Subject:Undergarment
Entries
Entry 10180
Some people say tuh weah a garment. Yuh piece nex' tuh yuh, pull it off an' turn it wrongside out [and wear it that way]. Dey do say dat will put 'em out.
(Put these candles out that they are burning for you.)
Entry 11069
[If she] wants to get him back, if she got any of his ondenonents or anything, she kin take them an' wear 'em around her waist. And she ku cake sugar and wear it under her arms, [then] cook a cake with it and get some of her friends to send it to him. And he gets that, he'll come back.
Entry 4574
Well, womens take dat, some of 'em, an' pin it on dey undahpiece an' wear it.
(What do they do that for?)
Dey say dat will make 'em come back.
(That is that little bow from his hat?)
Yes sir.
Entry 4789
If she wanta stop 'im - if she don' wan' 'im tuh run aroun' wit othah women, she kin cut a piece outa de seat of 'er drawahs an' tack [sew] on 'is undahshirt right ovah 'is heart. Jis' lak dis undah- suit he weahs dis week, sew it in dere. Jis' take it, take his undahshirt an' sew it right ovah 'is heart. An' den 'is othah undahsuit, sew anothah piece ovah 'is heart. An' he'll finely [finally] stay right at home, he won't go nowhere. She'll take a piece of 'er drawahs outa de seat of 'er drawahs right below her manie, an' sew dat on 'is undahshirt right ovah 'is lef' titie.
(What do you call that? Her manie?)
Yeah, her manie. MANIE AH CALL IT. DAT THING BETWEEN 'ER LAIGS, yuh know. Jes' tack it ovah dere, an' he'll stay at home. [This is my only example of the self-explanatory term manie or Manie. I had never heard it before, have never heard it since.]
Entry 4810
A woman take a man undahshlrt, or eithah 'is shirttail. A woman take dat an' jis' natchly [naturally] have a connection wit 'im. She take dat an' cut off a piece of shirttail an' weah it roun' 'er wais'. He begin tuh FOLLAH 'ER LAK A DOG.
(Like a dog follows what?)
Jis' lak a dog follah a purson, jis' lak a dog follah dem.
Entry 6873
Take a woman's clothes an' bury dem an' she'll have a hard time. Take a piece of 'er undahgarments.
(If this woman is going to have a baby?)
Sho'[sure].
(That will cross her up?)
Cross 'er so she cain't delivah de baby.
Entry 7068
(What do they say about that?)
Well, she'll take her - she takes 'er bloomahs whut she weah. If he's asleep, well she'll hang 'em right up ovah 'is head, or lessen or not, she'll lay dem right across 'is face. An' dat keeps 'im asleep. He's - he'll be dere until she comes back.
(I see.)
Entry 7071
Say yo' should - jis' like if yo' wanted to have a date wit a man, why yo' take yore petticoat an' spread it ovah yore husband's face. An' yo' go out an' do whut chew wanta do, an' den come on back an' yo' take it off.
Entry 7066
If she wan's tuh git out'a de house, an' don' wan' 'im tuh wake up, she go ahead on in de back. Well, yo' know, quite natchly how women are. She'll git dere in de back an' he's in dis room sleepin'. An' she'll go in de back room lak she's doin' somepin. She'll go on tuh singin'. She'll go tuh singin' some ole song, an' she's combin' 'er hair whilst she's singin' dis song. See. Aftah she gits through combin' 'er hair, she'll git 'er soap an' thin's. She's goin' tuh wash. She's goin' tuh powdah 'erself up. She slip on 'er undahweah an' thin's, clean, yo' know, but still an' all, she'll keep on dat dirty top-piece, until she seen 'er chance tuh git 'im asleep. Now, when she gits ready tuh go, she's got on evahthin' but de dress. Huh hair's all fixed an' evahthin'. She take an' she take 'uh undahweahs, which is uh bloomahs or uh step-in - whatevah yo' call it. She put dat ovah 'is face. She put dat ovah 'is face an' she leave dat stay dere. An' she take an' she covah 'im up, but she covah 'im up tuh here [demonstrates].
(Up to his neck?)
