Good Morn or evening, friends … While I will not be bursting into a Stevie Wonder tune, I will however welcome you to a brand spankin’ new edition of Southern Fried Vocab! In case you didn’t catch us last week, click here and take a gander. You know ya’on to!
In case you’re not familiar with the rules, they go a lil’ something like this. You will be given a vocabulary word or phrase, a definition and a sentence. You are hereby challenged to go forth and use it in conversation.
Though you may not see a logical place to insert these words into conversation, everything is always better when you cover it in flour and drop it in some hot grease.
In honor of Black History Month, I will close out the month with the phrase John Brown.
Since slavery, black folks have been calling on his name and nobody's sure why.
Definition
John Brown: a white abolitionist who in 1859 led 25 men, black and white, on a raid at Harper’s Ferry in West Virginia. The plan was to raid the arsenal and arm local slaves with weapons. Their plan was thwarted, Brown and his men were all killed or captured within 36 hours.
John Brown is an adjective often preceded by the words, “I’ll be …” The phrase usually expresses surprise, anger, frustration and/or disgust trying to refrain from using profanity.
Example 1:
Boy to his mother after school: I got in trouble today.
Mother: Boy! I be John Brown! What did you do this time?!
Example 2:
Girl jumping on the sofa and hits her head on the coffee table. Her father runs in.
Girl: *sobbing*
Father: You ought to sit down somma the John Brown time! Lemme see it.
(Dead ass, ^^^ happened to me before)
Quick Review
John Brown was hanged in 1859 for trying to arm and eventually liberate slaves in Virginia. As a way to pay homage to his violent, yet noble acts, Black Southerners keep his name and legacy alive by invoking his name when trying to avoid profane language – I’m guessing.
*Sidebar* That’s the only thing that makes since because why would we use his John Brown name all the time?
