Transcript of “Feelin’ Right Peert Today”
Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hello, this is Michael McNeely calling from Aurora, Kentucky.
Hi, Michael. Welcome to the show. Hey, Michael. What’s on your mind? A word that I grew up using and hearing used that I don’t know anything about. I’ve tried looking it up. I didn’t get any real results. The word is peart. I spell it P-E-E-R-T or it could be P-E-A-R-T. It was used as a fact that you were feeling good, basically. You might use it in a sentence as, yesterday I felt kindly puny, but today I’m right peart. Today I’m right peart. And this is something that you know from your life in Kentucky?
Yes. Yeah, right peart. Yes. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?
Yeah, yeah. I’m from Kentucky myself. And Michael, are you feeling right peart today?
Yes, today I feel right peart.
Yeah, it’s usually spelled P-E-A-R-T, or as you suggested, P-E-E-R-T. It’s related to the word pert in English, which means P-E-R-T, which means jaunty or cocky or perky. In Appalachia, you hear people talking about, well, that’ll pertin’ you up.
Or do you know what pertin’ juice is?
I’ve never heard that one.
Well, if you look in the dictionary of Southern Appalachian English, pertin’ juice is whiskey, homemade whiskey.
Okay.
I’ve heard pert.
You know, I’m familiar with that one, but I didn’t know that’s where pert came from.
Yeah, yeah, they’re related.
So you might describe somebody as being pert as a cricket or peart as a pup. It’s lively and, you know, cocky and jaunty and just feeling great. That’s the connotation that we would use it in.
That’s it. It goes back to at least the mid-19th century. It’s a lovely word, don’t you think?
I really think so.
It’s expressive.
Indeed. Peart.
Well, Michael, we hope you keep feeling that way.
Well, I certainly do as well.
Thank you.
I appreciate you looking that up and letting me know where it came from.
We’re glad to help.
Thank you, Michael.
Take care.
Be well.
Thank you, folks.
Bye-bye.
