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Outdated sayings Do you know any?

(74 Posts)
Solitaire Mon 16-Nov-15 15:25:16

Travelling by coach recently a small boy went to the toilet on the coach. As he emerged his nan asked" did you pull the chain?" and remarked to those nearby that he always forgets. A few minutes went by and the small boy re-emerged " nan I cant find any chain in there"
I also still hear people asked for their 'Christian name' and my gran some years ago made me and my sisters cringe by referring to the colour if her coat as 'ni**er brown' even when we protested she didn't see the relevance ... But that's the colour of it!
I bet there are still many outdated phrases and words in use.

ninathenana Wed 18-Nov-15 23:14:07

Mum used to tell me I had "hair like a yard of pump water"
Unfortunately she was right.
I'd forgotten 'san fairy ann' until I read it above.
Charlie's dead
That laughing will come to crying
Put the wood in the hole

Grandma2213 Thu 19-Nov-15 02:44:31

I suddenly realised I had turned into my mother when my DGD said. "How many times do I have to tell you?"

Also when all DGC chorus "I only have one pair of hands!"

I've also found myself saying:

"You'll be laughing on the other side of your face in a minute."

"Were you born in a barn?"

and

"You'd make a better door than a window!"

tinaf1 Thu 19-Nov-15 10:11:31

What's the magic word?

Indinana Thu 19-Nov-15 10:44:59

I must hop about the cage
Well this won't get the baby a new bonnet!
Put the wood in the hole (shut the door)
Are you catching flies? (why have you got your mouth open?)

Auntieflo That comic song was designed to be misheard, and went like this:

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey
A kiddley divey too, Wooden shoe!"

(Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy. A kid'll eat ivy too. Wouldn't you?)

Auntieflo Thu 19-Nov-15 13:54:49

Well I never!! Thought my hearing was on the blink many moons ago. So what made me hear Neil Diamond sing " Reverend blue jeans" ? , when it was probably " Forever in blue jeans" . Is that right?

littleflo Thu 19-Nov-15 14:40:08

I thought we were the only ones who used How's your belly off for spots.
I have no idea what it means.
Not sure if it is an old saying but, when my brother and I played my Nan up, she would say,

"I'll tan yer a**e so hard, yer ears will still be ringing next Tuesday"

GrannyJane Thu 19-Nov-15 15:41:44

Dearest mum, who died last year, used to say "Every little helps a little said the woman as she piddled in the sea." Bless.

Falconbird Fri 20-Nov-15 10:13:58

Ye Gods and little fishes.

Half a loaf is better than no bread.

Done up like a dog's dinner.

In for a penny in for a pound.

One of my dad's favourites which I only ever heard him say was

Comparisons are odious.

I loved it when he said that because my mum was always saying that every girl she knew was prettier, clever etc, than me.

Bellanonna Fri 20-Nov-15 10:23:09

Cheap at half the price. Half the price would be even cheaper, so it doesn't make sense to me.

Elegran Fri 20-Nov-15 10:44:42

My family always said "cheap at half the price" when things were too oexpensive.

Bellanonna Fri 20-Nov-15 10:50:24

I always thought it was when someone felt they had a bargain and were just trying to emphasise that.

Elegran Fri 20-Nov-15 10:53:00

I think it is sarcastic.

Falconbird Fri 20-Nov-15 18:44:12

"It's all my eye and Betty Martin."No idea what that means but it was used
a lot when I was a child.

Elrel Fri 20-Nov-15 21:55:18

I never understood 'cheap at half the price' either.

Never let the sun go down upon your anger

'All mouth and trousers ' I never quite got.

'You're neither use nor ornament' from a stern great aunt shattered me when I was 10!

rubysong Fri 20-Nov-15 22:43:40

Elrel 'neither use nor ornament' is a phrase I often use when watching Bargain Hunt. Some of the 'bargains' exactly fit that description.

BlackeyedSusan Fri 20-Nov-15 22:52:50

put wood int 'ole
bit black over bill's mother's.
all round the houses.
more haste less speed and make haste
all mouth and no trousers

Bug180 Fri 20-Nov-15 22:56:34

' every mickle makes a muckle'

Bug180 Fri 20-Nov-15 22:57:49

Fur coat and no knickers ?

Elrel Fri 20-Nov-15 23:10:36

@rubysong - watched a celebrity Antiques Roadshow earlier items of neither use nor ornament!!

ninathenana Sat 21-Nov-15 01:34:29

A three headed duckling, certainly fits that description Elrel what were they thinking

Cherrytree59 Sat 21-Nov-15 02:23:57

We used to say "Whats for tea mum?"
Mum would say ""A run round the table and a kick at the cat"







/

janeainsworth Sat 21-Nov-15 07:23:58

cherry my Mum's version of that was '3 jumps at the cupboard door'.

Elegran Sat 21-Nov-15 12:49:26

"It's all my eye and Betty Martin." is said to be a reference to the latin "Ora pro nobis beate Martine " ("Pray for us, blessed St Martin"), and mean a load of imcomprehensible (and Papist) rubbish, but "all my eye" has been around longer than Betty Martin.

www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-all3.htm