Other’un
In Appalachian and Southern mountain speech, "other’un" means "other one." It’s a shortened, natural form of "other one," often spoken as "the other’un," "that other’un," or even "thother’un."
synonyms: the other one, that other one, this other one
Hillbilly Dude Says...
If you grew up down here, then 'thother’un' is something you say often, it's common down here. Pronunciation
[UTH-er-un]
/ˈʌð.ər.ən/
Regional variants:
/ˈthʌð.ər.ən/
/ˈthʌð.rən/
/ˈthʌ.θər.ən/
/ˈʌð.ər.ən/
Regional variants:
/ˈthʌð.ər.ən/
/ˈthʌð.rən/
/ˈthʌ.θər.ən/
Meaning & Usage
- The other one; another item being compared or chosen between
Lou:
Ain’t this the right wrench?
Ain’t this the right wrench?
Earl:
No, get the other’un-the longer one.
No, get the other’un-the longer one.variations: the other’un, thother’un, th’other’un, that other’un, this other’un, thuther’un
Origin and Etymology
From "the other one," naturally shortened in Appalachian and Southern dialects through everyday speech. The "one" becomes "’un," and when spoken quickly, "the other’un" compresses into "thother’un." This follows the same regional pattern as "this’un," "that’un," and "which’un," all descended from older English speech forms.
Usage Notes
Common across traditional Appalachian and rural Southern communities, especially among older speakers. Variants like "that other’un" and "this other’un" appear frequently in everyday talk to distinguish between two items.
- "Grab the other’un plate." → the other one.
- "We’ve got two left-this’un or that other’un." → choice between two.
- "Ain’t that one broke? Take thother’un." → take the other one.