03903]

Weird thing about this word is my Canadian aunt who lived in the UK for years uses it all the time. She's NEVER lived in the South.

[@Peg__]

@@billh03903 We use the word in Minnesota too, we're basically Canada in a lot if ways. Lol

[@wesbaumguardner8829]

I think that is just a specific iteration or usage of it. Really, cattywampus can be something that is off kilter, out of square, or warped in general. Say you make a table that leans a certain direction. That table is cattywampus. You make a building with two acute angles and two obtuse angles. That building is cattywampus. We also use it to describe just about anything that is irregular.

[@northcarolinagirl]

Catawampus always sounds funny to me the times I've heard it used. My father would say, Look at that man walking all catawampus. He must be drunk.

[@chrissherrill49]

Southerner here. That was fun. The toilet is a room in which you would find a sink, a tub/shower and a commode. Commode is the thing you sit on to do your business. Hush is a command to be quiet. Hush up is just more emphatic. Mudding is also called four-wheeling. That is driving your four-wheel drive pickup (usually a pickup) in a place that is remote and wet. Must be wet, of course.

[@gagebenson1791]

"Boogey" "Boggy" 😂 Fixin' gets everybody

[@zuzax1656]

Millie almost had the historical meaning of Plumb. Plumb is the Latin word for lead (element symbol Pb), as in lead pipes. Hence, plumbers were those who worked with lead pipes. A plumb is also used in carpentry. It is a lead weight on the end of a string. Since it would hang totally vertical, it was used to make sure that posts (and drains) were perfectly vertical. The verbiage is still used in carpentry, as in 'That door isn't hanging plumb.', i.e. straight. Or, to say it another way, 'That picture isn't plumb, it's a bit catawampus.'

[@twalsh171]

…but in the South it is used as “I am completely\plumb tired.”

[@JW-up8ku]

Millie, your version of "Bless your heart" was great! "Brothers on your dad's side" - that was hilarious!!

[@swissuz]

I agree...that was adorable!

[@bestworst1979]

Dayyyuumm did she "BLESS YOUR HEART " your ass well played miss ...well.. played

[@Marndarrr]

I’ve never heard “piddling” used that way, but I use “piddly” to mean “not enough or meager.” I use piddling to mean “twiddling one’s thumbs” or “doing a whole lot of nothing,” or urinating.

[@kattiegarza4611]

Y'all did well. I'm from south texas and I'm familiar with almost all the words. One difference is, plumb (means something is flush or straight or aligned) where I am from.

[@the_cheka]

I've used it both ways in North Carolina

[@josephbeckett2330]

Thats what I said. Leveled, or tightly fit. Dune Buggy, or that something is not working correctly. Buggy can also be a type of small boat.

[@jcl410]

I use that meaning, but also have heard things like "I'm plumb tuckered out." for I'm exhausted.

[@JustMe-dc6ks]

I think the meanings are related. Straight/level as complete or finished -> definitive And/Or generalize from the phrase “Plumb level” to plumb whatever.

[@TexasRose50]

@ Kattie Garza, thank you! I was thinking that because I do woodworking, and putting two pieces of wood together have to be plumb. No gaps in between the two.

[@codygates7418]

I’m fixin to drink something and watch this masterpiece. God bless y’all from a proud southerner of Kentucky. ❤️ I’ve heard doohickey my whole life lol 😂

[@robinaddis-vaughn7271]

And, thingamajig!

[@backwoodspiper3033]

Howdy neighbor. East central ky here

[@brandonmajors3007]

Definitely heard doohickey and thingamajig growing up in the Midwest. Not just a south thing. Although it might be a country thing…

[@bryanmcbee2795]

What about a dillybopper? I haven't heard it used in a long time but heard it a lot as a kid. Used in a sentence it would go something like this: "Hand me that doohickey right there and that thingamajig beside it and then grab that other dillybopper"

[@codygates7418]

@@bryanmcbee2795 I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that once haha

[@tyronemarcucci8395]

Here in Alabama we call the shopping carts, never heard them called buggy. A buggy is a perambulator, or he is buggy as in crazy. I'm "fixing" means I'm getting ready to get ready.

