here lately

here lately pronunciation

/heer LAYT-lee/

Meaning

Means the same as "lately," with an extra "here" stuck on for Southern rhythm. Folks drop it at the end of a sentence when they talk about what has been going on the past week or two. It is not about this spot on the map. It is about recent time.

How folks use it

• “I ain't seen him much here lately.”
• “It's been raining a lot here lately.”

Origin and etymology

Builds on older English time talk like "here of late." The short phrase stuck hard in Southern and Appalachian conversation. An 1896 South Carolina paper already uses "Here lately" the same way. Outside the region, people usually just say "lately" or "recently."

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