Hillbilly Slang

Authentic sayings, folk stories, and mountain wisdom.

◀ thang

the bottoms

In Appalachian and Southern speech, "the bottoms" means low-lying farmland or homesteads along a river or creek. It’s the local shorthand for "bottom land."

#SouthernWords   #Appalachia   #OldTimers   #Southern   #FarmTalk

Hillbilly Dude Says...
We've always called it 'bottom land', so 'the bottoms' may be more regional. 

Pronunciation

[thuh BAH-dumz]

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Meaning & Usage

- Low-lying farmland along rivers or creeks (noun phrase)

Mae:
Where’s their farm at?
Earl:
Down in the bottoms.

- A community or settlement in river-bottom country (noun phrase)

Mae:
Who lives down in the bottoms now?
other spellings: bottom land, bottomland, river bottoms, low ground, the lowlands, the fields, and down by the river
★ "The bottoms" usually carries both richness and risk - great soil, but prone to flooding. ★

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