[@jerry-leehanson3380]

Millie is also right on Fixin a meal, it can be used as doing something or being ready to do something

[@louisianagirl480]

Millie threw out a bless your heart. 😆

[@GregInHouston2]

You are absolutely correct about context. Buggy could be a shopping cart. But it could be for a baby. How do you drive a baby buggy? You tickle his toes!

[@TLL1969]

Or the old tongue twister - say "rubber baby buggy bumpers" repeatedly. :)

[@josephbeckett2330]

It can also be a gocart, a term for something not working correctly, or a type of boat.

[@bryanmcbee2795]

Or buggy could be a horse drawn cart - The Amish still get around by horse and buggy

[@GregInHouston2]

Or software the doesn't work correctly is also "buggy". I didn't mean to start a debate on the meanings of "buggy". Our hosts offered an answer that involved a transport for a baby. I was just offering that they were correct.

[@JS-iy4zb]

We’d also say “I’m gonna fix me a bite to eat”, so you were correct about that.

[@stewartbonner]

"mudding' is racing big tire, big engine vehicles go through a race track of mud.

[@cnh4431]

It cracked me up to see everyone struggling with "druthers"! I thought that'd be a ringer for sure. They all three still seemed to think the word was random and confusing - they must not have made the connection between "druther" and "rather." I can hear it in my head in a syruppy southern drawl - "Would you like some lemonade?" "i'dDraaahthur have some sweet tea." 😄

[@corndogg78]

Maybe it's more common in other parts but being born and raised in South Alabama I've never heard the word druthers before this video.

[@corawheeler9355]

@@corndogg78 That's funny. I was raised in Minnesota and used it all my life.

[@gigitheobald1486]

My grandmother, who was from Memphis, used to say “If I had my druthers…” all the time - sweet memories!

[@suss6385]

@@gigitheobald1486 my mom used that too

[@Whysoshort]

I was born and raised in Northern Alabama and I didn't have a clue lol

[@OMGitsaClaire]

Also, watching y’all struggle with “commode” was quite funny. It seems so obvious to me! My grandmother used to always remind me when I was little to “flush the commode”. A couple other southernisms we use for everyday objects is “britches” for pants/trousers and “drawers” for underwear. I was watching a British KZbin the other day do a tour of her newly renovated kitchen and she said “do you want to see inside my drawers?” I busted out laughing! In the South that would be a totally different proposition!

[@whitepicklejuice]

Drawers means the same thing in the U.S. as to describe the skinny cabinet that pulls out, however in the US we pronounce is like "dro-er", and with a British accent, it would sound like underwear. It's one of the double meaning words, and the pronunciation could determine what you are trying to say for sure lol

[@ianstratton1629]

Britches is used over seas as well. But I agree, no one in the states really uses it outside of the south.

[@gregsager2062]

"Britches" is simply the Southern pronunciation of "breeches," which was the traditional English-language term used for the short-legged article of clothing that covers the lower part of a man's body. It gave way to "pants" in the U.S. and "trousers" in the U.K. over two hundred years ago when the style changed away from high stockings and short, tight lower-body clothing for men (like you see in old pictures of Washington, Franklin, Adams, Jefferson, etc. -- those guys all wore breeches), but it still exists in the South in the form of "britches." The reason why "drawers" could be either cabinetry or an article of clothing is because they are nouns formed from the same verb: "draw", as in "to pull towards oneself." We still use that verb when we describe how a storyteller draws us in, or how a gunfighter pulls his pistol up and out of its holster towards his upper body when preparing to fire it. You pull out a drawer towards yourself in order to take out a pair of drawers you'd kept in it, and you then pull up the drawers over your legs towards the rest of your body. "Commode" was borrowed from French into English in the seventeenth century. English settlers in the U.S. brought the term with them, and it has survived in American English while dying out in British English. That's true of a significant portion of our vocabulary. American English often preserves older words and meanings that have since died out in the mother country. The classic example is the word "mad". When Shakespeare used the term in his plays it meant "angry". "Mad" is still a synonym for "angry" in American English, but in British English the meaning changed hundreds of years ago, so "mad" now means "insane" in the U.K. Oddly enough, since insane asylums were British inventions, the term "madhouse", which obviously incorporates the modern British meaning of "mad", became common in the U.S. even though over here in the former colonies the primary meaning of "mad" is still "angry".

