getting above your raising
Acting too fancy or high-minded for how you were brought up.
Also called getting above your raisin', don't get above your raising.
Updated September 21, 2026
getting above your raising pronunciation
/GET-in uh-BUV yer RAY-zin/
Meaning
Raising means upbringing, not the dried fruit. If you put on airs, forget your people, or spend like you never knew a hard day, somebody will say you are getting above your raising. In Southern and Appalachian talk it is a slap at pride and a reminder to stay humble. New house next to Mama's shack, fancy shoes at the feed store, big talk after a little success: that is the charge.
How folks use it
- “That new truck and them fancy boots. He's getting above his raising.”
- “Don't start getting above your raising just because you got a city job.”
Origin and etymology
Southern U.S. proverb stock, strong in Appalachia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Raising for upbringing is older English; the full warning "don't get above your raising" stuck as mountain and working-class ethics talk. Country music carried it wider (Flatt and Scruggs in 1951, Ricky Skaggs later). Exact first print is fuzzy, but the value is old: do not reject your people.
Frequently asked questions
Is raisin' about the fruit?
No. It is raising with the g dropped. Means how you were raised.