{
 "schema": 1,
 "id": "fixins",
 "type": "term",
 "names": {
  "name": "fixins",
  "aliases": [
   "fixin's",
   "fixings",
   "all the fixins"
  ],
  "said": "'A plate with all the fixins' — the slaw, the hushpuppies, the potatoes, the tea. Said with no g, and spelled on Carolina menus as said."
 },
 "etymology": {
  "root": "fix (v.), late 14c., from Old French fixer, Latin fixus 'fastened' → fixing, verbal noun, 'act of putting in order', c. 1600 → fixings, American English, 'apparatus' 1820, 'food, garnishing' 1839 (etymonline); spelled fixin's or fixins for the g that Southern speech drops",
  "first_attested": "1839, American English, in the food sense (etymonline)",
  "note": "Wiktionary: the necessary ingredients for something, especially food, and the side dishes or accompaniments — 'a sandwich with all the fixings'. The apostrophe marks the missing g; the spelling without one marks that nobody misses it.",
  "tier": "cited",
  "source": "s:etymonline"
 },
 "region": [
  "carolinas",
  "us-south"
 ],
 "facets": {
  "letter": "F",
  "part_of_speech": "noun"
 },
 "text": {
  "what": "The sides and trimmings that come with the meat: slaw, hushpuppies or cornbread, boiled potatoes in the east, hash and rice in South Carolina, pickles, sweet tea. 'Fixings' is American English of 1839 for the garnishing of a meal; fixins is how it is said and, on Carolina signs and menus, how it is spelled. Beth Tartan wrote of a Raleigh hostess telephoning Melton's — 'Ride me a party' — and Melton's putting barbecue and fixings on the bus to her.",
  "story": "Fix is a verb that does a great deal of work in the South, and its noun did the same: fixings, first the apparatus of a thing, in 1820, then by 1839 the food that goes round the main thing. The barbecue plate is the word's natural home because the meat is one thing and the rest is a list. The Skylight Inn tray is barbecue, slaw and cornbread; Melton's plate in 1929 was barbecue with boiled potatoes for 45 cents, and in 1988 came with coleslaw, hushpuppies and Brunswick stew; a pig pickin' is eaten with hushpuppies, coleslaw, baked beans or Brunswick stew, and in South Carolina with hash over rice or pilaf; the Dukes buffets run to collard greens, macaroni and cheese, black-eyed peas, hushpuppies, corn nuggets, potato salad, coleslaw and white bread. The spelling is the speech: a menu that prints fixin's is telling you how the owner talks. *Inference —* the word keeps the order of the plate — barbecue is the noun, and everything else is fixins."
 },
 "kin": [
  {
   "to": "barbecue-tray",
   "as": "the tray's fixins are slaw and cornbread, and nothing more.",
   "rel": "serves"
  },
  {
   "to": "slaw",
   "as": "the one fixin that is never missing.",
   "rel": "part"
  },
  {
   "to": "hushpuppies",
   "as": "fried cornmeal, a fixin in both states.",
   "rel": "part"
  },
  {
   "to": "cornbread",
   "as": "the Skylight's fixin, a dense pork-fat cake.",
   "rel": "part"
  },
  {
   "to": "boiled-potatoes",
   "as": "the eastern fixin — at Melton's a plate came with boiled potatoes for 45 cents in 1929.",
   "rel": "part"
  },
  {
   "to": "hash-and-rice",
   "as": "the South Carolina fixin.",
   "rel": "part"
  },
  {
   "to": "brunswick-stew",
   "as": "on the plate at Melton's and at pig pickin's.",
   "rel": "part"
  },
  {
   "to": "sweet-tea",
   "as": "the drink among the fixins.",
   "rel": "part"
  },
  {
   "to": "light-bread",
   "as": "the sandwich's bread; on a plate, one more fixin.",
   "rel": "kin"
  },
  {
   "to": "meltons-barbecue",
   "as": "which put 'barbecue and fixings on the bus' for Raleigh parties.",
   "rel": "place"
  },
  {
   "to": "dukes-bar-b-que",
   "as": "whose buffet is the fixins as a list.",
   "rel": "place"
  },
  {
   "to": "skylight-inn",
   "as": "whose tray is the fixins at their fewest: slaw and cornbread.",
   "rel": "place"
  },
  {
   "to": "pig-pickin",
   "as": "where the fixins are hushpuppies, slaw, baked beans or Brunswick stew, and in South Carolina hash and rice.",