[@anndeecosita3586]

@@gregsager2062 Great insight. I feel like I hear people use both definitions of mad in the US. Maybe it depends on the circles

[@ncgirl2838]

​@@gregsager2062 Thanks for your info. I find word study to be quite fascinating! A sidenote: A commode was actually a piece of furniture used by the french to hold their chamber pot. With the advent of indoor plumbing the term transferred to the stationary 'chamber pot' also known as a toilet. A side table with a cabinet is also still known as a commode.

[@austinblevins6804]

Piddling is what he said it was before he looked it up

[@kentix417]

People don't wait to get in the commode. The commode is the porcelain appliance. To get in the commode you'd have to stand with your feet in the bowl submerged in toilet water. In the U.S., the word toilet refers to a device manufactured in a factory that gets installed to flush things away with water. It's not a room, it's a thing. A commode is a toilet is a device.

[@karlharvymarx2650]

My favorite word usage story is about my southern friend's trip to stay with a random family in Canada, I think in Nova Scotia. (How that happened is a story unto itself) He said he was going to take a bath. They asked if he needed a dookey in the tub. Dookey is an informal polite Southern word for turd. Apparently in Nova Scotia it is a word for washcloth. Confused hilarity ensued as they tactfully pushed him to take a dookey in the tub and he tried to tactfully refuse the strange Canadian tradition.

[@southernladyish]

I cried I laughed so hard at your comment. I’m not even kidding. I’m from Alabama.. been here my entire life so I can only imagine how your southern friend felt after hearing that. Thank you for this 😂😂😂

[@OMGitsaClaire]

So “druthers” is actually a portmanteau of “I’d rather” meaning if you had your way or preference. I use this one occasionally and I totally stumped my coworker (who’s from Ohio) with it. But when me and my other Southern coworkers really start talking we confuse everyone else. Proof that “standard American English” isn’t really a thing and Americans can’t always even understand each other!

[@Salty_Balls]

Can confirm, druthers isn't in use in Ohio. Never heard it around the Dayton area.

[@sunnyross8689]

I’ve actually heard it a bit on the east coast.

[@cranberryade]

There's an old song with it in it...goes something like "If I had my druthers, I'd druther had my druthers, than anything else I know..."

[@feliciagallo9832]

I am from NY and my parents used the word "druthers" and now I do. 😁

[@HBC423]

Where do people say druthers? Not in the south

[@snwhite]

Born and raised in the US, and I've never heard most those words EVER! I HAD NO CLUE

[@karenmcdonald8840]

Druthers… brothers on your Dad’s had me rolling 😂

[@lauranichols945]

When I was young, what you call prams were described as baby buggies in the U.S. Buggy also is used to mean the carriages the Amish and Mennonites use with horses. Hoecakes, consisting of cornmeal, water and salt originally were cooked on the flat of hoes over wood fires. BTW, you can eat the flesh of cacti - I saw cactus jelly when I was in Arizona.

[@elouise5593]

They also use cactus fruit for jelly. Safeway here in Washington state has a Cactus fruit sorbet.

[@drchapman6501]

My brother in Phoenix, Arizona sent me some cactus jelly...and I have to admit I think it is my favorite kind of jelly. Everyone should try it at least once.

[@Chris-rh9ej]

You can buy cactus to eat out of the jar

[@aspidistraeliator]

Cactus fruit can make jelly, tea, candy syrup, juice, and be eaten plain. Cactus pads are also tasty

[@andreaelliott733]

Mudding is fun !!!

[@b.slocumb7763]

Very surprised brits don’t know what a commode is, it comes from the pre-flush version of toilets which was basically a pot/bowl, sometimes kept in a piece of furniture also called a commode, which could basically contain all of your toileting needs including a basin to pour water in for washing your face.

[@HermanVonPetri]

And the term comes from the word "commodious" which means "convenient." I suppose it would be more convenient than going to the outhouse every time.

[@Peg__]

"I'm so poor, I dont have a pot to piss in."

[@kerim.peardon5551]

@@Peg__ Or a window to throw it out of.

[@alfredkar]

As a Brit in my 40s I have always known what a commode is.

