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.
Leave a comment
1 comment
More from this show
In the 1970s, talk-show host Johnny Carson had a recurring bit where he’d declare, “It was so cold…” to which the audience would respond, “How cold was it?” Carson always offered a goofy response, such as “It was so cold the ice cubes were wearing...
Lindsay in San Diego, California, says some of her younger coworkers use the phrase out of pocket to mean “unavailable,” but she’s also heard it used to mean “acting out of line.” The meaning of this phrase usually involves one of three things...
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).