slang Archives - Diana Derringer

Well Butter my Backside and Call Me A Biscuit!

March 10, 2025 Diana Derringer Comments 2 comments

Please welcome my guest writer, Tammy Whitehurst. I met Tammy at the Kentucky Christian Writers Conference. Fast-paced. Funny. Down to earth. Relatable. Tammy is a “hoot with a capital H!” From hilariously funny to seriously faith-filled, Tammy has been featured in Lifeway magazines, Christianity Today and other publications. She has spoken for Moody and Salem Radio Broadcasting. However, to those who know her best, she is simply Davis’s wife, an empty nest mom, and a former middle school teacher. She struggles like the rest of us with dust, dishes, cellulite, junk drawers, and wrinkles. Find out more at TammyWhitehurst.com.

Well butter my backside and call me a biscuit!

If we need a positive expression when good news takes us by surprise, this one takes the cake.

Oh, the joy of being surprised unexpectedly!

Perhaps the door swings open and someone we love dearly stands there.
Maybe an answered prayer that seemed impossible.
When someone pays for our meal out of the blue.
Or a text from someone we haven’t heard from in years.

In the South a grin would emerge that would be almost impossible to wipe away and we would say, “Well butter my backside and call me a biscuit!”

Whether we are southern as “all git out” or “suddenly southern” due to a move or vacation, one thing is for sure…. learning southern slang is crucial.

When the trials and tribulations of life have us up against the Red Sea….

God parted it for Moses so the Israelites could pass through (Exodus 14). He can part it for us as well. God can and does exceed our expectations.

Expect the unexpected.

Ephesians 3:20 (NIV) says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”

Thanks to Jeri Stone for the biscuits photo.

Do you have an expression you want explained or thoughts about this one? If so, please comment below.

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On the Mend

October 21, 2024 Diana Derringer Comments 8 comments

Several family members recently suffered significant health problems. Most are now on the mend.

On the mend refers to healing.

Surgeries are over.
Health has improved.
They feel better.

Some continue treatments or therapy. Although still in recovery, they look forward to further healing.

Improved health does not equal perfect health.

However, they can enjoy:

Mended bones
Cured diseases
Restored strength and energy

They are alive and kicking (only not too high), and they keep on keeping on.

On the mend describes more than physical healing.

It also means repairs to:

Torn clothing
Ruined relationships
Damaged roads
Faulty morals
Shattered emotions

Although broken, all can mend.

Jesus offers to mend broken lives.

Just as He called fishermen mending their nets to follow Him, Jesus also calls people today. A positive answer results in:

Forgiveness for sins
A personal relationship with God
Peace, hope, joy, and love regardless of life’s circumstances
A perfect, eternal home in heaven

“Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him (Matthew 4:21-22 NKJV).

Thanks to Melissa Bright for the suggestion.

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Come Out in the Wash

January 27, 2020 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

Come Out in the Wash-blouse hanging on a porch with tree in the background “Don’t worry about it. It will come out in the wash.” Those words have probably helped many of us deal with problems or disappointments.

To come out in the wash tells us everything will be okay.

We hate to get stains on our clothing. However, most stains wash out. In the same way, we hate to have problems in life. Yet, most problems work out.

We try to cover up when we do wrong. That also comes out in the wash. We cannot hide bad behavior forever.

With time:

Wrongs will be made right.
Truth will expose lies.
Hard times will pass.
Good will win over evil.

Some troubles come out in the wash faster than others.

Not all stains come out quickly. We have to wash our clothes several times to get rid of them. Likewise, not all troubles disappear as soon as we like.

We often worry when all we need to do is wait.

When we wring our hands in worry, we make ourselves feel worse. Most problems cause little harm. If harm comes, it usually does not last long. However, if we do suffer a long time, we can look for lessons from our experiences.

Life gets dirty, but God offers to wash us clean.

If we accept Jesus as personal Savior, life’s troubles will one day end. The best is yet to come. Jesus paid the price for our wrongs and invites us to come clean. He will give us a fresh start.

“Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7 NIV).

Thanks to Linda Dean-Peavey for the suggestion and to Jeri Stone for the photo.