[@jakemurchison8158]

We use fixon’ singular is used that way, but the plural form (fixins) we use for sides (fries, mashed potatoes, Mac and cheese, etc.) for example: “I ate a steak and all the fixins.”

[@Blondie42]

Plumb is also used in construction, specifically a tool: plumb bob. Which is used to make sure a wall is exactly 90° from thr floor.

[@quentinmichel7581]

"Buggy" according my southern relatives also referred to flying insect-infused surroundings as in "it's really buggy tonight".

[@brandonmajors3007]

That’s where I thought it might go with this. I guess I was also thinking muggy as in humid.

[@dorisbruun1034]

I couldn't stop laughing when Millie said bless your heart.perfect usage and perfect tone.it's all in the tone lol

[@debrabeck9630]

Plumb can mean level. If you are hanging a photo or putting in shelves, you want them to be plumb. It also means absolutely - when I am tired, I am plumb tuckered out. Love hearing you guess!

[@NicoleMoonyt]

1. Buggy: I’ve never in my life heard anyone use it the way he referenced. We called them strollers. I immediately shouted “punch buggy!” 😅😂

[@23cuteasabug]

It’s funny- i’m from North Carolina and I’ve lived here my whole life and didn’t realize that most of these were specific to the south I thought they were just normal words that everybody used. I was especially surprised that druthers wasn’t a real word that everybody used because I’ve grown up with my mom saying it all the time. And I also never thought that commode was specific to the South I thought that was another name for a toilet that everybody used. I use all these words pretty regularly except for hoppin John and Washateria- which I had actually never heard of before this video.

[@hdctx]

Hopping John is a specific type of black eyed pea I was told was from north or south carolina. Superstition said it signified luck or wealth, though greens at new years usually signify currency

[@1776SOL]

I'm 44 & grewup in rural southern NJ & can categorically say except for Hoppin John, washateria, commode for physical toilet as it was used to describe the raised medical toilet seat device that either hovered over the toilet or near medical bed & had a removable bed-pan underneath, & buggy was never shopping cart rather baby buggy or Amish horse buggy, the rest of these words were & are in use in rural southern NJ, southeastern PA, northern DE.

[@cbrooks2225]

I’m from NC and have never heard of druthers

[@Staren01]

There are definitely multiple meanings to some of these. "Fixins" for example are also a term for herbs, spices, and the other extras you put in a meal to take it from basic to special.

[@dallasstone4416]

Yes, but those are referred to as fixins. It's always plural. Fixins usually describes side dishes. "We had meatloaf with all the fixins." Fixin is always synonymous with about to.

[@brandonmajors3007]

I think they classed up the real term. I think they really meant “finna”

[@oc6617]

No, "fixin" and "fixins" are two completely separate things. And "fixins" doesn't mean extra ingredients. It means full-on side dishes.

[@dallasstone4416]

@@brandonmajors3007 no. That's a more recent adaptation.most people over 25 don't say finna

[@kstofkos]

That's a fact

[@phoenixmichaels]

"Plumb" in America ALSO has meaning in the construction industry: it means that the framing you have built is correct, and not off by any small measure. You can put a level on the diagonal and vertical constructs and find them perfect.

[@NicoleMoonyt]

I’m from Texas and I about died when she said “Bless your heart” 😂😂

[@johnbrentford5513]

A baby stroller and a baby buggy are not the same thing.

[@sandrafazio6906]

