Below, we have listed quintessentially Southern meanings for words like "sugar," "reckon," "ugly," "plumb," and more. In other regions of the country, "reckon" typically means is "to settle accounts." Why is that? Many linguists think it originated with British colonists in the South.
What does "I reckon" mean?
Where is the word "select" used?
Is "I think I believe" a southern term?
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Is reckon British or Southern?
Do Americans ever use the word 'reckon' or is it strictly a British word? This one does from time to time. In fact, it's fairly characteristic of Southern US English to use reckon to mean “assume”, “estimate”, or “consider”.
Where is the word reckon from?
From Middle English rekenen, from Old English recenian (“to pay; arrange, dispose, reckon”) and ġerecenian (“to explain, recount, relate”); both from Proto-West Germanic *rekanōn (“to count, explain”), from Proto-West Germanic *rekan (“swift, ready, prompt”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to make straight or right ...
Is the word reckon British?
Reckon is very widely used in British English. It has the same meaning as 'to think'. 'I reckon it will rain tomorrow.
What country uses reckon?
Founded in 1987 and based in Sydney, Australia, Reckon provides accounting software for small to midsize businesses and practice-management software for larger accounting practices in Australia and New Zealand.
Is reckon used in American?
JOHNSTON: You know, like in England, it's quite common to say 'reckon,' which in American English is quite unusual, or you might here it in the South perhaps or in more old-fashioned contexts." AA: "Like, 'I reckon I'll go in when the sun gets too hot. '"
When did reckon become a word?
early 14c., rekening, "a narration, account," verbal noun from reckon (v.). The meaning "a settling of accounts" is from mid-14c.; that of "act of counting or computing, a calculation" is from late 14c.
Do they say reckon in Texas?
“Reckon” means think. Texans say: “I reckon it'll last two weeks.”
Why do Australian people say reckon?
As with British English, it means 'I think' or having an opinion about something specific (i.e. 'What do you reckon we head to the beach after class? ').
Is reckon a slang word?
Reckon means guess, or imagine, and is often used by rural types in Hollywood movies who say things like "I reckon I'll be moseyin' on." Reckon means guess or think, as in "I reckon he's put his nose where it don't belong one too many times.” If reckon sounds odd, that's because it's mostly gone out of style.
Is Reckon only used in Australia?
The company has offices in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Reckon is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange with a market cap of A$138,000,000. Reckon has over 600,000 businesses using its software across Australia and New Zealand.
What does the word Reckon mean in the Bible?
1 : to settle accounts. 2 : to make a calculation. 3a : judge. b chiefly dialectal : suppose, think.
What does I don't Reckon mean?
Slang to regard as good. I don't reckon your chances of success. Informal to have a high opinion of. she was sensitive to bad reviews, even from people she did not reckon.
Is reckon an Australian word?
The word reckon is a synonym for think, but is only used for asking for opinion about something. You're going to hear a lot of Aussies using this word in every day conversation. This word is also uses in British and American English but, people often associate this word with someone who isn't very well-educated.
What does reckon mean in the Bible?
1 : to settle accounts. 2 : to make a calculation. 3a : judge. b chiefly dialectal : suppose, think.
What does reckon mean dictionary?
to count, compute, or calculateverb (used with object) to count, compute, or calculate, as in number or amount. to esteem or consider; regard as: to be reckoned an authority in the field. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. to think or suppose.
Do you reckon or recon?
Recon (pronounced “ree-kawn”) is an abbreviation for “reconnaissance,” which is a noun. Reconnaissance is an examination or survey used to gather information. As an adjective, reconnaissance describes an investigation, fact-finding, or data gathering mission. It's used in military scenarios.
South of the Mason-Dixon Line
There is no singular “American” culture. Instead, it’s a patchwork of different histories, traditions, and dialects—a culmination of the experiences of those who live in the area. Language is an important aspect of regional identity and culture, and the South is no exception.
The poor dear
Some Southern expressions are actually thinly veiled burns, the most famous being “bless your heart.” Though it sounds like a compliment, it’s really a way of questioning another person’s intelligence or common sense under the guise of sounding polite. However, it can also actually be as polite and kind as it sounds.
A whole lot of legumes
If something doesn’t have much value, Southerners may say that it “doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.” One theory is that this phrase dates back to at least 1858 and originally referred to a literal pile of beans in a book on farming that described how to grow lima beans.
When you need to know the full extent
In order to find out the full extent of something, some parts of the South use the construction “ [wh-question word] all”—as in “what all,” “where all,” and “who all.” According to the Yale Grammatical Diversity Project English in North America, this phrases emphasize “the comprehensive scope” of the question, and is primarily found in the South and South Midland, including North Carolina and the Ozarks..
Great balls of fire
Though it started off as a Southern expression, saying “Goodness gracious!” when surprised, alarmed or dismayed has caught on throughout the United States. It dates back to the 1700s. Both “goodness” and “gracious” are colloquial expressions originally referring to the goodness and/or gracious of God, and were not considered vulgar or blasphemous.
Grab your umbrella
Speaking of storms, sometimes you can see them coming. The sky gets dark, the wind picks up and dark, low clouds gather; in other words, “it’s blowin’ up a storm.” This means that a storm is imminent, Southern Living explains.
Pipe down
Instead of saying “shut up,” you will likely hear Southern mothers telling their kids to “hush up.” As Ronda Rich wrote in the Gainesville Times, saying “shut up” was considered rude and on-par with other “swear words,” so the softer “hush up” is used in its place.
Why is reckon less frequent in English?
The only real difference is that in American English, reckon is even less frequent than in British English, but this is mostly because in American English guess has also greatly increased in frequency. This gives the impression that Americans do not say reckon.
Why don't words like faucet bother me?
Words such as faucet don't bother me at all because they are simply not British words and so they merely require some experience of reading US texts. It is words such as the first two which give me pause and force me to work out what the word means in the context.
Is "a reckon" more frequent in British texts than in American texts?
As you can see, reckon was always slightly more frequent in British texts than the word was in American texts. At some periods, it was even the clearly predominant word. However, in both countries, starting around the middle of the 17th century, guess greatly increased in frequency without actually displacing reckon.
Is "I reckon" a British word?
I reckon seems now to be a British (and older South ern American) way of saying I suppose, whereas all Americans know and use I guess, which is as old as Chaucer but was long ago lost in the UK. All three expressions have British roots, like most of the rest of the language.
Is Ghetto English or Southern English?
Southern English is British English. Ghetto English is British English.
Is "a reckon" a synonym for "a guess"?
At some periods, it was even the clearly predominant word. However, in both countries, starting around the middle of the 17th century, guess greatly increased in frequen. Continue Reading. Plenty of Americans use reckon as a synonym of guess; it is simply not as frequent as it is on the other side of the Pond.
What does "I reckon" mean?
I reckon means “I think” with a slight connotation of having given it some previous thought and have weighed up the odds and options and done some calculations, not necessarily numerical. Both the Welsh and English parts of my family use the word this way. I reckon they might use it that way in the southern US and perhaps other English speaking countries. I have lived in both northern and southern England an not noticed a north/ south difference.
Where is the word "select" used?
It is an English word and is used throughout the world in places where people speak English although less so in areas of the US outside the Southern region.
Is "I think I believe" a southern term?
I guess, I think, I believe. And it’s not just a southern term.
