Phrases sayings and slangs

[RLWP]

If asked, by Granma was always "as old as her tongue but just a little bit older than her teeth"

 

Richard

[madcat]

Venus on a rock bun in our house.

[Derek R.]

Should we leave the door open behind us, we were always, "Born in a field with the gate open".

 

Quickly followed by "Put the wood in the 'ole!" ? Another one from one Grand parent or another - the goodun's get passed on and on..

 

Derek

 

"Born in a Barn" was another.

Edited April 17, 2010 by Derek R.

[mike phipps]

Quickly followed by "Put the wood in the 'ole!" ? Another one from one Grand parent or another - the goodun's get passed on and on..

 

Derek

 

"Born in a Barn" was another.

when i left school and became a trainee butcher if i was not up to scratch and done somthinking wrong the chief cutter would say " never let it be said your mother bred a gibber, still don,t know what it means

[Hairy-Neil]

When you're blocking mother-in-law's daylight.... 'You'd make a better door than a window'.

[lemontoes]

When we were little, bedtime was hailed with "up the jolly dancers" .... think I have been told it's origins, but have forgotten!

[quarryhunslet]

Another one that we had was "I'm not as green as I'm cabbage looking".

[Smelly]

From my brummy father:

 

'Do one' = Go away

'wood in hole' = shut the door

'gambol' = fall over

 

Edit: I really should remember to log out, Bagpuss

Edited April 18, 2010 by Smelly

[cheshire~rose]

I remembered one I learned recently from Dave - it is a Suffolk word I think?

 

Slopendicular - a lovely word that is, I feel fairly self explanatory!

 

another similar one from the same area is "it's on the her" - I am not too sure how you would spell "her" in this case but pronounced as you would the letter "h" when speaking to a smal child so "her" rather that "haitch" is you know what I mean?

 

The meaning is "a bit wonky" or not quite straight/level

[Machpoint005]

When you're blocking mother-in-law's daylight.... 'You'd make a better door than a window'.

 

or.. 'Oi! Your dad woren't no glazier!

 

 

My old man used to describe something as 'diabastrous' (etymology fairly obvious, I think).

Pa in law would refer to a device as 'handraulic' (as opposed to motorised).

I think these were both original coinings, but I can't be sure.

[RLWP]

Handraulic is familiar, but the other could be original to him

 

Richard

[Athy]

"Handraulic" is a great discovery! I shall await a chance to drop it into a conversation.

[magpie patrick]

well a few odd ones I know

 

My brother says "futtocks" which he picked up from a colleague...

 

"reached Stokes's Bridge" when not wanting any more first course to leave room for pud. The woman I heard it off believed that her mum was taken for walks as a child, and they turned round at Stokes's bridge, wherever that was, to make sure the little girl had enough energy to walk home

 

"No one notices a slice from a cut loaf" was raised on quote unquote many years ago. It was the advice given to a woman who had wriiten in by her mother when she got married. She was a bit shocked to find it meant no one noticed if a married woman had a bit of casual sex as no one would be surprised if she became pregnant!

 

And finally, how many of us know "The Full Monty", memorable film, also often said about a big breakfast etc. Well, the first time I heard the saying was in the SUCS magazine, where they described the Montgomery work parties. One foreman was particularly thorough, and known for a belt and braces approach. "wall's leaking" "rebuild it" sort of thing, and it became the case that whenever this guy made a recommendation the party would say, "he want's the full Monty" (after the canal edited to add, they'd never heard the phrase, and believed it original). After a few years, one of the party was listening to radio Stoke when the presenter referred to "The Full Monty". Urban myth maybe, but...?

Edited April 20, 2010 by magpie patrick

[granddad]

And Gran was a Scouser!

 

I never knew that, thank you!

 

on the second floor of lewis's shop over looking lime street and the famous whores was a famous bronze statue of a naked man lookout, on the bows of a ship, with his hand shading his eyes. it was by epstein and was in the scouse song "we meet under a statue extraordinarily bare".

ken

[Ray T]

When on the Rochdale a couple of years ago at Hebden Bridge was told this:-

 

"They don't make diamonds as big as bricks".

 

This was reference to my height in a clothing shop as I am a "short house" of 5' 4".

 

Another one:- on a wall in Coventry,

 

"Living in Coventry is as exciting as watching a plank warp".

Edited April 20, 2010 by Ray T

[chas cass]

When my grandfathers "girth" was mentioned to him

he was always known to reply

 

"they dont put bay windows in sh1thouses" !!!!

[Machpoint005]

"Handraulic" is a great discovery! I shall await a chance to drop it into a conversation.

...should be said with a West Riding accent, so ... 'androllick.

 

Another one, still used by me Ma:

 

'Keep band in t'nick' - derived from Yorkshire woollen industry - means keep in with the family (especially by looking after them, or visiting, when you don't really want to).

[Hairy-Neil]

"Living in Coventry is as exciting as watching a plank warp".

 

Would that be like watching paint dry?

[johnmck]

Hiya.

 

I still have not got over the embarrasment of going into a Bakers and asking for two "Balm cakes" (bread rolls) when i moved from the north west to Lincolnshire. The shop was full, and i was the village idiot! (very possibly true)

 

John.

[Derek R.]

Handraulic reminds me of a phrase in the motorcycling world when electric starters began to replace kick starters - got called the 'electric leg'.

"Pulling the wire a bit hard" was my mates Dad's version of full throttle. (Operated by a Bowden wire cable).

'Turning up the wick' was another common one meaning same.

 

Derek