Laid Up
In Appalachian and Southern speech, "laid up" means confined, stuck, or put out of commission - usually from sickness, injury, or even a machine breaking down. It’s a plain, everyday way of saying something (or someone) is down for the count.
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Hillbilly Dude Says...
"Can’t help you with hay today - I’m laid up with this bum knee." Hillbilly Dude Says...
"Can’t help you with hay today - I’m laid up with this bum knee." Pronunciation
[LAYD up]
Meaning & Usage
- Confined by sickness or injury (verb phrase)
Mae:
Where’s your brother been?
Where’s your brother been?
Earl:
He’s laid up with pneumonia.
He’s laid up with pneumonia.- Broken or out of commission (verb phrase, figurative)
Mae:
Why ain’t you plowin’?
Why ain’t you plowin’?
Earl:
Tractor’s laid up again.
Tractor’s laid up again.variations: down sick, out of commission, stuck in bed, broke down, he’s laid up with the flu, tractor’s laid up in the shed
★ "Laid up" is plain country talk. It works for people and things alike - Granny can be laid up in bed, or the pickup can be laid up in the shop. ★
Origin and Etymology
Comes from the old sense of "lay up" meaning to rest, store, or set aside. It took root in American English, with Southern and Appalachian folks keeping it alive in everyday talk.
Usage Notes
Widely understood across English, but outside the South it can feel old-fashioned. In Southern and Appalachian speech, it’s still a common, natural phrase for sickness or breakdowns.
Say It Like a Southerner
Said plain: "laid up." Quick and clipped in Southern speech, often stretched a little: "lay’d up."