A baby buggy is what some refer to as a Pram. My mom.jsd baby buggy's. They are larger than strollers. Look like a small mattress with walls, a hood ,and four wheels. I see a lot of buggies on shows like Call The Midwife. I remember when woman stayed home to raise kids. Baby buggies we're common. You could walk to stores, library ,schools ,Drs, etc. Set bags of groceries ,diaper bags ,other children on the buggy. I saw those used a lot when most households only had one car ,that the man drove to work. I saw strollers come along when more women drove,had own cars ,worked outside the home. Strollers we're meant for one child sitting in the seat ,( unless a double stroller,). Much ,much smaller than a ( baby buggy) or pram.I can't imagine it being easy to fold up a buggy and put in trunk of car to go with you, but strollers you could.. I find it interesting that in you depts. ,you can find you baby doll buggies AND toy baby doll strollers.. Even my grandchildren, daughter, and nieces had both to play with as children. I love buggies ( baby buggies) . The actual bed of the buggy is much higher up,off the ground ,while stroller seats are closer to the ground. You can still buy buggies for your baby is as well as strollers ,but they aren't available in all big box stores. In baby stores ,( sell only items for babies , some even year old to three yrs old ) you can find both or at least order a buggy if only strollers shown in the store. As for all the Southern words ..I'm from Ohio. Right on the shore of Lake Erie. Grew up around lots of immigrants,including my father ,my maternal grandmother ,etc. Yet I knew all those Southern words. Some everyone I know used. Also in other places that I lived with my Sir Force husband ( Calif., Upper Peninsula of Michigan ( The U. P. ). Some I learned by reading constantly as a child ,teen. I learned what hoe cakes, Johnny cakes ,etc. we're from books like ,the Little House on the Prairie Series. So many of the words I'd heard ,and used all my life, starting with as a child in Ohio. I wonder if that is because so many Southerners came up North to the Midwest (.Ohio) when factories were opening everywhere in Cleveland, Youngstown, areas outside of Columbus ,etc.I assume the Southern slang was heard by those in other states ,and other people picked it up. Druthers was a common one in Ohio. Northern Ohio.( Right by Lake Erie). Piddling was normal for various meanings. Piddling around,meant doing nothing exactly constructive ,just messing around. Parents would say, for example, ton their children...quit piddling around. Go mow the lawn already, like you were told to! Also heard it s few times referring to a young baby ,child in diapers...So and so just piddled, could you please change her? Every Southern word that was mentioned ,I remember using ,or hearing someone use . Several had more than one meaning, so the sentence it was used in told you which meaning was being used . Catawumper was only word I never used but I assumed it close to another word,that had Cats for first part of word ,not wumper for second part ,but basically meant same thing. All of a sudden ,I can't remember second part of the word I was just writing about 😂. Catawallin ,maybe ? I'll.prob remember as soon as I hit SEND! I loved watching the three British people trying to breakdown the words ,to figure the meanings out. It was very interesting to see how thier minds tried to figure it out. Made sense ,except many of these words ,you couldn't try something logical to get the meaning. I'm sure I'd have as much trouble with British slang. I do have one question from.thede delightful British subjects. I watch a few British Shows on TV. One has to do with moving from the city to looking for a new home in the country. Two.others have to do with surprising very good,kind people who spend thier lives helping out others ,through various difficulties. The surprise is to totally redo a few rooms. One show it's done in 60 mins. ( 60 MIN. MAKEOVER). Another ,it was accomplished over a couple to a few days. In each tv show ,I noticed they used the word HOMELY ,to mean something was very homey feeling. On the US ,homely has an entirely diff. meaning. It means an unattractive person. I'm the U.zk. ,it seemed to have positive connotations ,all used to describe a room ,a house as being very comfy ,good looking , space. Totally different from.our meaning of the word.

[@anndeecosita3586]

She delivered that Bless Your Heart perfectly. I’m so proud. Btw we do also say baby buggy along with buggy for shopping

[@tabbywilson1]

My husbands great uncle would say "Quit Scuffling" when they would like wrestle around or pick on each other 😂.

[@NellBelle]

Deepest, darkest Texas here, you can eat cactus, called nopales....taste like green beans.

[@average_joe4558]

I live in Alaska and have chatted with many of visitors over the years, tourists mostly, and the one thing that I point out is that all of us Alaskan Native people are not the same. We are separated by distance, by different languages and diets according to what part of the state the tribe is from. To help them understand I ask them to think of a surfer from Southern California, then take a Southern Belle from the Carolinas and then add a dude from the Bronx. Technically they're all speaking English but it is not the same English. Even slang in many ways is local. We in Alaska address the rest of the United States as The Lower 48 yet those from the lower 48 don't recognize that term. That's what I love most about the United States. It's a melting pot of the world. It's got a smidgen of this culture, a dab of that one. I can't think of any other way to live. Great video and keep them coming!

[@genekillingsworth8994]

I'm from the South and understand exactly what the "lower 48" refers to. While that term may have originated in Alaska it has long since spread to my part of the South Now if I could just get people to understand that going to "LA" means Lower Alabama.

