Most people can think of a few unusual and outdated sounding idioms they've heard their family or community elders use.
3) A style or form of artistic expression that is characteristic of an individual, a period or movement, or a medium or instrument
Since an idiom is by definition "distinct to a community or class" it's also logical that they would also be linked to specific places. Knowing the likely geographic source of a family idiom can help you narrow your research area from an entire state to a few cities. Some examples from my own family are:
Idiom as defined by Merriam-Webster, 1) An expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either grammatically (such as no, it wasn't me) or in having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements (such as ride herd on for "supervise")
2) The language peculiar to a distinct community or class: Dialect
3) A style or form of artistic expression that is characteristic of an individual, a period or movement, or a medium or instrument
Since an idiom is by definition "distinct to a community or class" it's also logical that they would also be linked to specific places. Knowing the likely geographic source of a family idiom can help you narrow your research area from an entire state to a few cities. Some examples from my own family are:
They act like they got cotton in Augusta
Used to describe someone flaunting wealth, living beyond their means, or acting haughty.
Where to look: This one is easy because it directly references a place. The city of Augusta, Georgia. Augusta is right on the state line of South Carolina and Georgia. So when looking for ancestors associated with this idiom be sure to include South Carolina and even the Sea Islands in your research.
They can go to Halifax Nova Scotia
Used in place of the ever popular Go to Hell.
Where to look: Obviously Nova Scotia but it also hints at an ancestor who lived in the New England colonies or along the Eastern Seaboard. They may have worked a maritime job such as a fisherman, dock laborer, or engineer on one of the many cargo and passenger ships traveling back and forth with goods during the 1800s. This is the case with my third great grandfather who was a steamboat engineer; among other things, and is likely the source of this idiom in my family.
40 acres and a mule
What someone is due or deserves for their hard work. A direct but slightly incorrect reference to the British governments promise to give black military recruits 3 acres and a mule at the end of the war of 1812.
Where to look: The original 13 colonies, Canada, Nova Scotia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
A kuta could've been a turtle if it wasn't a kuta
I heard this a lot as a kid and it always annoyed me because I didn't get the point of it and honestly I still don't but I do know that Kuta is the word for turtle in the Gullah Geechee dialect.
Where to look: The Sea Islands
Where to look: This one is easy because it directly references a place. The city of Augusta, Georgia. Augusta is right on the state line of South Carolina and Georgia. So when looking for ancestors associated with this idiom be sure to include South Carolina and even the Sea Islands in your research.
They can go to Halifax Nova Scotia
Used in place of the ever popular Go to Hell.
Where to look: Obviously Nova Scotia but it also hints at an ancestor who lived in the New England colonies or along the Eastern Seaboard. They may have worked a maritime job such as a fisherman, dock laborer, or engineer on one of the many cargo and passenger ships traveling back and forth with goods during the 1800s. This is the case with my third great grandfather who was a steamboat engineer; among other things, and is likely the source of this idiom in my family.
40 acres and a mule
What someone is due or deserves for their hard work. A direct but slightly incorrect reference to the British governments promise to give black military recruits 3 acres and a mule at the end of the war of 1812.
Where to look: The original 13 colonies, Canada, Nova Scotia, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
I heard this a lot as a kid and it always annoyed me because I didn't get the point of it and honestly I still don't but I do know that Kuta is the word for turtle in the Gullah Geechee dialect.
Where to look: The Sea Islands
I would love to expand this list. If you have any interesting family idioms that can be traced to specific groups of people or places please share in the comments!
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