Southern Sayings You Need to Know!

Y’all, get ready—this episode is all about Southern sayings, hilarious stories, and lessons in Southern charm! Ricky and Roxanna go head-to-head in a Southern Sayings Game, breaking down the meanings behind classic phrases like “Bless your heart,” “Madder than a wet hen,” and “Full as a tick.” Ever wondered why Southerners say, “Let me let you go” instead of just hanging up? Or what it really means when someone says “Well, butter my backside and call me a biscuit”?

Plus, Ricky shares a TMI family moment about his grandma “declaring” in the bathroom. The one Southern saying that secretly means someone is cussing you out. Ricky’s take on why tone and inflection make all the difference in Southern speech and why Texas is not considered the South (controversial take!)

It’s fun, chaotic, and packed with Southern wisdom—so grab a sweet tea, sit back, and enjoy!


Timestamps:

0:07 | “The only requirement is that you declare it loud and proud.”
0:15 | Ricky’s grandma’s TMI bathroom confession: “Woo, I declare!”
0:44 | “If a pizza place can’t get cheese pizza right, they can’t do anything right.”
2:04 | The Southern Sayings Game begins!
3:03 | “Bless your heart” – The two meanings you need to know.
4:04 | “Madder than a wet hen” – Why you should never throw water on a chicken.
5:08 | “If I had my druthers” – What it actually means.
5:30 | “Full as a tick” – The Southern way to say you ate way too much.
6:28 | “Hankering” – Why it’s not just a craving.
7:00 | “Tore up” – How Southerners describe anything that’s a mess.
8:24 | “Till the cows come home” – Does anyone actually say this?
9:14 | “Let me let you go” – The polite way Southerners end a phone call.
10:50 | “Carry me to the store” – Why Southerners don’t drive places, they get carried.
14:34 | “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear” – Translation: You can’t fix ugly.
15:28 | “Hotter than blazes” vs. “Hotter than Satan’s drawers” – The Southern temperature scale.
18:00 | “Well, I declare!” – The real reason Southerners say this.
20:49 | “Butter my backside and call me a biscuit!” – Ricky’s uncle actually says this.
24:01 | “The porch light’s on, but nobody’s home” – A nice way of saying someone isn’t too bright.
26:04 | “Catawampus” – How Southerners say something is very messed up.
28:30 | The Georgia slang showdown – Does anyone say “ITP and OTP”?!
32:28 | “Lemon pepper wet” – The Atlanta food term you need to know.
36:00 | Closing thoughts – Roxanna discovers how much tone matters in Southern speak!

💬 Drop a comment below! What’s the funniest Southern saying you’ve ever heard? Did we miss any?


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We’ll leave the light on and the front door unlocked… unless you show up with bad BBQ. Then, bless your heart, and stay home!

Chapters

• 0:07 “The only requirement is that you declare it loud and proud.”
• 0:15 Ricky’s grandma’s TMI bathroom confession: “Woo, I declare!”
• 0:44 “If a pizza place can’t get cheese pizza right, they can’t do anything right.”
• 2:04 The Southern Sayings Game begins!
• 3:03 “Bless your heart” – The two meanings you need to know.
• 4:04 “Madder than a wet hen” – Why you should never throw water on a chicken.
• 5:08 “If I had my druthers” – What it actually means.
• 5:30 “Full as a tick” – The Southern way to say you ate way too much.
• 6:28 “Hankering” – Why it’s not just a craving.
• 7:00 “Tore up” – How Southerners describe anything that’s a mess.
• 8:24 “Till the cows come home” – Does anyone actually say this?
• 9:14 “Let me let you go” – The polite way Southerners end a phone call.
• 10:50 “Carry me to the store” – Why Southerners don’t drive places, they get carried.
• 14:34 “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear” – Translation: You can’t fix ugly.
• 15:28 “Hotter than blazes” vs. “Hotter than Satan’s drawers” – The Southern temperature scale.
• 18:00 “Well, I declare!” – The real reason Southerners say this.
• 20:49 “Butter my backside and call me a biscuit!” – Ricky’s uncle actually says this.
• 24:01 “The porch light’s on, but nobody’s home” – A nice way of saying someone isn’t too bright.
• 26:04 “Catawampus” – How Southerners say something is very messed up.
• 28:30 The Georgia slang showdown – Does anyone say “ITP and OTP”?!
• 32:28 “Lemon pepper wet” – The Atlanta food term you need to know.
• 36:00 Closing thoughts – Roxanna discovers how much tone matters in Southern speak!

