contrary v Also abbr ‘trary chiefly S Midl
1 To oppose; hence also to vex, annoy, anger.1886 Amer. Philol. Assoc. Trans. 17.37 eTN, To contráry, ‘to oppose.’ Still used in the Cumberland Mountains in Tennessee, and elsewhere in East Tennessee perhaps. A typical expression there would be “quit contraryin’ that child.” 1903 DN 2.310 seMO, Contrary. . . “You had better not contrairy her.” 1906 DN 3.116 sIN, Contrary. . . To oppose. 1908 DN 3.300 eAL, wGA. 1909 DN 3.394 nwAR, Contrary. . . To make contrary. 1927 AmSp 3.5 Ozarks, A number of good verbs are coined from adjectives, too. For example. . . I shore did’nt aim t’ contrary thet ol’ heifer fr’m Hell Holler. 1931 PMLA 46.1321 sAppalachians, Adjectives may be used as verbs: “Contrary that dog and watch him fight.” 1937 (1963) Hyatt Kiverlid 67 KY, “Eh well,” put in Granny, “don’t be so tetchus, Marthy Lou, gittin’ your self all in a dither, jist ain’t no use contraryin’ the young-un that away.” 1967 DARE FW Addit TN17, Don’t contrary ’em [=bulls]. 1972 Cooper NC Mt. Folkl. 96, To contrary—to vex or anger.
2 Spec: to disobey.1946 PADS 6.10 swVA 1940, Contrary. . . To disobey; said of children. 1954 Harder Coll. cwTN, Contrary . . disobey. . . “Dontchie ‘trary me none. I’ll slap the tar out o’ ye.” c1960 Wilson Coll. csKY, Contrary. . . To disobey and, thus, to make one offended or contrary.