The black border

by Ambrose Elliott Gonzalez

Vocabulary

The following list contains some seventeen hundred words. About this vocabulary two things are to be noted:

First, the Gullah is entirely a spoken, never a written, language;

Second, these 1,700 and odd words are so extended and applied according to Gullah usage as to serve the purpose and scope of at least 5,000 English words.

• A
• Aa’gyfy—argue, argues, argued, arguing.
• Aa’gyment—argument, arguments.
• Aa’m—arm, arms.
• Aa’my—army, armies.
• Abbuhtize—advertise, advertises, advertised, advertising.
• Ab’nue—avenue, avenues.
• Acksident—accident, accidents.
• Acquaintun—acquainted. (See “’quaintun”).
• Adswocate—advocate, advocates, advocated, advocating.
• Aff’ikin—African, Africans.
• Aff’iky—Africa.
• Afo’sed—aforesaid.
• Agguhnize—agonize, agonizes, agonized, agonizing.
• Aig—(n. and v.) egg, eggs, egged, egging; as “him aig’um on.”
• Aige—(n. and v.) edge, edges, edged, edging.
• Ain’—(ain’t) is not, isn’t. (See “ent” and “yent”).
• Ainjul—angel, angels.
• Alldo’—although. (See “’do’”).
• Alligettuh—alligator, alligators. (See “’gatuh”).
• Allimunny—alimony.
• Alltime—all the time, always.
• Alltwo—both, also each.
• All ub uh sudd’n/All ub uh sudd’nt/All ub uh sutt’n—all of a sudden, suddenly.
• Ambrelluh—umbrella, umbrellas.
• Annimel—animal, animals.
• Anodduh/Anudduh—another.
• Ansuh—answer, answers, answered, answering. Also used for message, especially for one requiring an answer; as: “Uh sen’ uh ansuh to de gal fuh tell’um uh wan’ hab’um fuh wife”—I sent a message to the girl to tell her that I wanted to marry her.
• Ap’un—apron, aprons.
• Arey/Aruh—each, either.
• Ashish—ashes.
• Attacktid—attacked. (See “’tack’” and “’tacktid”).
• Attuh—after.
• Attuhr’um—after him, her, it, them.
• Attuhw’ile—after a while.
• Augus’—August.
• Aw—a queer word, sometimes used instead of “fuh true;” meaning, it is true, in truth.
• Awkuhmun—Ackerman—name of a white family.
• Ax—ask, asks, asked, asking.
• Axil—axle, axles.
• Ax’me—ask, asks, asked, asking me.
• Ax’um—ask or asked him, her, it, them.
• B
• Baa’buh—barber, barbers.
• Baa’k—(n. and v.) bark, barks, barked, barking.
• Baa’nwell—Barnwell. A low-country family name.
• Baa’nyaa’d/Ba’nyaa’d—barnyard, barnyards.
• Bactize—baptize, baptizes, baptized, baptizing.
• Bad mout’—bad mouth—a spell, a form of curse.
• Baid—beard, beards.
• Baig—beg, begs, begged, begging.
• Baig’um—beg, begs, begged, begging him, her, it, them.
• Bait’um—bait, baits, baited, baiting him, her, it, them.
• Bakin—bacon.
• Balmuhral sku’t—Balmoral skirt—a dark worsted underskirt with red stripes above the hem, of the time of Queen Victoria and named for her castle at Balmoral.
• ’Bandun—abandon, abandons, abandoned, abandoning.
• Baptis’—Baptist, Baptists.
• Barril—barrel, barrels.
• Barruh—barrow, a bacon hog.
• Bawn—born.
• Bayre—bare, bares, bared, baring.
• Beabuh—beaver, beavers.
• Beagle—fox hound, fox hounds.
• Bedout/Bidout—without, unless, except.
• Beebu’d—bee-martin, king bird or Tyrannus Tyrannus.
• Beefu’t—Beaufort.
• Beehibe—beehive, beehives.
• Befo’—before; as: “Befo’ de wah.” (See “’fo’”).
• Befo’ day—before day. (See “crack-uh-day,” and “’fo’ day”).
• Behabe—behave, behaves, behaved, behaving.
• Behime/Behin’/Behine—behind.
• Bekase/Bekasew’y—because, because why.
• Behol’—behold, beholds, beheld, beholding.
• Belluh—bellow, bellows, bellowed, bellowing.
• Bellus—bellows (blacksmith’s).
• Bemean—to be mean to any one, to slander, abuse.
• Ben’—bend, bends, bent, bending.
• Benus—(sometimes “Wenus”)—Venus.
• Berry—(sometimes “werry”)—very.
• Berrywell—very well.
• Berrywellden—very well then.
• Bes’—best.
• Bettuh—better.
• Bex—vex, vexes, vexing; angry, anger, angers, angered, angering.
• Bidness—business.
• Biggin—begin, begins, begun, began.
• Bigguh—bigger.
• Bighouse—the Master’s house.
• Bile—boil, boils, boiled, boiling.
• Bilin’—boiling.
• Billige/Billage—village, villages.
• Bimebye/Bumbye—bye and bye.
• Bin—been, was.
• Binnuh—been, was, was a; as: “W’en uh binnuh boy”—when I was a boy.
• Bittle—victuals, food.
• Blackbu’d—blackbird, blackbirds.
• Blan—belong, belongs, belonged, belonging; used redundantly; as: “Da’ gal him blan blonx to my Maussuh”—That girl she belonged to belong, or used to belong, to my Master.
• B’leebe—believe, believes, believed, believing.
• ’Bleege—oblige, obliges, obliged, obliging.
• Bline—(n. and v.) blind, blinds, blinded, blinding.
• Bline Gawd—blind God—personal idol or fetish of African suggestiveness whose aid is invoked to further the desires of its owner.
• B’long/Blonx—belong, belongs, belonged, belonging.
• Bloodynoun—the great bullfrog of the swamps.
• Boa’d—(n. and v.) board, boards, boarded, boarding.
• Bodduh—bother, bothers, bothered, bothering; worry, worries, worried, worrying.
• Bodduhr’um—bother, bothers, bothered, or bothering him, her, it, them.
• Bofe—both. (See “alltwo”).
• Bol’—bold.
• Borruh—borrow, borrows, borrowed, borrowing.
• Boun’—bound, resolved upon.
• ’Bout—about.
• Bowre—bore, bores, bored, boring.
• Brawtus—broadus, lagniappe.
• Breas’—breast, breasts.
• Bredduh—(also brudduh) brother, brethren (formal).
• Brekwus’/Brukwus’—breakfast, breakfasts.
• Bresh—brush, brushwood; brush, brushes, brushed, brushing.
• Bress—bless, blesses, blessed, blessing.
• Bre’t’—breath.
• Briah—briar, briars.
• Brinly—brindled.
• Britchin’—breeching (harness).
• Britchis/Britchiz—breeches, trousers.
• Bruk—break, breaks, broke, breaking, broken; “bruk-foot man”—a broken-legged man.
• Bruk-aa’m—broken-arm.
• Bruk-foot—broken-foot, or leg.
• Bruk’up—break up, broke up, broken up: “De meetin’ done bruk’up.”
• Bruro—bureau, as “Freedmun’ bruro.”
• Brustle—bustle, bustles.
• Bubbuh/Budduh—(familiar) brother.
• Buckruh—a white person or persons; the white people.
• Buckruh-bittle—white man’s food.
• Buckruh-Nigguh—white man’s Negro, used contemptuously.
• Bucksley—Berkeley (county).
• Bud—bud, buds, budded, budding.
• Bu’d—bird, birds.
• Bu’dcage—birdcage, birdcages.
• Buh—brother, as “Buh Rabbit.”
• Buhhime/Buhhine—behind.
• Buhr—burr, burrs.
• Bull-yellin’—bull-yearling, or yearlings.
• Bu’n—burn, burns, burned, burning.
• Burruh—burrow, burrows, burrowed, burrowing.
• Buss’/Bus’—burst, bursts, bursting.
• Butt’n—button, buttons, buttoned, buttoning.
• Buzzum—bosom, bosoms.
• Buzzut—buzzard, buzzards; vulture, vultures.
• C
• ’Cajun—occasion, occasions.
• Callicro—calico.
• Cannibel—cannibal, cannibals.
• Cantuh—canter, canters, cantered, cantering.
• Catt’rack—cataract, cataracts (eye).
• ’Cause—because. (See “bekase”).
• Caw Caw Swamp—a great low-country savanna.
• ’Cawch—scorch, scorches, scorched, scorching.
• Cawn—corn.
• Cawnfiel’—corn field, corn fields.
• Cawnstalk—corn stalk, corn stalks.
• Cawnuh—(n. and v.) corner, corners, cornered, cornering.
• Cawprul—corporal, corporals.
• Cawpse—corpse, corpses; coffin, coffins.
• Cawpsus—“corpus;” as: “cawpsus politicksus”—body politic.
• Cawsett—corset, corsets.
• Cawss’—(n. and v.) cost, costs, costing.
• ’Ceebe/’Ceibe—deceive, deceives, deceived.
• ’Ceebin’/’Ceibin’—deceiving.
• ’Ceitful—deceitful.
• ’Cep’/’Cep’m/’Cep’n—except, excepts, excepted, excepting; accept, accepts, accepted, accepting; unless.
• Chaa’ge—charge, charges, charged, charging.
• Chaa’stun—Charleston, S. C. (See “Town”).
• Chany—china, chinaware.
• Chanyberry—Chinaberry, or Pride of India tree.
• Chaw—chew, chews, chewed, chewing; also noun, as of tobacco.
• Cheep—cheep, cheeps, cheeped, cheeping.
• Cheer—chair, chairs.
• Chicagyo—Chicago.
• Chickin—chicken, chickens.
• Chile—child, children.
• Chillun—child, children.
• Chimbly—chimney, chimneys.
• Chinkypen—chinquapin, chinquapins.
• Chizzum—Chisolm—a low country family name.
• Chop’tongue—hounds with short yelp; the cry of the modern English fox-hound, as distinguished from the long bell-like notes of the Carolina deer-hounds.
• Chris’mus—Christmas.
• Chryce—Christ.
• Chu’ch—church, churches.
• Chu’chyaa’d—churchyard, churchyards.
• Chuckwilluh—Chuck-Will’s Widow, used to indicate the wide-open mouth of a hungry child.
• Chuesday—Tuesday.
• Chune—(n. and v.) tune, tunes; tune, tunes, tuned, tuning (up).
• Chunk—(n. and v.) chunk, chunks, chunked, chunking.
• Chupid/Chupit—stupid.
• Clawt’—cloth.
• ’Cla’ to Gawd—declare to God—a mild oath.
• Climb—climb, climbs, climbed, climbing.
• Coa’se—coarse.
• ’Coat—petticoat, petticoats (man’s “coat” is always “jacket”).
• Coax—coax, coaxes, coaxed, coaxing.
• Cockspuhr—cockspur, cockspurs.
• Cohoot—cahoot, agreement, association with, as: “Me en’ Joe gone een uh cohoot fuh kill de buckruh’ cow.”
• Cohort—colleague, colleagues.
• Col’—cold.
• Colluh—collar, collars, collared, collaring.
• Colluh—color, colors (“we colluh,” our color, or Negroes).
• Come—come, comes, came, coming.
• Come’yuh—come here.
• Commikil—comical, peculiar.
• Conkywine—concubine, concubines; used for masculine as well as for feminine affiliations.
• Connoo/Coonoo/Cunnoo—canoe, canoes.
• Consaa’n/Cunsaa’n—(n. and v.) concern, concerns, concerned, concerning.
• Consecrate lye—concentrated lye.
• Consumpshus/Cunsumpshus—consumption.
• Contestuss—contested, contesting.
• Contuhdix—contradict, contradicts, contradicted, contradicting.
• Cook—cook, cooks, cooked, cooking.
• Cootuh—cooter, cooters; terrapin, terrapins.
• Co’se—course, courses, as of a stream.
• ’Co’se—course, of course.
• Co’t—(n. and v.) court, courts; court, courts, courted, courting.
• Couldn’—could not.
• Could’uh—could have.
• Counstubble—constable, constables.
• Cow—cow, cows; bull, bulls; ox, oxen; cattle.
• Cow-paat’—cow-path.
• Crack ’e bre’t’—crack his or her breath; same as “crack ’e teet’.”
• Crack ’e teet’—crack, cracks, cracked, cracking his, her or their teeth, meaning opened her or his mouth to speak; as: “’E yent crack ’e teet’”—She never opened her mouth.
• Crack-uh-day—crack or break of day.
• Crap—(n. and v.) crop, crops; crops, cropped, cropping.
• ’Crape—(n. and v.) scrape, scrapes, scraped, scraping.
• ’Cratch—(n. and v.) scratch, scratches, scratched, scratching.
• Credenshul—credential, credentials.
