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Brummie sayings & language

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I see. Is that why they maybe called that comedy show the Thin Blue Line? Mum would say "dam son stones and custard" and "Are soldiers - went to war." Grandad said "Blummin Anne", and dad would say "taters!" my mates dad from Leicester said "fuffin 'ell". I worked with a chap who said "'kin 'ell and 'kin Ada'," always raised a few eyebrows. Nan would say aspect.
 
I was in Stoke yesterday and got talking to a bloke from Oldbury.

When he left he said "tarrarabit". It tickled me, I haven't heard that said for a long time.
 
The story in my family is that my brother Bruce who died from leukaemia aged 2 yrs 2 months in 1950, when corrected by my Dad used to say ' I love my Daddy, not, I love my Mommy ooh aarr' and I recall ooh aarr being used instead of yes. He also used to throw his glass milk bottle over the top of his cot before launching himself on to my Mom and Dad's bed. As soon as they heard him waking up they used to duck under the bedclothes.
 
I remember as a child that if your nose itched the saying was, you would either be kissed, cursed or shake hands with a stranger.
 
When I was away just some of Nan's phrases came to mind. We met someone with an unusual name, she would have said, wot an 'ondle (handle) and then I was chastising someone for not sitting put and Nan came in to my head again, 'yowm oop and dewn lark a bob arxed fly" though I have heard blue arxed fly used since. Have to write them down as I remember because I have forgotten the other one. Lked the article.
 
When my nose was running and I told mum she would say 'well I never saw it go past me'. My Leicester mate says ow yer diddlin.
 
yes and if your left hand itches it surposed to be you are coming into money recived and if your right hand itches it means you are going to have to pay out
pic up a door key and you will be moving home to some where else and if you some one kicking a tin can its a sign of death or if a bird flys into your house its a sign of death
pick up a spoonofff your kitchen floor its a letter arriving ; pick up a fork its a lady visting and pick up a knife a gentle man will be visting
and if your living room lights flicker its means there are spooky spirts present
best wishes to one and all astonian;;;;
 
I liked the article jennyann.
I have never heard of "noggy" but all the others are familiar!
"Going Yampy" was one of Mom's favourites. Another of her sayings was "You can go and tickle a brick" which meant I didn't stand a chance with whatever is was I wanted!
I have always wondered about "Never in the reign of pig's pudding" though.
rosie.
 
My Dad and our family used nearly all those sayings as a kid, though we never lived anywhere near the "Black country".paul
 
Astonian said:
yes and if your left hand itches it surposed to be you are coming into money recived and if your right hand itches it means you are going to have to pay out
pic up a door key and you will be moving home to some where else and if you some one kicking a tin can its a sign of death or if a bird flys into your house its a sign of death
pick up a spoonofff your kitchen floor its a letter arriving ; pick up a fork its a lady visting and pick up a knife a gentle man will be visting
and if your living room lights flicker its means there are spooky spirts present
best wishes to one and all astonian;;;;
Click to expand...
Or youw ay paid yer lectric bill.
 
Paul:

I remember my mother saying that loads of Black Country girls used to come to work at Perry Pens in Lancaster Street. She always called them "low class" because of some of the expressions they came out with - some not suitable for repeating here. I guess some of the sayings stuck with the Brummies.

Maurice
 
Nan learned a lot of expressions from her mother in law whose sisters lived in Gornall and other stuff during the war when in the fire service
 
Astonian said:
yes and if your left hand itches it surposed to be you are coming into money recived and if your right hand itches it means you are going to have to pay out
pic up a door key and you will be moving home to some where else and if you some one kicking a tin can its a sign of death or if a bird flys into your house its a sign of death
pick up a spoonofff your kitchen floor its a letter arriving ; pick up a fork its a lady visting and pick up a knife a gentle man will be visting
and if your living room lights flicker its means there are spooky spirts present
best wishes to one and all astonian;;;;
Click to expand...

Another one I remember was if you cross your knife and fork on the table there will be a fight.


My (late) wife was Welsh and she seemed to have a superstition for most things.
On seeing an ambulance she would say "touch my collar, touch my nose, hope I don't go in one of those !".
If she dropped a glove it was bad luck to pick it up, somebody else had to do it.
"See a pin and pick it up and all the day you'll have good luck", was another.

It's my belief that a lot of the sayings we remember as kids were brought into Brum by the people moving there looking for work.
 
maypolebaz said:
Another one I remember was if you cross your knife and fork on the table there will be a fight.


