Larrupin’ (Larruping; Larapin; Larapen; Larepin)

“Larrupin’” (also spelled various ways, such as “larruping” or “larapin” or “larapen” or “larepin”) originally meant a good, sound beating, but it later evolved to mean something good or excellent (“larrupin’ good”). The term is often used today in Texas and other parts of the South to indicate especially good food, such as a “larrupin’ piece of barbecued beef.”
 
 
Urban Dictionary
Larapin
Also spelled larruping, this usually refers to food that tastes exceptionally good.
That fried chicked that grandma used to cook was down right larruping.
by Jon Dec 2, 2003
 
Definition-Of.com
larapin
A good flavor
Usage: Those are larapin good collard greens
 
larapin
(Verb) Over the top in delectable flavor, seasoning, and texture., Superior taste in the food, sauce, drink, or dessert. Memorable meal.
Usage: That sausage gravey made those biscuts larapin. The vanilla icecream was larapin on the peach cobbler.***Note: Collard greans could never be “larapin”.
 
pseudodictionary 
larapin - Cowboy slang for great food, usually home-cooked.
e.g., Erle, this BBQ chicken is downright larapin.
(...)
laripin - A favorable description of food: delicious, yummy, tasty. Laripin’, lariping.
{ED. The phrase "larruping good" rings a bell, but I'm not sure which might be the most common of several spellings: larapin, larapin', laraping, etc. So, I'll defer to Evan Morris (The Word Detective), who says "larruping" is the one. Do You Speak American also has an extensive entry, as does Polk County (Georgia) Chat.}
e.g., Man, that steak cooked over the open campfire was laripin.
 
Dictionary of American Regional English
larruping adj Pronc-spp larapen, larepin, lar(ri)pin; for addit varr see quots
1 also tad-larruping; Esp of food: delicious, excellent; hence adv larruping extremely—usu in comb larruping good.
[larrup v 1, by analogy with whopping, thumping; cf EDD larruping (2) (at larrup v. 1)] esp W Midl, TX, OK See Map Cf lamming adj
1905 DN 3.86 nwAR, Larrupin ’ . . . Good. I ’ ve got something larrupin ’ for you. ’
1921 DN 5.113 CA, Larapen, laraping. . . Accent first syllable. . . very good; . . exceedingly. Of southern origin. Widely current in California.
1923 DN 5.213 swMO, Larrupin ’ . . . Exceeding pleasant to taste.
1929 AmSp 4.330 TX, Larripin. . . seems to be complimentary in its nature as one hears of ” larripin good ” pie or soup.
1939 (1973) FWP Guide MT 414, Larrupin ’ truck— ” Great stuff.
1939 FWP Guide TN 458 cwTN, ” They ” (sorghum is never referred to as ” it ” ) are ” larrupin good truck ” for the table.
1942 Perry Texas 138, A tasty dish is ” larrupin ’ , ” which could have come from the use of the same word meaning a ” beating, ” thus developing a connotation of superiority.
1943 (1970) Guthrie Bound for Glory 48 cOK, Anything you like real good an ’ ain ’ t got fer a long time, an ’ then you git it, that ’ s larepin ’ .
1949 PADS 11.23 CO, Larrupin ’ . . . Extremely. ” Larrupin ’ good food.
1959 VT Hist. 27.147, Larruping. . . Slang. Extremely. Occasional. 1960 Criswell Resp. to PADS 20 Ozarks, Larrupin—exceedingly good to the taste; first rate, top-notch; plenty good.
1965- 70 DARE (Qu. KK1a, . . Very good—for example, food: ” That pie was _____. ” ) Infs IL25, NE11, OK9, 27, 31, TN26, TX1, 81, Larruping; IL96, TN23, 31, TX35, Larruping good; MS1, Ain ’ t that tad-larruping; NM9, Larrupin ’ dope—cowboy used to say; TN36, Larruping good truck; (Qu. DD15, A person who is thoroughly drunk) Inf LA14, Larruping drunk; (Qu. LL35, Words used to make a statement stronger: ” This cake tastes_____good. ” ) Infs IL135, LA28, MO7, OK25, TN31, TX98, Larrupin(g). 
1975 Gainer Witches 13 sAppalachians, Larpin ’ . . . very, exceedingly. ” This pie is larpin ’ good.
1976 Harper ’ s Weekly 26 Jan 19 cKS, If the pecan pie at the family reunion was delicious, people . . proclaimed, ” This pie is absolutely larapin.
1986 Pederson LAGS Concordance , 1 inf, nwLA, Larruping—really good; 1 inf, cwFL, Larruping good.
 
