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.
An 1875 dictionary of the Sussex dialect from southeastern England gives a colorful glimpse of life there in those days. A beever is “an 11 o’clock luncheon.” In parts of Sussex, a ladybug is variously known as a Bishop Barnaby, a fly-golding, or...
A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, listener says when he was growing up, his family used the word schmutz as a verb. For example, when one parent reminded the other to apply sunscreen to the youngsters, they might say Make sure you schmutz the kids...
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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.