• Credik—(n. and v.) credit, credits, credited, crediting.
• Creetuh—creature, creatures. Commonly applied to a beast of burden.
• Crik—creek, creeks.
• Crookety—crooked; also tricky, unreliable.
• Cross-road—the cross roads.
• Crucify—crucify, crucifies, crucified, crucifying; also improperly used for testify, testifies, testified, testifying.
• Cucklebuhr—cockleburr, cockleburrs.
• Cuhlumbia—Columbia.
• Cuhlumbus—Columbus.
• Culloo—curlew, curlews.
• Cullud—colored, colored people, the dark race
• Cumbee—the Combahee river, also the lands lying along the stream. This is, by the way, the correct pronunciation.
• Cumplain—(n. and v.) complain, complains, complained, complaining; complaint, complaints.
• Cump’ny—company, companies.
• Cumposhashun/Cumpuhshashun/Compuhshashun—conversation, talk, parley, interrogatories, argument.
• Cundemn/Condemn—condemn, condemns, condemned, condemning; but more frequently used to denote guilt or the appearance of guilt; as: “W’en uh ketch Joe wid de hog, ’e look so cundemn.”
• Cunfushun—confusion.
• Cumplain—(n. and v.) complain, complains, complained.
• Cuntrady—contrary, provoking.
• Cunweenyunt—convenient, conveniently, convenience.
• Cunweenyuntly—conveniently.
• Cunwenshun—convention, conventions.
• Cuss—(n. and v.) curse, curses, cursed, cursing.
• Cut’down, or TEK’DOWN—dejected, chagrined.
• Cuz/Cuz’n—cousin, cousins. (Shakespeare’s “coz”).
• Cya’—carry, carries, carried, carrying.
• Cyaa’/Cyaar—car, cars.
• Cyaaf—(n. and v.) calf, calves; to calve, etc.
• Cyaam—calm, calms; “uh cyaam sea.”
• Cyaa’pentuh/Cyaa’p’ntuh—carpenter, carpenters.
• Cyaaridge—carriage, carriages.
• Cyaa’t—cart, carts.
• Cyackly/Cackle—cackle, cackles, cackled, cackling.
• Cyan’—can’t.
• Cyas’—cast, casts, casting.
• Cyas’net—cast-net used for taking shrimp and mullet from tidal creeks.
• Cya’um—carry, carried, etc., him, her, it, them.
• Cyo’—cure, cures, cured, curing.
• D
• Da’/Dat—that.
• Daa’k—dark.
• Daa’ky—darken, darkens, darkened, darkening.
• Daa’tuh—daughter, daughters.
• Da’ dey—that there.
• Dainjus—dangerous.
• Damidge—(n. and v.) damage, damages, damaged, damaging.
• Day-bruk—day-break, day has broken.
• Dayclean—broad daylight.
• Dead—dead; die, dies, died, dying.
• Debble’ub’uh—devil of a.
• Decembuh—December.
• Deef—deaf.
• Deepo’—depot, railway station.
• Deestruss—distress. (See “distruss”).
• Deestunt—decent, respectable.
• Dem—them, they, those, their, theirs. Also used for “and them,” as “Sancho dem,” meaning Sancho and his companions.
• Dem’own—theirs, their own.
• Demself—them, they, themselves.
• Den—then, than.
• Den—(v.) to den, stay in a den.
• ’Denticul—identical.
• De Rock—the “Rock,” or phosphate mines near Charleston.
• Des’—just, as “des’ so,” just so. (See also “jis’”).
• Dese—these.
• Deseyuh—these here.
• Desso/Disso—just so. (See “jesso”).
• De’t’—death.
• Dey—they.
• Dey—there.
• Dey dey—there, there; right there; a repetition for greater emphasis.
• Deyfo’—therefore.
• Dibe—dive, dives, dived, dove, diving.
• Dictate—dictate, dictates, dictated, dictating; giving orders, overseeing; sometimes for explaining.
• Diffuh/Diffunce—differ, difference.
• Dimmycrack—Democrat, Democrats, Democratic.
• Dinnuh—dinner, dinners.
• Dis’—this; just. (See “jis’”).
• Disapp’int—(n. and v.) disappoint, disappoints, disappointed, disappointing, disappointment, disappointments.
• Disgus’—disgust, disgusts, disgusted, disgusting.
• Disgustuss—disgusting.
• Dishyuh—this, this here.
• Distrus’—distrust, distrusts, distrusted, distrusting.
• Distruss—distress. (See “deestruss”).
• Distunt—distant, distance.
• Do—do, does, did, doing.
• Do’—door, doors.
• ’Do’—though, although. (See “alldo’”).
• Doctuh—doctor, doctors.
• Dog—(n. and v.) dog, dogs, dogged, dogging.
• Don’—don’t, doesn’t.
• Done—done, did, already, has, finish, finished, as: “W’en you gwine done da’ t’ing?”—when are you going to finish that thing? “Uh done’um,” or “Uh done-done’um”—I have done or finished it.
• Done fuh—done for—meaning excessively, as: “Da’ ’ooman done fuh fat”—that woman is excessively or very fat.
• Done done’um/Done do’um—did it, finished the job.
• Done’um—did it.
• Do’step—doorstep, doorsteps.
• Do’um—do it, does it, did it, doing it.
• Drap—(n. and v.) drop, drops, dropped, dropping.
• Dreen—(n. and v.) drain, drains, drained, draining.
• Dribe—drive, drives, drove, driven, driving.
• Dribe—(n.) a run, cover, or section of woods where certain game is found or hunted.
• Drobe—(n.) drove, droves, as of animals.
• Drought—drought, droughts; “dry drought,” protracted drought.
• Drowndid—drown, drowns, drowned, drowning.
• Dry-bone—dry-boned—thin, lean, often applied to dusky ladies who do not incline to embonpoint.
• Dry so—just so.
• Dub—dove, doves.
• Duh—do, does; in, to, toward. Thus “duh paat’,” means going in the path, walking in the path; “duh ribbuh,” going to the river, going on the river; “duh fiah,” going to the fire; “duh ’ood,” going to the woods, going in or through the woods; “duh Sunday,” on Sunday; “duh weekyday,” on a week day, week days; “duh summuh,” summer, or in the summer; “duh wintuh,” winter, or in the winter.
• Dunkyuh—don’t care, doesn’t care, didn’t care.
• Dunno—don’t know, doesn’t know, didn’t know.
• Du’t—dirt, earth.
• Du’tty—dirty, soiled.
• E
• ’E—he, she, it.
• Eart’—earth, world, or soil, ground. (See “ye’t” and “yu’t”).
• Ebbrum—Abraham, Abram.
• Ebbuh—ever.
• Ebbuhlastin’—everlasting.
• Ebe—Eve, woman’s name; also eaves.
• Ebenin’—evening, evenings; “good evening,” a salutation.
• Eb’n—even.
• Eb’nso—even so.
• Eb’ry—every.
• Eb’ryt’ing—everything.
• Eb’ryweh—everywhere.
• Ecknowledge—knowledge, ability, understanding.
• Eddycashun—education.
• Eeduh—either.
• Eeduhso—either so, either, else, or.
• Eegnunt—ignorant.
• Een—in.
• Eenbite—(also eenwite) invite, invites, invited, inviting.
• Eenfawm—inform, informs, informed, informing.
• Eenhabit—inhabit, inhabits, inhabited, inhabiting.
• Eenjine—engine, engines. (See “injine”).
• Eenjinin’—adjoining.
• Eenjurin’/Enjurin’—enduring, during.
• Eenjy—enjoy, enjoys, enjoyed, enjoying; experience; as: “Uh eenjy uh berry oncomfuhtubble night’ res’”—I had or experienced a very uncomfortable night’s rest.
• Eenside—inside.
• Eensult—(n. and v.) insult, insults, insulted, insulting.
• Eentitle—entitle, entitles, entitled, entitling.
• Eentitlement—entitlement, “title;” as “Mr. Chizzum,” “Mis’ Wineglass.”
• Eentruss—interest.
• Eentuhfayre—interfere, interferes, interfered, interfering.
• Ef—if.
• Eh, Eh!—an exclamation.
• Elseso—else, unless; either.
• Ellyfunt—elephant, elephants.
• Ellyment—element, air, sky.
• En’—end, ends, and.
• Enny—any.
• Ent—(also yent) ain’t, are not, is not, isn’t.
• En’ t’ing’—and things, and everything.
• Enty—ain’t it, isn’t it, are they not, etc.
• Ent wut’—isn’t worth, meaning totally worthless, of no account.
• Epprull—April.
• ’Ese’f—himself, herself, itself.
• ’E stan’ so—it, he or she, stands so, it is so, it looks so, etc.
• Exceed—succeed, succeeds, succeeded, succeeding.
• Excusin’—excusing, except, excepting. (See “’scusin’”).
• Exwance—advance, advances, advanced, advancing.
• Exwantidge—advantage, advantages.
• Exwice—advice.
• Exwise—advise, advises, advised, advising.
• Ez—as.
• F
• Fabuh—(n. and v.) favor, favors, favored, favoring.
• ’F’aid—afraid, afraid of.
• Fait’—faith.
• Fait’ful—faithful, earnest.
• Faitfules’—faithfulest.
• Fambly—family, families; family’s, families’.
• Fannuh—a wide, shallow basket used for winnowing beaten rice or separating the corn husks from grist after grinding.
• Farruh—father, fathers.
• Farruhlaw—father-in-law, fathers-in-law.
• Fas’—fast.
• Fashi’n—fashion, like, resemblance.
• Fast’n—fasten, fastens, fastened, fastening.
• Fau’t—fault, faults.
• Fawk—(n. and v.) fork, forks, forked, forking.
• Fawm—(n. and v.) form, forms, formed, forming.
• Fawty—forty.
• Fawwu’d—forward.
• Febuh—fever, fevers.
• Febbywerry/Fibbywerry—February.
• Fedduh—feather, feathers.
• Feed’um—feed, feeds, fed, feeding him, her, it, them.
• ’Feeshun’—Ephesians—Paul’s Epistle to.
• Feet—frequently used for foot; as: “Snake bite da’ gal ’pun ’e lef han’ feet”—The snake bit that girl on her left foot.
• Felluh—fellow, fellows.
• ’Fen’—fend, defend. (See “refen’”).
• Fench—(n. and v.) fence, fences, fenced, fencing.
• Fiah—(n. and v.) fire, fires, fired, firing.
• Fibe/Fi’—five; “fibe dolluh en’ seb’nty-fi’ cent’.”
• Fiddluh—fiddler, fiddlers; violinists and fiddler crabs.
• Fiel’—field, fields.
• Fiel’han’—field hand, field hands.
• Fiel’nigguh—a laborer in the fields—the “peasant” of the plantation.
• Fight—fight, fights, fought, fighting.
• Filfil—fulfill, fulfills, fulfilled, fulfilling; also fill, as to fill a pulpit.
• Fin’—find, finds, found, finding; also to find, found, in the sense of furnishing or supplying rations.
• Fin’lly at las’—meaning at last, finally.
• Fin’um—find, finds, found, finding him, her, it, them.
• Fishpon’—fishpond, fishponds.
• Fishpun—Fishburne—name of a low country family.
• FitzSimmun—FitzSimons—a low-country family name.
• Flabuh—(n. and v.) flavor, flavors, flavored, flavoring; as: “Da’ buckruh’ hogmeat flabuh me mout’ ’tell uh done fuhgit uh hab sin fuh kill’um”—That white man’s pork flavored my mouth so that I forgot the sin I committed in killing the hog.
• Flatfawm—platform, platforms.
• Flew—fly, flies, flew, flying.
• Flo’—floor, floors, floored, flooring.
• Fly—flies, flew, flying.
• Fo’—four.
• ’Fo’—before. (See “befo’”).
• Fo’ce—force, forces, forced, forcing.
• Fodduh—fodder, used only for cured corn-blades.
• Folluh—follow, follows, followed, following.
• Foot—foot, almost universally used for feet; also for leg.
• Fo’punce—four pence. Used universally to indicate size of chickens sold for four pence before the Revolution, when British money was the currency of the Colonies. See, also, “seb’npunce,” which was used in a similar way.
• Forrud—forehead, foreheads.
• Fo’teen—fourteen.
• Fowl—fowl, fowls; chicken, chickens.
• Frail—to whip or lash.
• Frajuh—Fraser, Frazier—a low-country family name.
