Outskirts Press, INC.

Proverbs, Tall Tales, and Humorous Sayings of a Bygone Era

Fred G. Wilson’s childhood was set against the backdrop of The Great Depression and World War II, formative years that shaped his own character and the character of a nation. “Having a sense of humor seemed to ease the misery of those bygone days,” he writes, “and people poked fun at each other and sought to make light of the woes they were experiencing. Out of this era came some colorful, humorous, and enlightened sayings. In every part of our nation, there were colloquial expressions that summed up the feelings of the local region. This book contains some of these…Many of these expressions were learned at home from Mom and Dad. This was before television and we learned to amuse ourselves with ‘home-grown’ entertainment. Farm work, taking care of the livestock, and the many chores kept us busy. When I reflect back on those days, I wouldn’t change them even if I could…” Country folk have a language all their own. In Say What?, author Fred G. Wilson has gathered many of these expressions in order to save them for future generations, shedding a light on what it was like to grow up during the forties and fifties in rural America.

If something wasn't funny, you might say, "That's about as funny as a bucket full of hiccups." If someone was antsy about something, he was "more nervous than a cat in a room full of rocking chairs." If someone wasn't too bright, it was said that he "doesn't have sense enough to come in out of the rain." If someone did something really stupid, that was like "putting the fox in charge of the hen house." "The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get!"