Teetotal

In Southern and Appalachian speech, t-total and teetotally are intensifiers meaning completely, absolutely, or entirely. These forms survive mainly in rural dialect and old-time mountain talk.

#SouthernWords #Appalachia #Southern

synonyms: completely, entirely, totally, all the way, plumb, extremely

Hillbilly Dude Says...

Out in the country, you'll hear 't-total' or 'teetotally wore out'. Or maybe even 'teetotalled.'

Hillbilly Dude Says...

Out in the country, you'll hear 't-total' or 'teetotally wore out'. Or maybe even 'teetotalled.'

Pronunciation

[TEE-toe-tuh-lee / T-TOE-tuhl]
/ˈtiːˌtoʊ.tə.li/, /ˈtiːˌtoʊ.təl/

Meaning & Usage

- Extremely

Estel:

Was the whole thang rurnt?

Elmer:

Teetotalled.

- Completely or absolutely (Southern/Appalachian intensifier)

Mae:

You comin’ with us to town?

Earl:

Nope - I’m teetotally wore out.

- Emphatic exaggeration for effect

Gran:

That storm t-total scared the chickens half to death.

variations: t-total, teetotally, teetotalled

★ If a Southerner adds the extra t- up front - "t-total," "t-teetotally" - they’re cranking the intensity up even higher. It’s the regional equivalent of putting something in bold. ★

Origin and Etymology

The Southern/Appalachian intensifier forms come from older emphatic reduplications of "total." The "t-" prefix reflects a clipped or stressed repetition, producing t-total and teetotally. These forms are documented in rural Southern and Appalachian speech from the late 1800s onward, especially in storytelling, church communities, and everyday talk. The abstinence-related meaning of "teetotal" is unrelated and is not part of this entry.

Usage Notes

The intensifier sense is strongly regional. Outside the South and Appalachia, t-total and teetotally sound old-fashioned or unfamiliar. Within the region, they function like other local intensifiers - "plumb," "slam," "pure-D," or "right smart."

The forms appear most often in rural and older speakers’ dialect.
Used with emotions, exhaustion, weather, and situations ("t-total ruined").
Rarely written outside of dialect literature or Southern storytelling.

Kin Topics

Common Questions

Does this have anything to do with abstaining from alcohol?

No. The intensifier sense is separate and regional, meaning "completely."

Is "t-total" a mistake or misspelling?

No - it’s intentional dialect, emphasizing the word "total."

Do younger Southerners still use it?

Not as often, but it remains a recognizable and culturally marked expression.

Is "teetotally" stronger than "totally"?

Yes - it carries both emphasis and a distinctly Southern/Appalachian flavor.

How to Cite This Page

APA (7th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. (2025, December 6). Teetotal. HillbillySlang.com. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/teetotal
MLA (9th edition)
"The Hillbilly Dude." "Teetotal." HillbillySlang.com, 6 Dec. 2025, https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/teetotal.
Chicago (17th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. "Teetotal." HillbillySlang.com. December 6, 2025. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/teetotal.