Brian Stark, who calls himself the States Runner, has crossed 31 states on foot. He phones from Arizona to discuss the funny ways people in different regions give directions when he’s lost. A West Virginian once told him his destination was...
If someone’s a hoopie, it means they’re less than sophisticated. This term was used in the Ohio River Valley to refer to the bumpkins from West Virginia who performed menial work with barrels, hammering their hoops into place. This is...
In this week's episode, we go from hip-hop to a public television show about the intra- and inter-class conflicts in a British manor house. We also talk about "flupgrades," what you might call it when a software update...
You look like “death eatin’ a cracker walkin’ backwards.” In Appalachia, this phrase means, “you look terrible.” A caller wants to know its origin. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of...
Sherry from Ocean Beach, California, called after watching a PBS documentary about Appalachia and hearing people interviewed use a different pronunciation from the one she grew up with. Both Appa-LATCH-uh and Appa-LAY-shuh are common, and the choice...
scooter hoot n.— «President of the Defiers M.C. Stone, Ky. chapter “Super Red” said scooter hoot is really another term for a biker party. Super Red is his biker name and he told the Daily News this is how he wished to be addressed...