In an email I received today, I saw the phrase “If I really had my druthers”, which puzzled me. I hadn’t come across the word druthers before, and had to look it up.
According to Wikitionary, druthers [ˈdrʌðəz] means “wishes, preferences, or ways” and is used informally in the USA. It comes from the the expression “I’d rather” (meaning “I would prefer to”), which is often pronounced “I druther” in some dialects.
According to Dictionary.com, druthers first appeared in the 1870s.
Here are some examples of use:
- I’d druther stay home today.
- We druther go swimming than go to school.
- If I’ve got my druthers, I(‘d) druther not.
- If I had my druthers, I would prefer to be a writer
Have you heard / seen druther(s) used before?
Do you use it yourself?
It appears in the book “to kill a mockingbird”.
I use it – but, only in the phrase, “If I (you, he etc.) had my (etc.) druthers,” never as a verb.
It’s a bit rustic, but yes, I do say “If I had my druthers.”