If something’s larrupin’ good, it’s spankin’ good or thumpin’ good. It comes from the word larrup, a verb meaning “to beat or thrash.” This is part of a complete episode.
- Listen on:
- Apple
- Spotify
- iHeart Radio
- »
If something’s larrupin’ good, it’s spankin’ good or thumpin’ good. It comes from the word larrup, a verb meaning “to beat or thrash.” This is part of a complete episode.
A Winter Dictionary (Bookshop|Amazon) by Paul Anthony Jones includes some words to lift your spirits. The verb whicken involves the lengthening of days in springtime, a variant of quicken, meaning “come to life.” Another word, breard, is...
Rosalind from Montgomery, Alabama, says her mother used to scold her for acting like a starnadle fool. The more common version of this term is starnated fool, a term that appears particular to Black English, and appears in the work of such writers...
My mother was from Missouri. She used the word larrupin to describe especially delicious food (after tasting it). (A couple generations prior to hers immigrated from England, so I thought there might be a chance it had been carried over).
I am having trouble understanding how the meaning is related to the meaning of the original word meaning thrashing or beating.
I have heard of “brand spanking new”, but I have never heard of spankin’ good or thumpin’ good.
One source said larrupin is a word from a dialect used in the western US, which also puzzled me, as the limited range doesn’t include the part of the country I grew up in (Missouri) and heard it used. I have lived in Colorado for 45 years and have never heard it used here. Everyone looks at me cross-eyed when I use it.
(I have also seen larrupin defined as too sweet, cloying, which is surprising as it is a derogatory term rather than complimentary).