1. What it sounds like, an old man raising his cane.
   The act of putting candy canes on a Christmas tree on the highest branches.
2. Raising hell, as in having a fun night on the town.
   Decorating with cane-shaped objects.

Because Cain was the first murderer in the Bible, having killed his brother Abel, people use the expression "raising Cain" to describe acts of violence or mischievous acts. However, today it has a more rambunctious meaning (and a different spelling) like having a wild time.

1. The outhouse is disgusting.
   The toilet is broken.
2. The dog had an accident in the house.
   That person is poor.

This means that someone is so destitute that they have to go to the bathroom in the street. They don't even have a pot to piss in.

1. Don't have a tantrum.
   Don't go pitching hay until you get a drink.
2. Don't worry if that drink is his or hers, now it's yours.
   B & C

"Don't have a tantrum "is another way to describe the meaning of "Don't have a hissy fit." Even if you're madder than a two-dollar rattlesnake, calm down.

1. You'll go hungry this winter.
   You're kind of dumb.
2. You need to pickle more cucumbers.
   You need to restock your refrigerator.

Use this expression to describe someone who's kind of dumb. Another way to stay the same thing is "not the sharpest crayon in the box".

1. A puddle
   A pigeon
2. A small thing
   A piggy bank

Piddlee'o is a small thing or a small amount, as in "Ain't you just a piddlee'o thang." Thang = Thing.

1. Argumentative
   Funny
2. Sad
   Silly

This phrase means the person is quick to argue. Here's another phrase that means the same thing; "He’d argue with a wooden Indian".

1. Exactly what it says, you're in tall cotton plants.
   You're hiding.
2. You're picking cotton.
   You're living the high life.

To be in "tall cotton" means to be living at the peak of your life, or living the high life, or similar to "salad days".

1. Jealous
   Intelligence
2. Boastful
   Angry

It means the person is boastful. Here are some other ways to describe the same attribute. "She’s all gurgle and no guts."

1. Show and snuff
   Should we snuff?
2. Sure enough
   Shoe and buff

This expression can be used to express an obvious agreement like, “Hot today, ain’t it?” “Sho’nuff.” Or it can be used to emphasize a description of something such as, “El Paso is sho’nuff far from here.”

1. Honest
   Silly
2. Jealous
   Dishonest

It means the person is dishonest. Here are some other ways to describe the same trait. "There are a lot of nooses in his family tree." And, "slicker than a slop jar."

1. Dad has gum on his shoe.
   Dad gummed up the repair.
2. It's a more genteel way to say a swear word.
   Dad chews too much gum.

Texans have polite manners and will use this phrase instead of a swear word. Aw shucks, ain't that sweet?

1. You've attended many rodeos in the past.
   Not your first time doing something.
2. You know how to ride a horse.
   You know how to rope a calf.

If someone says to you "This ain’t my first rodeo", it means that it isn't his or her first time doing it. He or she has experienced doing the activity in the past.

1. I think so.
   There will be a reckoning for this team.
2. There will be a settlement.
   There will be a calculation of the team's standings.

"I reckon" means that I think something is going to happen, or I believe something to be true. If the team is losing by 40 points, you might reckon that the team is not going to win.

1. It's so hot!
   The cotton is falling off the plant because it needs water.
2. You have a dry or cotton-mouth and need a drink.
   Clean up a spill so that the table is so dry, a cotton rag won't pick up any moisture.

Texas gets hot and dry, and if you're out in the fields you might work up a thirst that is so powerful it feels like you're spitting cotton. Get yourself a drink and then get back to work.

1. Fixing the tub
   Fixture above the tub
2. Something that is tough to fix
   Fixing to (do something)

"Fixin' tuh" means you're going to do it, as in, you're fixated on doing the activity. “Are you going to make dinner?” “Fixin’ tuh.”

1. They have dental problems.
   They are meek.
2. They are gluten-free.
   They are anorexic.

This phrase describes someone who's so afraid of everything that they wouldn't do something as simple as biting into a delicious buttermilk biscuit. They are afraid of their own shadow, is another way to put it.

1. That you are extremely busy
   That you are a loser
2. That you've been beaten down by circumstance
   That you like to play games

It means you're so busy that you don't have time to eat, sleep or take a break of any kind, because of everything you have to do.

