A Glossary from Cot-tuh Country

Even if he quits dropping his post-vocalic rs, Jimmy Cot-tuh is likely to confuse Northerners from time to time--that is, from tahm to tahm--and increase other regions' interest in Southern lingo. Thus, in the spirit of both fun and information, TAHM offers this glossary of key words, by no means all Car-terese. Some are authentically South Georgian and others from different parts of the Deep South, some upper-class and others not:

can-dit: what Cot-tuh is.

Prez-det: what he hopes to be.

Watt House: where the Prez-det lives.

min-strayshen: what the Prez-det leads.

pah-ty: a political grouping.

Dim-crass: Cot-tuh's pah-ty.

Ruh-pub-uh-kins: the othuh pah-ty.

Mondell: Cot-tuh's vise-prez-det-shul can-dit.

Wash-tin: the capital.

Et-lanna: the othuh capital.

Et-lanna Cos-tooshun: a newspaper in the othuh capital.

New Yoak: the convention city.

New Yoak Tahms: a stab'isment newspaper.

fust: where Cot-tuh hopes to finish.

wawyk: what it takes a great deal of to become Prez-det.

bi-ness: what you're in when you wawyk.

Sah-ditty: a popular night for pah-ties, though in Wash-tin, pah-ties are often thrown on Mun-dee, Toos-dee. We's-dee, Thush-dee, Frah-dee and Sun-dee as well.

gom bee: as in, Cot-tuh hopes he's gom bee the next Prez-det.

wangs: birds use them to get off the ground.

feel: as in, Cot-tuh knocked the bark off a big feel of can-dits.

hee-uh: in this place.

they-uh: in that place.

all: what automobiles and political deals are lubricated with.

tar: what you change when you have aflat.

be-yill:a. piece of legislation.

inner-doose: what Congressmen do with be-yills.

pin: what you sign be-yills with.

faw-uhd: where a Cot-tuh min-strayshen would expect to go from hee-uh; also the incumbent Prez-det.

hoppuh-grass: grasshopper; might be found on Watt House lawn.

sup-pah: what Watt House dinner would become.

sal-lit: an initial cose at a Watt House sup-pah.

goo-buhs: the last cose, of cose.

The above glossary, based on reports from TIME correspondents in the South, was written by a native of Baltimore and edited by a native of Brooklyn, both of whom speak widout de faintest trace of any kinda accent.

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