tall cotton
n.— «President Bush must be wondering where it all went wrong. After the fall of Saddam, it looked like America had followed up its victory in Afghanistan with another triumph. The president was in tall cotton, as they say in Texas.» —“The Future of Iraq” by Bill O’Reilly Human Events Jan. 13, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Chris in San Antonio, Texas, a professional musician, asks where the word gig comes from. While gig is now the standard term for a musical engagement and has broadened to any short-term job, its early origins are murky. It may be related to the term...
Adam in Abilene, Texas, has fond memories of his mother’s Tex-Mex recipe in a casserole dish. Is it properly called a casserole? A tamale pie? It has to do with whether the dish is baked or not. This is part of a complete episode.
Related
The Term “tall cotton” to describe a state grandure, success or happiness is older than the hills. Background for non farmers: When the weather has been good, proper mix of rain and temperature, the cotton plants grew TALL and stong and the cotton yield was particuarly bountiful. He was happy because he was “Standin’ in tall cotton” or sometimes
“Sittin’ in tall cotton” or just “In tall cotton”
examples:
“John’s daughter finally gave him his first grandson. John was in tall cotton when he got the news.”
“John asked Jane to marry him, and she said yes. John’s been standing in tall cotton ever since.”
“John’s standing in tall cotton now. He just won the lottery.”
Variant: high cotton, used in exactly the same ways.