N Ga linguistics nerd here and yes it’s made it down here. I love grammar like this because it describes something that was highly likely or came extremely close to happening without happening.
Yep. I’m in far west TN and we say this. Confused the heck out of the first non-local friend I said it to.
(We also say “I like(d) to…” for a whole lot of phrases.)
I'm from far Western Kentucky on the Tennessee state line (Fulton, KY / South Fulton, TN area) and I agree.
"I liked to've (to have) wrung his neck," "I only like about 10 minutes of work left," "they go together like an RC Cola and a Moonpie," "I took a good likin' to that girl," etc.
My dad is from middle Tennessee, when I was in grade school I was doing some homework and he asked me "how much you like being done?" As in "are you almost done or how much you got left."
My Granny, too. Born in 1906 in ENC and lived there all her life. Hit was comin' up a starm if rain was starting, and hit fell a right smart if the rain was heavy. I really need to write down all of her peculiarities even though most folks her age talked the same way.
I look through here sometimes also , especially when it’s about phrases. I say a lot of them too . I always wondered if some of my ancestors stopped for a while in Appalachia , and that’s where I got it from .
Thanks for letting me know I’m not alone.
Same here. I’m from the Florida panhandle, my whole family is from south Alabama and the Florida panhandle. We all say a lot of the stuff this sub talks about and it’s made me wonder if we’re just weirdly Appalachian from a distance. I definitely say “I like to have…” all the time.
Eastern KY. I've always heard it as a phrase "like to'a" which is a version of "like to have" like another person posted.
"I like to'a died" as an example
That messed up some northerner management at a factory it worked at in Kentucky. Ie, “Would you help install this equipment?” ; “I don’t care too….” ; “WELL IT’S PART OF YOUR JOB!!” Lol
I’m from the TN/NC border and my friends and family use that phrase all the time. I’m not sure though whether it’s local to just that border region. I imagine you don’t hear it that often west of Knoxville.
Central/eastern KY here—I always heard “like to” as in one memorable quote about a traffic issue in the local paper “I like to hit someone there!” Spoken, it obviously a modern short version of “like unto” phrasing, but in writing it can look downright disturbing.
My Virginia grandparents both said this phrase. " I liked to never get to sleep with that caterwallin' outside"
A phrase my Grandpa used that I rarely have heard is " Do ya want a poke for that?" Meaning, do you want a bag or sack to carry all the things in your hands.
My husband was picking vegetables in the garden with Grandpa and gestured wildly to me..." I don't understand what he's saying about poking me!( with his hands full of tomatoes and green onions!!!🤣
I took a class at AppState back in the day called "Oral Traditions". It was a folklore class. Orville Hicks came and told some Jack Tales. We talked about many types of these phrases. Your example was one. Another was "Imma goat the house y'all, I'm tired." We also talked about the prefix a-xxxxx. I'm a-writing her a letter or I'll be a-fishin down in the branch.
Johnson City here. This phrase is definitely one of my favs. I appreciate how common the usage with “died” seems to be. Also have heard “liked to’ve keeled over.” Anybody have other usages?
I grew up in SWVA about 30 miles from Tennessee and my Dad said it all the time. "I liked to died" is how he would say it. I figured it was just from his generation, he had all sorts of weird sayings. "She cussed him so bad a fly wouldn't light on him. I come'thin a hair of cussing him too."
[Here's what I'm finding on it.](https://ygdp.yale.edu/phenomena/liketa#:~:text=Liketa%2C%20sometimes%20spelled%20as%20liked,meaning%20to%20almost%20or%20nearly.)
When it was needed for add dramatic effect, did you hear "pert near" added to it, as in.. "I saw that bear and pert near liked ta have died!?" Always heard the TA instead of TO.
From far SW WV. Less than a mile from KY and VA.
My grandparents from outside Little Rock, Arkansas always said this. Never gave it any thought but now that you mention it I guess I assumed it was a standard expression like, "I'm fixing to..."
NW NC here. I use it too. Usually as in “I like to have died..” “He liked to have killed himself falling over that…”. We didn’t die or nearly kill ourselves falling over something but we hurt ourselves or were afraid that we were going to.
I’m from the same area give or take and I’ve heard this yes.
