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Brummie sayings & language

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Another saying my mother used was"You're Like A Cat On Hot Bricks"
I went for a long time wondering what a "catonot"was
 
Another one my dad used was whenever we did something silly and hurt ourselves he would say "where was your savvy".
 
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Gambolls, and Bobowla's are good old Brummie words, which are not recognised anywhere else.
I moved to Cornwall 15 years ago, and during my Daughter's school sports day, I mentioned the word Gamboll, and got looked at quite strangely.
We also had a big moth fly into my work place, and I asked a male member if he could catch the "Bobowla" and put it out. Again, I had strange looks from my workmates, who have never heard the word.
 
maggs said:
Well I knew you would Ray!!!!! Yes I had nits once and was so ashamed when I got the note. Everyone knew what you had.

Maggs
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My Mom used to call head lice Jackbannocks. I thought she had made it up herself. Obviously not.
 
My mom, who came to Brum from Ireland used to say "up the wooden hill to Bedfordshire, and into sheet valley" then she'd say "good night,
God bless, steady past grannies" anyone know what "steady past grannies' mean
 
lerryngal, Bobowlas was used in our house as well it may have been used to describe colourful butterflies as well as moths. Gambolls was a word our P.E.teacher used.
 
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.
 
leonardjob said:
another one which I think was his invention was like gumption" Show some Azum Jazum"

If he was ill whatever it was his remedy was to "put some Blackjack on it". It stank to high heaven
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Hi
Azum Jazum is certainly known to me - meaning 'common sense'. Not sure now if it came from my Mom or Dad's side.
 
OOOOOh Maggs I had a lot of them once. My dad used to say tom fairy tat or something like it can't remember what he was referring to though?. Jean.
 
Would some of the terms kids used to describe the games they played be local to Brum.A couple comes to mind,that we used in the 1940s "Tip Cat", "Polly On The Mop Stick", "Kick The Can And Run" etc.All good exercise I might add
 
Well Jean are referring to my #280. I was beginning to think no one would come back to me on that one. We were so ashamed weren't we? Oh and that awful Derbac shampoo. With some of these Brum saying it is easy to wonder if they were only in your own house isn't it? Well Jean I hope you had a lot of what I also had a lot of.
 
Maggs it's a fact that head lice will only live on a clean head.
Nits,dicks,jack bannocks,whatever,they never bothered me....they skid off.
 
Well Ray that's what they say isn't it? I am sure I had a clean head. Glad to hear they skid off you. Must admit though they I was terrified of them, if I scatched and got one down my nail I used to scream.
 
As a child (and still now sometimes when I see my mum) I was regularly told off for caddling when I was playing around in water and cweedling (not sure how to spell it) when I was swinging on a chair.
Does anyone else know of these sayings or the origin of them?
 
Re a woman wearing a small hat perched in top of her head "Its like a tomtit on a round of beef" and "Our Whack" for your house. Len.
 
Its amazing how every new posting on this thread brings back more memories.
I was always led to understand that headlice only lived in clean hair but I can only remember the scruffiest of kids in school cosistantly suffering from infections. We all got them occasionally, but some seemed to have them regularly.
 
Stitcher said:
Its amazing how every new posting on this thread brings back more memories.
I was always led to understand that headlice only lived in clean hair but I can only remember the scruffiest of kids in school cosistantly suffering from infections. We all got them occasionally, but some seemed to have them regularly.
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Yup, lice can live in ANY head of hair; however, it is conceivable (?) that they might prefer to live amongst clean hair......or is that just compensatory 'urban myth' ?
 
I suppose because we WERE clean, our head lice was dealt with pretty quickly. Maybe the scruffiest didn't bother.
 
Though it comes from Shropshire, I've always know "to go round the Wreakin" as to take the long or "scenic" route from A to B.
 
brummie words i remember as a kid were.....ganzie...niggie...ganzie being jumper and niggie was your nightie ...come on you brummies keep this going there must be hundreds of brummie sayings another one was the snuff or suff as the drain was called.....
 
Yes i had forgotten a lot of those saying
a couple i remember
up the dancers for bed
donny for a childs hand
showing next weeks washing for showing your underwear
there must be many more out there
 
Its what folks from east yorkshire call an outdoor. My mother in law, bHull 1923 lives with us and thats just one of the many strange words i hear. My favorite is "the uno" pronounced u no its uesed in the same way as we use "the whatsit"
 
I dont know if this one has been put on before but sorry if it has.
my mom would always say to my sisters when they were sitting with there legs open " shut ya legs theres a tram coming"
 
I remember my dad go on get up them dancers ( Up to bed )
and my donny.
I said this to a young girl the other day mind your donny,she said
whats that.
I explained it to her and she said oh isn`t that nice,
Carol
 
I remember the donny, but who remembers this. "I'll give you such a larruping if you don't shut up".
 
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