What does it really mean when a Southerner says bless your heart?
What does it really mean when a Southerner says bless your heart?
Perhaps the most common phrase distinct to the South is “bless your heart”. When I first relocated here, I heard it directed at me a lot more often than I care to admit. Although sometimes uttered with the sweetest of intent, more times than not, it’s the Southern way of politely dismissing you.
Where did the saying Bless your heart come from?
The earliest usage in print is in Henry Fielding’s 1732 play The Miser. In it, a butler says of a new mistress who’s bought beer for the domestic staff, ‘Bless her heart! Good lady! I wish she had a better bridegroom.
How do you respond to bless your heart?
The appropriate response to ‘bless my heart’ is usually a sympathetic nod of the head. Not too emphatic (because that can be misinterpreted), but just enough to show that you understand or agree. If you’re so moved, you can also offer a validating or concerned ‘bless your heart’ in return.
Is Bless your heart passive aggressive?
Bless Your Heart: The Sliding Scale of Passive Aggressive [Satire]
Is it rude to say bless your heart?
The phrase has multiple meanings. It may be used to express genuine sympathy or as a precursor to an insult to soften the blow. However, it may also be used in an insulting way meaning “you are dumb or otherwise impaired, but you can’t help it” by individuals who wish to “be sweet” and do not wish to “act ugly”.
What can you say instead of bless your heart?
Some Other Ways to Say Bless Your Heart
- Bless your pea-pickin’ heart…
- Good thing you’re pretty =)
- Here, have some cake.
- God love ya.
- Great job stupid.
- Interesting…
- Bless your pointed head.
- Well ain’t that sweet.
What is the most Southern phrase?
We chose 15 of the most ridiculous Southern sayings — and tried to explain them.
- “We’re living in high cotton.”
- “She was madder than a wet hen.”
- “He could eat corn through a picket fence.”
- “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.”
- “You look rode hard and put up wet.”
- “He’s as drunk as Cooter Brown.”
How do you use bless your heart?
‘Bless your heart’ is all about the tone
- Here are some examples of ways to use bless your heart:
- Beginner’s Level, Sincere: “I just heard your dog went in for a colonoscopy, bless its little heart.
- Beginner’s Level, Sarcastic: “It’s like she doesn’t even own a mirror, bless her heart.”