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Things my parents said ...

(168 Posts)
Imperfect27 Tue 12-Sept-17 08:44:10

Yes, a.n.other shameless attempt to get some chatter started this morning ... Some things my parents said have definitely stayed with me and (mostly) made some sense to me over the years. Here are a few I have remembered:-

On losing weight:
"Breakfast like a king, dine like a prince, supper like a pauper."

On household cleanliness:
'Everyone has to eat a peck of dirt before they die.'

And on social relations:
"If that person is being high and mighty with you, just imagine them sitting on the toilet ... it's a great leveller."

What words of wisdom - or silliness - have stayed with you over the years?

jollyg Tue 12-Sept-17 16:48:54

You are pretty silly to have such a thread, regarding your MUM.

Mischief making in extremis.

Some folk here have enough problems with heath, families.

I dont pop in very much but if that is the sort of posts we get, Ill pop in even less.

I am quite aware that GN is a' free for all' site, but please give those who are less fortunate than yourself a break.

I have not read all posts, but the first few put me off bit time

MissAdventure Tue 12-Sept-17 16:51:50

I have the kind of problems with health and families that nobody would want. This thread doesn't make one iota of difference! If you can't smile life is pretty grim!

Legs55 Tue 12-Sept-17 16:57:58

Half a brain & you'd be dangerous, put wood in th'ole (shut the door), you make a better door than a window (if I stood in the way), were you born in a barn (if I didn't close the door behind me), your head'll never save your legs.

When asking what's for dinner, two kicks at pantry door.

All fur coat & no knickers (some-one who was all show, a snob)

Mop & bucket (tall man & dumpy woman)

There were so many, still hear myself saying some of them. My favourite when I got told off for doing something I thought she couldn't see "I've got eyes in the back of my head", that puzzled my DD when she was little, she looked under my hair to try to find my "back eyes"grin

Christinefrance Tue 12-Sept-17 17:01:05

What was that about jollyg we can have some fun as well as empathise with others smile

Nedsmum Tue 12-Sept-17 17:01:52

At school we were told sitting on a warm radiator gives you !

dirgni Tue 12-Sept-17 17:02:09

" Do as you would be done by"

Nedsmum Tue 12-Sept-17 17:02:35

Sorry. The word piles got erased.

123kitty Tue 12-Sept-17 17:22:47

Poor mum, imagine spending you life wondering "what will the neighbours think/say".

Cherrytree59 Tue 12-Sept-17 17:27:27

From my Dad 'if you burn your ass, you sit on the blisters'

From my Mum when asked what was for dinner
'A run round the table and a kick at the cat' (we didn't have a cat!)

Also a reminder that we do not wash our dirty laundry in public.smile

callgirl1 Tue 12-Sept-17 17:39:10

Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
And from my grandma when she thought my belt was too tight, "You`re tied up like a rice bun." What`s a rice bun?

Juggernaut Tue 12-Sept-17 17:52:40

Perhaps jollyg (or rather notatalljollyg) would prefer us all to go around wearing sackcloth and ashes and weeping!
I used to hear a lot of the things mentioned above, but the one that I really loathed was my dad's reply to a wail of "It's not fair"........"What's not fair, a black pudding perhaps"?
When going for a night out with my best friend Sue, mum would ask if we were going out 'Wolfing' and dad would say "Are you going out after dark, or after men"?
If my mother was ever heard to say "Bullshit and feathers" everyone ran and hid from her as that was a sure sign her patience had just snapped!

oldandbold Tue 12-Sept-17 18:16:36

On scratching an itchy back, usually on a door -"God bless the Duke of Argyll!"

lizzypopbottle Tue 12-Sept-17 18:58:15

My mum wasn't keen on make-up so if she saw a woman with a lot of eye-liner and mascara she'd roll her eyes and mutter, ' like two burnt holes in a blanket!' If she saw a woman (with a big bum) wearing what she considered too tight pants she'd (again) roll her eyes and mutter, 'like two boys fighting in a sack!'

The least helpful thing my dad said to me was when I moaned about something my fairly new husband either did or didn't do. 'You must start as you mean to go on!' Too late! How do you know how you mean to go on until you've already started and discover the irritating things about your mate? Back then, we didn't live together before marrying unless we were happy to be totally ostracised!

W11girl Tue 12-Sept-17 19:01:56

Oh yes.....only yesterday...I said to my husband "there are people starving" and you're wasting food again! My mother always used to say it...I sound just like her!

Chewbacca Tue 12-Sept-17 19:05:43

What's up with jollyg? Surely this is a thread enjoying and reminiscing about the things our parents said, not criticising them?

You're mum was more ladylike than mine lizzypopbottle! She had a similar saying for women who she considered were "slathered in make-up", but it wasn't as polite as your mums!

phoenix Tue 12-Sept-17 19:23:00

My grandfather had a couple of odd phrases that I have never hear from anyone else, one of which was:

"You knows her! You knows her as well as I do! Little widder woman, walks about a lot on her feet!" confused

phoenix Tue 12-Sept-17 19:24:38

That of course was in response to someone saying that they weren't sure who he was talking about!

annifrance Tue 12-Sept-17 19:24:56

Me to DS eat your tea, think of all the starving millions.

DS to me at a later date, Mummy if you don't hurry up and get my the I'll be a starving million!

My friends adage, A friend will always help you, a good friend will help you bury the body.

JaneD3 Tue 12-Sept-17 19:28:27

MiL used the "all fur coat and no knickers " and also "red and green should never be seen" about clothes colours. Mum used "mutton dressed up as lamb" and Nan used to threaten that she would " smack your bottom until it bleeds buttermilk"! She never did!

phoenix Tue 12-Sept-17 19:34:20

^You are pretty silly to have such a thread, regarding your MUM.

Mischief making in extremis.^

jollyg what a hurtful, judgmental, and totally unwarranted post!

You go on to say Some folk here have enough problems with heath, families.

Perhaps those people with such problems, are glad of a bit of light hearted relief to distract them, even if only for a brief moment.

Please feel free to carry out your threat.

phoenix Tue 12-Sept-17 19:45:08

Another one of my grandfathers was "Oh yes, I know who you mean, his mother used to mangle our stairs" ! confused grin

MissAdventure Tue 12-Sept-17 19:47:16

My Nan always said "oh you remember so-and-so? Used to work on the buses"

Imperfect27 Tue 12-Sept-17 20:00:23

To be honest, I thought jollyg's post was rather odd and possibly written by someone quite young - that or ghosty gransnetters past come to try to make mischief again. grin

Funny isn't it, that in a pre-social media world, so many of us were brought up with the same sayings. I grew up with bread and pullet on offer and our 'dad's 'standard joke, trotted out almost daily:

Shall I put the kettle on?
It won't fit you!

Scribbles Tue 12-Sept-17 20:02:05

Gran, when surprised: well! I'll go to the foot of our stairs!

Mom, when I cried: Stop that or I'll give you something to cry about.

Dad, when I was being fussy over food: You'd better eat it now or you'll get it cold for breakfast.

And so many more of those listed here; I've loved reading them.

PS. How on earth did jollyg get his/her name?! (OK, OK. I'm going)

phoenix Tue 12-Sept-17 20:07:23

Scribbles grin