Save
all manner of bacon grease. You will be instructed later how to use it.
If you
forget a Southerner's name, refer to him (or her) as "Bubba". You have a 75% chance of being right.
Just
because you can drive on snow and ice does not mean we can. Stay home the two days of the year it snows.
If you do run your car into a ditch, don't panic. Four men in the cab of a four wheel drive with a 12-pack
of beer and a tow chain will be along shortly. Don't try to help them. Just stay out of their way. This is what they live
for.
Don't
be surprised to find movie rentals and bait in the same store.
Do not
buy food at the movie store.
If it
can't be fried in bacon grease, it ain't worth cooking, let alone eating.
Remember:
"Y'all" is singular. "All y'all" is plural. "All y'all's" is plural possessive.
There
is nothing sillier than a Northerner imitating a southern accent, unless it is a southerner imitating a Boston
accent.
Get used
to hearing, "You ain't from around here, are you?"
People
walk slower here.
Don't
be worried that you don't understand anyone. They don't understand you either.
The first
Southern expression to creep into a transplanted Northerner's vocabulary is the adjective "Big ol'", as in "big ol' truck"
or "big ol' boy". Eighty-five percent begin their new southern influenced dialect with this expression. One hundred percent
are in denial about it.
The proper
pronunciation you learned in school is no longer proper.
Be advised:
The "He needed killin'" defense is valid here.
If attending
a funeral in the South, remember, we stay until the last shovel of dirt is thrown on and the tent is torn down.
If you
hear a Southerner exclaim, "Hey, y'all, watch this!" stay out of his way. These are likely the last words he will ever say.
Most
Southerners do not use turn signals, and they ignore those who do. In fact, if you see a signal blinking on a car with a southern
license plate, you may rest assured that it was on when the car was purchased.
Northerners
can be identified by the spit on the inside of their car's windshield that comes from yelling at other drivers.
The winter
wardrobe you always brought out in September can wait until November.
If there
is the prediction of the slightest chance of even the most minuscule accumulation of snow, your presence is required at the
local grocery store. It does not matter if you need anything from the store, it is just something you're supposed to do.
Satellite
dishes are very popular in the South. When you purchase one it is to be positioned directly in front of your trailer. This
is logical bearing in mind that the dish cost considerably more than the trailer and should, therefore, be displayed.
Tornadoes
and Southerners going through a divorce have a lot in common. In either case, you know someone is going to lose a trailer.
Florida is not considered a southern state. There are far more Yankees
than Southerners living there.
In southern
churches you will here the hymn, All Glory, Laud and Honor. You will also here expressions such as, "Laud, have mercy","Good
Laud", and "Laudy, Laudy, Laudy".
As you
are cursing the person driving 15 mph in a 55 mph zone, directly in the middle of the road, remember, many folks learned to
drive on a model of vehicle known as John Deere, and this is the proper speed and lane position for the vehicle.
You can
ask a Southerner for directions, but unless you already know the positions of key hills, trees and rocks, you're better off
trying to find it yourself.
No use in buying the newspaper. Jest go to the local hardware store
where a bunch of men sittin in rocking chairs will be able to give ya any news ya might need ta know.
You may hear a Southerner say "Ought!" to a dog or child. This is
short for "Ya'll ought not do that!" and is the equivalent of saying "No!"
Do not be surprised to find that 10 year olds own their own shotguns,
they are proficient marksmen, and their mammas taught them how to aim.
In the South, we have found that the best way to grow a lush green
lawn is to pour gravel on it and call it a driveway.
If you do settle in the South and bear children, don't think we will
accept them as Southerners. After all, if the cat had kittens in the oven, we surely wouldn't call 'em biscuits!
Never, an I mean Never miss a good chance to shut up.