• Frazzle—(n. and v.) frazzle, fray, etc.
• Freedmun—freedman, freedmen.
• Freedmun’ bruro—Freedman’s Bureau.
• Freedum—freedom.
• Freehan’—freehanded, generous, liberal.
• Freemale—female, females.
• Fr’en’—friend, friends.
• Frizzle—frizzle, frizzles, frizzled, frizzling.
• Fros’—frost.
• Frum/F’um—from.
• Fry-bakin—fried bacon.
• Fry-bakin frog—the small pond frogs, whose constant cry is interpreted by the Negroes as “fry-bacon, tea-table; fry-bacon, tea-table.”
• Fudduh—far, farther, farthest; further.
• Fuh—for, for to.
• Fuhgit—forget, forgets, forgot, forgetting, forgotten.
• Fuh hab—for have: “One dance bin fuh hab deepo’ las’ night”—a dance was to have been had at the depot last night.
• Fuhr’ebbuh—forever, always, all the time.
• Fuhr’um—for him, her, it, them.
• Fuh sowl—for truth, truly, used as emphasis; as: “’E fat fuh sowl”—He, she, it or they is, was, were or are very fat. “Sowl” is perhaps from the Irish pronunciation of soul; as in “upon me sowl!”
• Fuh sutt’n—for certain, sure.
• Fuh true—in truth, for truth, it is so.
• Fu’lhawk—fowlhawk, fowlhawks.
• Fu’lhus’—fowl-house, fowl-houses.
• Full—fill, fills, filled, filling.
• Full’up—filled up, as a hive with honey, or a lady with wrath.
• Fun’rul—funeral, funerals.
• Fus’—first.
• Fus’ daa’k/Fus’ dus’—first dark, dusk, twilight in the evening.
• Fus’ fowl crow—first fowl crow—midnight, or soon thereafter.
• Fus’ gwinin’ off—first going off, at the beginning.
• G
• Gabrull—Angel Gabriel—he of the horn.
• ’Gage—engage, engages, engaged, engaging; hire, hired, etc.
• Gal—girl, girls; girl’s, girls’. Also used familiarly in addressing women.
• ’Gatuh—alligator, alligators. (See “alligettuh”).
• Gawd—God, Gods, God’s.
• Gedduh—gather, gathers, gathered, gathering.
• Gelt/Girt’—girth, girths.
• G’em—give, gives, gave, giving him, her, it, them.
• ’Gen—again.
• ’Gense—against.
• Gi’/Gib’—give, gives, gave, giving.
• Gimme—give me, gives me, gave me, giving me.
• Ginjuh—ginger.
• Gin’nlly—generally, in general.
• Gin’ul—general.
• Git—get, gets, getting, got.
• Gitta—get a (See “gittuh”).
• Gitt’ru—get through, got through; finish, finished.
• Gittuh—get a (See “gitta”).
• Git’way—get, gets, getting, got away.
• Gi’we—give us, gives us, gave us, giving us.
• ’Glec’—neglect, neglects, neglected, neglecting.
• Glub—glove, gloves.
• Go—go, goes, going, gone, went.
• Gol’—gold, golden.
• Gone—go, goes, going, gone; “time fuh gone”—time for me to go.
• Gone’way—go away, goes away, gone away, went away.
• Gonnil—gunwale, gunwales.
• Good-fashi’n—good fashion—well, thoroughly; as: “Uh lick da’ gal good-fashi’n”—I gave that girl a thorough whipping.
• Got/Gots—get, gets, have, had; also, has got to.
• Go’way—go away! get out!
• Grabble—(n. and v.) gravel, gravels, graveled, graveling.
• Grabe—grave, graves.
• Graff—grab, grabs, grabbed, grabbing; grasp, seize, seized.
• Gramma—grandmother. (See “grumma”).
• Gran’—grand—grandchild, grandson, or anyone in such relationships of “grand”.
• Gran’maamy—grandmother.
• Granny—grandmother, but used for any old Negro woman, whether related or not.
• Grano—guano, phosphate, commercial fertilizers.
• Gran’puh—grandfather. (See “grumpa,” “grumpuh”).
• ’Gree—agree, agrees, agreed, agreeing.
• ’Greement—agreement, agreements.
• Greese—(n. and v.) grease: “greese ’e mout’,” to feed with fatness, as with bacon.
• Greesy—greasy.
• Grin’salt—“grinding salt,” said of a hawk or vulture circling aloft.
• Gritch—grist, grits.
• Groun’—ground, land, piece of land.
• Grumma—grandma.
• Grummole/Gru’mole—ground-mole, ground-moles.
• Grum’pa/Grum’puh—grandpa, grandfather.
• Grunnot/Grunnut—groundnut, groundnuts, peanuts. (See “pinduh”).
• Gubnuh—governor, governors.
• Gunjuh—the scalloped molasses cakes sold in Southern country stores and commissaries.
• Gwi’/Gwine—going, going to.
• Gwinin’ en’ gwinin’—goings and goings on. Usually characterizing the light conduct of idle or irresponsible persons.
• Gyaa’d—(n. and v.) guard, guards, guarded, guarding.
• Gyaa’d’n—garden, gardens.
• Gyap—gap, gaps, as in a fence or hedge.
• Gyap—gape, gapes, gaped, gaping; also for speech, as: “’E nebbuh gyap”—she never opened her mouth.
• H
• Haa’bis’—harvest.
• Haa’bis’-flow—harvest-flow, or last irrigation of the ricefields preceding the harvest.
• Haa’d—hard.
• Haa’d-head—hard-head, hard-headed.
• Haa’kee—hark you or ye, hear.
• Haa’ness—(n. and v.) harness, harnesses, harnessed, harnessing.
• Haant—haunt, haunts; apparition; ghost, ghosts.
• H’aa’t—heart, hearts.
• H’aa’t’—hearth, hearths.
• Hab—have, has, had, having.
• Hack’lus—Hercules.
• Haffuh—have to, had to.
• Hair riz’—hair rose (with fright). An expression adopted from the whites, as upon the kinky heads of the coast Negroes there is nothing that even fright could cause to rise.
• Half-acre—half acre—210 feet square—a measure of distance or area.
• Han’—(n. and v.) hand, hands, handed, handing.
• Hanch—haunch, haunches, hind quarters.
• Hankuh—hanker, long, longs, longed, longing for; desire, desired, desiring.
• Happ’n—happen, happens, happened, happening.
• Harricane—hurricane, hurricanes; “harricane tree,” one thrown down by storm.
• Harruh—(n. and v.) harrow, harrows, harrowed, harrowing.
• Hatchitch—hatchet, hatchets.
• Hawn—horn, horns.
• Hawn’owl—the great horned owl.
• Hawss—horse, horses.
• Head—(n. and v.) head, heads; head, heads, headed, heading off.
• Head’um—get, gets, got, getting ahead of him, her, it, them.
• Hebby—heavy, great; as: “uh hebby cumplain’”—a great outcry.
• He’lt’—health.
• He’lt’y—healthy.
• Henduh—hinder, hinders, hindered, hindering.
• Heng—hang, hangs, hanged, hung, hanging.
• Hengkitchuh—handkerchief, handkerchiefs.
• Hice—hoist, hoists, hoisted, hoisting.
• Hice de chune—hoist or raise the tune.
• Higguhri-hee—the great horned owl. (See “hawn-owl”).
• Him—he, she, it, his, her’s, its.
• Him’own—his, her’s, his own, her own, its own.
• Hin’/Hine—hind, behind; as, “hine foot”—hind feet.
• Historicuss—historic, historical.
• Hitch—hitch, hitches, hitched, hitching; also for marry, marrying.
• Hol’—(n. and v.) hold, holds, held, holding.
• Hol’fas’—Hold Fast—a favorite dog name.
• Holluh—(n. and v.) hollow, hollows, hollowed, hollowing.
• Holluh—halloo, halloos, hallooed, hallooing.
• Hom’ny—hominy.
• Hongry—hungry, hunger.
• Hoonuh—you, ye. (See “oonuh” and “wunnuh”).
• Hot—heat, heats, heated, heating.
• Huccome/Hukkuh—how come, how came; how does or did it come; how came it?
• Huddy—howdy, how do you do?—“tell’um heap’uh huddy.”
• Hummuch—how much, or how many.
• Hund’ud—hundred, hundreds.
• Hu’t/Ho’t—(n. and v.) hurt, hurts, hurting.
• I
• Impedin’—impudence, impudent.
• Inflummashun—information.
• Ingine—engine, engines. (See “eenjine”).
• Injun—Indian, Indians.
• Intuhcede—intercede, intercedes, interceded, interceding.
• I’on/I’un—(n. and v.) iron, irons, ironed, ironing.
• Iz/Yiz—is.
• Izick—Isaac.
• J
• Jack—(n. and v.) jack, jacks, jacked, jacking.
• Jacksinburruh—Jacksonboro.
• Jackstan’—jack-stand—stands on which fires are kept at night in summer settlements for protection against mosquitoes and other insects.
• Jacky-lantu’n—Jack-o’-lantern—will-o’-the-wisp.
• Jallus—jealous, jealousy.
• Jaybu’d—jaybird, jaybirds.
• ’Jeck’—reject, rejects; object, objects, objected, objecting; objection.
• ’Jeckshun—objection, objections.
• ’Jeck’um—reject or rejected him, as an undesirable juror.
• Jedge—(n. and v.) judge, judges, judged, judging.
• Jedus—Jesus.
• Jestuss—justice.
• Jew—Jew, Jews.
• Jew—dew.
• Jimpsin-weed/Jimsin-weed—Jimpson or Jamestown-weed.
• Jine—join, joins, joined, joining.
• Jinin’—joining; adjoining. (See “eenjinin’”).
• Jinnywerry—January.
• Jis’—just. (See “dis’”).
• Jisso/Jesso—just so. (See “disso”).
• Johossee—Jehossee—a rice-growing island of the South Carolina Coast.
• Jokok—Jaycocks—the name of former Governor Heyward’s overseer on the Combahee.
• Jook—jab, jabs, jabbed, jabbing.
• Jookass—jackass, jackasses.
• Judus Caesar—Julius Caesar.
• Jue—due, dues.
• Juhruzelum—Jerusalem.
• Ju’k—jerk, jerks, jerked, jerking.
• Julip—the vanished mint julep.
• Jully—July.
• Junk—chunk, chunks, as of lightwood.
• Juntlemun—gentleman, gentlemen; also a woman’s “man” or husband; as, “him juntlemun,” meaning her husband.
• Juntlemun’ nigguh—gentleman’s Negro, meaning one who as a slave had belonged to people of position—the “quality.”
• K
• ’Kace—scarce. (See “sca’ce”).
• ’Kacely—scarcely, hardly. (See “sca’cely”).
• Ketch—catch, catches, caught, catching; took, take; as: “’E ketch ’e tex f’um de fus’ chaptuh een Nickuhdemus”—He took his text from the first chapter of Nicodemus. Also for reach, reached; as: “Time uh ketch de ribbuh bank, de dog done gone.”
• Ketch’um—catch, catches, caught, catching him, her, it, them.
• Ki—an exclamation. (Sometimes “kwi” or “kwoy”).
• Kibbuh—(n. and v.) cover, covers, covered, covering.
• Kibbuhr’um—cover, covers, covered, covering him, her, it, them.
• Killybash—calabash, calabashes; gourd, gourds.
• Kin—can.
• Kin—kin, kindred.
• Kin’—kind, kinds; sort, sorts.
• Kind’uh—kind of, sort of.
• Knock—knock, knocks, knocked, knocking.
• ’Knowledge—acknowledge, acknowledges, acknowledged, acknowledging; admit, etc.
• Know’um—know, knows, knew him, her, it, them.
• Kyag—keg, kegs.
• Kyarrysene—kerosene.
• L
• Laa’ceny—larceny.
• Laa’d—lard.
• Laa’gin’—enlarging, swaggering, boastful.
• Laa’n—learn, learns, learned, learning.
• Lab’ruh—laborer, laborers.
• Lam’quawtuh—lamb’s-quarter—an edible wild herb of which, like the tender leaves of the pokeberry, the Negroes are very fond, using it for boiling.
• Langwidge—language, talk.
• Las’—last, lasts, lasted, lasting; last (adverb); shoemaker’s last.
• Las’yeah—last year, last year’s.
• Laugh—(n. and v.) laugh, laughs, laughed, laughing.
• Lavuh—(n. and v.) labor, labors, labored, laboring.
• Lawfully lady—a Negro’s legally married wife.
• Leabe—leaf, leaves.
• Leabe—(n. and v.) leave, leaves, left, leaving (see “lef’”); permit, permission.
• Lean fuh—lean for—set out for with haste and speed.
• ’Leben/’Leb’n—eleven.
• Leddown—lay, lays, laid or lie, lies, lay, lying down.
