How to speak Southern, lesson number 1536

[jmowreader]

"A right bunch" is 150.

Today a guy came to me looking for some reinforcing ladders. These are used when building a high-strength concrete block wall; they're embedded in mortar.

How many would you like? "A right bunch."

And how many is that? "You know. A right bunch."

Sir, I'm a Yankee. How many of these do you need? "Oh, I'm sorry! A hundred and fifty, please! And do you have rebar ties?"

Certainly, sir, how many? "A right bunch."

That would be 150? (Actually, they come in rolls of 1000.) "Eee-yup. And do you have grade stakes? I need a right bunch of those too." I counted out 150 without asking. "Yup, that's how many I need. Got any three-foot magnesium floats?"

You don't need a right bunch of those, do you? (At $68 per, you'd need a passel of money to afford a right bunch of those, and it would take me a week and a half to get 150 of them together.) "No, just three."

He left happy.

So all you people who are transplants to the South like me, remember: next time someone asks you for a right bunch of something, give him 150 and save all the conversation.

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

1. Right Bunch is NOT Coulter, Hannity, Limbaugh, & Savage? Go figger. <n/t>

[trof]

2. Shur that wadn't a "raht bunch"?

Sounds about raht to me.
;-)

[jmowreader]

4. Yeah, it was a raht bunch

Ah kinda figgered all y'all who've never been south of the Mason-Dixon line wouldn't be able to figger out what Ah was sayin' if I typed raht, so "right" I went.

[Unperson 309]

33. As My Ole Mama Woulda Said...

"Well, that's rat. Now I don' mean rat like a mousie rat, I mean rat like RAT NOW!"

It always got a laugh!

309

[WLKjr]

51. bwhahaahaha

I had that used on me once.

[happyending]

3. never heard of it

Are you writing from South Philadelphia?

[CO Liberal]

35. That Would Be "Sout Philly"

:-)

[trof]

5. "We need some 2 X 4s."

"How long you want 'em?"
"A long time, I guess. We're buildin' a house with 'em."
barumph-bumph

[CharlesGroce]

6. no no, it's Suthern

flatten that 'u' out a little. Suthern. Try it.

[trof]

9. "suhthuhn"

there

[happyending]

7. Ebonics?

How about posting some Ebonics jokes?

What's the difference between dissing the South and dissing Blacks?

Well, OK, there is a political difference. But outside of that, it's
just hateful.

[Unperson 309]

34. Now Son, Looka Here...

Y'all can take the boy outta the South, but you just caint take the South outta the BOY! Now if'n you think that describin' the way Suthunuhs TALK is spiteful an' triflin' y'all c'n just keep on keepin' ON, but y'all's gonna git yoseff IGNORED, Son!

...

When I get angry, I find that all my Mama's Southern accent comes right BACK to me! Oh, I learned to speak from the television, same as most other Americans, but get me riled and you'll HEAR the Tennessee comin' back! Am I ashamed of it? Hell NO! In FACT, a good old Blount County "come-to-Jesus Talkin'-to" just clears the air better than ANY Eastern clip or California sneer.

Now seddown an' think on that a spell. :)

We'ns the Rhea County Ellises, an PROUD of it.

309

[BlondieK143]

49. Blount County, eh??

That was my neighbor for 4 years. (Sevier County). Now I'm in Knox. *groan*

[Misunderestimator]

8. Never heard of it.... must not have been used in Texas

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

10. Ink Pin

not to be confused with the pin you use in sewing or on diapers.

You write with an ink pin.

[Tom_Foolery]

11. Let me tell you one thing...

you haven't lived until a green-eyed, redheaded southern belle walks in someplace and lays that drawl on you. There's no accent in this country that affects me that way.

[happyending]

12. prejudice much, jmowreader ? eom

[trof]

14. This Alabamian is not offended.

Funny stuff.

[happyending]

15. good for you,

but I do find such prejudice offensive.

[trof]

17. Read post 5.

Told to me as a Cajun joke.
By my Cajun brother-in-law.
I am not easily offended.
;-)

[mosin]

23. I didn't detect any prejudice.

Just a bit of innocent humor.

[belladonna]

20. Same here

I'm southern and I think it's just funny. I guess it all depends on the context, I didn't really get the impression that anyone was trying to put down Southerner's here. :shrug:

[happyending]

24. context?

OK, I am willing to hear what you have to say.

What "context" are you referring to?

[belladonna]

25. Did it sound to you as though he were putting this guy down?

As in "Wow, this guy sounded like a total moron!!"? It sounded to me as though he was just amused by what he perceives as a southern expression, period. I fail to find anything offensive about that. :shrug:

[happyending]

26. let's not put words in each other's mouths, OK?

Please explain "context".

