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My Nan's sayings

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I Am Nico

I Am Nico

master brummie
Hope I got this thread thing right. Anyway did any of you experience some of these sayings?
My nan was Black country. I have only put the clean ones in as well,
Spiffin
Its me ommer ond
Going to Tip'n run (for Tipton)
Canking (someone has heard of this before) gossiping in the street
a mon ooman (butch woman)
A fly blow
wiljew
Like a bag of xxxx tied up ugly
'er fess ud stop a clock
They'd spile another couple
I doubt it, said the cat as he xxxxx on the fire
If she was crying, well what comes out of me eyes dow come out of me thighs.
I wish I was single me pockets would jingle
Such is life without a wife an wussa with one.
(If I was grizzling), did is mommy wash 'is botty in a coldy water den?
Crerky gert (gate) ongs well
Yowm oop a summat (what are you up to)
(Said of a hard cake )yow could chook it from ere to Clent an back.
A blind mon on a galoppiin 'oss ud be glad to see that (if I turned my nose up at something)
'er otta giv her tayth back to the 'oss
Yow can play yer trap (you talk too much)
Yow dow look on the mantle payce when yowm stokin the fire
Worra motley crew
They look like a cart load a monkeys (and she added when I was older) gooin' t'ell t'ava xxxx

and of course she used to wear short frilly aprons in the early 70's which she called fanny pinners, it took me till I was 15 to work out why.

and other such dainties
 
A variation on your nan's blindman on a galloping horse:

"A blindman on a galloping horse wouldn't spot/notice/see that!" ......suggesting that an imperfection/flaw isn't worth worrying about.

I still use this (did today), although not strictly PC.

Lu
 
More of nan's sayings

If I said eh? to her she would come back with, ay meks bulls poop
and of her dad who was bow legged, ee cor stop a pig in entry
If grandad wanted to get past he would say, 'blige me 'Arriett.
Gran called her bloomers passion killers.
When Diana Dors came on TV she said whoops Diana's drawers.
Poor Marlene Dietrich was known in her house as Marlayna Dirtybitch only because she couldn't say Dietrich.
Whip it quick meant hurry up but I can't put what she said after it though.
 
lulibell said:
A variation on your nan's blindman on a galloping horse:

"A blindman on a galloping horse wouldn't spot/notice/see that!" ......suggesting that an imperfection/flaw isn't worth worrying about.

I still use this (did today), although not strictly PC.

Lu
Click to expand...
My nan would say yow want to know they way to Meg's axxe and the way up it, and Grandad said of me, yowm a werrit, or yowm like a fart in a culinder or a cart in a fulinder if gran his mum in law, was about.Dad said youve got more to say than youve got t' eat. Guess I still have
 
When I was little in my grandmother's house, if the time was twenty-five minutes past the hour it was always said as "five and twenty" never twenty-five. Even in the infants school where the teachers were very strict on the way we spoke, they accepted that as a perfectly correct alternative when they were teaching us to tell the time. This must have gone right back to the Anglo-Saxon origins of the English language.
 
DavidGrain said:
....it was always said as "five and twenty" never twenty-five......
Click to expand...

Same with my mother (b1899). In her case a throwback to Victorian grandparents' practice, I assume. She was brought up by her grandma, b. 1848 Gloucestershire but lived most of her life in Brum. Not quite Anglo-Saxon but not far off it!

Chris
 

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Yes, David. That's certainly an interesting parallel. It would be fascinating to know if it does in fact go back to common lingustic roots. There's no other explanation I can think of. Rather like "four and twenty blackbirds..." which goes back at least to the 16th century. (I suppose "twenty-five" is nearer to French/Norman). Where are the Forum history of the language scholars when you need them?!!

Should have added previously that I still find myself saying it occasionally. Old habits and influences die hard.

Chris
 
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Interesting stuff, great photo. Its like the way the French count when they get to a certain number like 2o and 1. then 4 20's 4 20's and ten etc.
I liked Hilda Baker, its a quarter to....oh I must get a little hand in this watch. Remember when she did a Brummy with a stooge called Marlene?
 
Or Barrie, if her dress shows under er coat, er smokes in the street an er dow weear stockins ers common.
 
Hey David, Auntie lived in Aston, the great Gramps came from Wolverly and Stourbrdge all the sisters married and settled in Bru, Stourbridge and Cheltenham, maybe thats it.
 