   "rel": "event"
  }
 ],
 "links": [
  {
   "label": "fixings — Online Etymology Dictionary",
   "url": "https://www.etymonline.com/word/fixings"
  },
  {
   "label": "fixings — Wiktionary",
   "url": "https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fixings"
  }
 ],
 "sources": [
  "s:etymonline",
  "s:wiktionary-fixings",
  "s:wp-meltons-barbecue",
  "s:wp-skylight-inn-bbq",
  "s:wp-pig-pickin",
  "s:wp-dukes-bar-b-que"
 ],
 "provenance": {
  "default": {
   "tier": "cited",
   "source": "s:etymonline"
  },
  "fields": {
   "text.story": {
    "tier": "cited",
    "source": "s:etymonline",
    "note": "the dates from etymonline; the plates from the Melton's, Skylight Inn, Pig pickin' and Dukes articles; the last sentence is inference"
   },
   "names.said": {
    "tier": "tradition",
    "note": "usage; the Tartan quotation in the Melton's article spells it 'fixings'"
   }
  }
 },
 "images": [],
 "confidence": "high",
 "needs_verification": false,
 "updated": "2026-09-15",
 "blurb": "The sides and trimmings that come with the meat: slaw, hushpuppies or cornbread, boiled potatoes in the east, hash and rice in South Carolina, pickles, sweet tea.",
 "region_terms": [
  {
   "key": "carolinas",
   "name": "The Carolinas",
   "state": null,
   "note": "both states together; use when a node belongs to the whole tradition"
  },
  {
   "key": "us-south",
   "name": "The American South",
   "state": null,
   "note": "for nodes shared with the wider region"
  }
 ],
 "kin_out": [
  {
   "to": "barbecue-tray",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "barbecue tray",
   "as": "the tray's fixins are slaw and cornbread, and nothing more.",
   "rel": "serves"
  },
  {
   "to": "slaw",
   "type": "term",
   "name": "slaw",
   "as": "the one fixin that is never missing.",
   "rel": "part"
  },
  {
   "to": "hushpuppies",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "hushpuppies",
   "as": "fried cornmeal, a fixin in both states.",
   "rel": "part"
  },
  {
   "to": "cornbread",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "cornbread",
   "as": "the Skylight's fixin, a dense pork-fat cake.",
   "rel": "part"
  },
  {
   "to": "boiled-potatoes",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "boiled potatoes",
   "as": "the eastern fixin — at Melton's a plate came with boiled potatoes for 45 cents in 1929.",
   "rel": "part"
  },
  {
   "to": "hash-and-rice",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "hash and rice",
   "as": "the South Carolina fixin.",
   "rel": "part"
  },
  {
   "to": "brunswick-stew",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "Brunswick stew",
   "as": "on the plate at Melton's and at pig pickin's.",
   "rel": "part"
  },
  {
   "to": "sweet-tea",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "sweet tea",
   "as": "the drink among the fixins.",
   "rel": "part"
  },
  {
   "to": "light-bread",
   "type": "term",
   "name": "light bread",
   "as": "the sandwich's bread; on a plate, one more fixin.",
   "rel": "kin"
  },
  {
   "to": "meltons-barbecue",
   "type": "place",
   "name": "Melton's Barbecue",
   "as": "which put 'barbecue and fixings on the bus' for Raleigh parties.",
   "rel": "place"
  },
  {
   "to": "dukes-bar-b-que",
   "type": "place",
   "name": "Dukes Bar-B-Que",
   "as": "whose buffet is the fixins as a list.",
   "rel": "place"
  },
  {
   "to": "skylight-inn",
   "type": "place",
   "name": "Skylight Inn BBQ",
   "as": "whose tray is the fixins at their fewest: slaw and cornbread.",
   "rel": "place"
  },
  {
   "to": "pig-pickin",
   "type": "event",
   "name": "pig pickin'",
   "as": "where the fixins are hushpuppies, slaw, baked beans or Brunswick stew, and in South Carolina hash and rice.",
   "rel": "event"
  }
 ],
 "source_list": [
  {
   "id": "s:etymonline",
   "kind": "web",
   "title": "Online Etymology Dictionary",
   "url": "https://www.etymonline.com/"
  },
  {
   "id": "s:wiktionary-fixings",
   "kind": "web",
   "title": "fixings — Wiktionary",
   "publisher": "Wiktionary",
