Guide to Robeson County, NC’s Vernacular

The Exsanguination of the Second Society: Scholarly Historical Fiction Relating to Robeson County, North Carolina's Tuscaroras is thick with the region's vernacular. Here is a guide for you to chew on. Enjoy. It is collard sandwich flavored and goes best with sweet tea.

Guide to Robeson County, NC’s Vernacular

This vernacular is an endangered language. A-prefixing is no longer common. Example: He was a-looking for the cooter. A-prefixing is more common with older residents as well as the pronunciation of ‘i’ to ‘oy’ such as, high sounding hoy, which is a Portuguese language tradition. To hear the elders talk is to hear their history sung.

 

Dropping ‘g’s from plurals is a Portuguese tradition.

Mon means man and is used at beginning of greetings and is from Elizabethan era.

Juvember means sling shot or forked stick and is from Portugal. Is Elizabethan era.

Mommuck means wild mess or treat something badly and is from the Elizabethan era.

Toten means omen and is sign of death. Can be smelled or heard and is from

Elizabethan era when token was interchanged with toten.

Meddlin’ means interfering.

Crone means push down.

Ellick means a cup of coffee with sugar.

Lum means belonging to the Lumbee community.

Crotched up means caught up.

Dib means a baby chicken.

Nary means not any.

No’rs means nowheres.

Malahack means mess up.

Thou or Thoust means you and is from Elizabethan era.

Kin means family or treated as such.

Index means to stop.

Hope m’ die means hope m’ clare.

Gut of snuff refers to quantity of snuff contained in animal intestine. Whether or

not the snuff is in plastic or tin the term is still common.

Gyp means a female dog.

Haint means a ghost.

On the swamp means being with other Lums or in the neighborhood.

Baccar means tobacco.

I’m means I have and is from Elizabethan era.

Weren’t means wasn’t.

Jubious means strange.

Yurker means mischievous child.

Gyarb means a mess.

Across the river means on the other side of the tracks.

Headiness means very bad.

Pleasure it means enjoy it.

Listen at means listen to.

Bes means is and is from the Scotts.

Breath it means to tell.

Cam means calm.

Colic means illness and is from early English.

Catawampus means not square.

Swanny means swear.

Brickhouse means upper status.

Liketa means nearly.

Buddyrow means friend.

Bate means lot.

Kiver means cover and is from Elizabethan era.

Liable to means likely to.

Kyarn is something nasty or rotten.

Sorry in the world means sad.

Chicken bog means chicken and rice.

Chunk means to throw.

Conjure means to invoke spirits like a magic charm.

Put a root on means to cast a spell on someone.

Cracklins is a crisply fried slice of hog skin like fatback.

Fetched up means raised up.

Fine in the world means doing well.

Gambrel is a carcass stretcher.

Gaum is a mess and is from Elizabethan era.

Goanna is fertilizer.

Chauld means embarrassed or disgraced.

Cooter means large swamp turtle. 

Cuz is greeting for fellow Lumbee.

Damn Skippy means right! Is an affirmative to a speaker.

Gallanipper means a large mosquito-like insect and mosquitoes.

In the pines means snobby or uppity.

Orta notta means should not have.

Pappy sack is male child endearment.

Pearly means a small dainty piece.

Pocosin means big swamp.

Pone means a loaf of bread.

Pow wow means a Native American Indian celebration.

Pure means certainly.

Purty means ridiculous-looking.

Pumpkin seed refers to a bream family fish.

Pyert means lively.

Slam means very.

Smash means to press.

Sow cat means endearment toward a child.

Sweetnins means cakes and pastries.

Mension means measurement and is from Elizabethan era.

Hit means it.

Hosen means hose.

Housen means house.

You see me means you just ask me about it.

Wit means knowledge.

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