The word larruping and its many variant spellings is often used to describe delicious food. The verb larrup means to “beat” or “strike,” and larruping (often spelled with the G dropped: larrupin’) is used as an intensifier, like whopping or striking. Woody Guthrie used it that way in his memoir Bound for Glory (Bookshop|Amazon). This is part of a complete episode.
Hello! I’m a regular listener and love the show. My ears perked up when your caller Kate, who discussed the word “larruping” and mentioned finding it in a Barbara Kingsolver novel. I thought I had read all her books so I was curious about Feather Crowns, the title Kate mentioned. I looked it up and it’s actually by Bobby Ann Mason. I am listening to the audio book now, and the word “larruping” does show up in reference to a very charismatic preacher. Bobby Ann Mason deserves credit for the creative use of language in this book.
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...
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Hello! I’m a regular listener and love the show. My ears perked up when your caller Kate, who discussed the word “larruping” and mentioned finding it in a Barbara Kingsolver novel. I thought I had read all her books so I was curious about Feather Crowns, the title Kate mentioned. I looked it up and it’s actually by Bobby Ann Mason. I am listening to the audio book now, and the word “larruping” does show up in reference to a very charismatic preacher. Bobby Ann Mason deserves credit for the creative use of language in this book.