   "url": "https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fixings",
   "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
   "accessed": "2026-09-15"
  },
  {
   "id": "s:wp-meltons-barbecue",
   "kind": "wikipedia",
   "title": "Melton's Barbecue — Wikipedia",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melton%27s_Barbecue",
   "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0"
  },
  {
   "id": "s:wp-skylight-inn-bbq",
   "kind": "wikipedia",
   "title": "Skylight Inn BBQ — Wikipedia",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylight_Inn_BBQ",
   "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0"
  },
  {
   "id": "s:wp-pig-pickin",
   "kind": "wikipedia",
   "title": "Pig pickin' — Wikipedia",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_pickin%27",
   "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
   "note": "revision 1315979086"
  },
  {
   "id": "s:wp-dukes-bar-b-que",
   "kind": "wikipedia",
   "title": "Dukes Bar-B-Que — Wikipedia",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dukes_Bar-B-Que",
   "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
   "note": "revision 1373146410"
  }
 ],
 "tiers": {
  "text.what": {
   "tier": "cited",
   "source": "s:etymonline"
  },
  "text.story": {
   "tier": "cited",
   "source": "s:etymonline",
   "note": "the dates from etymonline; the plates from the Melton's, Skylight Inn, Pig pickin' and Dukes articles; the last sentence is inference"
  },
  "etymology": {
   "tier": "cited",
   "source": "s:etymonline"
  }
 },
 "primary_image": null,
 "tag_facts": [],
 "recognition_facts": [],
 "acclaim": 0,
 "kin_in": [
  {
   "from": "baked-beans",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "baked beans",
   "as": "one of the fixins, in the word the menus use.",
   "rel": "term"
  },
  {
   "from": "boiled-potatoes",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "boiled potatoes",
   "as": "the eastern fixin the word covers, with slaw and bread.",
   "rel": "term"
  },
  {
   "from": "collards",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "collards",
   "as": "one of the fixins on a buffet plate.",
   "rel": "term"
  },
  {
   "from": "cornbread",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "cornbread",
   "as": "the eastern fixin that is not slaw.",
   "rel": "term"
  },
  {
   "from": "dukes-mayonnaise",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "Duke's mayonnaise",
   "as": "not a fixin itself, but in two of them.",
   "rel": "term"
  },
  {
   "from": "fried-okra",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "fried okra",
   "as": "one of the fixins on a South Carolina line.",
   "rel": "term"
  },
  {
   "from": "green-beans",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "green beans",
   "as": "one of the fixins on an eastern plate.",
   "rel": "term"
  },
  {
   "from": "hushpuppies",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "hushpuppies",
   "as": "the tray's fixins, in the eastern word: hushpuppies, slaw, potatoes.",
   "rel": "term"
  },
  {
   "from": "mac-and-cheese",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "mac and cheese",
   "as": "one of the fixins on a Dukes buffet.",
   "rel": "term"
  },
  {
   "from": "pickles",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "pickles",
   "as": "named in the list of fixins on both states' plates.",
   "rel": "term"
  },
  {
   "from": "potato-salad",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "potato salad",
   "as": "one of the fixins on a South Carolina buffet.",
   "rel": "term"
  },
  {
   "from": "sweet-tea",
   "type": "dish",
   "name": "sweet tea",
   "as": "the drink counted among the fixins.",
   "rel": "term"
  },
  {
   "from": "light-bread",
   "type": "term",
   "name": "light bread",
   "as": "on a plate, light bread is one more fixin.",
   "rel": "kin"
  },
  {
   "from": "slaw",
   "type": "term",
   "name": "slaw",
   "as": "the first fixin on every plate.",
   "rel": "kin"
  }
 ]
}