Southern sayings are the best sayings. They may sound a little silly to some but they are wise and will always hold true, no matter the times.
If you need to brush up on your grammar or are just curious to learn some new lingo, look no further. This slideshow has a good amount of sayings to help get you started!
1) The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease
In lamens terms, the loudest receive the most attention. So the louder one complains, the more attention one gets.
2) You Can Lead a Horse to Water, But You Can’t Make It Drink
There’s only so much you can do! But always try. You can’t make someone take advantage of an opportunity given to them.
3) Beggars Can’t Be Choosers
If you need help, take the help you’re given! Don’t complain. Say thank you and move on. Be grateful!
4) Don’t Take Any Wooden Nickels
Simply, beware! Don’t get swindled!
It’s believed this phrase came about the early 20th century when actual wooden nickels were actually made as souvenirs.
5) Make Hay While the Sun Shines
Don’t waste your time! Spend it wisely. You never know when an opportunity will be presented again.
6) Birds of a Feather Flock Together
You spend time with those who are more like yourself. Those who think like you, behave similarly to you, and so on.
I urge caution in doing this. Widen your horizons!
7) An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
Eat healthy if you want to remain that way! Otherwise, you’ll sure to be seeing a doctor more often than you’d like.
However, there is no scientific evidence that proves eating an apple every day has more effects on your health. But your overall health sure does and apples offer great benefits!
8) This Isn’t My First Rodeo
They say you become wiser as you grow older. Those who have “been there” and “done that” have more experience than those who haven’t.
Listen up, kids!
9) There’s No Use Crying Over Spilt Milk
What’s done is done. We have to live with our actions and move on. It’s difficult but we can’t change what’s in the past.
Instead of focusing on the problem, think about a solution!
10) Strike While the Iron Is Hot
Don’t let that opportunity pass you by! Go for it while it’s still there. Opportunities don’t present themselves often. Take advantage.
11) There’s More Than One Way to Skin a Cat
You might not get it right the first time but just try it again, another way. Don’t be so quick to feel defeated. Give it another go.
12) You’re Preaching to the Choir
Don’t waste your time trying to convince somebody to do something that they are already on board with!
Or, there’s no need to tell somebody something they already know!
In other words, play it cool!
13) Any Job Worth Doing is Worth Doing Well
Don’t half on a job. Do it to your full potential to get the best results. Avoid creating lazy habits!
14) You’re the Cat’s Meow
Oh, you’re all that and a bag of chips! It’s a form of high praise. It can be given to a person or even a really cool thing. Like this car!
15) Hurry Up, We’re Burning Daylight
We’re wasting time! Before you know it, the day will be over. So do what you can now!
16) Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way
With determination and perseverance, anything can be done! There’s no obstacle that can keep you away from what you really want. Nothing.
17) If It Had Been a Snake, It Would Have Bitten You
Don’t slack! Always be aware of your surroundings and those around you. Stay on guard and protect yourself at all times.
18) You’re a Day Late and a Dollar Short
Too little, too late. You’ve missed an opportunity due to tardiness or just not putting in enough effort. Go for what you want full-heartedly.
19) I Love You a Bushel and a Peck and a Hug Around the Neck
These are actual measurements! They’re dry measurements of quarts. A bushel is 32 quarts and a peck is 8 quarts.
It’s a way of saying you love someone a whooooooole lot. It’s also a song by Doris Day!
20) Early to Bed and Early to Rise Makes You Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise
Go to bed and wake up early to be your most productive! It’s important to get enough sleep so you’re not tired during the day and unable to complete your work. It also keeps the mind sharp.
The quote is attributed to Benjamin Franklin.
21) Don’t Throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater
Don’t get rid of something good while throwing out the bad! Just be careful. A cleanse is great but not everything needs to be thrown out!
22) A Thing of Beauty Is a Joy Forever
Beauty brings us joy. It also never fades or dies. It’s always there to give joy to the next person or thing.
23) A Trouble Shared Is a Trouble Halved
Your troubles are mine. Talking about your problems with someone can make things seem a lot more manageable.
We’ve all definitely heard this. It’s an exclamation of surprise, exhaustion, dismay, etc.
It’s commonly used in place of curse words, if it can be helped!
25) A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss
Those who don’t stay long avoid responsibilities and having to care. They tend to have fewer problems than those who don’t. On the other hand, they don’t have a home.
26) Many Hands Make Light Work
The more who help, the less each person has to do! It’s similar to, if you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far, go together.
27) The Early Bird Catches the Worm
Those who get there early have a higher chance of getting what they want. Don’t wait around for what you want! Showing up is half the battle.
28) Don’t Put the Cart Before the Horse
The order we do things really make a difference. Think productivity. You wouldn’t dust after you vacuum!
29) A Watched Pot Never Boils
The more you keep your mind on something, the longer it takes to happen. Don’t watch the pot because it will feel like forever for it to boil!
Relax and take your mind off of things.
30) A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats
This mainly refers to the economy. It means that an improved economy will benefit all. We all rise and fall together.
It’s attributed to John F. Kennedy.
31) Never Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth
Don’t question the value of a gift given to you. Just say thank you and move on.
It comes from looking at a horse’s teeth to determine the horse’s age.
32) You Can’t Make an Omelet Without Breaking a Few Eggs
If you want to achieve something, there might be some damage along the way. For example, you might make people upset in the process.