Nico said:
Hey David, Auntie lived in Aston, the great Gramps came from Wolverly and Stourbrdge all the sisters married and settled in Bru, Stourbridge and Cheltenham, maybe thats it.
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Was thinking some of the sayings were more Black Country than Brummie
 
You are probably right.
I just remembered another one, if a smell was really putrid, nan would say that was a real bob owler. She always dropped her aitches so I am not sure if these saying had them or not.
 
Does anyone remember Yellow Bazilicon ointment unsure of spelling, nan called it Yeller Mazellicer? In a flat red tin it was thick yellow and sticky and stuck to the lint dressing. The Borassic powder in a white box, the pain maid me shout out with that on me, a tincture of arnica in a green hexagonal bottle, the tubes these days are useless. Milk of Magnesia in a blue glass bottle. Ellimans Embrication Four Oils and oilo f Juniper berry to prevent insects. It made me retch. Shudder!
 
The use of "'a" before certain words. My Gran's generation would say "It's 'a pourin' down", "The policeman's 'a comin", for example.
I can't help think that that has its roots in the past too.

"Bloige" used to be quite a common expression. I allways thought that one originates from "oblige".

When we kids were within earshot, our Elders and Betters could often be heard using the expression "blue pencil", instead of a swearword.
 
Nico said:
You are probably right.
I just remembered another one, if a smell was really putrid, nan would say that was a real bob owler. She always dropped her aitches so I am not sure if these saying had them or not.
Click to expand...

A Bob Howler was a local term for a large moth so I think she must have got confused.
 
maypolebaz said:
The use of "'a" before certain words. My Gran's generation would say "It's 'a pourin' down", "The policeman's 'a comin", for example.
I can't help think that that has its roots in the past too.

QUOTE]

This was always in front of a verb so I don't know where it came from. We used to sing "It's a-raining, it's a-pouring, the old man's a-snoring"
Click to expand...
 
DavidGrain said:
A Bob Howler was a local term for a large moth so I think she must have got confused.
Click to expand...
A moth? Well at least I know now. Thanks.
She used to sing to the tune men of Harlech
Clear the way fir Old Bob Tyler it im in is bally an bost is biyler.

And.... here comes the bride, bow legged and cock eyed, straight round the gas oomiter an up tuther side.

Dinna fret theesen, mo wench. that sounds northern to me like Charlie Williams. Not the wench bit,

She did say I'm a comin. Dad said Arm a curmin mister Dillon and limped, I have a vague memory of a cowboy serial.

I just remembered the Brummigum bump from wrestling but I can't remember the wrestler's name.
 
was it the fore arm smash that the wrestlers used to do then ;and put them on there back;
the only one brummie wrestler comes to my mind thats pat roache from brum and lodge rd winson green '
whom wrestled internationaly started at the roller rink walford rd many years back to far for me to reall;
astonian ;
 
I was wondering if it was Pat Roach that Nico mentioned.

I mentioned meeting him on an earlier thread.

Speaking of wrestlers. Anybody remember Count Bartelli ?
 
Yes it was Pat Roach, thank you, he was in a Bond Film in a non speaking part he played a heavy smashing up a lab.I think the Brumigum Bump was somehow that he dropped them on their coxix not sure though. It always finished them off. I remember Count Bartolli. Wonder if he is related to Cecillia. I like her. My sedate aunty with the high lace collars had no TV. She watched it at nan's and she loved the wrestling and went wild.
 
I just remembered another one of Nan's sayings when I was naughty she would say "I'll skelp yer lug 'oles!" meaning a clout round the ears.
If my shirt was sticking out, my mate's gran said, Dicky Dicky doubt with his shirt hanging out.
I have also heard as straight as a yard of pump water, from an old Leicestershirian who lived in Malvern.
 
In the late 1800's there was a great influx of folk into Brum. A great building program was under way, and their was plenty of work in the building trade and in the brickyards.
My Gt Grandad moved from Bilston in 1895 to Saltley, My Grandad married a girl from Oldbury, as we all lived next door to each other my Mum was always trying to correct my speech as i naturally picked up the Black country idioms.
If I said "Yow", Mum would say "yow's in the field kickin up 'er 'eels, if yow wants 'er yow goo an' gerra".
 
I remember if I was round Nan's and was eating and it went down the way she would say "Choke up chicken".
 
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