• Leek—lick, licks, licked, licking—with the tongue.
• Leely/Lilly—little, in size or quantity.
• Leetle—little, in size or quantity.
• Lef’—leave, leaves, left, leaving. (See “leabe”).
• Lef’ han’—left hand or left handed, “lef han’ foot,” or “lef han’ feet”—left foot or left leg.
• Lef’um—leave, leaves, left or leaving him, her, it, them.
• Leggo—let go, lets go, letting go.
• Leh—let, lets, letting.
• Leh we—let us.
• Le’m—let them.
• Lem’lone—let, lets him, her, it, them alone.
• Lemme—let me.
• Len’—(v.) lend, lends, loaned, lending.
• Lengk—length, lengths.
• ’Less—(or onless) unless.
• Liah/Lie—liar, liars.
• Lib—live, lives, lived, living.
• Libbin’—living.
• ’Libe—alive.
• Libbuh—liver, livers.
• ’Libbuh—deliver, delivers, delivered, delivering.
• Lick—(n. and v.) a blow; to whip, whips, whipped.
• Lick back—turn, turns, turned, turning back, while moving rapidly.
• Lickin’—(n. and v.) a licking, lickings, whipping, etc.
• Light on—light on—mount, mounts, mounted, mounting.
• Light’ood—lightwood—resinous pine-wood.
• Light out—to start, start off, or away.
• ’Lijah/’Lijuh—Elijah, the prophet.
• ’Lijun—religion.
• Likeso/Likewise also—likewise, also.
• Limus-cootuh—a small, malodorous black terrapin, held in contempt by both races.
• Linniment—liniment.
• Liss’n—listen, listens, listened, listening.
• Loblolly-pine—the great short-leaf pine growing in low ground.
• Locus pastuh—local pastor, or preacher.
• ’Long—along, along with.
• Longis’—longest.
• Longmout’—long mouth—descriptive of the surly or contemptuous pushing out of the lips of an angry or discontented Negro.
• ’Longside—alongside.
• Long talk ketch run’way nigguh—meaning long talk or conversation by the roadside often causes or caused runaway slaves to be caught by the “patrol.”
• Longuh—longer.
• ’Long’um—along with, or with him, her, it, them.
• Loss—lose, loses, lost, losing.
• ’Low’um—allow, allows, allowed, allowing him, her, it, them.
• Lub—(n. and v.) love, loves, loved, loving; like, likes, liked, liking.
• Luk—like, alike.
• Lukkuh—like, like unto, resembling.
• Luk’um—like or resembling him, her, it, them.
• M
• Maa’ch—March; march, marches, marched, marching.
• Maa’k—(n. and v.) mark, marks, marked, marking.
• Maa’l—the marl or phosphate mines. (See “de Rock”).
• Ma’am—madam.
• Maamy—mother, mothers.
• Maa’sh—marsh, marshes.
• Macfuss’nbil—McPhersonville—a summer village.
• Man—man, man’s; men, men’s.
• Mange—mane.
• Mannus—manners, politeness, courtesy.
• Mannussubble—well-mannered, polite.
• Marri’d—married, marry, marries, marrying.
• Mass/Mas’—master when used with a name: as, “Mass Clinch,” “Mas’ Rafe.”
• Mastuh—Master—used only for God.
• Match—(n. and v.) match, matches, matched, matching. Yet “matches” is sometimes used for the singular; as, “Gimme uh matches”—give me a match.
• Maum—same as “maumuh,” when used with the name of the person spoken to or of, as “Maum Kate.”
• Maumuh—mauma, the equivalent of the up-country “mammy.”
• Maussuh—master, masters. NOTE: See above “Mastuh.” While the Gullah can pronounce “mastuh,” he reserves this for God, even saying “Maussuh Jedus”—Master Jesus.
• Mawgidge—(n. and v.) mortgage, mortgages, mortgaged, mortgaging.
• Mawnin’—morning, mornings; also “good morning!”
• Me—I, my.
• Mean—mean, meanness.
• Meddisin/Med’sin—medicine, medicines, physic
• Medjuh—(n. and v.) measure, measures, measured, measuring.
• Medjuhr’um—measure, measures, measured, measuring him, her, it, them.
• Mek—make, makes, made, making.
• Mek’ace—make haste.
• Mek ansuh—make, makes, making, made reply.
• Mek fuh—make for; to go to, goes to, went to, going to.
• Mek out—make, makes, made, making out; a makeshift.
• Mek yo mannus—make your manners, your obeisance.
• Membuh—member, members as of a church or society.
• ’Membuh—remember, remembers, remembered, remembering; remind, etc.
• ’Memb’unce—remembrance, remembrances.
• Men’ ’e pace—mend his, her, its, their pace; hurry, hurry up, etc.
• Mens—men.
• Meself/Muhself—myself.
• Met’dis’—Methodist, Methodists.
• Metsidge—message, messages.
• Middleblouse—middy-blouse, middy-blouses.
• Middleday—midday, noon.
• Middlenight—midnight.
• Min’—mind, minds, minded, minding; heed, etc.; take care of, protect, cherish, guard.
• ’Miration—admiration, wonder, astonishment.
• Mis’/Miss—Miss, Mrs., Mistress, when accompanied by a name, as Miss Anne, “Mis’ Chizzum.”
• Missis—mistress, mistresses.
• Mistuh—Mr.
• Mo’—more.
• Moan—moan, moans, moaned, moaning.
• Mo’ bettuh—more better, better.
• Moccasin—water-moccasin, a venomous snake.
• Mo’ longuh—more longer, longer.
• Mo’n—mourn, mourns, mourned, mourning.
• Mo’nful—mournful.
• ’Mong/’Moung—among, amid.
• Mongk’y/Monk’y—monkey, monkeys.
• Monstrosity—monstrous.
• Mo’nuh—mourner, mourners.
• Mo’nuh—more than.
• Mo’nuh da’—more than that.
• Moobe—move, moves, moved, moving.
• Mo’obuh—moreover.
• Mo’ris’/Mo’res’—most.
• Mout’—mouth, mouths.
• Muffey—Murphy.
• Muffledice—hermaphrodite.
• Mufflejaw—muffle-jawed—a strain of barnyard fowl, heavily feathered about the cheeks.
• Muhlassis—molasses.
• Mukkle—myrtle, myrtles; myrtle thickets.
• Munt’—month, months.
• Murruh—mother, mothers.
• Murruhlaw—mother-in-law.
• Mus’be—must be, must have, must have been.
• Muscoby—Muscovy—a breed of domestic ducks much affected by low-country Negroes.
• Muskick—musket, muskets.
• Muskittuh—mosquito, mosquitoes.
• Mussiful—merciful.
• Mussy—mercy, mercies.
• Mustu’d—mustard.
• Mustuh—muster, musters, mustered, mustering.
• My’own—mine, my.
• N
• Nakid/Nakit—naked.
• Nakity—naked, nakedness.
• ’Narruh—another. (See “’nodduh” and “’norruh”).
• Navuh—neighbor, neighbors.
• Nebbuh—never. (See “nubbuh”).
• Needuh—neither.
• Needuhso—neither so, neither, nor.
• N’min’/N’mine/Nemmin’/Nemmine/Nummine—never mind.
• Nepchune—Neptune.
• Nes’—(n. and v.) nest, nests, nested, nesting.
• Newfanglety—newfangled.
• Newnited States—United States.
• Nickynack—“nic-nac” crackers, biscuit.
• Nigguhhouse—Negro house or houses, cabin or cabins.
• Nigguhhouse yaa’d—Negro house yard, the main street running through the plantation Negro quarters.
• Nigh—near, also draw near to; as: “W’en de bull biggin fuh nigh’um de gal tek ’e foot een ’e han’ en’ run ’way.”
• Night—night, night-time, at night.
• Nigh’um—near, or nearing him, her, it, them.
• ’N’int—anoint, anoints, anointed, anointing. (See “renoint”).
• No—any.
• No’count—no account, worthless.
• ’Nodduh—another. (See “’narruh” and “’norruh”).
• Nomannus/Nomannussubble—impolite, without manners, rude.
• Nominashun—nominate, nominates, nominated, nominating; also nomination, nominations.
• ’Norruh—another. (See “’narruh” and “’nodduh”).
• Nott—nut, nuts; as “nott-grass,” nut grass.
• Notus—(n. and v.) notice, notices, noticed, noticing.
• Nowembuh—November.
• Nubbuh—never. (See “nebbuh”).
• ’Nuf—enough, abundance.
• Nuh—nor; also for and.
• ’Nurruh—another.
• Nuss—(n. and v.) nurse, nurses, nursed, nursing.
• Nussuh/Nusso—not so.
• Nutt’n’—nothing.
• Nyam—eat, eats, eating, ate; sometimes “nyam-nyam,” a repetition for emphasis.
• Nyankee—Yankee, Yankees.
• Nyoung/Nyung—young.
• Nyoungis’—youngest.
• Nyuse/Use—(n. and v.) use, uses, used, using. (See “uz’n”).
• Nyuze/Nyuz’n—(v.) used, using.
• O
• Oagly—ugly.
• Objeck’—object. (See “’jeck’”).
• Obserb’—observe, observes, observed, observing.
• Ob’shay—overseer, overseers.
• Obuh—over, above.
• Obuhtek—overtake, overtakes, overtook, overtaking.
• Obuht’row—overthrow, overthrows, overthrew, overthrowing; overthrown.
• Octobuh—October.
• Odduh—other, others.
• Odduhres’—the other rest, the rest, remainder.
• Off’uh—off, off of.
• Offuh—offer, offers, offered, offering.
• Off’um—off, or off of him, her, it, them.
• Ole—old.
• Onbutt’n—unbutton, unbuttons, unbuttoned, unbuttoning.
• Oncommun—uncommon.
• Ondeestunt—indecent, indecency.
• Ondelicate—indelicate, presumptuous.
• Onduh—under.
• Onduhneet’—underneath.
• Onduhstan’—understand, understands, understood, understanding. Also, as an understanding.
• Onduhtek—undertake, undertakes, undertook, undertaking.
• One—only; “me one,” I only.
• One’narruh/One’nodduh/One’nudduh/One’nurruh—one another.
• Onetime—once, once upon a time.
• Onhitch—unhitch, unhitches, unhitched, unhitching; also marital separation.
• Onkibbuh—uncover, uncovers, uncovered, uncovering.
• Onlock—unlock, unlocks, unlocked, unlocking.
• Onmannussubble—unmannerly, impolite, rude. (See “nomannussubble”).
• Onnuh—(n. and v.) honor, honors, honored, honoring.
• Onnuhrubble—honorable.
• Onrabble—unravel, unravels, unraveled, unraveling; untangle.
• Onreasunnubble—unreasonable.
• Onsaa’t’n—uncertain.
• Onsattify—unsatisfied, unsatisfying.
• Ontel—until.
• Ontie—untie, unties, untied, untying.
• ’Ood—wood, woods.
• ’Ooman—woman, woman’s; women, women’s. “’Ooman iz uh sometime t’ing”—Woman is a fickle, uncertain creature, sometimes one thing, sometimes another.
• Oonuh—ye, sometimes you. (See “wunnuh,” etc.).
• Oshtuh—oyster, oysters.
• Oshtuh rake—long-handled rake or tongs for gathering oysters.
• Oughtuh—ought, ought to, ought to be; as: “Man oughtuh t’engkful”—man ought to be thankful.
• Out/Out’n—to go out, put out, extinguish; as: “Uh out de fiah”— I put out the fire. “Uh out’n’um”—I put it out.
• Out’uh—out of, out.
• Ox—oxen.
• Oxidize—to turn into an ox.
• Oxin—ox.
• P
• Paa’d’n—(n. and v.) pardon, pardons, pardoned, pardoning.
• Paa’dnuh—partner, partners.
• Paa’kuh—Parker—a low-country family name.
• Paa’luh—parlor, parlors.
• Paa’simony—parsimony, also avarice or rapacity.
• Paa’s’n—parson, parsons.
• Paat’—path, paths.
• Paa’t—(n. and v.) part, parts, parted, parting.
• Paa’ty—party.
• Palabuhrin’—palavering—soft talk of a philanderer with the gentler sex.
• Papuh—(n. and v.) paper, papers, papered, papering; also a written instrument, a note or letter.
• Parrysawl—parasol, parasols.
• Pashun/Pashunt—patience; patient, forbearing.
• Passobuh—Passover.
• Pass’um—pass, passes, passed, passing him, her, it, them.
• Pastuh—pastor, pastors; pasture, pastures.
• Patty-auguh/Petty-auguh—piragua, pirogue.
• Pawpus—porpoise, porpoises.
• ’Pawtun’/’Portun’—important.
