Anne Watton
master brummie
When I was young if my Dad felt the need to swear he had his own exclamation of 'Perish me blindin' hooray'. Has anyone heard that before or do you think it was another 'made-up' expression?
When we stayed in bed too late on a Saturday, Mom always used to call up "I'll be up there with the boiler stick!"What about yere get the boiler stick across yer back.
.‚.. .‚.. Happy days. (ouch).
I moved from Birmingham to the Black Country all of fifteen miles and I couldn't understand a word anyone said for about three weeks. When I visit my inlaws even now I can't follow a conversation after the second pint.I love to hear the local accents, the so-called 'Brummie' accent is usually from one of the Black Country districts though.
A Brummie goes for a job interview with long hair, dressed in a brightly coloured , wide collared shirt, a pair of flared jeans and a huge pair of platform shoes. The interviewer turns to him and says, "Good heavens, all you need now is a Kipper Tie!"
The Brummie replies, "Yes please mate, two sugars"
My nan used to say 'fanny fernakapan' too Flounder, & I think I've heard others say it too. When I left Brum for Uni I had a heck of a time up North with asking for 'baps' ("you mean buns pet"?).....no, buns have fruit in em!! Or 'cobs'. Its definitely 'pikelets' of course.
I tend to still use expressions like 'face on as long as Livery St' & 'round the Wrekin' even now up here (North East).....people used to think I was crackers........now they just know I am!!
Trouble I've found is that as I've picked up other expressions from around about on my travels, & I get funny looks when I go back to Brum & use a 'local expression' from up here without realising others wont have heard it!!!
I've heard this from people in other places - sometimes "It's black over Will's Mum's". I've heard it means in the distance rather than just here, being where William III's mother lived - in Orange?A Black Country expression 'it's a bit black over Bill's mothers'.
Janet
We called either lice or nits (Can't remember which) Bill Baileys. I think it's something to do with "nothing but a fine tooth comb, Bill Bailey won't you please come home."Yes I still say Gamboll and bobhowlers. I didn't realize that they were Brummie sayings though. I do remember that after nits hatched..well in our house anyway they called the adult creatures Dicks. Now don't laugh I am telling the truth.
What about if you didn't have a proper wash, My mom used to call it 'A catlick and a promise'
It went...Pardon me for being rude..was not me..it was my food.
still say it.lol