Buggy

In Appalachian and Southern speech, a "buggy" is most often a shopping cart at the grocery store. It can also mean a baby stroller or, in older times, a small horse-drawn carriage.

#SouthernWords #Appalachia

Hillbilly Dude Says...

If you're born'n'raised here, you'll most likely call them thangs at the grocery store a 'buggy.' I always have. Them sigogglin ones are the worst.

Hillbilly Dude Says...

If you're born'n'raised here, you'll most likely call them thangs at the grocery store a 'buggy.' I always have. Them sigogglin ones are the worst.

Pronunciation

[BUHG-ee]

Meaning & Usage

- Shopping cart (noun)

Mae:

Don’t forget a buggy - we need milk, bread, an’ a mess of taters.

Earl:

This one’s got a squeaky wheel again.

- Baby stroller (noun)

Mae:

Load the baby in the buggy, let’s go for a walk.

- Horse-drawn buggy (noun)

Earl:

Back then, folks went to church in a horse an’ buggy.

variations: shopping cart, stroller, horse-and-buggy, cart, store buggy, baby buggy

★ In much of the South and Appalachia, "buggy" almost always means "shopping cart." In other parts of the U.S., people say "cart" - but around here, that sounds odd. ★

Origin and Etymology

"Buggy" comes from British English, where it originally meant a light carriage. The term carried over to America, first for horse-drawn buggies, then baby strollers, and finally shopping carts.

Usage Notes

Still common in Appalachian and Southern families today. "Buggy" is especially tied to grocery stores, though older uses linger in phrases like "horse and buggy."

Say It Like a Southerner

Play audio Said quick and plain: "buggy." The "uh" sound is short, rhyming with "tuggy."

Kin Topics

Appalachia

Common Questions

Why do Southerners say "buggy" instead of "cart"?

It’s a holdover from older English - just like "baby buggy" and "horse and buggy."

Do people outside the South say it?

Not often - most say "cart" or "stroller." But "buggy" is still widespread in the South and Appalachia.

Which meaning is most common today?

At the grocery store, "buggy" means shopping cart almost every time.

How to Cite This Page

APA (7th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. (2025, August 29). Buggy. HillbillySlang.com. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/buggy
MLA (9th edition)
"The Hillbilly Dude." "Buggy." HillbillySlang.com, 29 Aug. 2025, https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/buggy.
Chicago (17th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. "Buggy." HillbillySlang.com. August 29, 2025. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/buggy.

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