[@average_joe4558]

@@genekillingsworth8994 Too funny! Thank you for the smiles way up here in the frozen tundra.

[@dgpatter]

Everybody understands lower 48. I don’t personally use it because it ignores Hawaii and therefore doesn’t make any sense. I prefer the contiguous 48.

[@raymo6795]

I am from PA, I am familiar with( and live in)" the lower 48". I agree with all you say. We all sort of develop according to our conditions and environment. I watch a TV show called "Last Stop Garage" it is set in Alaska. They seem to know how to fix ALL things mechanical, and sound like Canadiens. They remind me of Farmers. They do whatever need be done to get the job done. Resourceful and resilient and place a high importance on friends, family and neighbors, and are willing to help whoever needs help...that is my impression. ...Do you know Maurice Minnefield?

[@joelforman7242]

Hey! Ima Yu'pik. That is the white man spelling. Again, but in my mom's tongue, 'Yu'piaq'. The q at the end has a guttural back of the throat sound. It means 'real people '.

[@EjKep]

This was so fun! I’m from the south and it made me laugh out loud so many times to hear your guesses. Thanks for doing this! 😂 I love your channel. Just found y’all (see I’m southern) yesterday and have been binge watching. 😍

[@michellehouston9281]

Fixin': meaning...about to. I am getting ready. "I'm fixin' to go to the store"

[@luke19631963]

I’m from the south and another word we often use is hammer knocker. When using this you could be talking about a person or an object and it is usually used in a negative way. Examples would be “Bill was supposed to go huntin with me this morning but that sorry hammer knocker went fishin with Hank instead. Or it can be used this way…”my truck broke down again so I’m fixin to get rid of that hammer knocker today!

[@Sh3r-Bear]

Great guesses guys! My Hillbilly father always said “take you out to the woodshed”! A euphemism used for punishing someone for bad behavior.🤷‍♀️

[@maryjomccallister9102]

Now, since Yellowstone, it's take you to the train station. 😁

[@arnoldrivas4590]

I've heard that before! Except in Spanish from my parents, "Voy a llevarte afuera!" Or basically, "I'm gonna take you outside!" Also a euphemism for punishing someone for bad behavior. ^^'

[@drchapman6501]

"Take you out to the woodshed" brings back some childhood memories mostly associated with someone from my school calling my parents to complain about my rowdy behavior at school. But my dad and my uncle would say that as "We are gonna go 'round by Lars house (the woodshed).

[@Caeleinn]

Millie busting out with the "Bless your heart" in the correct usage was great! I'm born and raised Southern, so I have used these terms all my life, plus a few that I learned from my Granny. I will say, that while I knew what a washateria is, I have never called it that; I usually refer to it as a laundromat. But right now, I'm just so plumb tired of cookin' up so many hoecakes and Hoppin' John, I'm almost catawampus. I'm fixin' ta go to bed before I get all hissy. If I had my druthers, I'd stay up and watch some more vidjas (videos).

[@elouise5593]

We use cattywampus here in Washington state.

[@Lisawhatshersname]

😂👍

[@BTinSF]

"Plumb" is actually a real word and not just a colloquialism and they were onto it when they were speculating about plumbers. The root is the Latin word for the metal lead: plumbum. In Roman times pipes were made of lead so the people who worked with them resulted in the English "plumber". But also the lead weight used to measure the depth of water is a "plumb" and thus the phrase "to plumb the depths" of something.

[@lauriemyers8510]

Buggy is also a description of the time of early evening when mosquitoes, knats, and nocturnal insects come out.

[@HollyBailey]

New here! After watching a video, I’ve been binge watching instead of sleeping. I’m in Arkansas (SOUTH) AND can confirm that we do use these words. But several have multiple meanings! For example - Fixin’ is also used to refer to a side dish for a meal. So Fixin’s means all the sides. As in “Y’all should come over for supper, we’re having fried chicken and all the fixin’s.”

[@johnalden5821]

There is a lot of content on KZbin that is wonderful and valuable. Watching three British people desperately overthinking simple words is priceless.

[@oc6617]

Stop BS'ing. You didn't know at least 1 of these words along with the rest of us. They came from different regions all over the South.

