Bowed Up
In Southern and Appalachian speech, "bowed up" has two main meanings: 1) to get puffed up, angry, or ready to fight, and 2) to stop abruptly, jam, or lock up.
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synonyms: puffed up, mad, riled up, jammed, stuck, locked up
Hillbilly Dude Says...
I'd say 'bowed up' is one you hear more out in the country. Hillbilly Dude Says...
I'd say 'bowed up' is one you hear more out in the country. Pronunciation
[BOH-d up] /boʊd ʌp/
Meaning & Usage
- Ready to fight or angry (idiom)
Ruby:
I just teased him a little.
I just teased him a little.
Earl:
Well, he bowed up like a banty rooster.
Well, he bowed up like a banty rooster.- Stopped, jammed, or locked up (idiom)
Hazel:
Why’s the hay baler sittin’ still?
Why’s the hay baler sittin’ still?
Clyde:
It bowed up on me again.
It bowed up on me again.variations: bow up, bowin’ up
★ The first sense comes from how animals bow their backs when riled, while the second extends the image to machinery, traffic, or anything seized up tight. ★
Origin and Etymology
Rooted in rural Southern and Appalachian life. The "angry/ready to fight" sense is found in mid-20th-century oral speech, especially in the Deep South. The "jammed/stopped" sense appears in farming and mechanical talk, carried forward in everyday use for cars, tractors, or even traffic.
Usage Notes
- Both meanings are authentic to the South; context usually makes the sense clear.
- Common with "all" as an intensifier - "all bowed up."
- Still widely heard in rural speech today.