• ’Pawtunce/’Portunce—importance.
• Peaceubble—peaceable, peaceful.
• Peawine—peavine, peavines.
• Penitenshus—penitentiary.
• ’Pen’pun—depend, depends, depended, depending upon.
• Peruse—to saunter, walk in a leisurely manner, as: “Da’ gal him bin peruse ’long de road en’ ’e nebbuh study ’bout nutt’n’;” also investigate, examine, consider.
• Pessle—pestle, pestles; a double-headed wooden implement for beating rice.
• Phoskit/Phuskit—phosphate, commercial fertilizer; also “de Phoskit” the phosphate mines.
• Piggin—a small cedar pail in universal use among Negroes of the coast.
• Pinch’um—pinch, pinches, pinched, pinching him, her, it, them; sometimes gripping, as of pain.
• ’Pin—spin, spins, spun, spinning.
• Pinduh—pindar, peanut, peanuts. (See “grunnot”).
• Pinelan’—pineland, pinelands.
• ’Pinion—opinion, opinions.
• P’int—(n. and v.) point, points, pointed, pointing; direct, etc.
• ’P’int—appoint, appoints, appointed, appointing.
• ’P’intment—appointment, appointments.
• ’Piskubble—Episcopal, Episcopalian.
• ’Pistle—Epistle, Epistles (Bible).
• Pitchuh—pitcher, pitchers.
• Pit—put, puts, put, putting.
• Pit’um—put him, her, it, them.
• Pizen—poison, poisons, poisoned, poisoning.
• Pizen-oak—poison-oak, or poison ivy.
• ’Plash—(n. and v.) splash; to splash, splashes, splashed, splashing.
• Plat-eye—a ghostly apparition, common to the Georgetown section of the coast.
• Play ’Possum—to make believe, to fool, deceive.
• Please kin—please can—a redundancy; as: “please kin gimme”—please give me.
• Pledjuh—pleasure, pleasures.
• Pledjuhr’um—please, give pleasure to him, her, it, them.
• Po’—poor, also thin, lean, low in flesh.
• Po’Buckruh—a poor white man, the poor whites.
• Po’Buckruh-Nigguh—a Negro who had formerly belonged to the poorer whites, or those not of the “quality.”
• Po’ch—porch, porches.
• Politicksus/Politicuss—political. (See “cawpsus politicksus”).
• Pollydo’—Polydore—a favorite man’s name among the Negroes; used also for Apollos.
• Po’ly—poorly, describing health.
• Pon Pon—the lower Edisto and the region south of the A. C. L. Ry., opposite Jacksonboro.
• Pooty/Putty—pretty.
• Po’r—pour, pours, poured, pouring.
• Po’r’um—pour, pours, poured, pouring it, that.
• Pos’—(n. and v.) post, posts, posted, posting.
• Positubble—positive, positively.
• Possimmun—persimmon, persimmons; the tree and fruit.
• Po’trial—Port Royal.
• Praise-meetin’—prayer-meeting.
• Pray—(n. and v.) prayer, prayers; prays, prayed, praying.
• ’Pread—spread, spreads, spreading.
• Preechuh—preacher, preachers; minister, ministers.
• Preechuh on de sukkus—the circuit or traveling preacher.
• Premussiz—premises.
• Presinck—precinct.
• Pres’n’ly—presently.
• Prezzydent—president.
• Priblidge—(n. and v.) privilege, privileges, privileged.
• Primus ward—ward primary.
• Prizzunt—present, presents, presented, presenting.
• Prizzunt aa’m—present arms.
• Projic’—to “monkey with,” to hazard.
• Prommus—(n. and v.) promise, promises, promised, promising.
• Proobe—prove, proves, proved, proving.
• Proputty—property, wealth.
• ’Publikin—Republican.
• Puhceed/Pusceed—proceed, proceeds, proceeded, proceeding.
• Puhhaps—perhaps.
• P’uhjec’—project, projected, as: “W’en da’ ’ooman bex, him p’uh’jec’ him mout’ at me”—When that woman was angry she stuck out her mouth at me.
• Puhjuh—perjure, perjures, perjured, perjuring.
• Puhlicituh—solicitor, solicitors; the dreaded prosecuting attorney of the Criminal Court, held in awe by all low-country Negroes.
• Puhlite—polite, politely. Also a popular Negro name, as “Mingo Puhlite.”
• Puhshay—Porcher—name of a low-country family.
• Puhtek—protect, protects, protected, protecting.
• Puhtekshun—protection.
• Puhtettuh—potato, potatoes—usually sweet. (See “tettuh”).
• Puhtickluh—particular, particularly.
• Puhwide—provide, provides, provided, providing.
• Puhwid’n—providing, also provided.
• Puhwiduh—provider, providers.
• Puhwishun—provision, provisions; ration, ration.
• Puhwoke—provoke, provokes, provoked, provoking.
• Puhwokin’—provoking.
• Puhzac’ly—exactly, precisely.
• Puhzishun—position, positions.
• Pulblic—public, the public.
• Pull wool—to pull the kinky forelock in salutation to “de Buckruh.”
• Punkin—pumpkin, pumpkins.
• Punkin-skin—pumpkin colored or mulatto Negro.
• Punnounce—pronounce, pronounces, pronounced, pronouncing.
• ’Puntop/’Puntap/’Pantap—upon, on, on top of.
• ’Puntop’uh—upon top of, on top of, at.
• Puppus—purpose, on purpose.
• Puss’n/Pusson/Pussun—person, persons.
• Puss’nully/Pussonully/Pussunully—personally.
• Q
• ’Quaintun’—acquainted, acquainted with.
• ’Quaintunce—acquaintance, acquaintances. (See “acquaintun’”).
• Quarril/Quawl—quarrel, quarrels.
• Quarrilment/Quawlment—quarrel, quarrels, quarreled, quarrelling.
• Quawt—quart, quarts.
• Quawt’ly—quarterly.
• Quawtuh—(n. and v.) quarter, quarters, quartered, quartering.
• ’Queeze—squeeze, squeezes, squeezed, squeezing.
• Queschun/Squeschun—(n. and v.) question, questions, questioned, questioning. Rarely used, “quizzit” taking its place.
• Quile—(n. and v.) coil, coils, coiled, coiling.
• ’Quire—require, requires, required, requiring.
• ’Quire—inquire, inquires, inquired, inquiring.
• Quizzit—(quiz) ask, asks, asked, asking; to question, questions, questioned, questioning. (See “squizzit,” a rarely used variant).
• R
• Rabbish—ravish, ravishes, ravished, ravishing.
• Rab’n—raven, ravens; vulture, vultures; buzzard, buzzards.
• Rab’nel—Ravenel, Ravenels—a family name, also a station on Atlantic Coast Line Railway.
• Racktify—to break, breaks, broke, broken, breaking. Confuse in mind: “Da’ buggy racktify”—that buggy is dilapidated. “Da’ ’ooman racktify een ’e min’”—that woman’s mind is distracted.
• Rain—(n. and v.) rain, rains, rained, raining.
• Rale—real, very, truly.
• Ramify—to act like a ram.
• Range—range, ranges, ranged, ranging.
• ’Ranguhtang—Orang-Utan, Orang-Utans.
• Rappit—rapid, rapidly.
• Rashi’n—(n. and v.) ration, rations, rationed, rationing.
• Rayre—rear, rears, reared, rearing.
• ’Ready—already.
• Rebel time—rebel times—the freedmen’s offensive characterization of the period before freedom when their former masters controlled the government of their own states.
• Reb’ren’—reverend—used also as a noun, as “de reb’ren’.”
• Recishun—decision, decisions.
• Redduh—rather. (See “rudduh”).
• Refen’—defend, defends, defended, defending. (See “’fen’”).
• Reinge—reins.
• Remonia—pneumonia.
• Renite—unite, unites, united, uniting.
• Renoint—anoint, anoints, anointed, anointing. (See “’n’int”).
• Renointed—anointed.
• Repeah—appear, appears, appeared, appearing.
• Reploy—(rare) reply, replies, replied, replying.
• Repose—oppose, opposes, opposed, opposing.
• Resplain—explain, explains, explained, explaining; elucidate, etc.
• Retch—reach, reaches, reached, reaching.
• ’Riah—Maria.
• Ribbuh—river, rivers.
• Ricebu’d—ricebird, ricebirds.
• Ridick’lus—ridiculous, also outrageous, scandalous. (Often so used by illiterate whites).
• Roas’—roast, roasts, roasted, roasting.
• Rock—rock, rocks, rocked, rocking. Also for phosphate rock. (See “de Rock”).
• Rokkoon—raccoon, raccoons.
• Roll—roll, rolls, rolled, rolling.
• Roos’—(n. and v.) roost, roosts, roosted, roosting.
• Roostuh—rooster, roosters.
• Rozzum—(n. and v.) rosin, rosins, rosined, rosining.
• Rubbidge—rubbish.
• Ruckuhnize—recognize, recognizes, recognized, recognizing.
• Rudduh—rather. (See “redduh”).
• Rudduh—rudder, rudders.
• Rumpletail—(rumpless) a tailless fowl.
• Run—run, runs, ran, running.
• Ruppezunt—represent, represents, represented, representing.
• S
• Saa’b—serve, serves, served, serving.
• Saa’bint—(also “saa’bunt”) servant, servants.
• Saa’bint day—servants’ day—perhaps originally a corruption of Sabbath day.
• Saa’bis—(also sarbis) service, services, use.
• Saa’ch—search, searches, searched, searching; also examine, examined, etc.
• Saa’f—soft.
• Saa’f’ly—softly.
• Saa’pint/Saa’punt—serpent (Biblical).
• Saa’t’n/Sutt’n—certain.
• Sabannuh/Sawannuh—Savannah; savanna, savannas.
• Sabbidge—savage, savages.
• Sabe—save, saves, saved, saving.
• Sabeyuh—the Savior.
• Sa’leenuh—St. Helena Island, on the South Carolina coast.
• Same lukkuh—(also sukkuh) same like, like, resembling.
• San’—sand.
• Sat’d’y/Sattyday—Saturday.
• Sattifackshun—satisfaction.
• Sattify—satisfy, satisfies, satisfied, satisfying.
• Sawlketchuh—Salkehatchie—upper reaches of the Combahee above the A. C. L. Ry.
• Sawt—(n. and v.) sort, sorts, sorted, sorting.
• Sawtuh—sort of—after a fashion.
• Say—say, says, said, saying.
• Sca’ce/Sca’ceful—scarce.
• Sca’cely—scarcely, hardly. (See “kacely”).
• Scattuh—scatter, scatters, scattered, scattering.
• Schemy—scheming, tricky.
• Scole—scold, scolds, scolded, scolding.
• Scriptuh—Scripture—the Bible.
• ’Scuse—(noun) excuse, excuses.
• ’Scusin’—excusing, except.
• ’Scusshun—excursion, excursions.
• ’Scuze—(verb) excuse, excuses, excused, excusing.
• Seaz’nin’—seasoning.
• Seb’n—seven.
• Seb’npunce—seven pence. (See “fo’punce”).
• Seb’nteen—seventeen.
• Seb’nty—seventy.
• Seckriterry—secretary, secretaries.
• Sectembuh—September.
• Secun’—second.
• Sedate—sedately, quietly, in a leisurely manner: “De mule walk so sedate uh couldn’ plow fas’.”
• Seddown—sit or set down, sits or sets down, sat or set down, sitting or setting down.
• See—see, sees, saw, seen, seeing.
• Seegyaa’—cigar, cigars.
• Seem—seem, seems, seemed, seeming.
• ’Self—himself, herself, itself, themselves; as: “Him maussuh ’self haffuh wu’k”—his master himself has to work.
• Selfish—selfish—glum, dour.
• Sence—since.
• Sen’um—send, sends, sent, sending him, her, it, them.
• Sesso—say so, says so, said so, saying so. (See “susso”).
• Set—sit, sits, sat, sitting. (See “seddown”).
• Settle’—settled, as: “settle’ ’ooman,” a settled woman, a Negro woman of a certain age, not a flapper.
• Sett’n’—sitting.
• Sett’n’up—sitting up—a Negro wake; a small religious meeting.
• Sezzee—says he, said he.
• Sezzi—says I, said I.
• Shaa’k—shark, sharks.
• Shaa’p—sharp.
• Shaa’p’n—sharpen, sharpens, sharpened, sharpening.
• Shabe—shave, shaves, shaved, shaving.
• Shadduh—(n. and v.) shadow, shadows, shadowed, shadowing.
