Bless Your Heart

The south is known for many things, such as Home cooking, southern culture, and language. Here is a list of ten of my favourite southern sayings and what they mean. 

WARNING: Some of these sayings may not be politically correct, but they are part of the culture. I have chosen to include them as they are all sayings that I personally grew up with and know was used in North Carolina. 

1. Bless your heart: Whoever is saying this is not being kind to the person they are talking about. Saying, 'Bless their heart', is like saying that poor thing. The person being referenced is usually being ridiculed for being ignorant or stupid about something. 
2. He ain't got the sense God gave a piss-ant: This was one of my great-grandma's favourites. It's pretty self-explanatory. As you can imagine, ants will have tiny brains and as little sense to go with them. So, by comparing your intelligence to a 'piss-ant', the person is saying you are of lower intelligence. 
3. So lazy, they wouldn't work in a pie factory: I heard this one a lot growing up. The women in my family would usually be talking about someone male when using this one. An additional part of the saying is either 'tasting pies' or 'licking spoons', but my family never used the endings. It means that the person is too lazy to hold down a job, no matter how easy it is. 
4. Fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down: This is a colourful way of saying someone is not very attractive. You can probably tell by now, that southern sayings are blunt at best. 
5. You don't know your ass from a hole in the ground: This essentially means that the person has no idea what they are doing. 
6. Nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs: Many southern phrases are self-explanatory, but it means that someone is worried that something terrible is about to happen. 
7. Bless their cotton socks: Unlike Bless your heart, bless their cotton socks is a sign of empathy and feeling. When this phrase is used, the speaker hopes the best for the spoken person-usually, children. 
8. Wait a cotton-picking minute: This saying has racial overtures, and while it was used a lot when I was younger, I don't know if it still is. But, the overall meaning is to tell someone to wait in an angry tone. Cotton picking is used instead of a swear word. 
9. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear: My Grandma used to use this one as well. It means that you can not make something of quality out of something inferior. Once again, this was derogatory and was used to talk about people seen as lower class. 
10. Doesn't have a pot to piss in (or a window to throw it out): My mama used to say this one. It means that the person being spoken about is too poor to be able to afford basic amenities. They are living in abject poverty. 

All of these are saying that I have heard growing up as a child of the south. Of course, there are many more, but I want to leave you with one extra one. My Mama used it as a mantra, and it stuck with me through the years. 

Hope for the best, but fear the worst: It means that while you try to keep positive, you also have to be ready for the negative. But, if you think about it, it's a pretty good outlook to have.