Nary a One
You might hear ' there wuttin' nary a one left' out in the country. I've heard it all my life.
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Hillbilly Dude Says...
You’ll hear "Nary a One" in Southern and Appalachian speech to mean "not a single one" - a folksy way of emphasizing complete absence. Hillbilly Dude Says...
You’ll hear "Nary a One" in Southern and Appalachian speech to mean "not a single one" - a folksy way of emphasizing complete absence. Pronunciation
[NAIR-ee a ONE] /ˈnɛri ə wʌn/ (spoken "nery a one")
Meaning & Usage
- Not a single one; none at all (quantifier)
Jill:
Did any apples grow on that tree?
Did any apples grow on that tree?
Sam:
Nope - nary a one.
Nope - nary a one.variations: nery a one
★ "Nary" comes from "never a" in older English. It’s been preserved in Southern/Appalachian speech as a way to emphasize zero - a living fossil from older dialects. ★
Origin and Etymology
From Middle English "ne’er a" and "never a." Brought to Appalachia by Scots-Irish settlers and widely used across the rural South as a folksy way to mean "none at all."
Usage Notes
Still widely recognized in the South and Appalachia. Outside the region it sounds old-fashioned or humorous but is easily understood.
Say It Like a Southerner
Say it natural: often "nery a one" with the "a" run together, especially in rural speech.
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