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Sayings, legends and customs.

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Here's one you don't hear so much these days " you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. I also remember hearing you can take the boy out of brum but you can't brum out of the boy
 
Nan altered the old mutton saying to ram dressed up as lamb. Grandad used to say red 'at red coat, no drawers. Dad said of a certain Cov district, this is where they have brown boots and no breakfast. If I said I THOUGHT (it was such and such,) as a child, grandad would say, yow know what thought did dow yer? ee thought he 'ad 'an ee 'adn't. I had a little 'accident' in my trousers once and he said. yow've mucked yer ticket. You can;t though Nij make a silk purse etc. They said that of our MD. but they used the hairdresser terminology. Nan would say it's no good puttin' car before the 'oss.
 
Hi nico, your grandad's saying reminds me of one. You know what happened to thought don't ya, he wet the bed and thought he was sweating, well that's almost the exact words. Your nan's saying reminds me of locking the stable door after the horse has bolted. Regards nijinski
 
maypolebaz said:
No snow here mate ! I've arranged for an airdrop of special hairnets though !
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I was thinking of you and your hairnets yesterday. I battled to the supermarket against the wind which finally stopped me in my tracks on the bypass. A chap bent down to pick up a dog end, which he put in his mouth, and the wind toppled him over. Walked back with the blizzard behind me as I had been for a swim. So I was warm by then. Have about 2 inches of snow in old money here.
 
Here's some sayings but I don't know where they're from. Does a bear s**t in the woods, does a one legged duck swim round in circles, up the creak without a paddle or even barking up the wrong tree.
 
My mother used to say 'For two pins' as in 'For two pins I would give you a hard slap' - does anyone know where that came from, and what kind of pins?? Baffling, that one.
 
I remember that, too Nick, it meant quickly (I love that saying to be honest, it's quite sweet) , but 'for two pins' beats me as to the meaning.
 
Great Grandad said I am told, I am gooin' to the church weer they 'ave 'ondles on theer prayer books. (the pub). Nan said leg 'o mutton sleeves. And tree pot hats. What she used to wear and what her granny used to wear. Grandad used to say one and I can't remember it but it was about a man with a flat 'at, who dropped it and was searching in a field of cow pats for it. Can anyone jog my memory please? Nico.
 
Shortie said:
My mother used to say 'For two pins' as in 'For two pins I would give you a hard slap' - does anyone know where that came from, and what kind of pins?? Baffling, that one.
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Hi shortie. A packet of pins were cheap to buy so two pins were worth next to nothing. Meaning it wouldn't take much to slap you hard. Regards nijinski
 
My cousin is just learning to walk after in illness I said "steady past yer grannies"
My Dublin friend's family would say, to make your self at home, 'you're in yer grannies, or your on yer granny's yacht.'
Or can you pass me the yoke, (the watsit) we had a conversation this week, My partner having to guess what dad used to want, the watsit, thingummy, Nan said, doo daa and oo jar capivvy, I never had to know how to spell it before.The Dublin granny said for what little boys have and little girls don't, his dicky doo daa day.
 
Has no-one posted 'going around the Wrekin', (or variants)?

"All around the Wrekin", "Right 'round the Wrekin" or "Running round the Wrekin" is a phrase common in Shropshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Herefordshire, the Black Country, Birmingham to mean "the long way round", in the same way that "round the houses" is used more widely " Wikipedia

Outside of this region no-one would have a clue what that means!
 
Older fishermen, in the days of smacks in particular, would not put to sea if they saw a clergyman on their way to the quay. (Quay here meaning the area more than one quay). Furry congers was always spoken of rather than the furry burrowing critters more well known as ra**its, crossed brooms were an extreme cause for bad luck or problems and no boat was ever painted green.
Curiously some French fishermen had different ideas as most of the trawlers from Dieppe were green at the time.
 
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