I grew up in south western Pa near the WVa line. My Yankee dictionaries all
give the same definition that others have posted but to me an ornery
child/person is devilish, mischievious. So is that the meaning in a certain
area of the country, in my family or my mind???!
The word hasn't made it this far south! Never met an Aussie that knows/uses
it. They use 'cheeky' instead. I'm wondering what it means to Lynn in
Clarksburg?
Pat from Pennsylvania answered
I think of ornery as a cowboy word. It means contrary, stubborn, bent on
having (it's) own way.
To me -- raised in Warsaw, and learning both UK and US (Southern variety) English as a foreign language -- "cheeky" (I know it only from Brit usage however; via books, mainly. Could be different in Oz) and "ornery" aren't quite the same.
"Cheeky" suggests a sense of humour, an *intentional*, "in your face" mischievousness. It's more about "talking back", about being "disrespectful" ("dissing", in black-American parlance), though, usualy, done with tongue firmly in cheek. As far as I understand the word, only humans are capable of being "cheeky", even though, sometimes, a dog which had done something he shouldn't have, then looks at you with a tongue lolling half a yard down its chest and a grin, will *look* "cheeky"...
Pat had "something" when she said that, to her, "ornery" was a "cowboy word"; an un-controllable horse will sometimes be referred to as "ornery" -- hell-bent on having it's own will, bucking the rider off, etc. As a matter of fact, all kinds of animals can be "ornery", not only humans -- in addition to "bucking broncos", cows which refuse to stay put in the "assigned" pasture are "ornery" and goats (of both sexes) have "ornery" as their middle name...
"Ornery" is more about having one's way, and damn the consequences. It suggests "stubborn" and "contrary on principle" and "wilful" rather than "join me in the joke against yourself" attitude which "cheeky" suggests.
Of course, as Clay pointed out, the *Southern* usage of "ornery" is still somewhat different; it evokes response ranging from affectionate to exasperated to resigned (God's will, not worth fighting) and all shades in between, but I've yet to hear a real resentment, which one'd expect if the dictionaries were correct in their definitions... And *that* is the kind of "ornery" I am, since I learnt the word "Down South Heah"... Though, of course, I am "cheeky" *as well* <g>
PS. I agree with Bev that the subject is more suitable for "chat" than "lace", esp if it's going to be "fully explored"; I'm Cc-ing my message to people who'd participated in the discussion on "lace" and who I know aren't on chat currently, or of whose status I'm uncertain. Apologies if you get this message twice.
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Tamara P Duvall
Lexington, Virginia, USA
Formerly of Warsaw, Poland
http://lorien.emufarm.org/~tpd/
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