Mandy on the Mountain

Bless Your Heart: The Appalachian Dictionary


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If you grew up in East Tennessee or anywhere in the Appalachian Mountains, you already know we don’t just speak English, we speak Appalachian. In this episode, Mandy dives deep into the sayings, phrases, and little turns of speech that only make sense if you were raised in these hills.


From “bless your heart” (the kind way and the other way), to “if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise,” to “hotter than blue blazes,” “over yonder,” “I swanny,” and “you’re cruisin’ for a bruisin’,” this episode is a full-blown, country-as-cornbread Appalachian dictionary.


Mandy also shares a little bit of Cranberry childhood,lying under grapevines, being mistaken for someone from Roaring Creek, and growing up with an accent thicker than sorghum.


This episode is funny, nostalgic, and full of the language that makes these mountains feel like home.

If you’ve ever said, heard, or tried to decode a Southern saying… bless your heart, this one’s for you.

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Mandy on the MountainBy Amanda H Shook, M.Ed.