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Hxcboatcaptain Posted 19 years ago
Vocabulary

Southern idiom question

If you've ever visited the South (and I mean the United States.), you've more than likely heard the phrase "used to," meaning at a previous time.
I'm wondering if there's any alternative to this saying. An example would be, "I used to be good at baseball."
  

Top answer

" I used to be good at baseball. " = I was good at baseball in the past "

— Whl626

  • " I used to be good at baseball.
  • " = I was good at baseball in the past "
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6 Answers
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" I used to be good at baseball. " = I was good at baseball in the past "
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I’d been good at baseball before.

There was a time I was good at baseball.

In the old days I was good at baseball.
I'd been good at baseball once upon a time.
I was a damm good player back in the day.
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This is not particularly Southern, and I wouldn't call it an idiom. According to my dictionary, it's an intransitive meaning of "use," used only in the past and only with an infinitive, to mean "to be accustomed to." It expresses a habitual action in the past.

See, for example,
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I reckon you’re right.
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KhoffThis is not particularly Southern, and I wouldn't call it an idiom. According to my dictionary, it's an intransitive meaning of "use," used only in the past and only with an infinitive, to mean "to be accustomed to." It expresses a habitual action in the past.

See, for example,
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Nothing wrong with "used to" at all. It's standard in English all over the world. I can't imagine why you thought it was a Southern expression.

CJ
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