• Shame—(n. and v.) shame, shames, shamed, shaming; ashamed.
• Shawt—short—“shawt-pashunt,” short patience or irritable, irritability.
• Shayre—share, shares, shared, sharing.
• Shayre’um—share, shares, shared, sharing him, her, it, them. Also for shear, shears, sheared, shearing him, her, it, them.
• Sheepbuhr—sheepburr, sheepburrs.
• She’own—her own.
• Shepu’d—shepherd, shepherds.
• She-she talk—woman’s talk, gabble.
• Shet—shut, shuts, shut, shutting.
• Shimmy—chemise, chemises.
• Shish—such.
• Shishuh—such a.
• Sho’—sure, surely.
• Shoe—(n. and v.) shoe, shoes, shod, shoeing.
• Shoesh—shoes.
• Sho’ly—surely.
• Shoot’um—shoot, shoots, shot, shooting him, her, it, them.
• Shoulduh—shoulder, shoulders, shouldered, shouldering.
• Should’uh—should have.
• Shout—(n. and v.) shout, shouts; shout, shouts, shouted, shouting; frenzied outcries of a religious devotee. A plantation dancing festival, frequently accompanied by beating sticks on the floor.
• Show—show, shows, showed, showing.
• Show’um—show, shows, showed, showing him, her, it, them.
• Shroud—shroud, shrouds; also surplice, surplices, as: “De ’Piskubble preechuh pit on ’e shroud.”
• Shub—shove, shoves, shoved, shoving.
• Shuh—pshaw!
• Shum—see, sees, saw, seeing him, her, it, them.
• Shu’t—shirt, shirts.
• Side’uh—on the side of, alongside.
• Silbuh—silver—“silbuhfish,” silver fish.
• Silby—Silvia.
• Silunt—silent, silence, as “silunt een co’t!”—silence in court!
• Silus—Silas.
• Sistuh—(formal) sister, sisters.
• Skay’d—scared.
• Skayre—scare, scares, scared, scaring.
• Skay-to-de’t’—scare or scared to death.
• Skollup—escallop, escallops, escalloped, escalloping.
• Sku’t—skirt, skirts.
• Slabe—slave, slaves.
• Slabery—slavery.
• Slabery time—slavery times—before freedom.
• Slam—a synonym for “spang,” expressing distance, all the way.
• Slann’ Ilun’—Slann’s Island, a tract lying along the North Edisto inlet and Toogoodoo creek.
• Sleebe—sleeve, sleeves.
• ’Sleep—asleep; sleep, sleeps, slept, sleeping.
• Slip’ry—slippery.
• Smaa’t—smart.
• ’Smattuh—what is the matter?
• Snawt—snort, snorts, snorted, snorting.
• Snow’re—snore, snores, snored, snoring.
• Soad—sword, swords.
• Sobuh—sober.
• Sobuhr’um—sober, sobers, sobered, sobering him, her, them.
• Sodjuh—(n. and v.) soldier, soldiers; soldiering, etc. To loaf on the job.
• Sof’—soft.
• Somebody—somebody’s, some one, some one’s.
• Somebody’own—somebody’s own.
• Sonnylaw—son-in-law, sons-in-law.
• Soon-man—a smart, alert, wide-awake man.
• Sooply—supple.
• Spaa’k—spark, sparks.
• Spang—all the way, expressive of distance.
• Sparruh—sparrow, sparrows.
• Sparruh-grass—asparagus.
• Sparruhhawk—sparrow-hawk or hawks.
• ’Spec’—expect, expects, expected, expecting; suspect, suspects, suspected, suspecting.
• Specie’—species.
• Specify—from specify, but greatly extended to include almost all meanings of “specifications”—proving inadequate, not coming up to expectations, etc. (See Introduction to this Glossary).
• Speckly—speckled.
• Spen’—spend, spends, spent, spending.
• Sperritual—spiritual, spirituals, the Negro religious songs.
• ’Speriunce—experience, experiences, experienced, experiencing.
• Speshly—specially, especially.
• Spiduh—spider, spiders; also a cooking utensil in universal use among the Coast Negroes.
• Spile—spoil, spoils, spoiled, spoiling.
• ’Spishun—suspicion, suspicions.
• ’Spishus—suspicious, suspiciously.
• ’Spize—despise, despises, despised, despising.
• ’Splain—explain, explains, explained, explaining.
• Splotch—blot, blots; stain, stains.
• ’Spon’—respond, responds, responded, responding.
• ’Sponsubble—responsible, also used emphatically or specifically; as: “Tell’um ’sponsubble fuh do da’ t’ing.”
• ’Spose—expose, exposes, exposed, exposing.
• S’pose—suppose, supposes, supposed, supposing.
• Spo’t—sport, sports; also sporting man.
• Spo’tin’/Spot’n’—(n. and v.) sport, sports, sported, sporting.
• Spo’ty—sporty.
• S’preme—(n.) supreme—only in “s’preme co’t.”
• Spuhr—(n. and v.) spur, spurs, spurred, spurring.
• ’Spute—(n. and v.) dispute, disputes, disputed, disputing; contest with.
• ’Spute’n—disputing.
• Squayre—(also squay) square—also a parallelogram in a ricefield divided from other squares by irrigation ditches.
• Squeschun—question—sometimes used for the more common “quizzit,” which see. (Also see “queschun”).
• Squizzit—a rarely used variant of “quizzit,” which see.
• Staa’ch—(n. and v.) starch, starches, starched, starching.
• Staar—star, stars.
• Staa’t—start, starts, started, starting.
• Staa’t nakid—stark naked.
• ’Stablish—establish, establishes, established, establishing.
• Stan’—stand, stands, stood, standing; look, looks, looked, looking.
• Stan’—a stand, stands; deer stands, etc.
• Stan’lukkuh—stand, stands, stood, standing like; to look like, etc.
• Stan’sukkuh—stand same like unto, same meaning as “stan’lukkuh.”
• ’Stead’uh—(also ’stidduh) instead of.
• Steal—steal, steals, stole, stealing.
• Sto’—store, stores; shop, shops.
• ’Stonish—astonish, astonishes, astonished, astonishing.
• ’Stractid—protracted, as a “’stractid meet’n’,” a protracted meeting.
• Straight’n fuh—make for, made for, making for; run quickly or swiftly.
• Strance—trance, trances.
• Stree—three; as in “seb’nty-stree.” Rarely used. (See “t’ree”).
• Strengk—strength.
• Stretch-out—stretch out—extend. (See “’tretch-out”).
• Strike—strike, strikes, struck, striking. (See “’trike”).
• ’Stroy’d—destroy, destroys, destroyed, destroying.
• ’Struckshun—destruction.
• ’Struckshun—construction.
• ’Struckshun strain—construction train.
• Structid—struck, striking.
• Stubb’n—(also stubbunt) stubborn.
• Study—think, plan, ponder.
• Stuhr—stir, stirs, stirred, stirring.
• Stuhstiffikit—certificate.
• Stylish—stylish, meaning also appropriate, dignified, suitable, as: “uh stylish grabe,” being a grave ornately decorated with broken china or glass.
• ’Suade—persuade, persuades, persuaded, persuading.
• Suck—suck, sucks, sucked, sucking.
• Suck-aig—suck-egg—as: “uh suck-aig dog.”
• Suck me teet’—and “suck ’e teet’”—a contemptuous gesture, frequently indulged in by the fair sex.
• Sudd’nt—sudden, suddenly.
• Suffuhrate—separate, separates, separated, separating; also divorce, divorcing, etc.
• Suh—sir.
• Suh—that, say. (See “susso” and “sesso”).
• Suhciety—society, societies.
• Sukkle—(n. and v.) circle, circles, circled, circling.
• Sukkuh—(a contraction of “same lukkuh” used by rapid speakers) same, same like, resembling.
• Sukkuhr’um—same like, or like him, her, it, them.
• Sukkus—circus, circuses.
• Sukkus—circuit, circuits.
• Sukkus-preechuh—circuit preacher.
• Summuch—so much, so many.
• Summuh/Summuhtime—summer, summers, summer-time.
• Sump’n’—something.
• Sump’n’nurruh—something or other.
• Sundown—sunset.
• Sunhigh—late morning, about the middle of the forenoon.
• Sunhot—sunshine, heat of sun.
• Sun-lean—period of the day when the sun begins to decline, and its declining: “sun-lean fuh down.”
• Sun’up—sunrise.
• Supploy—supply, supplies, supplied, supplying.
• Suppuh—supper.
• Supshun—substance, sustenance, strength of food, as of a juicy roast: “Da’ meat hab supshun een’um”—that meat has much nourishment.
• Susso/Suh-so—say so, says so, said so, saying so. (See “sesso”).
• Sutt’n—certain, certainly.
• Sutt’nly—certainly.
• Swalluh—(n. and v.) swallow, swallows, swallowed, swallowing.
• Swalluhr’um—swallow, swallows, swallowed, swallowing him, her, it, them.
• Swawm—(n. and v.) swarm, swarms, swarmed, swarming.
• Sway’/Swayre—swear, swears, swore, swearing.
• Swaytogawd—swear to God.
• Sweeth’aa’t—sweetheart, sweethearts.
• Sweetmout’—sweetmouth—blarney, flattery.
• Sweetmout’ talk—soft talk of a philanderer with the gentler sex.
• Swell—swell, swells, swelled, swelling; swollen.
• Swell-up—swelled, swollen up, puffed up with anger, importance or authority.
• Sweet’n—sweeten, sweetens, sweetened, sweetening.
• Sweet’nin’—“sweetening.”
• Swif’—swift, fast.
• Swimp—shrimp, shrimps.
• Swinge—singe, singes, singed, singeing.
• Swink—shrink, shrinks, shrunk, shrinking.
• Swonguh—“swank,” swagger, swaggering, boastful.
• T
• Taar—(n. and v.) tar, tars, tarred, tarring.
• ’Tack—(n. and v.) attack, attacks, attacked, attacking.
• ’Tacktid—attacked. (See “attacktid”).
• Tackle—(n. and v.) tackle, tackles, tackled, tackling; arraign, hold accountable.
• ’Taguhnize—antagonize, antagonizes, antagonized, antagonizing; arraign, arraigned, etc.
• ’Tail—(n. and v.) entail, entails, entailed, entailing.
• ’Take—(n. and v.) stake, stakes, staked, staking.
• Talk’um—talk, talks, talked, talking; talking it, speak out, etc.
• Talluh—tallow.
• Tallygraf—(n. and v.) telegraph, telegraphs, telegraphed, telegraphing; telegram, telegrams.
• ’Tan’—stand, stands, stood, standing.
• ’Tan’up—stand, stands, stood, standing up.
• ’Tarrygate—interrogate, interrogates, interrogated, interrogating; question, questioned, etc.
• Tarrypin—terrapin, terrapins.
• Tarrify—terrify, terrifies, terrified, terrifying.
• Tarruh—t’other, the other. (See “torruh,” “todduh”).
• Tas’—task—a measure of distance as well as of area: 105 feet or 105 feet square. A “tas’,” or one-fourth of an acre, being the daily task during slavery on a sea-island cotton plantation, in “listing,” “hauling,” or hoeing sea-island cotton, a task being frequently completed before noon, when the slave was free for the rest of the day. Used as meaning distance of a shot; as: “My gun kin shoot two tas’”—My gun can kill at 210 feet (70 yards).
• Tas’e—taste, tastes, tasted, tasting.
• Tas’e ’e mout’—put a taste in his, her or their mouth or mouths; meaning something appetizing to eat.
• T’aw’t—(n. and v.) thought, thoughts. (See also “t’ink”).
• ’Tay—stay, stays, stayed, staying.
• Tayre—tear, tears, tore, tearing.
• Tayre’um—tear, tears, tore, tearing him, her, it, them.
• Teday—today.
• Teet’—tooth, teeth.
• Teet’ache—toothache.
• Tek—take, takes, took, taken, taking.
• Tek’care—take-care—as: “Tek’care bettuh mo’nuh baig paa’d’n”—Take care is better more than beg pardon; meaning an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