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I Swan

August 12, 2019 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

I Swan--Uncle Lowell and three dogs

My Uncle Lowell, like many in our family, loved to use idioms and slang. He often expressed surprise with, “I swan.” He occasionally changed that to:

“I’ll swan.”
“I swanny.”
“Well, I swan.”
“I declare.”

All meant the same.

Uncle Lowell’s “I swan” meant something happened he did not expect.

He may or may not have known it also meant the same as “I swear.”

Like most of us, Uncle Lowell preferred pleasant surprises:

News of a new grandchild
Gifts out of the blue
Contact from an old friend

Unfortunately, he also received unpleasant surprises:

Deaths of friends or family members
Bad accidents
Weather related crop losses

However, Uncle Lowell was a tough cookie.

He often laughed through his troubles by:

Telling tall tales
Playing jokes on anyone around him
Giving children funny nicknames

Singing also helped him through hard times. I can still hear his deep bass remind us to have a little talk with Jesus.

If Uncle Lowell knew about this post, I have a feeling he would respond, “Well, I swan. Who ever heard of such a thing?”

“Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come” (Psalm 71:18 NIV).

Did you have family members like my Uncle Lowell? Please comment below.

Thanks to Stacey Marcum and Gail Gosser for the suggestion. Special thanks to Stacey for the photo.

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Not My Cup of Tea

September 24, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 6 comments

Coffee is not my cup of tea. I don’t like it. Water, milk, and tea are. I enjoy all three.

Not my cup of tea refers to anything I don’t like.

I don’t want or enjoy:

Its taste
How it looks
Spending time with it

Other items on my dislike list include:

Lobster
Video games
Poison ivy

Something is my cup of tea if I like it.

Items on that list include:

Chocolate
Reading
Walking
Traveling off the beaten path
Writing

My likes may differ from yours.

That makes life more interesting. Don’t you agree?

Whatever is or is not your cup of tea, I pray your cup runs over with God’s blessings.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV).

Thanks to Carole Fite for the suggestion.

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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Lock Horns

September 10, 2018 Diana Derringer Comments 3 comments

Lock Horns--Elk fighting If you have seen elk or other animals lock horns, you know exactly what this expression means. Two animals fight one another. The fight often results in locked horns (or antlers).

A fight usually begins when the animals:

Face one another
Dig their feet in the dirt
Run toward each other
Hit their heads together

Two males often fight over a female.

If we lock horns with one another, we have conflict.

Our conflict may be:

Physical fights
Verbal arguments

Locking horns may also affect us:

Mentally
Emotionally
Spiritually

Conflict may arise over:

Money
Jobs
Relationships (romance, family, friends)
Silly disagreements

Sometimes we must lock horns.

We see wrongs that need to be made right. Our efforts may not be easy. Yet, we must figure out how to make necessary changes happen.

Usually, we want to avoid locking horns.

Much that we fight over is not worth the fight. We end up hurting others and ourselves. We get off on the wrong foot. Then we have to mend fences.

We can disagree without locking horns. That sounds like the better plan.

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18 NIV).

Do you have an expression you want explained or a thought about this one? If so, please comment below.

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Get Your Goat

June 17, 2014 Diana Derringer Comments 1 comment

If I get your goat, I make you angry or upset.

Although Jenny and I both got a goat in this photo, we were definitely not angry or upset. What fun we had with Paul and Janet Hert at Green Hall Farm, feeding, holding, loving, and learning about goats.

I wish we would all relate to one another that way. Why do we choose to:

Annoy one another for no good reason?
Hurt others when we hurt?
Make fun of people different from us?

Why don’t we:

Seek the best for one another?
Help one another through good times and bad?
Celebrate our differences?

Like Jenny and I did with the Herts’ goats, let’s:

Feed one another when we’re hungry.
Hold one another when we hurt.
Love one another unconditionally.
Learn from one another’s life experiences.

“In that day the wolf and the lamb will lie down together, and the leopard and goats will be at peace. Calves and fat cattle will be safe among lions, and a little child shall lead them all” (Isaiah 11:6 TLB).

Do you have an expression you want explained? If so, please comment below.

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