Sometimes waves must be made.
33) Home Is Where the Heart Is
Home isn’t a physical place! Home is where you make it. Generally, it’s who and what you surround yourself with that makes a home. It’s a feeling.
34) More Than You Can Shake a Stick At
It means a lot! You have an abundance of something. For example, I have more video games than you can shake a stick at.
35) You Can’t Make a Silk Purse Out of a Sow’s Ear
No matter how unattractive something is, you can’t make it look better. For example, a handsome guy with an ugly personality… No matter how he dresses up, he is still ugly.
That goes for situations as well! If you do something bad and try and dress it up as good, it is still bad!
The meaning depends on how it’s said!
It can mean genuine fondness and sincere sympathy. But it can also mean “you poor simple thing.” Listen for the tone!
37) It Doesn’t Amount to a Hill of Beans
Something that isn’t worth a whole lot! Very little in fact. It’s in reference to something that is insignificant.
“Why, that idea don’t amount to a hill of beans.”
38) What’s Good for the Goose is Good for the Gander
The way one person or situation is treated should be the same for all. If it’s good enough for one party, it should be good enough for another.
For example, if a man is allowed to do something, a woman should be able to also.
39) Every Dog Has Its Day
Everybody gets a chance eventually! Everyone will be happy and feel success at some point in their life. We all have a day or a moment.
40) If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It
If it works, leave it alone! You wouldn’t try fixing something that is working without expecting to repair it.
Some folks are just keen on problems.
41) There’s No Accounting for Taste
Taste is subjective, it’s different for everybody. What looks good to you might not look so great for someone else. Disagreements about these matters cannot be objectively resolved. Nobody would win.
42) Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
The longer you are away from something, the more you miss it. Sometimes it’s said that we don’t even realize how much we care about a person, or thing, until we no longer have it.
43) You’re the Bees Knees
You’re pretty swell! No pun intended.
It’s a compliment that equates to excellence.
44) You’ll Catch More Flies with Honey Than Vinegar
People tend to like those who are sweet rather than sour. Try being polite instead of pushy and rude. It works wonders.
45) Don’t Judge a Book By Its Cover
Don’t judge something or someone just by their outer appearance. Flip through some pages first. You’ll never know what inside. You could be in the presence of a gem.
46) One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s Treasure
What one person might consider junk, another could love with all of their being. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The same thing or person might not appeal to everyone.
47) A Stitch in Time Saves Nine
A little effort now could save you loads later on! Don’t procrastinate! You don’t want a small problem to turn into a large one.
48) Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They’ve Hatched
Just hold off for a bit. You don’t want to count on something just to have it fall through at the last minute. We can’t control everything. Do this to avoid disappointment!
49) Too Many Cooks Spoil the Gravy
Too many people involved in something could ruin it! Just imagine, everybody putting what they wanted into a pot of soup. It could be pretty disastrous.
I don’t know about you but I’m not for wasting a good pot of soup.
50) Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
Don’t risk everything you have on the possibility of something working in your favor. It’s wise not to depend on one single plan. That’s where plan b and c come into play.
51) Pretty Is As Pretty Does
Just because somebody looks pleasing to the eye, doesn’t mean that they are good at the core. Physical beauty only means so much. A person’s actions mean so much more.
Forrest Gump plays on the phrase by saying, “Stupid is as stupid does.”
52) It Was Like Herding Cats
Have you ever tried herding cats?! Sometimes it can feel just like that when trying to organize a group of people. Particularly when they all want to do their own thing.
53) People Who Live in a Glass House Shouldn’t Throw Stones
Hypocrisy at its finest. Pretty much, don’t criticize others for doing something that you’re guilty of doing yourself.
54) Confession Is Good for the Soul
More than likely, the thing you want to share with that person, knows already. It’s better to just confess it. Trust is always built that way.
55) Share and Share Alike
Each person should have equal parts of a whole, whether it be positive or negative. It’s mainly used in wills and other legal documents when there is money involved.
56) As I Live and Breathe
Surprise! This just means that you’re very surprised to see someone or something. It’s been used as early as the mid-1600s!
57) It Doesn’t Cut the Mustard
Something isn’t quite up to par with your expectations. You might have been pretty underwhelmed.
58) You’re Barking Up the Wrong Tree
You’re mistaken! You have the wrong person.
Try, try, try again.
59) Don’t Buy a Pig in a Poke
Don’t purchase something without knowing its true value. Make sure you thoroughly inspect your purchases!
60) You’re Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill
You’re making a big deal out of something small. You’re essentially making something out of nothing.
It’s common to overthink things but try not to!
61) Cuter Than a Speckled Pup
Something is very adorable! It could be a baby or even a crush. Say it sometime!
62) Fortune Favors the Brave
Mustering up the courage to face your fears and go for what you want can potentially offer big rewards. Sometimes, you have to take risks to achieve your goals.
If you say you can’t do something, you’ll never be able to. The mind is a powerful tool. Use it wisely.
64) He Doesn’t Have the Sense God Gave a Goose
This person doesn’t have any common sense. They’re not the sharpest tool in the shed. But love them nonetheless!
65) You Can Get Glad In the Same Clothes You Got Mad In
Happiness is a choice and you don’t need to change outfits to change your mood. Happiness doesn’t cost much!
All of these are some great words of wisedom to live by!
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