Things your mother said!

Having started my ‘periods’ at age 13 (1961) my mother said to me ‘now don’t go near any boys’! That was the sum total of her advice re the birds and the bees!. Bless.

I always thought having one on the side was strange thing to say

Granless, at least you had " some advice ". All I got was " you're a young woman now ". I was 13 too. Then I had to stay put in bed while she went to the chemist, with school in the afternoon and an explanation to the teacher.

My sister and I were not allowed to wash our hair when we had our periods. "It will send you mad". ???????? Even my cousins laugh at that one.

My mother used to say ‘when poverty comes in from the front door love goes out through the back’ when I was lovesick over some poor chap

If I went out on a cold day inappropriately dressed in my mother's eyes I would "catch my death of cold". Whatever it was I was relatively unscathed.

How did so many of us get through it all and still be reasonably normal?

My mum used to say ‘when poverty comes in through the front door love goes out from the back’ when I was lovesick over some poor cap.

"You expect a grunt from a pig" - when someone is very rude,

And the inevitable - "before the war ..............!"

‘A real Fred Karno’s ‘ when things were chaotic.

Where are you going mum ? " There and back to see how far it is ".

So many shared sayings. My great Nan who was about 90 when I was 5 used to say ‘perish me handson’ I think it referred to some type of carriage from Victorian days!

My mum wasn’t allowed to wash her hair during a period as she would ‘wash out all her strength’

Suzyb, it was always " Casey's Court " in our house if there was a to do.

We had Stage-a-bank (sp?) Fair at ours.

If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

As black as Newgit's knocker.
Its like Wookie Hole in here!

You'll catch your death....
God pays the wicked...
The bigger they come, the harder they fall...
During the war...
You don't know you're born!...
You can't go to bed with wet hair...
rest in peace mum & dad

Looking for something in the house----" if it had horns it would poke you " would come the voice of my mother.

Omg!! Casey court! Took me right back! What was that about?

Also ‘no better than she should be with her fancy man’ my Nan talking about her neighbour

‘She got into trouble’ as my loveky mil did aged 17 in 1959! Was taken by her mum to the local chemist for ‘medicine’ that was supposed to induce a miscarriage., it didn’t work!

‘You look like a chorus girl’ as I tried to sneak out with loads of makeup on circa 1978! The thing was I had no idea what a chorus girl was but she sounded like I wanted to look.

My mum, 14 yr old school leaver , my dad a barrister. he was however not a very practical man.. unlike mum who exasperated once shouted, " I really don't know how you got so far!" Which my siblings and I now use when someone fails to sort out a simple practical problem.

She also used to say, "Whistle louder, it'll jump out at you!" when any of us could not find something!

So many familiar sayings.

Did anyone else ever look like something the cat's dragged in? For a long time I thought it was some sort of container you put a cat in and dragged it around!!!

I was also as 'dim as a 'Toc H' lamp. I had no idea and imagined it as spelt 'tockaitch'. Many years later I googled it and found out that Toc H was a Christian organisation that helped soldiers and had an aladdin type lamp as a symbol.

I was frequently asked if I was born in a barn, if the door was left open and if I cheekily replied she should know she was the one who had me, I was threatened with the back of her hand. Actually she always hit me with the palm of the hand so what was that all about?

I also got the same response when she said 'Don't walk on the floor. I've just cleaned it.' I would reply, 'So what am I supposed to do? Fly?' I never learned to keep quiet. I should have tried to laugh on the other side of my face!

I googled 'midden' too as apparently we lived in one. Yes a dung hill or refuse heap.

I wonder what sayings our DC or DGC will remember. I'm sure they won't be as colourful!

Not my (Irish) Ma, but I recently read a book where one of the main characters quoted her Irish mother: "Well that's a pint of ridiculous". I think I may use that in the future.

Like everyone else I've had great fun hearing my Mum and Dads' voices all along this thread, sometimes with little variations.
'What's for dinner?" Stewed stool feet and buttered haycocks.
'What's that?" A whim-wham for ducks to peek on.
"Where are you/we going?" Up to West Park to see if its raining.
'Where's Mum?' Run off with a black man
Don't look so morky/mawky if we were sulking.
More haste, less speed if we were rushing about, usually trying to finish something quickly.

When Mum was annoyed with us, 'You give me the pip you really do!'
Mum would go to the back door step and look East and say, 'It'll rain afore morning 'cos it's as black as Dick's hat band ovver't Swillin'.

Don't trouble trouble until trouble troubles you.
Tell in to the Marines, if she thought we were being untruthful.
About gossip. It's all my eye on Betty Martin (whoever that was)

My Dad's weird saying if we were naughty, 'If you don't behave I'll chop off yer feet, sharpen yer legs and bray you into the ground like a tin tack.'
'Bray' is a Yorkshire word for strike or hit). 'I got brayed by me Dad for lossin' me bike.'
If we dropped anything, Dad would say, 'Bring it 'ere an' I'll pick it up.'
Mum hated unexpected visitors who put her self-imposed schedule out. She'd be as nice as pie while they were there but when they'd gone, she'd say, 'Eeee they reight hinder me and now I'm fair moidered and all behind like a fat woman's backside.'
Also, 'Eee, I'm moidered to death now.' as she rushed to catch up on the work.

We had a motorbike and sidecar when I was young and if we went over rough, bumpy ground, Mum would say, 'It's enough to shake yer liver pin out.'

'D'you think I came down in't last shower?' if we tried to put one over on her.

Many years ago I invented a saying to amuse my children, or thought I did, but I have since read it was used long before I 'made it up'.

When it was a meal time and I wanted them to put their toys away, 'Come on now, pack up your parrots and monkeys.' Or a reminder to look around if we were leaving somewhere, to make sure they had all their belongings, 'Have you got all your parrots and monkeys?'
I swear I'd never heard it before, or since but I once Googled it and discovered it wasn't my original at all

'You look as if you've lost a bob and found a penny' if we were sad.
'Yer a barm pot' or 'You're as daft as a chocolate frog.'
if we were being silly.

One thing which amused me when I first came out to New Zealand was how, when a phone rang, people would pick up and say, 'Is that you?'

I don't think anyone says that now, what a shame.

My Nan would say about a slim man "That ain't a 'uman bean, its a 'uman pullthrough!"

This is a great thread. Loving it..
My Mum used to say 'Waste not want not clearly means buy a Ford' . I never new what it meant but think it was an advert for Ford Motors back in the day!
'You're not going out wearing that pelmet are you?'
If I asked what was for pudding I was told 'wait & see'. My children also had wait&see pudding.
'Marmight, Marmight strong & able, get your elbows off the table,
this is not a horse's stable,
this is Mummy's dining table'