2 definitions by Celtic Southerner
So many Carolinians made their living by and on the water in the early days of sail that they were known by the term for an apprentice sailor in England–tarheel–for their feet were stained with the tar which protected the ratlines, the ladder-like ropes used to ascend the rigging to the sails.
The only way into the interior of the Province of Carolina is by its many rivers so the inhabitants there are called Tarheels for all must be at least an amateur sailor.
by Celtic Southerner August 13, 2010
Boiling water added to bread, usually with the crust removed, with salt and pepper added. It takes on the consistency of English porridge or Scottish ground oats groats which are pronounced grits in the American South and made with ground corn (maize). The name for it is English but it probably originated in North Wales where the extreme poverty of slate miners meant it was the only thing they had to eat. There it is called sgotyn, pronounced scot-ton, and means Scotsman's breakfast, more a reference to the poverty of their Celtic cousins who were also bled dry economically by the Saxons (English).
by Celtic Southerner December 19, 2009