[@starofdabloc]

No we actually know what these word mean 😂 what are you talking about?

[@eandg330]

Simple to you but i bet you would sound just as silly with words they find "simple" and use everyday.

[@johnalden5821]

@@eandg330 Yep, no doubt. Which is why I don't go on KZbin. Presumably they are trying to entertain us. I was entertained.

[@mattncicistout3115]

I love you guys. You both are so adorable (Sorry Mom and G-mom here) and my children are in your alls age group (18 to 25). I'm from Tennessee and love these videos you all do. And Millie you should use the Bless your little heart on James more often!!! LOL!!

[@angelakirkpatrick3842]

I’ve lived in Louisiana my whole life and I’ve always used (and heard) “piddling” like “piddling around,” as in “I didn’t want to start that big project yet, so I’ve just been piddling around.” I’ve used “piddly” to reference something small.

[@tyronemarcucci8395]

Mudding is a blast watching special trucks racing through the mud pits.

[@johnmurkwater1064]

Just so you know, yes, you can eat something like 200 different types of cactus, in fact Dragon Fruit comes from a cactus. There's a bunch of different meals made with cactus, from soups and salads to salsa. The Opuntia species is basically all edible, leaves and fruits both, and pretty delicious as well.

[@wyrdmaege]

Came here to say this lol. I'm from San Antonio TX and a pickled cactus (called nopalitos) and egg taco with a corn tortilla is on a lot of taco shop menus. I like adding chorizo ;).

[@daniellehall9240]

Cactus jam

[@richardcramer1604]

In the north I've always use plumb to mean vertically straight, you attach a plumb line to a plumb bob (a string to a weight). Carpenters use plumb a lot, surveyors also use a plumb on their equipment to make sure they are straight and level.

[@jasonweible2834]

That is the actual American English definition of the word "plumb". "Plumb" as in "completely" or "exactly" is more of a slang and is common in the South.

[@the_cheka]

I'm a plumber and use them all of the time.

[@northcarolinagirl]

My father taught me when he built furniture. He would work a piece and I'd hold the level tool until the bubble was plumb.

[@wileycovington4497]

Ohhh, that "Bless your heart". Snap. Lol!!

[@timesthree5757]

Their is also phrases that are so Southern. Like, "It's broker than all getout."

[@JoeXTheXJuggalo1]

Depending on what State you're from or the area itself some words are local to certain areas or State. Lots of words can have different and sometimes multiple meanings. I'm from the State of Georgia and there was a couple words I've never heard of myself.

[@moegirl9754]

Arkansas here and yes I agree.

[@stevedietrich8936]

Millie rolling her eyes when James says they might have a little competition is just priceless. She knows James is going to get his butt kicked.

[@jameswoodard4304]

"Druthers" comes from "I'd rather" which is pronounced "I druther" in parts of the South. So people would say, "I druther be fishin'." "Well, what would you druther?" etc. "Druther" was treated as if were an actual word throughout the South. So, "If I had my druthers,..." means "If I had my preference,..." Then they would state what they would do if it were up to them, which it presumably wasn't. That exact phrase is virtually the only way you will ever hear it used, and just about no one actually uses it anymore.

[@carolynjensen412]

You guys are adorable. Love the accent. Y'all did great on the explanations of the southern words. thumbs up for you.

[@jdub8325]

Geeeeez.......Millie really is savage. I assume everything to her is a competition! Way to go, Millie! Great video, guys!! 🙂👍👍

[@thetardyowlvg9155]

I've always heard "piddling" in two ways. Either "a piddling amount" which means it's an amount so small, it's actually kind of insulting, or to mean wasting time, "I'm just piddling." My dad was fond of that one lol. Also, that "bless your heart" was flawless!

[@KimberlyFaith-jj6xb]

Piddlin means exactly what he thought....a little of nothing. "What are you doing?" "Just piddlin "

[@rhondahankins4026]

I grew up in Montana and we used the word buggy to refer to a baby buggy which is different than a stroller. The buggy is larger and is more like a bassinet on wheels with a handle to push it and a curved cover over one end to protect the baby from sun or rain. A stroller is more of just a seat that you place the baby or toddler in. It can also have a little shade hood. Strollers are more for toddlers and buggies are for infants.