25 words and phrases you'll only hear in the South

In a Southern home, "hold your horses" is used when someone is being impatient. In other words, the idiom means "wait" or "hang on a minute." The words originally had a literal meaning, which was used to command horses to slow down.

The phrase means "for a long time; forever." According to dictionary.com, a Southerner could use the idiom like this: "You can keep arguing till the cows come home, but I won't change my mind."

"Y'all" is typical Southern slang, but it's also a proper contraction (you all = y'all). Southerners say this word all the time.

Apparently, this expression entered the mainstream at the end of the film "Casablanca," when Humphrey Bogart says to Ingrid Bergman, "Ilsa, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world."

"Bless your heart" has many different meanings in the South. Sometimes it's used as a passive-aggressive insult (a nice way for a polite Southerner to tell you that you're wrong), and sometimes it's used as an exclamation. The importance is the tone used.

"Fixin' to" is a common phrase, especially in the South Atlantic and Gulf states, like Georgia and Florida.

"Over yonder" is a phrase that means something's still typically in your line of sight, but far away.

"Yonder" actually comes from a Dutch word, "ginder," which means "over there." It was adapted into famous Southern literary works, such as Mark Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," and has been used in the South ever since.

In states known for their peaches, "pretty as a peach" is as good as a compliment gets.

Some trace this exclamation back to the Revolutionary War and Betsy Ross, but there's no evidence of where "heavens to Betsy" really came from.

Hens sometimes enter a phase of "broodiness," meaning that they'll do anything to incubate their eggs and will get agitated when farmers try to collect them. Farmers thus dunk hens in cold water to "break" their broodiness... and hens don't like that one bit.

"Cattywampus" comes from the 19th century, and is a variation of the word "catawampus," which can mean destructive.

When a pig dies outside, the sun will dry out its skin, pulling its lips back to reveal a toothy "grin," making it look happy. This expression refers to someone who may be blissfully ignorant of something.

This phrase is often used by Southerners to answer the question, "How are you?" While we all know frogs don't have hair, it means to ironically highlight just how dandy you feel.

The phrase reportedly originated in C. Davis' "Diary of 1865."

"Crawdad" is mostly used in Louisiana, but is common across the South. Sometimes crawfish are also called freshwater lobsters or mountain lobsters.

You'll mostly hear this one in the deep South, like Georgia or Alabama, and often in regards to food.

"Might could" just refers to a possible willingness or ability to do something.

Imagine a horse eating a carrot, and you'll get the picture.

"Take your own sweet time" means that someone is doing something as slowly as they feel like, even though everyone else wants them to hurry up. It's often used sarcastically.

Apparently, there once was a Sam Hill that used such vulgar language that his name became a euphemism for cuss words. Southerners love using euphemisms in place of real swearing.

This expression of complete shock is typically a reaction to a recent revelation.

Other options for this word include "dohickey," "thingamabob," and "whatchamacallit." These terms have been popularized by popular children's stories, like "The Little Mermaid," as well as Dr. Suess books.

You may hear "soda" in the Northeast or "pop" in the Midwest, but if you're in the South, all soda is referred to as "Coke."

Southerners love to make things sound nicer than they are, so "hush up" is a way to tell someone to "shut up" without sounding too harsh. "Shut up" is viewed as rather rude in the South.

Sometimes this can mean a poorly clothed or disreputable person, as well.

"Goodness gracious" comes from the 1700s, and can mean surprise, shock, or dismay.

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