Put 'em up?

Hey you guys,
I want to share with you an experience that impacted me when I came to the States 6 years ago. The first day of school I noticed things were different--the people, especially the way they interacted with me, some treating me as if I was a complete "alien," others a little more accepting of my bizarre accent. And this leads me to the topic I want to present.

In every country, more so in every country's subdivision, regionalism exists. Some define regionalism as "a feature that is characteristic of a particular region" and to me accents and colloquialisms are everything. Hispanics are characterized by their mispronunciation of "r's", since most are "rolled" in Spanish. There's also the challenging difference between "sh" and "ch" sounds, and the infamous "th" and "t." People stereotype me by my accent, as I do to others.

That being said, I would like you to mention a particular word, phrase, or sound that you believe characterizes the South. As for me, there's one experience that stands out vividly. As I mentioned before, when I moved to the States my life changed completely. I knew English since I attended a bilingual school, but I realized there were specific phrases I did not understand. One day, I dutifully placed my textbook on top of my desk as I did every other day. As soon as I did that, my teacher addressed the class and said, "Ok, put 'em up." That did not make any sense to me... first off, put what up? and up where? The book? But mine was already up? And why was everyone just sitting there without their books on their desks? Well, I guess it was because, ironically enough, "put 'em up" really meant "put 'em down" (aka away...).
So that's what they say in the South.. not too rational, but hey, it makes the South, the South.