Redneck slang, the I words
36 redneck slang words that start with I. Open one for the pronunciation, the meaning, and a short origin.
I ain't
I am not, or I have not, said the country way.
I declare
A polite burst of surprise, mild shock, or emphasis.
I don't know nothin'
I don't know anything. Said twice so you know they mean it.
I done
I already did it, finished it, or told you plain.
I done told you
I already told you, and I'm stressing that you should have heard me.
I got me a...
I got myself one; the me marks that it's for you, personally.
I might could
I might be able to; a soft maybe with room to back out.
I might should
I probably ought to, said soft so it don't sound bossy.
I reckon
I think, I guess, or I suppose.
I swan
A soft country way to say I swear or I declare.
I tell you what
A lead-in that underlines what comes next. Or stands alone as "whew."
ideal
An idea, said with that extra L at the end.
if I knowed
If I knew; past "know" said the regular mountain way.
if'n
If; the country-stretched form of a plain conditional.
if'n I was you
If I were you; advice with a country twist.
igmo
A fool, short for somebody acting boneheaded.
in a coon's age
In a very long time.
in a fix
In trouble. Stuck in a mess you need help getting out of.
in a pickle
Stuck in a mess with no easy way out.
in a pig's eye
No way; said when you flat do not believe it.
in high cotton
Doing real well; prosperous and comfortable.
in the doghouse
In trouble with somebody, sleeping on thin ice at home.
in the holler
Down in a mountain hollow or small valley.
in these parts
Around here; in this neck of the woods.
in town
At or toward the nearby town, not the big city.
Indian summer
A warm, quiet stretch of fall after the first chill.
innards
The guts and insides of a person, animal, or sometimes a machine.
iron skillet
A cast-iron frying pan, the workhorse of a Southern kitchen.
it ain't no...
There isn't any... said with an extra no for punch.
it ain't over till it's over
Don't quit early; the outcome isn't settled until the end.
it don't
It doesn't. Third-person don't, the country way.
it don't matter none
It doesn't matter; no big deal at all.
it'll be all right
Calm-down talk: things will work out.
it'll do
Good enough. Not fancy, but it works.
it's a wonder
Said when something surprising almost didn't happen, or almost did.
it'tun / ittun
Dialect for "it one" or "that one," built with the mountain 'un ending.