(Though clearly it is still frowned on a little bit today given I can't bring myself to say it in fear my mother might be reading this.)īasically, to answer the question above, "all get-out" can attribute its popularity among Southerners to our well-instilled manners. After all, "all get-out" is at its core a euphemism for h-e-double hockey sticks - a euphemism to explain a euphemism! - and that checks out too because back in those days, saying the H-word was a lot more frowned upon than it is today. If Twain was using it in casual speech between his characters Tom and Huck, it's likely that the phrase was already a common and well-established term among Southerners back when the book was written, and it's popularity back then would make sense. "'Geewhillikins,' I says, 'but what does the rest of it mean?' 'We ain't got no time to bother over that,' he says 'we got to dig in like all git-out.' 'Well, anyway,' I says, 'what's some of it? What's a fess?'" The exact text, according to Stack Exchange, reads: In fact, one of its first appearances in print being a little known novel written by Mark Twain in 1884 - "Huckleberry Finn". So as far as its history, the origins of the the phrase aren't known, but it can be traced back to the 1800s. Basically, it should be said with as much Southern sass as possible for full emphasis. The other bit they've got right about it is the site makes sure to mention it should be "git," rather than a proper "get," when using the term. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the phrase as a noun meaning "to the utmost conceivable degree," which sounds about right to us. It can be added onto the end of just about anything, and suddenly the meaning behind whatever you're trying to say is that much more impactful (not to mention that much more Southern). Well, first of all, there's the fact that the phrase is useful as.well, all get-out. Get the latest from It's a Southern Thing by subscribing to our newsletter, where you'll find the latest videos, stories and merchandise.
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