Comments on: Turtle Hull

By: Bobby Rosbrough

Bobby Rosbrough — Sun, 01 Nov 2020 17:53:11 +0000

My grandmother called the trunk of a car the turtle hull also. She also called a light bulb a light globe.

By: Magnolia Belle

Magnolia Belle — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 11:01:03 +0000

Growing up in Central Louisiana my family called the trunk a turtle hull also!

By: roy d garner

roy d garner — Wed, 02 Oct 2019 03:15:50 +0000

when i was growing up my dad and uncles always referred to the trunk of our car as turtle hull, didn’t start using trunk until i was about 13 when i worked in a little store and people would say put the groceries in the trunk, around 1958

By: Phil Young

Phil Young — Thu, 16 May 2019 22:16:38 +0000

I’m from Oklahoma originally and I always called the back of the car at Turtle the hall. So when I went to Philadelphia for school people thought I was crazy and had no idea what I was talking about. I’m still glad I learned that vernacular version of talking about the trunk of a car that way.

By: east texas

east texas — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 04:05:56 +0000

country livin’ , country folks and country words and phrases— nothin’ livin’ in the USA and in the South!

By: barronj

barronj — Sun, 05 Feb 2017 01:07:05 +0000

I came across this site because my grandfather (from SE Texas) also called the trunk the turtle hull

By: barronj

barronj — Sun, 05 Feb 2017 01:05:46 +0000

Calf rope, if you have ever witnessed roping competition at a rodeo, is where a calf is lassoed, tackled and tied up in a quick fashion. It’s used in context of getting someone to do something against their will, forcing them by submission.

By: Fred

Fred — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 02:13:48 +0000

When I was a child many people would refer to the trunk of a car as the “Turtle” I once heard the reason it was called a turtle was due to the shape of the trunk of a car during thhose early years. Many cars trunks were humped and shaped like a turtle shell. As far as “Tump” we used that word also. Tump it over. Meaning knock it over. Those words just went away with the passing of time. Remember when everyone used the word “Cool”? He’s so cool! Meaning special…hip…with it..or up to date. Those were the days. By the way .. I’m 70 years old. A Pepsi generation survivor.

By: Penny Guynes

Penny Guynes — Wed, 21 Oct 2015 13:09:40 +0000

I was referring to my Mazda Miata turtle hull to my stepson who was born in eighties and he thought I was really out in left field when I said this. I googled turtle hull and came up with this site. I will tell everyone about the Word Detective. This is a very entertaining, educating, and the best site I have come across for the use of dialectical terms. I have used calf rope and tump, etc. This is part of my southern heritage which I am very proud of.

By: William S. Deaver

William S. Deaver — Sat, 30 Nov 2013 02:07:29 +0000

Being a child growing up in the South in the 60s and 70s I can say without a doubt that “Turtle” was very common every day language referencing the trunk of a car but never in my life have I ever heard or used the term “calf rope” to mean surrender or instead of “Uncle”. That’s an obscure one to be sure.

By: Barney Smith

Barney Smith — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 18:42:22 +0000

Look at old cars from the forties and early fifties and you will see that the trunk lid resembles a turtle hull. A turtle shell that has had the turtle “hulled” out of it.

By: Loryia Bond

Loryia Bond — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 11:59:56 +0000

My Aunt in West Virginia always called the trunk of the car the ‘Turtle’ – fascination with word origins! Thanks for the forum!