Quieten It Down!
In Southern and Appalachian speech, "quieten it down!" is a common command meaning "be quiet!" or "settle down!" It’s the everyday imperative form of the older verb "quieten."
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Hillbilly Dude Says...
You can hear 'quieten it down' commonly down here. Hillbilly Dude Says...
You can hear 'quieten it down' commonly down here. Pronunciation
[KWY-uh-tən it DOWN] /ˈkwaɪətən ɪt daʊn/
Meaning & Usage
- Command to hush or calm a group (imperative phrase)
Mae:
Kids, quieten it down now!
Kids, quieten it down now!variations: calm down, hush up, quiet down, settle down
★ While "quiet down" is heard across the U.S., "quieten down" (or "quieten it down") is especially associated with the South/Appalachia, preserving the older British verb form "quieten." ★
Origin and Etymology
From older British English "quieten" (18th-19th c.). The imperative "quieten it down" is recorded in Southern/Appalachian speech as the everyday way to hush a group.
Usage Notes
Still widely heard in homes, churches, and classrooms in the South/Appalachia. Outside the region, "quiet down" is more common but "quieten it down" is understood.
Say It Like a Southerner
Say it natural: "KWY-’n it down" - the middle syllables are light and clipped in Southern/Appalachian speech.
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