My mother used to occasionally "Taint done" or "Just taint done" about
things one shouldn't do, like go downtown on the bus without gloves or
have an affair.  She new it was colloquial, so she had a more formal
alternative: "'Tisn't the done thing."

I'm assuming 'taint' is 'it ain't.'

Janet

-----Original Message-----
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of DD Farms
Sent: Wednesday, June 03, 2009 3:39 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: ain't

At 02:02 p.m. 2/06/2009, O'Sullivan, Brian P wrote:
>I think I've heard people say things like "I ain't done that yet."

DD: In the fourth grade classes that my mother taught in Knoxville, 
TN, way back in the years of segregated schools, at a white lower 
socio-economic class public school, the simple expression for the 
guilty was, when accused, "Ain't done." She thought there was a 
slight "t" sound at the end and it meant, "I ain't done it." e.g. 
"Young man, have you done your homework?" "Ain't done." However, it 
was also used in the exchange; "Who threw that spit ball?" Class in 
unison, "Ain't done."

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