Ah...goober - she could be using it as an endearment, y'know. It actually means peanut. We still call peanuts 'goobers' around here sometimes. It's just been become one of those strange Southernisms to the rest of the world, but like the banjo, it's origins are from an African language (nguba became goober).

I used to research the etymology of Southern words just to satisfy my curiosity and in self defense when I had to talk to people from elsewhere. Something about being able to tell someone the history of a word makes them sneer just a bit less at our 'inherent inferiority'. *smile* I'm being a little sarcastic there...

I love the internet because I can re-find that info without having to go to the library and take longhand notes anymore (once again - all of those notebooks lost in the Fire of '89 - dammit).

Here's what I just pulled up from the Farlex Dictionary:

"Most Southerners recognize the terms goober and goober pea as other names for the peanut. Goober is related to Kongo or Kimbundu n-guba, "peanut." The word is especially interesting as one of a small stock of African language borrowings brought over by slaves. Most of these words have to do with the food items imported from Africa for the slaves to eat. In this category are gumbo, "okra," which is of Bantu origin, and yam, which is of West African origin. The noun cooter is related to the Mandingo word kuta and the Tshiluba word nkudu, both meaning "turtle." Cooter is still used in South Carolina, Georgia, and the Gulf states to denote the edible freshwater turtle of the genus Chrysemys and, by extension, other turtles and tortoises."

And we do still call pond turtles 'cooters'...even Alligator Snappers. It's not uncommon to hear a Mom say, "If you kids are goin' swimmin' in that pond today you keep your hands and feet away from those cooters!"

Most people aren't aware that we have animals around here like the Gater Snappers...just like our Palmetto Bugs...we grow them big! You definitely want to keep your hands away from their heads.

Alligator Snapping Turtle





Okay, I'm done for now, you can all go back to sleep...*laughs* There is embedding code actually up there for two YouTube videos, and they were playing earlier, but the site seems to be having difficulties now. Check back later to see how big a Gater Snapper can be (I've been told they can snap your hand off).

"The eye is always caught by light, but shadows have more to say." - Gregory Maguire

Alligator Snappers can absolutely snap your hand off!

There was on in the middle of the road once back home, and my mom was trying to move it out of the way, and this game warden came by. Well, he told her to get out of the way (because geez, it's an alligator snapper! Duh!) He said about the only way they were going to get this thing out of the road is if it would bite onto something and he could drag it to the side of the road by that.

He tried a rope, a really thick rope, and it bit through that. He tried a PVC pipe, and it bit through that. He tried an ax handle, and it bit through that!

I never want to get on the wrong side of one of those things.

He's worth it.

YouTube seems to be down for a while, so you can't see the vids I posted yet - but the expert on them said they have the second strongest bite of any animal currently alive. Amazing creatures...

Until the vids return, here is a Gater Snapper pic:

Celtic, you are quite right, I am using "goober" as a term of endearment to describe someone who is being silly, funny, etc. I've used it quite a bit with Chewie because, well, it fits him most of the time....

Great info on the origin of the word and the other words too. I've never heard the word, "cooter" used for turtles though, but then I grew up far from the coast in northern Alabama.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
True love will withstand ignorant eyes...

In Florida, we call fresh water turtles "cooters".

I guess I will go there.... I've only heard "cooter" used as a reference for a certain, female body part, if you know what I mean....


And the big Alligator turtles you guys are referring to, we always just called them snapping turtles.

Oh yeah, we don't call the snappers cooter turtles. Cooter turtles are the smaller ones that don't snap you. We call snappers snappers.

But like Celtic said, the term "cooter turtles" is a Gulf Coast states thing for the most part, and since you're from pretty far inland, it kind of makes sense that it's not used where you come from. As for me, I grew up 45 minutes from one coast, and an hour from the other, so I get a bit of a lot of things. You've just got to love Florida.