Dot Hatfield

First Person Limited

  • Subscribe to Dot’s blog
  • Home Page
  • About Dot Hatfield
  • Dot’s Books
    • Worth the Candle
    • Did Anyone Read My Story?
    • An Ordinary Day
    • R.I.P. Emma Lou Briggs
    • To Find a Home
    • The Last To Know
    • Every Day a New Day
  • Contact Dot

Cooter Brown and itchy palms

October 16, 2014 6 Comments

A friend posted on Facebook that her cat, who had had surgery, was “drunk as old Cooter Brown.” Now, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard this expression, but I suddenly wondered who Cooter Brown was and how he became the epitome of drunkenness.

Well, according to the Urban Dictionary, during the Civil War, Cooter Brown lived right on the line between North and South, so that he was vulnerable to be drafted by either army. He had friends and family on both sides of the argument and he surely did not want to fight. So he determined to get drunk and stay drunk for the duration of the war, thus being seen as unfit for military service. To honor and remember old Cooter’s efforts, his name became a metaphor (especially in the South) for being inebriated. He is further honored by having pubs and taverns named for him in New Orleans, San Antonio and Jacksonville, AL . . . I hear tell.

I have been thinking about old sayings lately because the palms of my hands (and sometimes the soles of my feet) itch. I Googled a question and there are almost as many urban legends as medical explanations. Legends first. Somewhere in my memory bank was the old saying that if the palm of your right hand itches, you will meet a stranger; if the left hand itches, you will come into some money. There are many opinions on the Internet, most dealing with money rather than strangers. Since both my hands itch, I figure a stranger is going to bring me some money. (Actually I’m thinking I have become allergic to the hand soap, bath soap, dish soap, or laundry soap I use. All name brands I been faithful to for the past ten years.)

Another old saying (that has nothing to do with anything I’ve written so far) is “too wet to plow.” When I Googled that phrase, all the references indicated the saying originated 40 or so years ago from a country/western song “I can’t dance and it’s too wet to plow.” The phrase means, “Might as well do (whatever) because there’s nothing else I can do right now.” This is explained (among other places) on the Texas A&M sponsored page “More Colorful Texas Sayings Than You Can Shake a Stick At.” Google it if you’re interested.

HOWEVER, I know for sure that phrase is way more than 40 years old. I have heard it all my life. My mother used it a lot, meaning something not so good. “Once that happens, it’s too wet to plow,” or “If you do that it’s going to be too wet to plow.” Meaning when a farmer has so much rain they can’t even plow (because they will get stuck), that’s not a good thing. Or it’s a good thing (rain) turned bad (mud).

For instance: He got drunk as old Cooter Brown and lost his lottery ticket. Even though his palms itched, it was too wet to plow.

Filed Under: Living my Life

«« The Silent Generation

Serendipity in the Media Closet »»


Comments

  1. Gayle says

    October 16, 2014 at 11:21 pm

    Love this Dot! Thanks for all that information. I had heard of ‘too wet to plow’, but love your comments on it!

  2. Talya Tate Boerner says

    October 17, 2014 at 10:06 am

    I love old sayings and think it’s important to keep our southern expressions alive. Thanks for the information. It has been too wet to plow or pick cotton lately.

  3. Dorothy Johnson says

    October 17, 2014 at 11:05 am

    I like the one about itchy palms and money. I didn’t know the origin of Drunk as Ole Cooter Brown but have heard it all my life. Learned something today!

  4. Dee says

    October 17, 2014 at 2:59 pm

    I really enjoyed this, my mom is the queen of Southern sayings. She and I were in the kitchen cooking dinner for our family. She asked me if I had a church key. I thought she was having a senior moment. I gently asked her why I would have a church key. She laughed and said “A can opener honey”! I asked her why a can opener would be called a church key, but she did’nt know. Do you know?

  5. Dot says

    October 24, 2014 at 7:52 pm

    Dee, What I heard called a church key was actually the triangle beer can opener. This began in the 50’s before the pop-top cans. Often on the other end was a bottle opener.

    Thanks for commenting.

  6. Sharon Foster says

    February 23, 2018 at 2:31 pm

    Thanks for .clearin’ this up for me- I always wanted to know who Old Cooter Brown was. I guess he was always pretty drunk… Another thing I have always wondered about was why are Southerners “fixin’ to get ready” to do something ? I have used this expression all my life , but didn’t know why. I say that when I don’t really want to get up and get dressed to go some where. I have never said ” I’m gonna CUT on the lights.” Thanks, Sharon Foster, SC

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

My Books

  • Worth the Candle
  • Did Anyone Read My Story?
  • An Ordinary Day
  • R.I.P. Emma Lou Briggs
  • To Find a Home
  • The Last To Know
  • Every Day a New Day

POST Topics

  • Living my Life
  • Movies
  • Reading List
  • Somewhat Current Events
  • Television
  • Too General to Define
  • Writing

Pages of Interest

  • Reflections from Dorothy’s Ridge
  • Charles Prier
  • Pat Laster
  • Freeda Nichols
  • White County Creative Writers
  • The Looking Glass
  • Talya Tate Boerner

Recent Comments

  • Linda on Between All Hallows Eve and Christmas
  • Amber Bass on Between All Hallows Eve and Christmas
  • Dorothy Johnson on Between All Hallows Eve and Christmas
  • Gary on Don’t Worry
  • Linda Quade on Don’t Worry

© 2017 Dot Hatfield.