Only real Southerners know the meaning of these.
to the ever-charming “heavens to Betsy!”
Is it a compliment?
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Which Southern phrases are most commonly misused, misunderstood, or generally in need of some clarification?
Turns out, y’all have your opinions on the matter, sowe askedand you answered.
These are the 7 Southern phrases that people misuse the most.
Credit:Southern Living
Heres how we see it.
If youre hearing"bless your heart"in the South, it probably has an edge to it.
Yes, it can be abackhanded comment, but it can also be a genuine expression of sympathy.
Credit:Southern Living
For example, a bless his/her heart spoken in a whisper is often conspiratorial.
Yet, a bless your heart spoken directly with a kind smile is an expression of empathy or concern.
In the end, some bless your hearts are just plain sass.
Receiving this bless your heart is a Southern rite of passage.
Thats just how Southern scheduling goes.
No harm, no foul.
Newsflash: “Ya’ll” is not correct, and never will be.
The way we see it?
Not yall, nor all yall (though this is acceptable in a big group).
In short, putting on the dog has a very specific, yet flexible gist.
At the core, it means to put on a flashy display, or gussy it up.
If someone gets extra gussied upwere talking hot rollers and lipstickyou could note that they put on the dog.
It can go for people, events, items, or really anything a Southerner dubs it so.
For example, that boys porch light is on, but no ones home, God love em.
For example, Have you tried the fried chicken?
Mama put her foot in it tonight.
Basically, if you think you could’t, you won’t be able to accomplish something.
But if you think you’re able to, you’ll succeed.
If that sounds confusing or backwards when used in the sentence, get used to it.
Like most of these misused phrases, its not about semantics as much as tradition.
