Monday, December 14, 2009

Southern Word of the Week - Ill

(v.) Mama's ill so be careful what you say 'round her today.
(v.) Don't get ill with me, I'm just trying to help.
(n.) I would say take it to Mrs. Jones, but she's taken ill and ain't usually up for visitors.

Ill usually means sick, but it can also mean that someone is upset or having a bad day.  It can also be interchanged with the seldom used cross, as in "don't be cross with your brother."

Emphasis is often on the I of the word and could be heard as eel.

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2 comments:

MamaHen said...

I have been pretty "ill" myself the past couple of days.

Jill Copeland Photography said...

Thanks for the post on ill, now I won't have to get ill with you for not writing about it. Also, thanks for the pronunciation lesson. Now I know why everyone down here insists on calling me Jeel. Rather than Jill. The funniest southern sentence I've hear? It's hard to walk up this heel in hills. Haha!