You may hear Southerner make the declaration, “I’m full as a tick,” after consuming a large meal typically consisting of cornbread, collards, and fried chicken, chased down with sweet tea, and followed by a large slice of chocolate cake. I need to take a moment to clarify how we define chocolate cake in the South. A chocolate cake is yellow cake batter with rich, chocolatey frosting. As an adult, I've learned that's not the universal description of chocolate cake across our country. Now, that we have that straight, we can resume exploring this idiom.
Anyone that’s ever seen a full tick ready to pop on a dog, clearly understands this unappetizing, ahem, idiom. Another expression swapped out may be, “I’m so full I’m about to pop.” Same idea.
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