• Tek’eself—take, takes, took, taking himself, herself, itself, themselves.
• Tek me foot een me han’—“tek him foot een ’e han’”—Took my foot in my hand, took his or her foot or their feet in his, her, or their hand or hands—meaning hastened, hurried, speeded up.
• Tek’um—take, took, taken him, it, them; as: “tek’um en’ t’engky.”
• Tek’way—take, takes, took, taking away.
• Tek wid’um—taken with, pleased with him, her, it, them.
• ’Tell—till, until.
• Tell’um—tell, tells, telling, told him, her, it, them. “Tell’um huddy fuh me”—tell him howdy for me.
• ’Ten’—attend, attends, attended, attending; intend, intends, etc.
• Tendduh—tender.
• T’engkful—thankful.
• T’engk’Gawd—thank God!—thank, thanks, thanked, thanking God.
• T’engky—thanks, thank you.
• Tenight—tonight.
• ’Tenshun—attention.
• ’Tenshun—intention; as: “Uh ’tenshun fuh go” it is my intention to go.
• ’Tep—(n. and v.) step, steps, stepped, stepping.
• Tetch—(n. and v.) touch, touches, touched, touching. Also a remnant, as: “T’engk Gawd, ’e lef’ uh leetle tetch een de bottle.”
• Tetch’um—touch, touches, touched, touching him, her, it, them.
• ’Tettuh—potato, potatoes—usually sweet. (See “puhtettuh”).
• T’ick—thick.
• ’Tick—(n. and v.) stick, sticks, stuck, slicking.
• T’ickit—thicket, thickets.
• ’Tickluh—(n. and v.) particular, particulars. (See “puhtickluh”).
• T’ickness—thickness, thicknesses.
• ’Ticky—sticky.
• T’ief—(n. and v.) thief, thieves; steal, steals, stole, stolen, stealing. “T’ief iz bad, but t’ief en’ ketch iz de debble”—It is bad to steal, but to steal and be caught is worse.
• T’iefin’—thieving.
• Tie’um—tie, ties, tied, tying him, her, it, them.
• Tie up ’e mout’—tie, ties, tied, tying up his, her, or their mouth or mouths; meaning held his, her, or their speech.
• Tillin’ass’—Tillinghast—a low-country family name.
• T’ing—thing, things.
• ’Ting—sting, stings, stung, stinging.
• T’ink—think, thinks, thought, thinking.
• T’irteen—thirteen.
• T’irty—thirty.
• T’istle—thistle, thistles.
• Tittie/Tittuh—sister, sisters (informal).
• Toad—a young female dog (old English).
• Toad-frog—toad, toads.
• Todduh/Tudduh—the other, t’other, the others. (See “tarruh,” and “torruh”).
• Tol’—rare, for told. (See “tell’um”).
• Tongue/Toung—tongue, tongues.
• Toogoodoo—a short tidal creek or river in former Colleton, now Charleston, County.
• ’Toop—stoop, stoops, stooped, stooping.
• Toot’—tooth, teeth.
• ’Top—stop, stops, stopped, stopping.
• Top—(n. and v.) top, tops; top, tops, topped, topping.
• ’Toppuh—on, on top of.
• Torruh—(also tarruh and todduh) t’other; the other, the others; as: “Dem todduh one”—those other ones.
• ’T’oruhty—authority.
• Tote—“tote”—carry, carries, carried, carrying.
• T’ous’n/T’ouz’n—thousand.
• Town—Charleston, “the City.” (See “Chaa’stun”).
• Trabble—travel, travels, traveled, traveling.
• ’Traight—straight.
• ’Traight’n—straighten, straightens, straightened, straightening. “’Traight’n fuh”—straighten for, to hurry or extend oneself for a certain point.
• ’Trangle—strangle, strangles, strangled, strangling.
• T’rash—thrash, thrashes, thrashed, thrashing; thresh, threshed, etc.
• T’rashuh—thrasher, thrashers; thresher, threshers.
• Tredjuh—treasure, treasures.
• Tredjuruh—treasurer, treasurers.
• Tree—(v.) tree, trees, treed, treeing.
• T’ree—rarely “stree”—three.
• T’ree-time—three times.
• ’Tretch—stretch, stretches, stretched, stretching.
• ’Tretch-out—stretch out. (See “stretch-out”).
• Trigguh—trigger, triggers.
• ’Trike—strike, strikes, struck, striking.
• Trimble—tremble, trembles, trembled, trembling.
• ’Tring—string, strings, strung, stringing; “’tringbean”—string or snap-beans.
• T’roat—throat, throats.
• T’row—throw, throws, threw, thrown, throwing.
• T’rowbone—throw “bones” (dice) play craps.
• T’row’d—threw, thrown.
• T’row’way/T’ruh’way—throw, throws, threw, throwing, thrown away.
• T’ru—through.
• Trubble—(n. and v.) trouble, troubles, troubled, troubling.
• Trus’—(n. and v.) trust, trusts, trusted, trusting.
• Trus’-me-Gawd—a narrow dugout canoe, so cranky that one who ventures forth upon the waters must have faith in God to bring him through.
• Trute—truth.
• Trute-mout’—truth-mouth—one who will not lie.
• Trybunul—tribunal, tribunals.
• Tuckrey—turkey, turkeys.
• Tuh—to.
• Tuhbackuh—tobacco.
• Tuh dat—to that—as: “’E chupid tuh dat”—he is stupid to that extent; he is that stupid. “Ef him maussuh lub’um tuh dat”—if his master loves him so greatly.
• Tuhgedduh—together.
• Tuhreckly—directly.
• Tuhr’um—to him, her, it, them.
• Tuk—took. (See “tek”).
• Tummuch—too much, intensely, ardently, fervently.
• ’Tump—(n. and v.) stump, stumps; stump, stumps, stumped, stumping.
• ’Tump—stub, stubs, stubbed, stubbing.
• ’Tumpsuckuh—stump-sucker, a crib-sucking horse or mule.
• Tu’n—(n. and v.) turn, turns, turned, turning.
• T’unduh—(n. and v.) thunder, thunders, thundered, thundering.
• T’unduhsnake—thundersnake, thundersnakes.
• Tu’nflour—turned flour, scalded corn meal, mush or porridge; same as Italian polenta.
• Tu’nup—turnip, turnips.
• Tu’n up—turn, turns, turned, turning up.
• Tup’mtime/Tup’ntine—turpentine.
• T’ursd’y—Thursday.
• Twelb’—twelve.
• Twis’—(n. and v.) twist, twists, twisted, twisting.
• Twis’-mout’—twist mouth—twist-mouthed.
• Twis’up—twist or twisted up.
• Two Chuesday, Two T’ursday, etc.—the second Tuesday or the second Thursday in the month.
• Two place—second place, in the second place. NOTE: Other numbers used similarly.
• Two time—two times, twice.
• Two-t’ree—two or three.
• U
• Ub—of. (See “uh”).
• Ubtain—obtain, obtains, obtained, obtaining.
• Ub uh—of a—“Uh debble ub uh mule”—a devil of a mule.
• Uh—I; a, an. Also of. (See “ub”).
• Uhhead—ahead.
• Uhhead’uh—ahead of.
• Uhlly/Yuhlly—early.
• Um—him, her, it, them.
• Up tuh de notch—up to the notch—to the Queen’s taste, perfect.
• Us—we, our.
• Use—use, uses, used, using; also for game or cattle frequenting certain feeding grounds. (See “nyuse”).
• Use’n/Uze’n—used to be, in the habit of.
• Use-tuh—used to, accustomed to.
• W
• Waagin—wagon, wagons.
• Waa’ment—“varmint, varmints,” destructive animals or birds.
• Wadmuhlaw—Wadmalaw—an island of the Carolina coast.
• Wah—war.
• Wais’—waist, waists.
• Wanjue-range—sometimes “Banjue-Range”—Vendue Range, the old Charleston slave market.
• Wantuh—want to, wants to, wanted to, wanting to.
• Warruh/Wadduh—what, what is that.
• W’ary—weary.
• Was’e—waste, wastes, wasted, wasting.
• Wash-up/Wush-up—worship (religious).
• Watuhmilyun—watermelon, watermelons.
• Wawm—(n. and v.) warm, warms, warmed, warming.
• Wawn—(n. and v.) warn, warns, warned, warning.
• Wawss’—wasp, wasps.
• Wawss’nes’—wasp’s nest.
• We—our, us.
• W’eat—wheat.
• W’eat-flour—flour, wheat-flour.
• Wedduh—weather, weather; to rain or storm, in such phrases as: “’E gwine tuh wedduh”—it is going to or looks like rain or storm.
• Wedd’n’—wedding, weddings.
• Weeky-day—a week day.
• W’eel—(n. and v.) wheel, wheels, wheeled, wheeling.
• W’eelbarruh—wheelbarrow, wheelbarrows.
• Wegitubble—vegetable, vegetables.
• Weh—where.
• Wehr’as—whereas.
• Wehrebbuh—wherever.
• W’enebbuh—whenever.
• W’ensd’y—Wednesday.
• We’own—our own, ours.
• Werry—very. (See “berry”).
• We’self—ourselves.
• Weskit—waistcoat, waistcoats.
• Westiblue—vestibuled—the fast “limited” or tourist train.
• Whoebbuh—whoever.
• Wictoria—Victoria—also victorious.
• ’Wice—(also “exwice”) advice, advices.
• W’ich/W’ich’n—which.
• W’ich en’ w’y—which and why—as: “W’ich en’ w’y talk”—contradictory talk.
• Wickity/Wickit—wicked, wickedness.
• Wid—with.
• Widduh—widow, widows.
• Widt’—width, widths.
• W’ile—while, awhile.
• Wil’cat—wild cat, the bay-lynx of the Southern swamps.
• Willuh—willow, willows.
• Win’—(n. and v.) wind, winds; wind, winded.
• Win’—(n. and v.) wind, winds, wound, winded, winding.
• Winduh—window, windows.
• Wine—vine.
• Wineguh—vinegar.
• Winnuh—winnow, winnows, winnowed, winnowing.
• Winnuhhouse—winnowhouse, winnowhouses, where in the old days rice was winnowed.
• Wintuhtime—winter, in the winter season.
• ’Wise—(also “exwise”) advise, advises, advised, advising.
• Wish de time uh day—“pass de time uh day”—a salutation, greeting.
• Wisit—(n. and v.) visit, visits, visited, visiting.
• W’iskey—whiskey; formerly used, now an obsolete vocable among the Gullah.
• Witch—witch, witches.
• ’Witch—bewitch, bewitches, bewitched, bewitching.
• W’ite—white.
• Woice—voice, voices.
• Woodpeckuh—woodpecker, woodpeckers.
• Woodpeckuh laa’k—woodpecker lark—the flicker.
• Wrop—wrap, wraps, wrapped, wrapping.
• Wu’d—word, words.
• Wudduh da’—what is that.
• Wuffuh—what for, why.
• Wuh—what, that.
• Wuhebbuh—whatever.
• Wu’k—(n. and v.) work, works, worked, working.
• Wu’ll’—world, worlds.
• Wunduh—(n. and v.) wonder, wonders, wondered, wondering.
• Wunt—won’t, will not.
• Wurrum—worm, worms.
• Wus’den’ebbuh—worse than ever.
• Wuss/Wus’—worse, worst.
• Wussuh—worse.
• Wut’—worth, is worth, was worth, etc. “Ent wut’”—a disparaging characterization.
• Wuz—was.
• W’ymekso—what makes it so, why.
• Y
• Yaa’d—yard, yards.
• Yaa’n—yarn, yarns.
• Yaas—yes.
• Yaas’suh—yes-sir.
• Yalluh—yellow.
• Yalluhhammuh—yellowhammer—the flicker or golden-winged woodpecker.
• Yalluh yam—yellow yam—a variety of sweet potato.
• Yanduh—yonder.
• Yeah—ear, ears (corn or other grain); also year, years.
• Yearin’—hearing.
• Yeddy/Yerry—hear, hears, heard, hearing.
• Yeddy’um—hear, hears, heard, or hearing him, her, it, them.
• Yellin’—yearling, yearlings.
• Yent—(ent) ain’t, is not, are not; so pronounced when preceded by a soft vowel sound.
• Ye’t/Yu’t—earth. (See “eart’”).
• Yeye—eye, eyes; so pronounced when preceded by a soft vowel sound. “’E yeye red”—his or her eyes are bloodshot with anger.
• Yez—ear, ears (human or animal).
• Yistiddy—yesterday.
• Yiz—is; so pronounced when preceded by a soft vowel sound.
• Yo’/You—your, yours.
• You’own—your own, yours.
• Yowe—ewe. (“Yowe” is in use in Early English).
• Yuh—here.
• Yuh him—here he, she, it is, or they are.
• Z
• ’Zackly—exactly. (See “puhzackly”).
• ’Zammin’—examine, examines, examined, examining; question, questioned, etc.
• ’Zyd’n’—presiding; as: “’Zyd’n’ elduh”—presiding elder.

