   If I Had My DruthersIn Appalachian and Southern speech, "If I had my druthers" means if I had my choice or preference. It’s a folksy way of saying what you’d rather do. Hillbilly Dude Says...  Growin' up, my Momma would say, 'If I had my druthers...' and it's somethin' I still say myself. Don't hear it that much nowadays, though. Pronunciation[if ah had mah DRUTH-erz] Meaning & Usage- If I had my choice (conditional phrase)
Mae:
Where would you go?
Earl:
If I had my druthers, I’d head to the mountains.- Expressing personal preference (figurative)
Mae:
Chicken or beans?
Earl:
Well, if I had my druthers, it’d be chicken.other spellings: if I had my choice, if I had my way, if it were up to me, if I had my druthers, I’d sleep in, if I had my druthers, supper’d be pie, and we’d stay home if I had my druthers ★ "Druthers" is playful and lighthearted. Folks use it to show a wish or preference, even when they know they don’t really get to decide. ★ OriginFrom dialect forms of "I’d rather" → "I druther" → "druthers." Traced in American folk speech of the 19th century, especially in the South and Appalachia. Popularized in the comic strip *Li’l Abner* and old country songs, but rooted in rural dialect first. NotesStill common in Southern/Appalachian storytelling and casual talk. Understood across the U.S., though it carries an old-time, rural flavor today. Say It Like a SouthernerSaid plain: "if I had my druthers." Comes from "I’d rather," blended down to "druther" and then "druthers." | About We are a growing field guide to culture, speech, memory, and meaning - rooted in Appalachia, but wide as the world. Read more... |
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