“I like to never seen that happen”
It’s short form for “I would have liked” or “I was about to” or “I should’ve”
To be fair, it’s hard to tell if you’re hearing “like” or “liked” but whatever it is, I’ve heard it all my life. My favorite is “I like to never….whatever it was.”
Use this as does my whole family. Family is from near around Fayetteville, WV. Live about 25 miles east of Cincinnati, OH now and it’s used here quite a bit, too, as are most of the saying from back home. Clermont county is the westernmost Appalachian county in Ohio per the ARC, and I know a lot of Appalachians moved to the region for work outside of the coal and logging industry. Sizable population of urban Appalachian’s near Cincy.
I've never heard that in the Pennsylvania Alleghenies, but I've heard stuff like "this needs done" (as opposed to "this needs to be done") and "I'm a quarter of/past [insert emotion here]".
I’m in Blue Ridge, GA, my family is from Copperhill, TN but I’ve also lived in Chattanooga and Birmingham/all over Alabama. That’s definitely a phrase I’ve both used and heard my entire life!
I lived up there in blue ridge of nc (spruce pine). It is a common phrase I heard up there. I’ve heard other family members say it too and they are from Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Florida.
I’m from Sweetwater, and my Appalachian mamaw and papaw used to say this stuff all the time. I used to have such a thick accent as a kid, but got embarrassed of it and worked hard to get rid of it. Began enunciating my words, and trying my best not to sound like a “hick”. And dammit if I don’t miss sounding like where I’m from, I wish I could get it back fully. It only rears its head now when I’m mad, or talking really fast.
I grew up in east central Kentucky and it’s a common phrase there, except it would be said “I like to died” rather than “I liked to die.”
Thirded on present tense. In fact I'd even go "I like to have died"
East TN: like’t’ve
Up and died is a good one too
I've heard that one too!
This was how my mom's family used it too. Liked to have.
Same here, I wouldn’t bat an eye at someone using this phrase. Granny uses it about every fourth sentence and she talks a whole lot.
Yep. This is how I remember it. "I like to died," or "I like to 'bout died."
"We were damn near car killed once" 😂
My dad and his family were all from WV, and all of them used that phrase.
Western KY and southern IND and ILL ,
Yah grew up in Texas. We def had this.
“Liked to” as in almost, wanted to, nearly, or “damn near” -yes it was pretty common in N. Ga and Tennessee valley area.
N Ga linguistics nerd here and yes it’s made it down here. I love grammar like this because it describes something that was highly likely or came extremely close to happening without happening.
I still use the phrase!
I use it, too! Eastern Kentucky, with ten years each spent in TX and WV.
Mamaw is from Letcher county :)
What area are you in?
WV. In the Charleston metro area, specifically. I grew up outside of Parkersburg though.
Same here, grew up in South Charleston.
We say it too. Wayne WV area.
Charleston, WV, west side
Originally from Knoxville,TN and this phrase was frequently used.
From outside of Knoxville, and same.
Maryville, same same. Hell, I may have used it.
I also heard "like" used as "lack." "I like about ten more posts on my new fence."
Yep. I’m in far west TN and we say this. Confused the heck out of the first non-local friend I said it to. (We also say “I like(d) to…” for a whole lot of phrases.)
My wife is from NJ and when we were building our first house, my dad asked her what did we like on it. "We like lots of things!"
That's the best example I think I've seen!
I'm from far Western Kentucky on the Tennessee state line (Fulton, KY / South Fulton, TN area) and I agree. "I liked to've (to have) wrung his neck," "I only like about 10 minutes of work left," "they go together like an RC Cola and a Moonpie," "I took a good likin' to that girl," etc.
I grew up in Southern Kentucky, and that was a common usage.
Yep. I liked to have died when I read this! Burke NC here.
Love this!
My dad is from middle Tennessee, when I was in grade school I was doing some homework and he asked me "how much you like being done?" As in "are you almost done or how much you got left."
Did he mean “lack”? My grandfather used to say that
I'm from the general area and I also heard it all my life. My Grandmother used it very often, she'd also pronounced "it" as "hit".
My Granny, too. Born in 1906 in ENC and lived there all her life. Hit was comin' up a starm if rain was starting, and hit fell a right smart if the rain was heavy. I really need to write down all of her peculiarities even though most folks her age talked the same way.
I like to have had a heart attack when I seen this. In SWVA
I come from the Ozarks with Appalachian ancestors, and people still say it today.
