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Brummie sayings & language

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carolina said:
What about what was said to us ladies - keep your hands on your ha'penny. But I dont think it was just a brummie saying though.
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keep your hand on your ha’penny (till the right man turns up) - is ‘an old piece of advice to an unmarried girl’ (Petch, 1969): c. 1880–1970, but little used since c. 1960. The orig. is of linguistic interest, for Grose, 1785, has money, as in a domestic nurse’s admonition to a female child, ‘You’re showing your money’. There is a var., three penny bit; and the expression acquired a secondary meaning: ‘Be careful or you’ll find yourself expensively involved’: C20; by 1970, ob. (Skehan, 1977.)

I am sure it was covered in Music Hall (perhaps Max Miller?) but here is the The Fivepenny Piece in 1969 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfmYIjojkMg

When Molly began to go courting,
Her mother was anxious to tell
He certain young fellas would want her
To stray down the pathway to 'ell
So Molly's old ma used to say:

Keep your 'and on your 'appenny,
Cover it well with your palm
Keep your 'and on your 'appenny,
And Molly will come to no harm.

They'll hug you and kiss you so sweetly
They make you feel ever so nice
But 'andle the fellas discretely
And follow this simple advice:

Keep your 'and ...

When Molly and I went out courting,
I told her she'd nothing to fear
But down in the covers last Sunday
I whispered these words in her ear:

Take your 'and off your 'appenny
Look into my bonny blue eyes
Take your 'and off your 'appenny
And I'll give you - a lovely surprise!
 
G G Jean said:
My mom used to say "you've bought a pig in a poke" if it was rubbish and called black pudding "pigs plonk". Jean.
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Thats interesting Jean its a very very old saying and refers to buying something without looking at it, a Poke is the old name for a bag or sack and unscrupulous market men would sell to anyone gullible enough to stand for it, a struggling creature in a sealed bag or sack, and when the person got home from the market they found it was not a pig at all . Max
 
Aiden think it must have been inflation as my mom said "keep your hand on your tuppence". Thanks for that Max I wonder what other animals were brought home in the sack?. Jean.
 
maxwell bullivant said:
... cark it ...
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That's an Aussie colloquialism, and quite recent. I quote the delightful Kate Burridge:
'Cark' meaning 'to die' is very recent Australian slang (1970s). Many lexicographers claim it is of uncertain origin; some suggest it comes from Australian English 'cark', imitative of the caw of a crow. This word was around in the 1930s, and to my mind would have been reinforced by later associations with 'carcass' and also Australian English 'cactus' (in the cactus 'in difficulties' was around in the 1940s; compare also something like 'I'd be cactus if I did that' meaning 'I'd be ruined, finished' — also around in 1940s). It's interesting that these days the expression is more likely to be 'cark it' — as my colleague Mark Donohue has pointed out, it's one of the few transitive verbs in English that takes a dummy (or empty) object; in other words, 'it' doesn't refer to anything. (Compare 'snuff it' where the 'it' was originally a candle; this is the likely inspiration for the full expression 'cark it'.​
 
Another word I have just thought of as I have just used it is, when you want to refer to someone in a slightly derogatory nature - i.e. where is 'neversweat'.
 
Carolynn said:
Another word I have just thought of as I have just used it is, when you want to refer to someone in a slightly derogatory nature - i.e. where is 'neversweat'.
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Neversweat of course refers to someone who is slack at working, so 'never sweats'.

We used to sing " The nine oclock men come out at ten
they always take their shovels with them
To shovel up the shite in the middle of the night
and take it to the gaffer in the morning"
I Think this is a very old rhyme, i have a theory that it refers to the "The night dirt men" , and got changed over time to Nine oclock men, does anyone have any thought on this ? Max
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Yes, the 'Night Soil' men would come and dig out the...contents of your outside toilet...and cart it back to the (usually council) depot, and it was sold off as fertiliser. Nowadays 'Humanure' is seen as a ecological way of conserving the otherwise lost beneficial components of human waste, usually with the use of composting toilets.
 
As I've said before the Flemish have some wonderful sayings and one I like is, (translated to English) "the mice are all dead" meaning that there is no food in the cupboards. I was wondering if there is a Brummie or English equivalent.
 
Lloyd said:
Neversweat of course refers to someone who is slack at working, so 'never sweats'.



Yes, the 'Night Soil' men would come and dig out the...contents of your outside toilet...and cart it back to the (usually council) depot, and it was sold off as fertiliser. Nowadays 'Humanure' is seen as a ecological way of conserving the otherwise lost beneficial components of human waste, usually with the use of composting toilets.
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Hi Lloyd, saw on the news some councils are using it to make gas, Ive heard of cooking with gas But cooking with crap!! Bernard
 
Bit naughty, but none the less does belong on this thread is When asked "who told ya that" answer " Ticker" reply "whos ticker" answer " The man with a clock up his ar.e"

similarly " Chunky " was "The man with Pineapple b.lls"
Max
 
Remember if you were finding a job too hard or made a mess of it it was called "making a pigs ear of it". Jean.
 
If you wanted to keep out of trouble with your parents during the day and more so when you was a little whipper snapper
as kids get under your feet during the day as they did and can still do so
my parents would say to me if you do not want me to shout at you keep from under my feet for the rest of the day ;
they would say ;to me ;; out of sight -out of mind so if i do not see you i will not be shouting at you will i ; go and play else where ;
best wishes to every body and have a great day best wishes astonion ;;
 
Astonian said:
If you wanted to keep out of trouble with your parents during the day and more so when you was a little whipper snapper
as kids get under your feet during the day as they did and can still do so
my parents would say to me if you do not want me to shout at you keep from under my feet for the rest of the day ;
they would say ;to me ;; out of sight -out of mind so if i do not see you i will not be shouting at you will i ; go and play else where ;
best wishes to every body and have a great day best wishes astonion ;;
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In this scenario my old Nan would use "he's been a bu**er up the back all morning" . Never once understanding what she was actually saying...we still use it today, but only within the family.
 
Topsyturver - lol.

If someone had done something that another person didnt like, the saying would be 'well he can p*** up my kilt' . I have only ever heard one person say this, but it was quite a regular saying from them.
 
I like that Bernard. If you were always hungry mom would say "I must have worms" only sometimes it was true years ago. Jean.
 
I remember a saying but forgive me if I have my days mixed up. Friday night's dream Saturday told no matter how old. Jean.
 
G G Jean said:
I remember a saying but forgive me if I have my days mixed up. Friday night's dream Saturday told no matter how old. Jean.
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A dream on Friday Saturday told will always come true be it ever so old, Is this the one you mean Jean
 
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G G Jean said:
I remember a saying but forgive me if I have my days mixed up. Friday night's dream Saturday told no matter how old. Jean.
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I still stick to the one about Friday's dream, if it's a good dream I tell, if not I keep quiet about it. Do you believe in this one Jean?
 
I have funny dreams every night Maggs and Pete wonders where I conjure them up from. I have never given it much thought but will try and have good un's on Fridays. Jean.
 
So do I Jean. Colin reckon's he never dream's and is alway's amazed when I tell him about mine. I think I go to another world sometimes., do you?
 
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