Southerners say "Big Daddy"?

[Anonymous]

I was in Richmond this weekend visiting an old college buddy of mine and she introduced her grandfather to me as "Big Daddy". It took me a minute to understand that. Up north when a girl calls a man "big daddy", it means something else entirely. Is this a common Southern thing? Do you say it just to grandfathers, or also fathers? It reminds me of this scene from The Princess and the Frog:

[Anonymous]

I don't think this is a widespread southern thing, but I've certainly heard it used this way before. Mostly from people with generations long southern roots.

[Anonymous]

I know a Big Daddy in Mississippi. And yes he is BIG.

[Anonymous]

It's in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" -- the family patriarch is "Big Daddy" and his wife is "Big Momma" -- but it's by no means universal in the south. Both of my parents are from South Carolina, and neither of their families uses it.

[Anonymous]

My mom called her grandmother Big Momma. I don't know what she called her grandfather.

[Anonymous]

My DH goes by Big Daddy to his grandkids and all others who want to call him Big Daddy. He's an athlete and in great shape. From Washington DC.

[Anonymous]

Hearing, "Big Momma and Big Daddy" are very common in some southern communities. I've heard so many women call their fathers or grandfathers, "Big Daddy" when I lived in the south. Instead of saying, "Let me introduce you to my father or grandfather", you will often hear, "This is my Big Daddy."

[Anonymous]

Blanche Devereaux's father was Big Daddy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Blanche Devereaux's father was Big Daddy.

+1,000

This is what I thought of!


When I hear it in DC, I think of a well endowed man

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I'm a sixth generation southerner and lived in the deep South my entire life until I came here. And I never ever onece heard anyoen in real life called Big Daddy.

[Anonymous]

Blanche Deveraux and Tennessee Williams are the only people I've heard use it. It's not common.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I'm a sixth generation southerner and lived in the deep South my entire life until I came here. And I never ever onece heard anyoen in real life called Big Daddy.

Same here. I don't know anybody named Big Daddy lol. (I'm from Georgia which is about as Southern as it gets.)

[Anonymous]

I know a Big Daddy from my home state (Deep South). It's his nickname-- even his buddies call him Big Daddy. So in this case, it's not even a family nickname.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I'm a sixth generation southerner and lived in the deep South my entire life until I came here. And I never ever onece heard anyoen in real life called Big Daddy.

Same here. I don't know anybody named Big Daddy lol. (I'm from Georgia which is about as Southern as it gets.)

Big Daddy is more of a Louisiana thing, I think. It might come from translating " grand pere."

[Anonymous]

I've heard mostly MeMaw and Mawmaw for grandmother and Pepaw and Pawpaw for grandfather.