The Archive

Etymology Journal · K

Knock a mudhole in you and walk it dry

Meaning

A very aggressive and colorful way of threatening someone with a physical beating. It suggests leaving someone broken in the dirt.

Aggressive, hyperbolic

Used in a sentence

  • You better watch your mouth or I will knock a mudhole in you and walk it dry.
  • He was bragging until his brother threatened to knock a mudhole in him and walk it dry.
  • That is just a tough guy talking, nobody is really going to knock a mudhole in you.

The backstory

This is a hyper-masculine bit of Southern bravado. It likely stems from rural imagery of boots and muddy paths where a fight would leave a mark in the soft ground.

Heard in

The South

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