1. Horses
   Dogs
2. Calves
   Sheep

A dogie is a calf (young cow) that has no mother. "Git along little doggie" is a phrase used by cowboys while herding cattle. It means "c'mon or move with us."

1. You're eating barely edible food.
   You're talking to your friends.
2. You're making moonshine.
   You're sewing.

What's the scoop? What's the gossip? Go on and "chaw the rag" and tell all to your friends about it. This meaning takes into account the attitude that you have all the time in the world to talk.

1. You like to try exotic food.
   You are a brave person.
2. You like to dare other people to do things.
   You are afraid of everything.

Boomtowns would set up and be gone within the week. Because of that, their restaurants were lax on everything from service to the actual food. You have to have a brave stomach to venture into one of those cafes.

1. Someone has a spring in their step.
   Someone has a limp when they walk.
2. Someone is dancing in the rain.
   Someone knows a secret and is smiling.

It would nice if this phrase described something good, but it is describing someone who has a permanent or temporary limp.

1. That you have a healthy body, except for your limp.
   You're worthless.
2. You have everything going for you except your confidence.
   You need new clothes.

A drum with a hole in it is useless. And If someone has said this about you, they think you're not worth trying to fix.

1. The object is piping hot and you might burn yourself.
   The object is stolen.
2. The object is cheap.
   The object is broken.

A cheap gun is usually a black market item, meaning that it's "hot." So if something is even "hotter" than that, be careful when the law comes 'round.

1. If you have an elliptical, you put it on light resistance.
   People who like to walk, don't like to climb.
2. Your mindset will help you accomplish your goals.
   One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

To get somewhere, you need to take the first step. And with motivation, there's no problem that can't be resolved by someone who sets their mind to accomplishing their goals.

1. Death will come no matter what.
   Disaster will come no matter what.
2. Whether it's too hot or too wet, we'll still sow the fields.
   I promise.

"Come hell or high water" means that you've made a promise and you'll keep it no matter what stands in your way.

1. Small, bratty children
   Someone who is a real rascal
2. Any small animal that one hunts
   None of the above

Varmint is any small animal, particularly one that is being hunted, as in "Me and Riley went var'mit huntin' this mornin'."

1. The person who kicks a ball in football
   The person who kicks the ball in soccer
2. The decisive factor
   The ultimate compliment

The "kicker" is the deciding or most motivating factor in an argument. As in, "...and here's the kicker..."

1. You can't find Earl.
   You're going to hurl.
2. You're asking advice from a clergyman.
   You're heading to the bar for a drink.

You might hurl your insides out after you had too many cold ones. Your friends will describe it as "calling for Earl".

1. Everyone needs to leave this room.
   Someone is dressed elaborately.
2. This is a private club.
   The highest compliment

The utmost conceivable degree of something or the highest compliment. As in, "This pie is as good as all git-out."

1. Silly
   Knowledgeable
2. Honest
   Paranoid

This colorful Texan phrase means you are honest. Another phrase that means the same thing is, "You can bet the farm on it".

1. They have big ideas but are short on working toward their goals.
   They are really small.
2. They are really young.
   They are really tall.

This is an age, and not a height reference. Most people were "knee high to a grasshopper" when they were two or three years old. Before then they were "down to an ant's ankle."

1. You think you're a cowboy, but you're not.
   You have no idea what you're talking about.
2. You have no money.
   You have brains but no brawn.

If you're talking to someone and they aren't making a good argument, or any sense at all, you would say that person is "all hat and no cattle". Or they have no idea what they're talking about.

1. To begin employment
   To ride a bull
2. To climb a ladder
   To finish a job

"Get on at" means to gain employment, as in, "Jessie's gonna' try to get on at the Bonanza Cattle Ranch as a farm hand next week."

1. There's a bucket for water and a bucket for food, for all animals.
   There are two sides to every argument.
2. There are two problems.
   If you have buckets, you can cover a possum's hole and drive it out of your yard.

Possums are problems. And a bucket of possums are bigger problems. But this saying refers to "buckets" as being very different. You would use this saying when you talk about having a drought and a broken TV.

1. Acknowledging a job well done
   Get her hair done.
2. Get it done now.
   Be thankful.

Although it sounds like someone is telling you to get something done, it's actually an acknowledgement of a job well done, or well on its way to being finished.