- "If I tell you a hen dips snuff, you can look under her wing."
You can rest assured I'm telling you the truth.
- "I hope to be kicked to death by grasshoppers if it ain't the truth."
I'm not lying.
- "You could ride to town on that blade without a blanket."
A dull knife.
- "He could bite through a side of bacon without greasing a gum."
He has a big mouth.
- "His hogs are so poor it takes six of them to make a shadow."
Poverty stricken.
- "Bigger'n Dallas."
Expensive, large.
- "Scarce as hen's teeth and frog fangs."
A rare occurrence.
- "You can't tell how deep a well is by measuring the length of the pump handle."
Looks can be deceiving.
- "I think that ol' gal swallered a watermelon seed."
A pregnant woman.
- "I've seen cows hurt worse than this and get well."
A reference to a poorly-cooked or rare steak.
- "Who stuck the burr under your saddle?"
Who made you mad?
- "Nobody ever drowned in sweat."
Hard work never hurt anyone.
- "He's making three tracks in the dirt."
He's so tired he's dragging.
- "Watch out or you'll plow up snakes."
Be careful what you say or you'll create a problem.
- "Get down and cool the seat of your saddle."
Come in and visit for a while.
- "An empty bucket makes the most racket."
A shallow or superficial person usually talks a lot, but says nothing of importance.
- "Some folks are all right until they get two pairs of britches."
Prosperity often affects people adversely.
- "Let's call in the dogs and see if they're wet."
I wonder if it's raining outside.
- "He's trying to throw a wide loop with a short rope."
He's trying to be something he isn't.
- "I feel like I've been rode hard and put up wet."
Exhausted.
- "A dry well teaches us the worth of water."
We seldom appreciate the best things in life.
- "He has more guts than you can hang on a fence."
Unafraid.
- "I can't cotton to that."
I don't like it.
- "Everytime I stand up, my mind sits down."
Unable to think clearly.
- "Don't let your mouth overload your tail."
Don't talk too much.
- "The time to kill a snake is when he raises his head."
Be decisive in your actions. When a problem arises, attend to it.
- "Like tryin' to scratch your ear with your elbow."
An effort that cannot produce results.
- "Throwin' your rope before you make a loop ain't gonna catch the cow."
Be prepared before you act.
- "Every man is born free and equal. If he gets married, that's his fault."
Marriage is restrictive.
- "A liar needs a good memory."
- "Figures never lie, but liars can figure."
Lies cause trouble.
- "A bird in the hand causes a big mess."
Things aren't always what they seem to be.
- "Friendly as fire ants."
Hostile.
- "If you put his brains in a bumblebee, he would fly backwards."
Not very bright.
- "He'd foul up a two-car funeral."
Error-prone.
- "He can eat corn through a picket fence."
Buck-toothed.
- "He's studyin' to be a half-wit, and I'm afraid he ain't gonna make it."
Lacks wisdom.
- "He's a hundred dollar saddle and a twenty dollar horse man. "
Lacks a sense of value.
- "That horse will throw him so high that birds'll build nests in his ears before he hits the ground."
A wild bucking horse, or a bad decision.
- "I covered my back with my belly."
Sleeping in the open without blankets.
- "You can cut off a dog's tail, but you can't sew it back."
A bad mistake can't be corrected. Make sure of your intent and purpose before you start something.
- "Nothin' dries as quick as a tear."
Problems soon pass.
- "A diarrhea of words and a constipation of thoughts."
Meaningless conversation.
- "Dirt shows up on the cleanest cotton."
Misdeeds by pious individuals are evident to everyone.
- "How's momma and them?"
A greeting meaning, "How are you?"
- "We've howdyed but we ain't shook."
We haven't been formally introduced.
