Snake Knee

Q: What does “snake knee” mean?

Nothing literal—it’s a made-up joke from The Waterboy, poking fun at backwoods overexplaining.

Snake knee is a Southernish pop-culture food from The Waterboy. In the film, Mama Boucher is serving Coach Klein a big plate of snake, and the knee is what she gives him.

#Southernish

Hillbilly Dude Says...

I keep 'I would say it’s his knee' in my back pocket for whenever I may need it.

Hillbilly Dude Says...

I keep 'I would say it’s his knee' in my back pocket for whenever I may need it.

Pronunciation

[SNAKE NEE]
/sneɪk niː/

Meaning & Usage

- Humorous nonsense phrase (movie-origin)

Calvin:

That explanation don’t make a lick of sense.

Ruby:

I know. It’s like callin’ it a snake knee.

variations: snake’s knee, the snake’s knee, snake knee quote

Origin

The term "snake knee" comes directly from the 1998 film The Waterboy. When Mama Boucher (played by Kathy Bates) is asked about human anatomy, she gives the line: "Well, basically a snake don’t have parts. But if I had to call it anything, uh, I would say it’s his knee." It’s one of several scenes where she combines superstition, rural reasoning, and homespun logic into deadpan comedy.

The line itself isn’t part of authentic Southern cuisine or speech, but its tone-confident, funny, and overexplained - captures how Hollywood often caricatures Southern mothers as both wise and hilariously wrong at the same time.

Verdict: Southernish. A movie-made phrase that sounds Southern, used today as a humorous reference to backwoods "logic."

Notes

Used jokingly to describe any far-fetched or made-up explanation.
Represents Hollywood’s version of Southern storytelling and superstition.
Often quoted alongside other Waterboy lines like "Foosball is the debil."
Not an authentic Southern expression or delicacy, though it mimics Southern speech rhythm.

Common Questions

What does "snake knee" mean?

Nothing literal-it’s a made-up joke from The Waterboy, poking fun at backwoods overexplaining.

Do Southerners actually say "snake knee"?

No. It’s a Hollywood line meant to sound folksy, not a real saying.

Do snakes even have knees?

No-snakes are limbless reptiles. The humor comes from pretending they do.

Do Southerners eat snake?

Sometimes, yes. Fried rattlesnake and smoked snake meat are real dishes in parts of the South and Southwest, though not everyday fare.

Why is this considered Southernish?

Because it borrows the rhythm, accent, and humor of Southern talk while being created for comedy, not drawn from genuine dialect.

How to Cite This Page

APA (7th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. (2025, October 24). Snake Knee. HillbillySlang.com. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/southernish/snake-knee
MLA (9th edition)
"The Hillbilly Dude." "Snake Knee." HillbillySlang.com, 24 Oct. 2025, https://www.hillbillyslang.com/southernish/snake-knee.
Chicago (17th edition)
The Hillbilly Dude. "Snake Knee." HillbillySlang.com. October 24, 2025. https://www.hillbillyslang.com/southernish/snake-knee.

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