3.14.23 8

Rared Back

I’ve always been pretty good with words and terrible at math. Brandon is the opposite. So imagine my surprise when I texted him, Axl rared back and snapped at me, and he replied: I think you mean reared back.

What? That can’t be right. I googled it. “Rare back” wasn’t anywhere to be found. In its place was reared back. I was stunned. Mamaw said rared back. Papaw and daddy did too. Was I losing my mind? I couldn’t be. What about “raring to go?”

I texted Kodecker to see if she says it the way I do, and she does. So I thought, maybe it’s an Appalachian thing. To find out, I turned to Twitter.

The Twitter responses only made me more confused. Those from the mountains overwhelmingly agreed with me – but a few from other areas did too.

This got me thinking about how dated expressions survive longer in rural areas than in urban ones. When I get a migraine, I say I’ve got “the sick headache.” It’s a term I picked up from Mamaw, but it’s not something many people use in 2023. Perhaps, “rare back” is similar?

After digging around the internet, I only found one website that acknowledges the existence of the phrase rare back. On WordReference.com’s forum board, someone posted a question about Stephen King’s use of the term in The Stand.

One response reads:

“Rare back” does indeed come from “rear back”, and it’s referring to what horses do when they stand on their rear hind legs, as though enthusiastic to begin a gallop, or enter a battlefield.

Used metaphorically, “rare back” means to begin a new action with great enthusiasm. It often is used slightly pejoratively, carrying the meaning of “embarking on an offensive or ill-advised action with gusto and great effrontery or chutzpah, and possibly adding insult to injury”.  

-grigorei_rasputin

The website’s dictionary includes the following definition: rare: rared, raring (râr) [older use]: rear.

It felt good to see it in black and white. I knew I wasn’t losing my mind. It felt even better to find out that there’s still a few people who are helping keep the old phrase alive.

Do any of y’all say rared back too? Does anyone know it’s origins?

Leave a Comment

8 Comments

  1. Ron Robertson wrote:

    “Rared” is definitely part of my vocabulary. Phrases such as “he rared back like he was going to hit me” or “he rared back and threw the ball” were commonly used during my childhood and stick with me to this day. And yes my folks were from western NC.

    Published 3.14.23
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    • Cassie wrote:

      That’s exactly how I use it too. I’ve said it my whole life. It’s kind of surprising that it took Brandon so long to pick up on it. lol

      Published 3.14.23
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  2. Kylie Collins wrote:

    Another saying I hear Americans both rural and urban communities say incorrectly is “I COULD care less” the correct saying is “I COULDN’T care less” the implication being that you care SO little about “it” that you COULDN’T give it less attention. If you COULD care less means you do STILL care a bit .
    Interesting how we all say things differently 🤔 God bless 🙏🦘🙏

    Published 3.14.23
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    • Cassie wrote:

      Rared back isn’t necessarily incorrect, it’s just an older slang phrase. 😉

      Published 3.14.23
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  3. Tipper Pressley wrote:

    We say rared too : ) Great post!

    Published 3.15.23
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    • Cassie wrote:

      Thank ya, ma’am! 🙂

      I love that! “Reared” just sounds wrong to me. lol

      Published 3.16.23
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  4. Tobin wrote:

    Raised in Kansas but living in Oregon for over forty years I was totally surprised when my word perfect spell checker informed me that I was not using the word correctly. “Rared back” was definitely a common usage in rural Kansas in the 1960’s and, I thought, was familiar out here on the west coast.

    Published 3.9.24
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    • Cassie wrote:

      Stick with rared. I find it so much more charming. 🙂

      Published 3.9.24
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