As a writer, one of the best things about the English language is its speakers love of borrowing words from other languages. If English speakers don’t have a word for something, we’re happy to borrow some one else’s.
Perhaps a more unique characteristic of English is the enormous number of unofficial slang words spoken throughout the vast areas in which English is a native language. Many of these words — such as Appalachia’s whistle pig for groundhog — are basically unknown to English speakers outside of particular areas.
The advent of radio and television broadcasting — the very name connotes appealing to as many people as possible — has meant that many of these localisms are fading away into history. The digital age has only accelerated this process thanks to the ability of people sharing like interests to congregate into forums, blogs, and social media groups where they develop their own cultural slang (Leet is but one interesting example of this.)
Language is both present and history so to try and combat this linguistic loss, the organization behind the The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) has come up with a list of 50 words that it says are “on the cusp of extinction” and is asking podcasters to begin using and explaining the words in their own programs. The first large organization to take up the challenge is the podcast portal Acast.
Here’s hoping their sonsy attempt to fleech the rest of us into using these words works out.
The full list of words is below.
Barn burner: a wooden match that can be struck on any surface. Chiefly Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, Maryland
Bat hide: a dollar bill. Chiefly Southwest
Be on one’s beanwater: to be in high spirits, feel frisky. Chiefly New England
Bonnyclabber: thick, sour milk. Chiefly North Atlantic
Counterpin: a bedspread. Chiefly South, South Midland
Croker sack: a burlap bag. Chiefly Gulf States, South Atlantic
Cuddy: a small room, closet, or cupboard.
Cup towel: a dish towel. Chiefly Texas, Inland South
Daddock: rotten wood, a rotten log. Chiefly New England
Dish wiper: a dish towel. Chiefly New England
Dozy: of wood: decaying. Chiefly Northeast, especially Maine
Dropped egg: a poached egg. Chiefly New England
Ear screw: an earring. Chiefly Gulf States, Lower Mississippi Valley
Emptins: homemade yeast used as starter. Chiefly New England, Upstate NY
Farmer match: a wooden match than can be struck on any surface. Chiefly Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, New York, West Virginia
Fleech: to coax, wheedle, flatter. South Atlantic
Fogo: An offensive smell. Chiefly New England
Frog strangler: a heavy rain. Chiefly South, South Midland
Goose drownder: a heavy rain. Chiefly Midland
I vum: I swear, I declare. Chiefly New England
Larbo: a type of candy made of maple syrup on snow. New Hampshire
Last button on Gabe’s coat: the last bit of food. Chiefly South, South Midland
Leader: a downspout or roof gutter. Chiefly New York, New Jersey
Nasty-neat: overly tidy. Scattered, but especially Northeast
Parrot-toed: pigeon-toed. Chiefly Mid Atlantic, South Atlantic
Pin-toed: pigeon-toed. Especially Delaware, Maryland, Virginia
Popskull: cheap or illegal whiskey. Chiefly Southern Appalachians
Pot cheese: cottage cheese. Chiefly New York, New Jersey, northern Pennsylvania, Connecticut
Racket store: a variety store. Especially Texas
Sewing needle: a dragonfly. Especially Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Massachusetts [Folk lore says that it would sew up one’s eyes and mouth (or fingers and toes) if one fell asleep outside.]
Shat: a pine needle. Chiefly Delaware, Maryland, Virginia
Shivering owl: a screech owl. Chiefly South Atlantic, Gulf States [Its cry is said to portend a death in the family or other ill omen.]
Skillpot: a turtle. Chiefly District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia
Sonsy: cute, charming, lively. Scattered
Spill: a pine needle. Chiefly Maine
Spin street yarn: to gossip. Especially New England
Spouty: of ground: soggy, spongy. Scattered
Suppawn: corn meal mush. Chiefly New York
Supple-sawney: a homemade jointed doll that can be made to “dance.” Scattered
Tacker: a child, especially a little boy. Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania
Tag: a pine needle. Chiefly Virginia
To bag school: to play hooky. Chiefly Pennsylvania, New Jersey
Tow sack: a burlap bag. Chiefly South, South Midland, Texas, Oklahoma
Trash mover: a heavy rain. Chiefly Mid Atlantic, South Atlantic, Lower Mississippi Valley
Tumbleset: a somersault. Chiefly Southeast, Gulf States; also Northeast
Wamus: a men’s work jacket. Chiefly North Central, Pennsylvania
Whistle pig: a groundhog (also known as woodchuck). Chiefly Appalachians
Winkle-hawk: a three-cornered tear in cloth. Chiefly Hudson Valley, New York
Work brittle: eager to work. Chiefly Midland, especially Indiana
Zephyr: a light scarf. Scattered
