Dice
 
 
 
 
 
synonyms: bunch, helping, trouble, tangle, soil, dirty
Hillbilly Dude Says...
You'll hear all versions of 'mess' out in the country, but I will say it's often for food. The soiling one is mostly old timers nowadays. 
Hillbilly Dude Says...
You'll hear all versions of 'mess' out in the country, but I will say it's often for food. The soiling one is mostly old timers nowadays. 

Pronunciation

[MESS]
/mɛs/

Meaning & Usage

- A quantity of food, often freshly gathered or cooked (noun)

Elmer:
Whatnaworld? What's in that giant kettle?
Estel:
A mess of peanut beans.

- A confused or troublesome situation (noun)

Mae:
That boy’s in a mess now, hittin’ his daddy’s truck.
Earl:
He’ll be lucky if it’s just a lecture.

- Disorder, clutter, or chaos (noun)

Mae:
This kitchen’s a mess after all that bakin’.
Earl:
Still smells good, though.

- To soil or have a bathroom accident (verb)

Elmer:
Who’s gonna clean up after this pup?
Estel:
Oh no. What happened?
Elmer:
She messed all over the kitchen floor.
variations: a mess of, whole mess, in a mess, messed, messing
★ If your granny says she's got a mess of soup beans
and cornbread, it means come over. Now. ★

Origin and Etymology

From Middle English "mes," meaning "portion of food served at one time." The noun sense for food persisted in rural Southern English, while the figurative sense for "disorder" followed standard English evolution. The verb form "to mess" (meaning "to soil") developed naturally from "make dirty," found in 19th-century Southern and rural American speech, especially in reference to farm animals and pets.

Usage Notes

  • The food sense ("a mess of beans") is distinctly Southern/Appalachian and still common.
  • The "soiling" verb sense remains familiar in rural and domestic settings, often about pets or toddlers.
  • All meanings share a theme of mixture or disorder, tracing back to the older sense of "mess" as "a serving or muddle."

Kin Topics

Related Pages

Common Questions

How much is "a mess" of something?
Enough for a family meal - not a measured amount, just enough to cook and share.
Can "mess" mean a bathroom accident?
Yes. In Southern and rural speech, "messed" often means "soiled" - used for animals, children, or rare adult mishaps.
Is "mess" always negative?
No. It can be affectionate, humorous, or neutral depending on context - "a mess of greens" is just supper.
Where did all these meanings come from?
They all descend from the old English "mes," meaning a portion of food - expanding over centuries to mean disorder, trouble, and even "to soil."

How to Cite This Page

  • APA (7th edition)
    The Hillbilly Dude. (2025, October 17). Mess. HillbillySlang.com. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/mess/
  • MLA (9th edition)
    "The Hillbilly Dude." "Mess." HillbillySlang.com, 17 Oct. 2025, https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/mess/.
  • Chicago (17th edition)
    The Hillbilly Dude. "Mess." HillbillySlang.com. October 17, 2025. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/definitions/mess/.
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