Southernism of the Day

Bless her/his/your/heart

What a versatile expression! It can be uttered as sincere concern or used to cover your *ss when you've delivered an insult.

Example 1
sincere concern: "When does your Mama get out of the hospital, bless her heart?"

Example 2
covering your *ss: "He ain't got the sense God gave a turnip, bless his heart."

To further emphasize the fact that you are not really 'talking bad about someone', this phrase can be combined with another popular qualifier:

I don't mean to be ugly, but...

Example: "I don't mean to be ugly, but her youngun's are about the homeliest I've ever seen, bless their hearts."