Southern Sayings

Linda Kay Baker

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The Southern Voice

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3 min read

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2 days ago

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Sayings and Their Meanings

“Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise” — Have you heard the saying “Good Lord Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise? It means with good luck and no problems we can be successful. It appears to be saying we will be successful if we have good luck, and the creek does not flood but this is not what it means. The word creek in this saying, refers to the Creek Indians rising instead of water. The Creek, one of the Five Civilized Tribes that included the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole. These tribal groups of American Indians joined together and formed the Creek Confederacy in the early 1800s. Their purpose was to wage war against the white settlers who wanted their lands. The Creek Confederacy lived in the area we now call Alabama and Georgia. The phrase “The Good Lord willing and the Creek don’t rise” means we can complete a project if the Good Lord is willing and the Creek don’t rise up and start a battle. Some believe it refers to a creek of water, so you decide.

“Possum Up a Gum Tree” — As with most phrases, the origin rather than the meaning is in doubt. Possum up a gum tree has many meanings. It can mean ‘in great difficulties’, ‘in a state of contentment’ or ‘with great speed’. I remember it meaning in great difficulties. The phrase “Possum up a gum tree” conjures up an image of possums up a tree after being chased by hounds. Depending on your point of view, the possum could be in trouble because it was up the tree, and the hounds below would not let him down. It could mean the possum was content because the hounds could not get to him. It also could mean he moved with great speed to get to the top of the tree away from the hounds. Whatever the meaning, try not to be a possum up a gum tree!

“A Month of Sundays” -If someone says they have not seen you in a month of Sundays, what do they mean? Well, they mean it has been a long, long time. Most months have 30 or 31 days, so a month of Sundays is an expression meaning an extremely long period. The phrase can also be applied to an event. You might say that will happen in a month of Sundays, meaning you don’t think it will happen, or it means you have just attended an event that seemed to last a month of Sundays. Inactivity can lead to boredom, and that can make time feel longer than it is. So, if you are bored, it could seem like a month of Sundays with extra-long and boring days. Try not to be bored. Enjoy the wonderful world God has given us.

“I Don’t Chew My Cabbage Twice” — Have you ever watched the Andy Griffith Show? If so, you might remember a character named Ernest T. Bass, a wild, rowdy hillbilly with a knack for making trouble. When Andy and Barney heard “Howdy-do to you and you. It’s me, it’s me, it’s Ernest T.!” They knew trouble was not far behind. When Bass came to town, they knew his hurling rocks would follow it through glass windows. He called himself “the best rock thrower in the county. Bass was played by Howard Morris. Bass was known for saying, “I don’t chew my cabbage twice.” When he said that, he simply meant he would not repeat himself. Bass’s character used a lot of old sayings, and if you watch the Andy Griffith Show, then “You ain’t seen the last of Ernest T. Bass!”

“Between a Rock and a Hard Place” — The phrase “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” usually means you are in a very difficult position or facing a hard decision. The origin of the idiom ‘between a rock and a hard place’ can be found in ancient Greek mythology. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus must pass between Charybdis, a treacherous whirlpool, and Scylla, a horrid man-eating, cliff dwelling monster. Ever since saying one is stuck between a rock (the cliff) and a hard place (the whirlpool) has been a way to describe being in a dilemma succinctly. Taken from: Between a Rock and a Hard Place | Phrase Definition, Origin & Examples (gingersoftware.com)