Rear End
In Appalachian and Southern speech, "rear end" means the backside or buttocks. It’s a polite, family-friendly way of talking about someone’s backside, often used in scolding or joking.
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Hillbilly Dude Says...
We always heard 'tail' or 'rear end' growin' up, and it's still common in the summer today. Hillbilly Dude Says...
We always heard 'tail' or 'rear end' growin' up, and it's still common in the summer today. Pronunciation
[REER end]
Meaning & Usage
- The backside; buttocks (noun)
Mae:
Where’d he land?
Where’d he land?
Earl:
Flat on his rear end.
Flat on his rear end.- A scolding term in family talk (figurative)
Mae:
Kids still runnin’ wild?
Kids still runnin’ wild?
Earl:
Yep, and I told ’em to sit their rear ends down.
Yep, and I told ’em to sit their rear ends down.★ "Rear end" is the go-to polite version of "butt." Parents and grandparents use it to scold kids without cussing, but it can also show up jokingly between adults. ★
Origin and Etymology
From "rear" (the back) and "end" (the farthest part). It spread widely in American English, but in the South and Appalachia it became part of the stock set of family-friendly words for the backside.
Usage Notes
Common everywhere in the U.S., but especially familiar in Southern and Appalachian households. Often overlaps with related terms like hind end and tail.
Say It Like a Southerner
Said plain: "rear end." In country talk it often runs together: "rear’n."