Country Sayings

One of the things that fascinates me about country living is the different colorful sayings that are used to illustrate a situation. Here are a few of lists of some of the sayings husband has grown up with here in rural Missouri. Those in the know could probably add a few more.

There are many sayings for how hard it’s raining:

Raining pitchforks with saw logs for handles.
Raining like water pouring from a boot.
Raining like a cow peeing on a flat rock.
It’s a real toad strangler out there.


Chickens are common in the country, thus sayings abound in reference to them:

Scarce as hen’s teeth.
That beats a hen pecking with a sore bill.
I’d as soon do without the eggs as to hear him/her cackle.
Like a hen after a June bug.

Here are a few other miscellaneous sayings:

Snowflakes coming down like cats a’fighting.
Talk’s cheap; it takes money to buy whiskey.
To “crawfish” out of a situation.
Too much sugar for a cent.
Let the hide go with the tallow.
Thick as hair on a dog’s back.

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