Up tuh his neck, see.
(With the bedclothes?)
Wit de bedclothes. But she's got uh bloomahs in 'is face. See, she's not tryin' tuh smothah 'im or nuthin 'cuz she - if she put too much or put it too heavy on 'im, it would smothah 'im. But she jis' got it where he kin, yo' know, breathe right through dat, yo' undahstan'. Well, now, as he breathin', his eyes, he's already asleep, but 'is eyes git heaviah. An' as he breathes, his heart[?] gits mo' sleepiah. Den he'll sleep dere until she comes in, if it's de nex' mawnin', when she come in. Now, she kin walk out de do' lak nuthin'. She don' have tuh sneak out. She kin walk out de do' jis' lak if he wasn't sleepin'. When she come in, she kin come in de same way. Well, she takes off uh clothes, an' she gits intuh bed, an' she take dat offa his face. Now, when she take dat offa his face, she kin shake him all she wan' tuh. He ain't goin' tuh hardly wake up. She'll git yuh some watah, cold watah. An' when. she git dat cold watah, she put it right backa his neck, an' she'll wake him up.
Entry 4720
If she kin git any of 'is clothes dat he weah, she kin git 'im back. Now, if he done lef' home an' aftah he lef' home, if she want 'im back - she feel dat he didn't do right, an' she try tuh git'im back. She'll take de seat of 'is undahweah an' cut dat out an' den she'll fold it, blow 'er breath on it an' fold it. An' she'll sit down - wheresomevah he may be or where he live - if she writes 'im. She'll heah where he at, she'll git 'im a lettah. He's gotta git de lettah. She'll go tuh de sto' an' buy 'er some love powdahs an' put in dat lettah. An' den she'll fol' dat piece an' weah it undah 'er right-foot shoe, nex' tuh 'er flesh between 'er stockin' an' 'er shoe. An' five days from de day he sees dat lettah, he'll come home. (She puts the love powder in this letter, and she wears this piece of the drawers in her shoe.) Yes, in 'er right-foot shoe.
Entry 4822
Take a piece of 'is undahgarment an' wear it in 'er left shoe an' he'll come back home tuh 'er.
Entry 4825
[A string or thread from clothes, also called raveling, is rather rare. Usually the wearer prefers something more substantial. This raveling, not long enough to reach round the waist, would be too fragile and easily broken. A small piece can be worn in a bag or sewed into a garment frequently used.l Same thin' as dat, or yore ole lady or somepin, yuh know. Yuh don' wan' 'er tuh pay attention tuh no one [she] runnin' aroun'. Yuh take a string an' wear it aroun' yore wais', any of 'er clothes. Wear it aroun' yore wais'.
(Take a string from her clothes, did you say?)
From 'er clothes, any kin' of 'er clothin' - jis' a sock or some of 'er bloom- ahs or somepin dat she wear undah, yuh see. Take it an' wear it aroun' yore wais'.
(And she can't run around.)
Entry 7069
She do somepin tuh keep 'im home, so he won't want tuh leave dere.
[Here is a new purpose for bloomers over his face!]
(What will she do to him?)
Well, dis is mighty funny.
(That's all right, anything you want to say. I've heard lots of funny things.)
He lays down in de baid lak he goin' tuh sleep. She comes an' lays down in de baid tuh go 'sleep. An' she pull off 'er bloomahs an' jis' take 'em an' spread 'em ovah 'is haid, an' let 'em lay ovah 'is haid awhile. See. Den 'fo' he wake up, she'll take 'em off. She might let 'em stay on dere ten minutes, but he won't wake up till she take 'em off - lay right dere sleepin'. Den she taken 'em off. She'll use 'em lak dat awhile. An' aftah awhile maybe she fixes de pillah. May- be she put it undah dere, or a dress dere de same way. An' when she puts demdere lak dat, why he jis' keep layin' off from goin' anywhere. He go limpah an' limpah until he jis' git so he don't want no more dere [away from home]. An' he don't go nowhere.
Entry 11904
To bring a man back, a woman may take hair from the mole of his head and wear it in the hem of her underskirt. [Wilmington 185:8+85.]