Our next tasting, “Wines of the Wild West” with Buffalo John Eld may contain language
unfamiliar to our general membership.
Since Duolingo and Rosetta Stone have not yet provided us
with a language course in Texan, we would like to present this brief
guide. Although the text is in Texan,
you will be understood in most of the American Southwest with these handy
phrases. Ya’ll practice now, heah?
How To Speak Texan - Part One
A
Ah: The thing that you see with, or the personal
pronoun. “Ah think Ahv’e got somthin’ in
my ah.
Ahmoan: An expression of intent. “Ahmoan have a little drank o’ wine.”
Aint: The sister of your Mother or Father. “Go over there an’ give your Aint a big hug.”
All Ya’ll:
Plural form of the plural second person pronoun “ya’ll”. “Are all ya’ll goin’ with momenem?”
Arn: An electrical instrument used to remove
wrinkles from clothing. “Ahm not gonna
arn today. It’s too hot.”
Attair: A contraction used to indicate a specific
item. “Pass me attair gravy, please.”
Awl: Fluid used to lubricate engines. “Ah lak that car, but it sure does use a
lotta awl.”
B
Bard: To obtain the temporary use of. “He bard mah shovel, and never did bring it
back.”
Bawl: What water does at 212 degrees. “That gal cain’t even bawl water without
burnin’ it.”
Bobbuh: A person who cuts hair. “Ah think Ah’m gonna go to a different
bobbuh.”
Bub: A fragile glass object used for
illumination. “Ah think that bub’s burnt
out.”
C
Carry: To convey from one place to another. “Can you carry me down to the store in your
car?”
Cheer: A piece of furniture used for settin’. “Pull up a cheer and set a spell.”
Crine: Weeping.
“What’s that girl crine about?”
Cyst: To render aid. “May Ah cyst you with those packages, ma’am?”
D
Dawfins: The professional football team in Miami. “You think them Dawfins ever gone win the
Super Bowl?”
Doc: The condition of the absence of light. “It’s mighty doc in here.”
E
Et up with: Excessively afflicted by. “That woman’s jes et up with the jealousy.”
Etlanna: The capitol city of Jawja. “Etlanna is kinda lak New York only with
peachtrees.”
Eyetalyun: A native of Italy or a person of Italian
heritage. “You don’t have to be
Eyetalyun to lak spaghetti.”
F
Far: The product of combustion. “Ah reckon it’s about time to put out the
far.”
Fem: The essential ingredient in the creation of
photographs. “You sure you got fem in
that camera?”
Fixin’: The act
of preparation. “I’m fixin’ ta get
ready.”
Flares: The colorful part of a plant. “If yo wife’s mad at you, you better take her
some flares.”
Fur piece: A considerable distance. “It’s a fur piece from Dallas to Houston.”
G
Give up to be: Generally conceded. “She’s give up to be the best lookin’ woman
in the whole town.”
Goobers: Peanuts.
“It’s fun to put goobers in a Co-cola an’ watch it foam up.”
Good ole boy: Any Texan male between the ages of 16 and 60
who has an amiable disposition. “Ole
Hank’s a good ole boy.”
Gull: A female.
“She’s jes about the prettiest gal ah ever laid ahs on.”
H
Hale: The netherworld. “War is hale.”
Hard: To secure employment. “Ah didn’t git that job. They hard somebody else.”
Heepa: A great deal of. “You in a heepa trouble, boy.”
I
Idy: Idea.
“Have you got any idy how many tricks that dawg kin do?”
J
Jevver: Did you ever.
“Jevver hear anything so dumb in your whole laf?”
K
Keer: To be concerned. “That gal don’t keer nuthin’ bout him.”
Kumpny: Guests.
“Be home on time. We’re havin’
kumpny for supper.”
L
Lahf: The opposite of death. “Nobody ever said lahf would be easy.”
Laht: The opposite of dark. “We need mo’ laht in here.”
Like to: Almost.
“When Ginny saw that she had the same dress on, she like to died.”
M
Madge: The state of wedlock. “Seems like lots of madges end in divorce
nowadays.”
Mast: A facial disguise. “What kinda mast you gonna wear on
Halloween?”
Mere: Reflective glass. “Mere, mere on the wall, who’s the fairest of
‘em all?”
Moanin’: The time between daybreak and noon. “Good moanin’, Ma’am.”
Muchablige: Thank you.
“Muchablige for the ride, Suh.”
