gimme some sugar

gimme some sugar pronunciation

/GIM-ee sum SHOOG-er/

Meaning

A warm ask for affection, not the bowl in the pantry. Grandmas, aunts, and parents say it when kids arrive or leave, often with a cheek turn and a "come here." Couples use it playfully too. Sugar stands for sweetness, so the kiss or hug is the treat.

How folks use it

• “Come here and gimme some sugar before you head out.”
• “Give your grandma some sugar. She drove all that way.”

Origin and etymology

Southern and Appalachian family talk stole sugar as a pet name for kisses and hugs. Print and oral cites run through the 1900s in Southern and Black English, and mountain writers still list "giving sugar" as child-to-elder affection. Exact start date is murky because the words can also mean table sugar, but the kiss sense is solidly American rural and Southern.

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