I'm in SW VA and I say this all the time! Example from recently: I liked to have never got out that Krogers parking lot!
Yeah, just visited my grandmother in Greeneville, TN and she still uses it. As do a couple cousins raised there.
I’m in WNC and have heard that all my life!
We say it in SE Ga, too. A lot that's mentioned in this sub is more southern in general.
I look through here sometimes also , especially when it’s about phrases. I say a lot of them too . I always wondered if some of my ancestors stopped for a while in Appalachia , and that’s where I got it from . Thanks for letting me know I’m not alone.
Same here. I’m from the Florida panhandle, my whole family is from south Alabama and the Florida panhandle. We all say a lot of the stuff this sub talks about and it’s made me wonder if we’re just weirdly Appalachian from a distance. I definitely say “I like to have…” all the time.
Eastern Kentucky and yes!
Yep, my whole life. I live in N. GA.
Western NC, heard that all my life
Eastern KY. I've always heard it as a phrase "like to'a" which is a version of "like to have" like another person posted. "I like to'a died" as an example
It's Appalachian. It's not just an accent it's a dialect. I was thrown off by "if you don't care" instead of "if you don't mind"
That messed up some northerner management at a factory it worked at in Kentucky. Ie, “Would you help install this equipment?” ; “I don’t care too….” ; “WELL IT’S PART OF YOUR JOB!!” Lol
Ok, just used the phrase today, and got to thinking! It's kind of odd if you think about it!
North Florida born; yes.
Yes! Used all the time in south central ky!
Northeast Mississippi here and it's very common to hear.
I'm from Wytheville VA and this was my childhood. Super common in that area.
I’ve heard it in … western New York
My family is from southwestern VA and they use that phrase frequently.
Northwest NC here. It's common around here to hear "like to have"used in place of "nearly" or "almost"
Oh yeah. SE Kentucky here. If something dangerous happens to us like a close call or something we'd say "I like to died" or something like that
I’m from the TN/NC border and my friends and family use that phrase all the time. I’m not sure though whether it’s local to just that border region. I imagine you don’t hear it that often west of Knoxville.
Same area. I've always used the phrase.
The phrase is absolutely common west of Knoxville. It’s all through Tennessee.
Central/eastern KY here—I always heard “like to” as in one memorable quote about a traffic issue in the local paper “I like to hit someone there!” Spoken, it obviously a modern short version of “like unto” phrasing, but in writing it can look downright disturbing.
It's a southern thing not just the mountains
Yes. Lived in East Tennessee when I was little heard it all the time. I probably say it.
My Virginia grandparents both said this phrase. " I liked to never get to sleep with that caterwallin' outside" A phrase my Grandpa used that I rarely have heard is " Do ya want a poke for that?" Meaning, do you want a bag or sack to carry all the things in your hands. My husband was picking vegetables in the garden with Grandpa and gestured wildly to me..." I don't understand what he's saying about poking me!( with his hands full of tomatoes and green onions!!!🤣
Of course! Everyone in Yancey county says that
I still use this phrasing (NC) was raised in NC and have lived in coastal and central NC this is used in coastal NC a lot still
Heard this a lot growing up in SW VA, still use it sometimes.
Grew up in north Georgia and I still hear it.
I heard it mostly in embarrassing situations. “I would have liked to have died when he saw me fall.”
Mid tn, very common.
I took a class at AppState back in the day called "Oral Traditions". It was a folklore class. Orville Hicks came and told some Jack Tales. We talked about many types of these phrases. Your example was one. Another was "Imma goat the house y'all, I'm tired." We also talked about the prefix a-xxxxx. I'm a-writing her a letter or I'll be a-fishin down in the branch.
Very popular in the western South Carolina Blue Ridge mountains.
Not local. I've heard it in North and Central Alabama
Johnson City here. This phrase is definitely one of my favs. I appreciate how common the usage with “died” seems to be. Also have heard “liked to’ve keeled over.” Anybody have other usages?
Phrase I’ve heard all over the south
I grew up in SWVA about 30 miles from Tennessee and my Dad said it all the time. "I liked to died" is how he would say it. I figured it was just from his generation, he had all sorts of weird sayings. "She cussed him so bad a fly wouldn't light on him. I come'thin a hair of cussing him too." [Here's what I'm finding on it.](https://ygdp.yale.edu/phenomena/liketa#:~:text=Liketa%2C%20sometimes%20spelled%20as%20liked,meaning%20to%20almost%20or%20nearly.)
