Redneck slang, the H words
67 redneck slang words that start with H. Open one for the pronunciation, the meaning, and a short origin.
hain't
Haven't or hasn't, and sometimes just ain't.
haint
A ghost or restless spirit, in Southern and Appalachian talk.
hand
A worker, especially hired help on a farm, ranch, or job site.
hanging baccer
Putting cut tobacco up in the barn so it can cure.
hankering
A stubborn craving you can't quite shake.
happier than a pig in mud
About as content as it gets, like a hog that found the cool wallow.
happy as a clam
Contented as can be, not a worry in sight.
hardly
Barely; almost not at all.
hattun
Hadn't. A slurred Southern and Appalachian way of saying it.
haul
To load something up and take it somewhere, usually by truck.
haul back
To rear back and get ready before you swing or act.
have a spell
Sit and rest a while; take a short break.
hawg
A hog or pig, written the way country folks say it.
Hawgatha
A jokey girl-name for a hog, or for somebody hogging the biscuits.
hawgging
Taking more than your fair share, like a hog at the trough.
hawker
A traveling peddler selling goods door to door or on the road.
he don't
Country way of saying he doesn't.
heap
A lot. A big amount of something, or very much.
heap big
Very large, or a whole lot of something.
heaped up
Piled high or filled past the rim, not leveled off.
hear tell
To catch news by word of mouth, not from seeing it yourself.
heared
Heard, the old country way of saying it.
heathern
A heathen, often a wild or poorly behaved kid.
heifer
A young female cow, or a pointed name for a woman.
hem
Them, or sometimes him, depending on how the sentence lands.
hemhaw
To stall, hesitate, or dodge giving a straight answer.
hempine
Eastern hemlock, the big shade tree mountain folks also call spruce pine.
hen apple
A chicken egg, said with a farm joke built in.
her'n
Hers. The absolute form: that one's her'n.
here lately
Recently; in the past little while.
hereabouts
Around here; in this neck of the woods.
Hickory chicken
Mountain nickname for a morel mushroom.
hidy
A friendly hello, kin to howdy.
highfalutin
Pretentious or fancy in a trying-too-hard way.
hillbilly
A mountain or back-hills rural person, especially Appalachian or Ozark.
hind end
The backside; a milder country word for your rear.
hippen
A baby's cloth diaper.
his'n
His, when it stands alone: that truck is his'n.
hiss
To whistle or urge a dog onto game.
hisself
Himself, the regular rural way of saying it.
hissy fit
A loud little tantrum. Way more fuss than the problem deserves.
hit
It, especially when the word gets stress at the start of a sentence.
hit down
Sit down or settle, depending on what you're talking about.
hit in
To come inside or show up at a place.
hit out
To leave, set off, or head somewhere.
hit the road
To leave, or to start a trip.
hog jowl
Cured pork cheek, fried like bacon or cooked into peas and greens.
hog meat
Pork. Meat from a hog, said the country way.
hog rifle
An old muzzle-loading long rifle, the kind mountain folks kept for hunting and hog-killing.
hog waller
A muddy hog wallow, or any messy backwoods spot.
hold your horses
Slow down and wait a minute.
holler
A mountain valley, or a loud shout.
hollow
A small sheltered valley between the hills, often with a creek.
holped
Helped. An old mountain past tense that stuck around.
homegrown
Raised in your own garden or yard, not bought at the store.
homeplace
The family farm or house where you were raised, or where your people come from.
hoodoo
Southern folk magic, or a jinx that sticks to you.
hoot
A big laugh, something hilarious, or that owl call out in the dark.
hoot owl
Country name for a big night owl, usually the great horned or barred owl.
hoptoad
A country name for a toad.
horehound
A bitter herb, and the old country-store candy made from it.
horse apple
A lump of horse manure, said polite-ish.
hotter than a two-dollar pistol
Burning hot, mad as fire, or wound up past reason.
howdy
A friendly hello, short and easy from the truck window.
hungry enough to eat a horse
So starved you could put away a ridiculous amount of food.
hunker down
Crouch low, dig in, and wait it out.
hunkering down
Settling in and staying put, often to ride out trouble or bad weather.