come-here n scattered chiefly S Midl, but esp Delmarva Cf been-here n, born-here n
An outsider; one who does not have roots in a community.
1936 Sacramento Bee (CA) 14 Nov 20/3 seLA, “This hyah woman is a come-here,” said Uncle Fletcher. . . (In the dialect of the scrub pine forests, a come-here is a foreigner, an outsider. Not to be a come-here, a person must be a member of a family that has lived in the community more than one generation). 1937 News & Observer (Raleigh NC) 19 June 1/3 cTN, The . . farmers and their wives . . whispered that Davis is a “come-here” (a non-resident), that he lived nearly 50 years in Warren County and Alabama before he made his home in the barren hills near here [=Woodbury TN]. 1948 Springfield Leader & Press (MO) 23 Apr 15/1, Ward is a come-here insofar as Springfieldians are concerned, but Smalley is a native and grew up on the hometown sandlots. 1974 Lancaster Heritage (Weems VA) July 1 [Black], In Lancaster County everybody has heard and used the term “come-here,” as applied to recent, and in some cases not-so-recent, arrivals among its residents. 1981 Jrl. SC Med. Assoc. 77.600, He loved to gather with his friends for coffee and gossip on Wadmalaw Island, a group composed of an amalgam of those natives referred to as “been-heres” with those of more recent introduction aptly designated as “come-heres.” 1983 VA Wildlife 44.421 eVA, “To make it worse, a Come-Here caught the first flounder [of the fishing season].” (A Come-Here is an Eastern Shore resident whose family has lived on the peninsula for fewer than four generations, more or less.) 1992 News Jrl. (Wilmington DE) 13 June sec A 3/1, It hit home again this week, in conversation with a Sussex County businessman who said he was going to a public meeting, to be on hand to defend himself if the come-heres (pronounced kum-ears) showed up. 2001 O’Brien At Home Appalachia 64 WV, But once again, this is Appalachia, and some of the newcomers—“come-heres” in local speech—arrived with unfortunate opinions about hillbillies. 2007 Daily Times (Salisbury MD) 24 Jan sec A 6/5, [Letter:] The born-heres, been-heres and come-heres need to realize the big boys (builders) are here. 2010 Jackson Hole News & Guide (Jackson WY) 21 Apr mag sec 4/2, Spring is when . . the ski bums and come-heres are outnumbered by locals at the Cadillac’s happy hour. 2020 Daily Press (Newport News VA) 1 Jan sec C 6/1, [Letter:] Yes, it’s true. Williamsburg is being overrun by come-heres and people with no breeding, like myself.