The Nation: A Glossary from Cot-tuh Country

Even if he quits dropping his post-vocalic rs, Jimmy Cot-tuh is likely to confuse Northerners from time to time—that is, from tahm to tahm—and increase other regions' interest in Southern lingo. Thus, in the spirit of both fun and information, TAHM offers this glossary of key words, by no means all Car-terese. Some are authentically South Georgian and others from different parts of the Deep South, some upper-class and others not:

can-dit: what Cot-tuh is.

Prez-det: what he hopes to be.

Watt House: where the Prez-det lives.

min-strayshen: what the Prez-det leads.

pah-ty: a political grouping.

Dim-crass: Cot-tuh's pah-ty.

Ruh-pub-uh-kins: the othuh pah-ty.

Mondell: Cot-tuh's vise-prez-det-shul can-dit.

Wash-tin: the capital.

Et-lanna: the othuh capital.

Et-lanna Cos-tooshun: a newspaper in the othuh capital.

New Yoak: the convention city.

New Yoak Tahms: a stab'isment newspaper.

fust: where Cot-tuh hopes to finish.

wawyk: what it takes a great deal of to become Prez-det.

bi-ness: what you're in when you wawyk.

Sah-ditty: a popular night for pah-ties, though in Wash-tin, pah-ties are often thrown on Mun-dee, Toos-dee. We's-dee, Thush-dee, Frah-dee and Sun-dee as well.

gom bee: as in, Cot-tuh hopes he's gom bee the next Prez-det.

wangs: birds use them to get off the ground.

feel: as in, Cot-tuh knocked the bark off a big feel of can-dits.

hee-uh: in this place.

they-uh: in that place.

all: what automobiles and political deals are lubricated with.

tar: what you change when you have aflat.

be-yill:a. piece of legislation.

inner-doose: what Congressmen do with be-yills.

pin: what you sign be-yills with.

faw-uhd: where a Cot-tuh min-strayshen would expect to go from hee-uh; also the incumbent Prez-det.

hoppuh-grass: grasshopper; might be found on Watt House lawn.

sup-pah: what Watt House dinner would become.

sal-lit: an initial cose at a Watt House sup-pah.

goo-buhs: the last cose, of cose.

The above glossary, based on reports from TIME correspondents in the South, was written by a native of Baltimore and edited by a native of Brooklyn, both of whom speak widout de faintest trace of any kinda accent.