Hillbilly Slang

Authentic sayings, folk stories, and mountain wisdom.

briar patch

In Appalachian and Southern speech, a "briar patch" is a thick tangle of thorny plants - blackberry canes, greenbrier vines, wild roses, or any prickly brush growing close together. It’s a bigger, meaner version of a single sticker bush.

#Appalachia   #Southern

Hillbilly Dude Says...
It takes a bunch of 'sticker bushes' to make a 'briar patch.' This one is in everday use in the summer. 

Pronunciation

[BRAR patch]

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Meaning & Usage

- A dense thicket of thorny plants (noun)

Mae:
Don’t cut through there - that’s a briar patch.
Earl:
Reckon my britches wouldn’t survive it anyhow.
other spellings: bramble patch, thicket, thorn patch, sticker patch, ``sticker bushes``, and ``pricker patch`` (regional)
★ A briar patch isn’t one plant - it’s a whole mess of them. Blackberry vines, greenbrier, roses, or whatever thorny brush is growing thick together. One "sticker bush" scratches - a briar patch shreds. ★

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