corn crib
A corn crib is a small storage building for holding ears of corn. Common on Southern and Appalachian farms, it was slatted for air flow so the corn could dry without spoiling.
Hillbilly Dude Says...
Pronunciation
[CORN-crib]
Meaning & Usage
- Farm building for corn storage (noun)
Mae:
Where’s the feed for the hogs?
Earl:
Still in the corn crib.
- Corn measured by crib (noun, usage)
Mae:
Did you get much this year?
Earl:
Bout two cribs of corn.
other spellings: corn house, corn shed, the crib, and crib of corn
★ Corn cribs were built with slats or gaps between boards to let air through. That kept the corn dry for livestock feed and meal. Many stood on stone piers to keep rats out. ★
Origin
From Old English "cribb," meaning manger or rack. By the 1800s, "corn crib" was standard farm talk across the South and Appalachia for a small outbuilding dedicated to corn.
Notes
Corn cribs were once common on every farm. Today they’re rare, mostly remembered by older generations or preserved on historic farmsteads.
Say It Like a Southerner
Said plain: "corn-crib."