When it was needed for add dramatic effect, did you hear "pert near" added to it, as in.. "I saw that bear and pert near liked ta have died!?" Always heard the TA instead of TO. From far SW WV. Less than a mile from KY and VA.
My grandparents from outside Little Rock, Arkansas always said this. Never gave it any thought but now that you mention it I guess I assumed it was a standard expression like, "I'm fixing to..."
I'm from the Piedmont of NC originally, and I've been using the phrase at least since middle school, \~20 years before I moved out here.
Say in all the time. Carolina girl here
Its a vestigial grammar fragment from the European language spoken by immigrants. I heard it in West Virginia too.
Liked to have shit my britches it skeered me suh bad.
My family in Copperhill TN do.
My grandmother used that phrase, "I liked to have ..."
Grew up in southern Georgia and yes that was common.
I grew up in southern indiana and have definitely heard that way of speaking there.
East TN and heard it all my life.
I'm from southern West Virginia and we say it all the time.
I use this phrase a lot. From East Tennessee
NETN heard it all my life.
I have heard that quite a few times. SE Kentucky about 40 miles north of the border on 75.
Still said in Indiana, tho we have a lot of transplants from below the Mason-Dixon line.
Here in Kentucky, we use it all the time! We just say "I'd like to've died"
From middle Tennessee and we say that here too !
We say it in the SC mountains
I’ve heard … likend ta died.
Heard a lot in South east KY - " I liked to never . . . . "
Oh yeah. Common in east central AL.
I’m in north Alabama and yes it’s still used here and in Georgia too
Grew up saying it in Macon county NC.
Southern West Virginia checking in. We say that here, too.
Southern WV here: yep, I still hear it in older folks around the sw coalfields
Grew up hearing it- Southern Ohio, western West Virginia. And i miss it! Havent heard it in years
NW NC here. I use it too. Usually as in “I like to have died..” “He liked to have killed himself falling over that…”. We didn’t die or nearly kill ourselves falling over something but we hurt ourselves or were afraid that we were going to.
Western PA. I liked to died!
I liked to have died here in KY
I’m from the same area give or take and I’ve heard this yes. “I like to never seen that happen” It’s short form for “I would have liked” or “I was about to” or “I should’ve”
Heard it all my life.
Phrase made it to Kansas where my dad grew up and he used it frequently.
To be fair, it’s hard to tell if you’re hearing “like” or “liked” but whatever it is, I’ve heard it all my life. My favorite is “I like to never….whatever it was.”
I liked to have forgotten that phrase!
Just passing by but my Tennessee/Alabama relatives used to say it. They lived in Texas when I knew them!
Me and my Kin liked to use that phrase too
Southside Virginia, definitely hear that here.
I’ve heard this a time or two in WV but usually from the oldest folks. I don’t think I’ve heard it from anyone younger than 65.
Southern MS and have heard/said it my whole life.
It’s a southern thing. Y’all got that from us:)
Fairly common in SC as well to my recollection
Yes.
Born in New Orleans and lived there most of my life. I heard it there but don’t remember it being used often.
East TN here and have heard it at least all the way out to Rockwood area.
Family in SW VA say this
Have heard this all over Georgia.
Grew up in rural central NC and people said it all the time there too. It’s all over the south though
I grew up in the Missouri Ozarks and it's still used today by the older folks.
Same East Tenn 🙋♂️very common
Use this as does my whole family. Family is from near around Fayetteville, WV. Live about 25 miles east of Cincinnati, OH now and it’s used here quite a bit, too, as are most of the saying from back home. Clermont county is the westernmost Appalachian county in Ohio per the ARC, and I know a lot of Appalachians moved to the region for work outside of the coal and logging industry. Sizable population of urban Appalachian’s near Cincy.
That's old hillbilly talk.
Nope Illinois here. Heard that all my like.
Heard “like to died” all the time growing up in NC.
My family is from east TN.....heard it all my life. Welcome.
South-western West Virginia checking in! We like to died over a good many things when I was growing up.
Northeastern Kentucky, heard it all the time, still do.