THE TAR BABY STORY
AS TOLD BY COL. C. C. JONES AND JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS

Buh Wolf, Buh Rabbit, and de Tar Baby
Jones’s Version

Buh Wolf and Buh Rabbit, dem bin lib nabur. De dry drout come. Ebry ting stew up. Water scace. Buh Wolf dig one spring fuh him fuh git water. Buh Rabbit, him too lazy an too scheemy fuh wuk fuh isself. Eh pen pon lib off tarruh people. Ebry day, wen Buh Wolf yent duh watch um, eh slip to Buh Wolf spring, an eh full him calabash long water an cah um to eh house fuh cook long and fuh drink. Buh Wolf see Buh Rabbit track, but eh couldnt ketch um duh tief de water.

One day eh meet Buh Rabbit in de big road, an eh ax um how eh make out fur water. Buh Rabbit say him no casion fuh hunt water: him lib off de jew on de grass. Buh Wolf quire: “Enty you blan tek water outer me spring?” Buh Rabbit say: “Me yent.” Buh Wolf say: “You yis, enty me see you track?” Buh Rabbit mek answer: “Yent me gone to you spring. Must be some edder rabbit. Me nebber bin nigh you spring. Me dunno way you spring day.” Buh Wolf no question um no mo: but eh know say eh bin Buh Rabbit fuh true, an eh fix plan fuh ketch um.

De same ebenin eh mek Tar Baby, an eh gone an set um right in de middle er de trail wuh lead to de spring, and dist in front er de spring.

Soon a mornin Buh Rabbit rise an tun in fuh cook eh bittle. Eh pot biggin fuh bun. Buh Rabbit say: “Hey! me pot duh bun. Lemme slip to Buh Wolf spring an git some water fuh cool um.” So eh tek eh calabash an hop off fuh de spring. Wen eh ketch de spring, eh see de Tar Baby duh tan dist een front er de spring. Eh stonish. Eh stop. Eh come close. Eh look at um. Eh wait fur um fuh mobe. De Tar Baby yent notice um. Eh yent wink eh yeye. Eh yent say nuttne. Eh yent mobe. Buh Rabbit, him say: “Hey titter, enty you guine tan one side an lemme git some water?” De Tar Baby no answer. Den Buh Rabbit say: “Leely Gal, mobe, me tell you, so me kin dip some water outer de spring long me calabash.” De Tar Baby wunt mobe. Buh Babbit say: “Enty you know me pot duh bun? Enty you know me hurry? Enty you yeddy me tell you fuh mobe? You see dis han? Ef you dont go long and lemme git some water, me guine slap yon ober.” De Tar Baby stan day. Buh Rabbit haul off an slap um side de head. Eh han fastne. Buh Rabbit try fuh pull eh hand back, en eh say: “Wuh you hole me han fuh? Lemme go. Ef you dont loose me, me guine box de life outer you wid dis tarruh han.” De Tar Baby yent crack eh teet. Buh Rabbit hit um, bim, wid eh tarruh han. Dat han fastne too same luk tudder. Buh Babbit say: “Wuh you up teh? Tun me loose. Ef you dont leggo me right off, me guine knee you.” De Tar Baby hole um fas. Buh Rabbit skade an bex too. Eh faid Buh Wolf come ketch um. Wen eh fine eh cant loosne eh han, eh kick de Tar Baby wid eh knee. Eh knee fastne. Yuh de big trouble now. Buh Rabbit skade den wus den nebber. Eh try fuh skade de Tar Baby. Eh say: “Leely Gal, you better mine who you duh fool long. Me tell you, fuh de las time, tun me loose. Ef you dont loosne me han an me knee right off, me guine bus you wide open wid dis head.” De Tar Baby hole um fas. Eh yent say one wud. Den Buh Rabbit but de Tar Baby een eh face. Eh head fastne same fashion luk eh han an eh knee. Yuh de ting now. Po Buh Rabbit done fuh. Eh fastne all side. Eh cant pull loose. Eh gib up. Eh bague. Eh cry. Eh holler. Buh Wolf yeddy um. Eh run day. Eh hail Buh Rabbit: “Hey Budder; wuh de trouble? Enty you tell me you no blan wisit me spring fuh git water? Who calabash dis? Wuh you duh do yuh anyhow?” Buh Rabbit so condemn eh yent hab one wud fuh talk. Buh Wolf, him say: “Nummine, I done ketch you dis day. I guine lick you now.” Buh Rabbit bague. Eh bague. Eh prommus nebber fuh trouble Buh Wolf spring no mo. Buh Wolf laugh at um. Den eh tek an loose Buh Rabbit from de Tar Baby, an eh tie um teh one spakleberry bush, an eh git switch an eh lick um tel eh tired. All de time Buh Rabbit bin a bague an a holler. Buh Wolf yent duh listne ter um, but eh keep on duh pit de lick ter um. At las Buh Rabbit tell Buh Wolf: “Dont lick me no mo. Kill me one time. Mek fire an bun me up. Knock me brains out gin de tree.” Buh Wolf mek answer: “Ef I bun you up, ef I knock you brains out, you guine dead too quick. Me guine trow you in de brier-patch, so de brier kin scratch you life out.” Buh Rabbit say: “Do Buh Wolf, bun me: broke me neck, but dont trow me in de brier patch. Lemme dead one time. Dont tarrify me no mo.” Buh Wolf yent bin know wuh Buh Rabbit up teh. Eh tink eh bin guine tare Buh Rabbit hide off. So, wuh eh do? Eh loose Buh Rabbit from de spakleberry bush, an eh tek um by de hine leg, an eh swing um roun, an eh trow um way in de tick brier patch fuh tare eh hide an cratch eh yeye out. De minnit Buh Rabbit drap in de brier patch, eh cock up eh tail, eh jump, an holler back to Buh Wolf: “Good bye, Budder! Dis de place me mammy fotch me up,—dis de place me mammy fotch me up.” An eh gone befo Buh Wolf kin ketch um. Buh Rabbit too scheemy.

The Wonderful Tar-Baby Story
Harris’s Version

“Didn’t the fox never catch the rabbit, Uncle Remus?” asked the little boy the next evening.

“He come mighty nigh it, honey, sho’s you born—Brer Fox did. One day atter Brer Rabbit fool ’im wid dat calamus root, Brer Fox went ter wuk en got ’im some tar, en mix it wid some turkentime, en fix up a contrapshun wat he call a Tar-Baby, en he tuck dish yer Tar-Baby en he sot ’er in de big road, en den he lay off in de bushes for to see wat de news wuz gwineter be. En he didn’t hatter wait long, nudder, kaze bimeby here come Brer Rabbit pacin’ down de road—lippity-clippity, clippity-lippity—dez ez sassy ez a Jay-bird. Brer Fox he lay low. Brer Rabbit come prancin’ ’long twel he spy de Tar-Baby, en den he fotch up on his behime legs like he wuz ’stonished. De Tar-Baby, she sot dar, she did, en Brer Fox, he lay low.

“‘Mawnin’!’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee—’nice wedder dis mawnin’,’ sezee.

“Tar-Baby ain’t sayin’ nothin’, en Brer Fox, he lay low.

“‘How duz yo’ sym’tums seem ter segashuate?’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee.

“Brer Fox, he wink his eye slow, en lay low, en de Tar-Baby she ain’t sayin’ nothin’.

“‘How you come on, den? Is you deaf?’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee. ‘Kaze if you is, I kin holler louder,’ sezee.

“Tar-Baby stay still, en Brer Fox he lay low.

“‘Youer stuck up, dat’s w’at you is,’ says Brer Rabbit, sezee, ‘en I’m gwineter kyore you, dat’s w’at I’m a gwineter do,’ sezee.

“Brer Fox, he sorter chuckle in his stummuck, he did, but Tar-Baby ain’t sayin’ nothin’.

“‘I’m gwineter larn you howter talk ter ’spectubble fokes ef hit’s de las’ ack,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee. ‘Ef you don’t take off dat hat en tell me howdy, I’m gwineter bus’ you wide open,’ sezee.

“Tar-Baby stay still, en Brer Fox, he lay low.

“Brer Rabbit keep on axin ’im, en de Tar-Baby, she keep on sayin’ nothin’, twel present’y Brer Rabbit draw back wid his fis’, he did, en blip he tuck ’er side er de head. Right dar’s whar he broke his merlasses jug. His fis’ stuck, en he can’t pull loose. De tar hilt ’im. But Tar-Baby, she stay still, en Brer Fox, he lay low.

“‘Ef you don’t lemme loose, I’ll knock you agin,’ Brer Rabbit, sezee, en wid dat he fotch ’er a wipe wid de udder han’, en dat stuck. Tar-Baby, she ain’t sayin’ nothin’, en Brer Fox, he lay low.

“‘Tu’n me loose, fo’ I kick de natal stuffin’ outen you,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, but de Tar-Baby, she ain’t sayin’ nothin.’ She des hilt on, en den Brer Rabbit lose de use er his feet in de same way. Brer Fox, he lay low. Den Brer Rabbit squall out dat ef de Tar-Baby don’t tu’n ’im loose he butt ’er cranksided. En den he butted, en his head got stuck. Den Brer Fox, he sa’ntered fort’, lookin’ des ez innercent ez one er yo’ mamy’s mockin’-birds.

“‘Howdy, Brer Rabbit,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee. ‘You look sorter stuck up dis mawnin’,’ sezee, en den he rolled on de groun’, en laughed en laughed twel he couldn’t laugh no mo’. ‘I speck you’ll take dinner wid me dis time, Brer Rabbit. I done laid in some calamus root, en I ain’t gwineter take no skuse,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee.”

Here Uncle Remus paused, and drew a two-pound yam out of the ashes.

“Did the fox eat the rabbit”? asked the little boy to whom the story had been told.

“W’en Brer Fox fine Brer Rabbit mixt up wid de Tar-Baby, he feel mighty good, en he roll on de groun’ en laff. Bimeby he up’n say, sezee:

“‘Well, I speck I got you dis time, Brer Rabbit,’ sezee: ‘maybe I ain’t, but I speck I is. You been runnin’ roun’ here sassin’ atter me a mighty long time, but I speck you done come ter de een’ er de row. You bin cuttin’ up yo’ capers en bouncin’ roun’ in dis neighberhood ontwel you come ter b’leeve yo’se’f de boss er de whole gang. En den youer allers some’rs whar you got no bizness,’ sez Brer Fox sezee. ‘Who ax you fer ter come en strike up a ’quaintance wid dish yer Tar-Baby? En who stuck you up dar whar you iz? Nobody in de roun worril. You des tuck en jam yo’se’f on dat Tar-Baby widout waitin’ fer enny invite,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee, ‘en dar you is, en dar you’ll stay twel I fixes up a bresh-pile and fires her up, kaze I’m gwineter bobbycue you dis day, sho,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee.

“Den Brer Rabbit talk mighty ’umble.

“‘I don’t keer w’at you do wid me, Brer Fox,’ sezee, ‘so you don’t fling me in dat brier-patch. Roas’ me, Brer Fox,’ sezee, ‘but don’t fling me in dat brier-patch,’ sezee.

“‘Hit’s so much trouble fer ter kindle a fier,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee, ‘dat I speck I’ll hatter hang you,’ sezee.

“‘Hang me des ez high as you please, Brer Fox,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, ‘but do fer de Lord’s sake don’t fling me in dat brier-patch,’ sezee.

“‘I ain’t got no string,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee, ‘en now I speck I’ll hatter drown you,’ sezee.

“‘Drown me des ez deep ez you please, Brer Fox,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, ‘but do don’t fling me in dat brier-patch,’ sezee.

“‘Dey ain’t no water nigh,’ sez Brer Fox, sezee, ‘en now I speck I’ll hatter skin you,’ sezee.

“‘Skin me, Brer Fox,’ sez Brer Rabbit, sezee, ‘snatch out my eyeballs, t’ar out my years by de roots, en cut off my legs,’ sezee, ‘but do please, Brer Fox, don’t fling me in dat brier-patch,’ sezee.

“Co’se Brer Fox wanter hurt Brer Rabbit bad ez he kin, so he cotch ’im by de behime legs en slung ’im right in de middle er de brier-patch. Dar wuz a considerbul flutter whar Brer Rabbit struck de bushes, en Brer Fox sorter hang ’roun’ fer ter see w’at wus gwineter happen. Bimeby he hear somebody call ’im, en way up de hill he see Brer Rabbit settin’ cross-legged on a chinkapin log koamin’ de pitch outer his har wid a chip. Den Brer Fox know dat he bin swop off mighty bad. Brer Rabbit wuz bleedzed fer ter fling back some er his sass, en he holler out:

“‘Bred en bawn in a brier-patch, Brer Fox—bred en bawn in a brier-patch!’ en wid dat he skip out des ez lively ez a cricket in de embers.”