2 By ext: see quot. Cf larrup n 2
c1968 DARE FW Addit swOK, Larruping —Too sweet to be good eating; cloying.
 
(Oxford English Dictionary)
larrup, v. and intr.
dial. and colloq. 
trans. To beat, flog, thrash. Hence larruping vbl. n.
1823 MOOR Suffolk Wds. 208 Larrup, to beatsimilar to lace, lather [etc.].
1824 PEAKE Amer. Abr. I. i, I’ll larrup you till you can’t stand.
a1825 JENNINGS Observ. Dial. W. Eng. 53 To Lirrop, to beat. This is said to be a corruption of the sea term, lee-rope.
a1825 FORBY Voc. E. Anglia, Larrup.
1829 FONBLANQUE Eng. under 7 Administr. (1837) I. 246 Is this a land of liberty, where a man can’t larrop his own nigger?
 
Wright American Fiction, 1851-1875
Turnover
by Anonymous
Boston, MA: J. French, Redding
1853
Pg. 62:
“Here, Armbus,” said the boys together; “here’s the man you give that thunderin’ larrupin’ to, t’other night.” 
 
Google Books
The War-Trail; Or, The Hunt of the Wild Horse
by Captain Mayne Reid
London: J. and C. Brown
1857
Pg. 116:
“I met the pedlar shortly arter, and gin him sech a larrupin as laid him up for a month;...” 
 
Google Books
Figs and Thistles: A Romance of the Western Reserve
by Albion Winegar Tourgee
New York, NY: Fords, Howard, & Hulbert
1879
Pg. 43:
“He used to hide there when he was afraid of a larrupin’ below stairs, you know, Deacon;...”
 
Google Books
Nights with Uncle Remus
by Joel Chandler Harris
Boston, MA: Houghton, Mifflin and Co.
1883
Pg. 13:
“I’m gwine ter take you en gin you a larrupin’,’ sezee, ‘en den I’m gwine ter skin you en nail yo’ hide on de stable do’,’ sezee; en den ter make sho dat you git de right kinder larrupin’, I’ll des step up ter de house,’ sezee.”
 
Google Books
The Land of Last Chance
by George Washington Ogden
Chicago, IL: A. C. McClurg & Co.
1919
Pg. 276:
“I got this larrupin’ tonight because I wouldn’t give it over to that crowd from Texas.”
 
Google Books
Big Spring: The Casual Biography of a Prairie Town
by Shine Phillips
New York, NY: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
1942
Pg. 156:
The thought of a large larrupin’ piece of barbecued beef cooked on the range, along with the inherited desire of man to get out his gun and kill something, usually…
 
Google Books
Giant
by Edna Ferber
Garden City, NY: Doubleday
1952
Pg. 34:
Jett and the others they rout him out they make him fix them a mess of barbecued ribs and they eat it and Jett says it’s larrupin’ and what has he got in the barbecue sauce make it taste different.
 
Googel Books
Home to Texas
by Stanley Walker
New York, NY: Harper
1956
Pg. 252:
...my wife makes tamales from the heads of hogs, a tedious process but the result, to my way of thinking, is excellent—indeed, as the old folks used to say, larrupin’.
 
Google Books
Texas Highways Cookbook
by Joanne Smith
Austin, TX: University of Texas Press
1991
Index
Larry Hodge’s Larrupin’ Pralines, 97
 
Texas Monthly (May 1997)
The sauce is sweet-sour and peppery, the banana pudding larruping good. 
 
Kinky Friedman’s Guide to Texas Etiquette:
Or, How to Get to Heaven or Hell Without Going Through Dallas-Fort Worth
by Kinky Friedman
New York, NY: Cliff Street Books
2001
Pg. 53 (Texas Talk):
Words like “larruping,” “blue nothers,” and “pole-axed” leave non-Texans scratching their heads wondering if they should sit down or get out of the way.
Pg. 54:
“larrupin”—a few fingers tastier than finger-lickin’ good.
 
Google Groups: austin.food
Newsgroups: austin.food, dfw.eats, houston.eats, sat.food
From: “Jack Sloan”

Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 17:21:26 -0500
Local: Thurs, May 30 2002 5:21 pm
Subject: Re: Where is the best chili in Texas?
 
For real larrupin’  bbq pork, try the pork chop at Cooper’s in Llano. Have ‘em dip it in that thin vinagery sauce.