Transcript

[INTRO]

Ricky:
Howdy, y’all! On this episode of Ricky’s Big World, we’re going to spill all the tea. The only requirement is that you declare it loud and proud!

Roxanna:
My grandma was in the bathroom one time, and before she flushed the toilet, I heard her say, “Woo, I declare!”

Ricky:
(Laughs)

Roxanna:
And I knew exactly what she meant. She came out, and I said, “Grandma, you feel better?”

Ricky:
And?

Roxanna:
And she goes, “Woo, yes, I feel much better. You should have seen it!”

Ricky:
That was the moment of shock.
[LIVE FROM PIZZA WORLD]

Ricky:
We’re back in the Pizza World caverns—behind the test ovens, and in reality, next to the bathrooms—it’s Ricky’s Big World!

Roxanna:
This is Ricky with Ricky’s Big World, coming to you from Pizza World in Cedar Rapids, Iowa!

Ricky:
Take a look at this. What kind of pizza is this?

Roxanna:
Cheese pizza. Plain old cheese.

Ricky:
And some cheese sticks.

Roxanna:
I feel like cheese pizza is the best way to judge a pizza place. If they can’t get cheese right, then the rest of their pizzas aren’t going to be any good.

Ricky:
Y’all do the Buffalo milk cheese here, right?

Roxanna:
Oh my God, yeah.

Ricky:
I want this one right here because I touched it, so it’s mine.

(Ricky takes a bite.)

Ricky:
Look at that right there. That is beautiful.

Roxanna:
I don’t normally like cheese pizza—it’s too plain—but I will say, this one has seasonings in it that make it delicious.

Ricky:
If you can’t do a good cheese pizza, then your whole menu is questionable.
[THE SOUTHERN SAYINGS GAME]

Roxanna:
Alright, Ricky—Jana told me before we came in that she wants to do a game show today.

Ricky:
A game show?

Roxanna:
Yeah, and I want to spice it up a little bit. It’s a Southern Sayings Game.

Ricky:
Oh Lord.

Roxanna:
I’m going to give you a Southern saying, and you tell me:
1. What it means,
2. If you use it, and
3. If you’ve ever heard it before.

Ricky:
Okay, okay. So, am I only limited to the South right now?

Roxanna:
Yes, for the purpose of the game.

Ricky:
Alright, Miss Producer.

Roxanna:
Okay, first one. Let’s start easy:

“Bless your heart.”

Ricky:
Oh, that’s a two-parter.
1. There’s the nice Southern version, which is like, “Oh, bless your heart, I hope things get better for you.”
2. And then there’s the REAL version, which is basically an F-bomb in disguise.

Roxanna:
Exactly!

Ricky:
If a Southern woman says it slow, bless your heart—you messed up.

Roxanna:
Okay, next one:

“Madder than a wet hen.”

Ricky:
You ever seen a chicken mad before?

Roxanna:
No, but I feel like I should now.

Ricky:
Throw some water on a chicken and see what happens.

Roxanna:
Does it come after you?

Ricky:
Oh, it will. They don’t play.

Roxanna:
I’m not going to test that theory.
[MORE SOUTHERN SAYINGS & THEIR MEANINGS]

“If I had my druthers.”

Ricky: Means “If I had my way.” My grandma used to say, “Lord have mercy, if I had my druthers, I wouldn’t have married that man.”

“Full as a tick.”

Roxanna: That one’s pretty self-explanatory. You ate too much.

Ricky: Right! You go to Pizza World, eat too much, and walk around saying, “Whew, I’m full as a tick!”

“Till the cows come home.”

Ricky: Yeah, people still say that one. My mom used to tell me that all the time.

“Let me let you go.”

Roxanna: Why do Southerners always say this instead of just hanging up?

Ricky: Because we politely end conversations!

Roxanna: But y’all still in control!

Ricky: Absolutely.
[CLOSING THOUGHTS]

Roxanna:
I think what I really learned today is that Southern sayings are all about tone.

Ricky:
Oh yeah, tone changes everything. You could be saying something sweet, or you could be cussing somebody out—all depends on how you say it.

Roxanna:
And I also learned I should never throw water on a chicken.

Ricky:
That too.

Roxanna:
Alright, Ricky, final words?

Ricky:
Do me a favor—subscribe to the podcast, hit the button, and stick around for more episodes.

And remember:
“We’ll leave the light on and the front door unlocked… unless you show up with bad BBQ. Then, bless your heart, and stay home!”
END OF EPISODE