[belladonna]

27. What words would those be?

Prejudice? Offensive? You clearly found jmowreader's post offensive and prejudicial and I simply agree with another poster that I, as a southerner myself, found nothing prejudicial or offensive about it. If you do, good enough. I don't come to the Lounge to get into flame wars.. if I want a flame war, I'll go to GD. Enough said. :)

Edited because I somehow got jmowreader's name wrong

[happyending]

28. Sorry you are offended

but if you can't hold your end up, you can't.

Let's part friends. OK, most of my friends understand the word "context" but I am willing to be your friend anyway.

Best Wishes. Good luck to you in all your endeavors.

[belladonna]

29. Most of my friends have a sense of humor

But I'm willing to be your friend anyway :eyes:

[happyending]

30. good

Now, tell some jokes about some other minorities.

[happyending]

31. and don't forget

"context"

(edited for spelling)

[WLKjr]

46. Southerners aren't minorities

just a region in America

[DS1]

40. That post is where you lost any chance of making a point.

Sorry.

We won't be 'parting friends' as we never were friends.

[happyending]

42. ?

"That post is where you lost any chance of making a point."

Excuse me, who are you?

[happyending]

43. and

If you think that I lost any chance of making a point at that point, please feel free to extrapolate.

[Maddy McCall]

32. Mississippian here. Lived all over the south all my life. Never heard...

anyone say such a thing. My experiences in dealing with southerners of all classes? If they want 150, they ask for 150.

This isn't a "southern thang."

[WLKjr]

47. I was in KY a lot

when I was a child with my grandparents. I have heard "a right bunch" before. I have been to other parts of KY and not heard terms like that. I don't think it's the whole south, just depends on what areas your in and it's backgroud.

[Forkboy]

53. "over react much happyending? eom"

[Lex]

13. born & raised in the South & never heard of it EVER

but what the heck--why not attribute it to all Southerners, it can't hurt, eh?

[argyl]

16. I'm a native Texan and you've heard that expression once more than I have

xx

[trof]

18. Well...I think he made the whole thing up.

hee
;-)

[mosin]

22. Ditto

I'm a native Texan, and I've never asked for a right bunch of anything.

[supernova]

19. A mess

It's a good thing you didn't want a mess of them ladders. :D

[trof]

21. Or a bait.

<snicker>

[CO Liberal]

36. In My Naitive NJ, A large Number of Something was a "Piss Pile"

As in a "piss pile of New Yorkers".....

:-)

[Unperson 309]

37. Or a Passel

Or a chunk or a slew!

Funny thing is... I didn't know the term "tide you over" meant to help you wait for something. Mama would give me a snack before supper saying "This'll tide you over."

Well, in school, once, I commented that Mama "tied me over" for dinner with a snack and she thought I meant with a rope!

That was one FUNNY phone call!

Other phrases I remember

"Quicker'n two shakes of a lamb's tail!"

"Lordamercy!" all one word.

"I'm up in the buggy."

"We're down to stems and pieces."

"He's got a tough row to hoe."

"Sweatin' like a monkey at an election."

"don't tell Daddy, he'd shit a blue bean!"

"When she heard, she about to had kittens with wire tails!"

and anyone remember dropping the glottal word "to"? as in "I'm goint' the store." or "He went' the hospital." I'm goint' the office, now."


309

[WLKjr]

50. Ah, child hood memories

lol, I had some folks that used quotes like that all the time and looking back on it I laugh even harder than I did then.

[TexasBushwhacker]

38. Another useful Southern expression ....

is "bless her heart" or "bless his heart". You can add that phrase to the end of the most disgusting insult and you still sound like a nice person.

Examples:

"Oh dear. Those pants make her butt look as wide as a wheelbarrow, BLESS HER HEART."

"That poor guy has breath that smells like a dead armadillo on a hot summer day, BLESS HIS HEART."

See how it works? Cool, huh?

[supernova]

39. Whole Volumes

could be written about the uses of "BLESS YOUR HEART"

[catzies]

41. My gradnmother used to say that, and now so do I

and 95% of Californians don't get it.

[AlFrankenFan]

44. I know!

Well, here's one Californian who does (not native - native to VA and CO actually).

[WLKjr]

48. Heard that one a lot too

and your right, you can tag it onto almost any kind of sentence. what's really funny is when you hear it a dozen times within a few minutes :P

[happyending]

45. Yo, Skinner!

Do you and DU endorse this kind of bigotry?

Please do me the kindness of giving me a straight reply.

[BlondieK143]

52. As a southern lady...

For the record, I find this funny as hell. Can't we all just get along?? :D I take no offense whatsoever.

I work as an On Call Coordinator in TN and let me just tell you, we cover quite a few parts of the south and I've heard some of the most country people in my entire life and LOVE it. :) Someone said it above, you can take people out of the country but you can't take the county out of the people!

Ya'll come back now, ya hear?