My (late) wife was Welsh and she seemed to have a superstition for most things.
On seeing an ambulance she would say "touch my collar, touch my nose, hope I don't go in one of those !".
If she dropped a glove it was bad luck to pick it up, somebody else had to do it.
"See a pin and pick it up and all the day you'll have good luck", was another.

It's my belief that a lot of the sayings we remember as kids were brought into Brum by the people moving there looking for work.
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I would think that is true.
My sort of auntie is Welsh, a bumble bee flew in her kitchen and she cried oh there's Isaac bee! Don't know why though.
In Mary Webb's Gone To Earth, which has a wealth of rich language and superstition Hazel tells the bees of a death, or any traumatic event. Similarly in Lark Rise to Candleford they had to tell the bees. I was sold a wallet by an old Welsh lady (in Cov) and she said put a penny in it now before you leave the shop and you will never be hard up.
 
jennyann said:
A lot of the Brummie sayings have been covered in this and other threads on the Forum. I liked this article about
Brummie sayings from today's Birmingham Mail: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/lifestyle/50-top-birmingham-black-country-6477059
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Thanks Jennyanne, just read the article and found it very interesting. I knew most of them but some didn't seem to be from Mom, dad or Granny White so maybe all the sayings were not from Aston. I stand to be corrected though. Kind regards, David.
 
My son's soon to marry a Bulgarian girl who's got a typical eastern european accent, so we've been coaching her so she can greet their guests at the reception with....

"Orl roit are keed, owz eet goowin?"
 
I'd love to hear the result of that one philosopher !

Continuing with Brummie sayings, I can't remember anyone I've met from this country who use the word "vile" in the way Brummies do.

For example, "do you remember drinking Flowery Keg ?" Oo ar, it was vile".

"What did you think of her new coat ?" "I thought it was vile !"
 
Apiarists will tell you that you must always keep bees informed of the latest 'family' news. A famous place in Devon, with which I am connected, is also famous for its bees. Most hives are kept on Dartmoor - lots of heather up there - but there is also a Home Apiary. Whenever I visit there I make a point of walking around the areas where the hives are kept, weather permitting, and relating the news. Luckily this is a private area of the place so no other visitors are there thinking I am a madman. Those who live there understand of course.
 
Radiorails said:
Apiarists will tell you that you must always keep bees informed of the latest 'family' news. A famous place in Devon, with which I am connected, is also famous for its bees. Most hives are kept on Dartmoor - lots of heather up there - but there is also a Home Apiary. Whenever I visit there I make a point of walking around the areas where the hives are kept, weather permitting, and relating the news. Luckily this is a private area of the place so no other visitors are there thinking I am a madman. Those who live there understand of course.
Click to expand...
I first heard of this tradition in Larkrise to Candleford as told by Queenie Turrell then when I read Gone to Earth by Mary Webb of telling the bees.
 
maypolebaz said:
I'd love to hear the result of that one philosopher !

Continuing with Brummie sayings, I can't remember anyone I've met from this country who use the word "vile" in the way Brummies do.

For example, "do you remember drinking Flowery Keg ?" Oo ar, it was vile".

"What did you think of her new coat ?" "I thought it was vile !"
Click to expand...

I can here my Nan saying that vehemenently, and screwing up her face, ooh he was vile aah cor abear 'im! or a place was vile.
She also said maybe of a nice day out, ooh it was spiffin'.
 
I like the accent in Stourton my partner asked me what it was and I said well I think it might be from there, it's not Brummy and it's not really the Stourbridge that I remember but accents do change. My grandparents were broader born in Wordsley and Dudley/Silver End but they never lost their accents.
 
I don't ge the Betty Martin one, wish I did Roysteve. Lately my Nan's saying keep flooding back, like last night when I said it was too late, I had already taken the rubbish out........"Too late! Too late....'eees done it in is hat!" and if someone did something too quick for her liking "as fast as you can say Jack Robinson"
 
I think the phrase 'All my eye and Betty Martin' has been explained on the forum somewhere before, it is allegedly a corruption of the Latin 'Ah Mihi Beata Mater' ,( grant to me blessed mother.)
 
A bit like san fairyanne then and Stewponey in the Black Country? .....I see it all now,....you love another! (spoken dramatically) another one of Nan's. Thank you Astonite.

Slightly off topic..... but interesting (I think)....... my partner's late uncle, a Frenchman, thought La Quichenotte, the Breton lace womens' hats derived from the English, kiss me not. As they come round the side of the face,
 
Nico, thank you for that saying "vile", it brought back many deep set memories..as much as my brother did'nt sound brummy...(i did) that was an expression he used , it was vile with a screwed up face to go along with it... Brenda
 
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