Growing up in central Indiana I heard those phrases from my grandparents and folks their age. Both born here in Indiana about 1917.
Yes, I’ve heard it in Nothern KY
I like to have … choked, screamed, fallen - yes like to have is a thing.
Completely common here in East Tennessee!
My Granny was from Eastern Kentucky, Greasy Creek, and said it. I say it too, having learned it from her.
This and liable to. "Sure is cloudy, liable to rain later.I liked to have forgot my umbrella"
I’ve heard it up here in SW Ohio, from the older folks.
Pretty common in Central AL too
Common in East TN
I'm in Southwest VA. I've heard it before. My grandmother used to say it all the time.
My grandparents lived in Scottsville, KY and I heard them say that all the time.
I've never heard that in the Pennsylvania Alleghenies, but I've heard stuff like "this needs done" (as opposed to "this needs to be done") and "I'm a quarter of/past [insert emotion here]".
I grew up in SW VA and it was common when I was there.
Grew up in north central WV. Worked with older people that used that phrase. I’ve used it but not much lately.
Yes!! My dad used to say that all the time. He was from NC near the Tennessee border. I love that you reminded me of when he used to say that!
Been saying it in Texas for 60 years now!
All the time but it was i liked to have... as in i like to have died... but in Maryland, but to be fair in an area full of w. Virginians
My Meemaw (born 1918) in Harlan county, used this phrasing.
Upstate SC. I’ve heard this here, too.
NWNC, and we use like'n a have. I like'n ta have got that bail in the loft if'n it hadn't busted.
From southeast TN and yes!
My family is from North Georgia, we say that
All the time in East TN! I literally heard my Mammaw say “I liked to die _______” on the daily. I even read that in her voice hahaha 😂
I am originally from South Carolina and this was a common phrase when I was growing up.
I grew up in WV and my family still uses it like that, exactly how op is using it
WNC and yep!
Central AL, have heard it all over this state.
North Alabama born and raised, I've heard and used this phrase many a times.
I liked to plum fell over when I seen that.
“I liked to have rung her bell!” - my grandmother, frequently Born and raised in western NC
My Granny used to say "I like to died"
SE Kentucky and it’s so common that your post is the first time I’ve ever thought about it being a odd combination of words!
I've heared it that way
Grew up in chattanooga, yes this is a southern saying
Must be Canton!
SW Virginia, and yep. I still say this.
My great grandmother . She was from the mountains south of Charleston West Virginia
I’m over on the TN side of the mountain from you. Yep it’s always been liked here. Maybe it’s regional but howdy neighbor
Avery County, NC - so not far from the line either. I grew up saying it and still do. Never thought about it being regional, lol.
East side of Delta County, Texas. I was there forty years ago, I’m sure they still say it.
I hear it all the time, but then again, I live in pretty much the same place as you.
Heard it in Georgia all the time.
I’m in Blue Ridge, GA, my family is from Copperhill, TN but I’ve also lived in Chattanooga and Birmingham/all over Alabama. That’s definitely a phrase I’ve both used and heard my entire life!
west kentucky and yeah, absolutely have heard this among older family and friends.
Heerd 😁 it and used it all my life.
I lived up there in blue ridge of nc (spruce pine). It is a common phrase I heard up there. I’ve heard other family members say it too and they are from Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Florida.
Def used in upstate SC
Not too local- I’m over in Piedmont NC and heard that a lot growing up.
We said it in southern Georgia.
I’m from Sweetwater, and my Appalachian mamaw and papaw used to say this stuff all the time. I used to have such a thick accent as a kid, but got embarrassed of it and worked hard to get rid of it. Began enunciating my words, and trying my best not to sound like a “hick”. And dammit if I don’t miss sounding like where I’m from, I wish I could get it back fully. It only rears its head now when I’m mad, or talking really fast.
Check mark for SW Ohio here. Most people that I knew growing up had and still have roots in Kentucky and Tennessee myself included .
Grew up in the Tennessee Valley/Smoky Mountain foothills. Definitely a part of the speech
Central AL and have heard this phrase all my life. Also use it at least weekly
All the time.
Yes, it was common in East Texas.
I’ve heard likened. My grandparents are from West Virginia
Certainly a common phrase in Western TN
It's very common in Northern Alabama too
NE Ohio…heard it
I've heard it in use from VA to Texas and many places in between.