If you’ve lived in the United States for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed that this nation is HUGE. As I remember hearing in FFA in high school, there are fifty states spread all the way from “the state of Alaska to Puerto Rico, and from the state of Maine to Hawaii.” As of 2019, the United States comprises over three and a half million square miles of land and is populated by over 300 million people.
With a nation spanning this much land and humanity, there are bound to be regional differences. Each part of the country has its own way of life and speech. Sometimes these differences melt into daily life so much that we don’t notice them, but they definitely exist, especially in Southern Missouri. Here are 15 examples of words, phrases, and pronunciations you’ll hear around here that may make visitors think we’re crazy. See how many you recognize!
1) Warsh/worsh
Translation: wash
I’ve heard that this one isn’t unique to Southern Missouri, but it still may be confusing to hear for some. My husband tells a story from school when he was counted off on a history paper about George Washington because though he spelled the name correctly throughout the paper, he titled his paper “George Warshington.” 😂
Example:
Mom: Nick, you’d better go warsh the dishes right now, and I mean it!
2) A coon’s age
Translation: a very long time
To verify the definition of this one, I looked on Urban Dictionary.com. They called this a “hickbilly” term. So that’s what we are around here: “hickbilly.” LOL! Fun fact: raccoons live to be about 8 years old.
Example:
Larry: I haven’t been fishin’ in a coon’s age!
3) Toe-let
Translation: Toilet
We used to have a blast roasting a friend of mine in high school who pronounced it this way. I know some people who carry this way of speech over to the word, “oil,” making it sound like “ohl.”
Example:
Charley: Uh-oh, guys, I gotta go use the toe-let.
4) Spicket/water spicket
Translation: spigot, hydrant
I had to dig online to find what people outside of Southern Missouri call this thing. I’ve always called it a spigot, though I’ve heard the “spicket” pronunciation often. Turns out everyone else calls it a hydrant, and it’s impossible to find a good picture of a real one online! I had to take my own picture in my backyard of the red one with the pull-up handle. Who knew?
Example:
Child: I’m thirsty!
Dad: Go get a drink from that spicket.
5) Youns/yins/yinz
Translation: plural of you
When I moved to Missouri in 2005 and heard this for the first time, I couldn’t begin to guess what it meant or where it came from. I’ve since learned its definition and that it has a peculiar connection to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: it’s the only other part of the country that uses this word (see book reference below). People around here who tend to say “youns” tend to frown upon use of the word “y’all”, which is grammatically correct and is what I heard all the time when I lived in Georgia. Some of my family members who have lived here over 10 years still make fun of this word.
Example:
Bob: See you later, Bill!
Bill: Yep. Youns have a good one!
6) Accrosst
Translation: across
It took me several years before I started noticing this pronunciation, and I noticed it first in Northern Arkansas. Then I heard it from Missouri speakers and I am forever sensitized to this quirk. I’d be fascinated to find out where on Earth this additional syllable came from. It’s similar to number 7.
Example:
Speaker: Go accrosst that bridge and you’ll get to May’s house.
7) Wished
Translation: wish
This is a word in the American English language, but in the Ozarks you’ll often hear people say this past tense verb when they really mean the present tense, “wish.” I’ve been noticing this quirk of the dialect for years now, but it still takes me a second to translate in my brain when people use this regional pronunciation. Forgive me if you say it and I stare at you blankly for a moment while the gears turn.
Example:
Sarah: “Zack, it’s really cold out, but you’re wearing a t-shirt!”
Zack: “Yeah, I wished I had a coat on.”
9) If you don’t care to
Translation: If it wouldn’t inconvenience you, If you don’t mind
I clearly remember hearing this when I first moved here and the phrase driving some of my family members crazy. Funny thing is, they’ve picked it up themselves by now. 😉
Example:
Ellen: Can I pick up some eggs from the store for you?
Kelsey: Sure, if you don’t care to.
10) Wall ago
Translation: a while ago
This is one of the easier unique pronunciations to understand when first you hear it, though it could mean a week ago or twenty years ago! Every time someone says the phrase this way, though, I’m pleasantly reminded of my Ozarks home. It’s a solid example of the regional accent.
Example:
Joe: Wow, we got a lot of rain this week.
Mark: Not as much as we had wall ago.
11) Wasper
Translation: wasp
I just heard this one for the first time the other day, but my husband swears he’s said it all his life. Who knew? I’ll probably learn another Ozarks term every year of my life. I’m okay with that. 😊
Example:
Kellie: I’m ready for winter to kill all the bugs. I just swatted a wasper in my living room!
12) Fixin’ to
Translation: getting ready to (do something)
This one is very Southern and common around the Ozarks! If you say it elsewhere you might be asked, “What’s broken that you need to fix?” 😊
Example:
Dave: That tree in your yard looks awful.
Jerry: I’m fixin’ to get my chainsaw and cut it down!
13) Yon’t to
Translation: You want to
Most often used for questions, this pronunciation takes the Southern accent and runs with it! If you hear somebody say it this way, you can be sure they are comfortable with who they are as an Ozarkian.
Example:
Mabel: Yon’t to go to the café for dinner?
Jim: Yeah, I’m starving!
14) Done did
Translation: have done
If this one doesn’t make much sense, you can just leave off “done” in your mind. My brain goes in circles trying to turn this phrase into something grammatically okay when I know it can never happen!
Example:
Lila: [spills a glass of milk]
James: Oh, you done did it now!
15) Visit
Translation: chat, make small talk
My Grandpa from Kansas uses this term, too, but I’m including it because I didn’t know what it meant when I first moved here! If you’re in that same circumstance, I gift this translation to you now gladly, because you’re going to hear this all the time in the Ozarks and I don’t want you to have to stare blankly in confusion.
Example:
Friend: Come sit and visit with me a while!
For more examples and fascinating language analysis, see the book Speaking American: How Y’all, Youse, and You Guys Talk by J.T. Katz (2016, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Check for it at your local library!
Is this the first time you’ve heard some of these? Have you heard them elsewhere? Did I miss anything? Comment below!
Savoring the moment,
Preserving the Present 