Dear Brent -After many weeks in the shop, my mechanic says he is “fixing” to repair my car. Isn’t this a redundant statement? And even so, how much longer do you think this might take?
-Hoofing It
Dear Hoofing -One of the most challenging tasks of mid-south citizenship is mastery of the term “fixing” and its many nuances.
Like many other respectable languages around the world, the Late Rural Memphian dialect relies heavily upon inflection to convey meaning. So in defining the exact timeframe of your repair, it all comes down to pronunciation.
For instance, if your mechanic says he is fixing to fix your car, it indicates an immediate intention to begin repairs.
However if he says he is fittin’ to work on your vehicle, it means that he is about to go hunting, fishing, or otherwise recreating, and will likely look at your car sometime after an upcoming weekend or two.
Finally, if you mechanic says he is fizzin’ to repair your car, it shows that he is in need of extreme time management training or possibly a twelve-step program.
Either way, you should probably buy another car. It can only help to stimulate the economy.
I hope this helps you in your time of automotive crisis.
[...] See for yourself in my latest column for MemphisConnect: Fixin’ to Fix. [...]
“Fixin to” is definitely vernacular peculiar to the southern US.
When I moved from California to Alabama (all those years ago) and first heard someone say “fixing” to do something, I cringed with all my facial muscles. I’m much more comfortable with the phrase now and MAY have actually said it a time or two (shhhhh…don’t tell anyone).
At least I’ve never said “I reckon” and would never want to hear those words come out of a mechanic’s mouth!
So, if I buy a new car and the dealership says that they are fixing to get started on my loan paperwork, should I run while I still can?
Ashbrook -As in, “I reckon you’ll be fixin’ to buy a new car”?…Stranger things have happened.
Lynn -A debt postponed is an expected mercy. Take the money, and the bus, and run.