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Brummie sayings & language

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Shame carol all the old endearments we used to say to children aregone
all you hear is your doin my head in
i ll batter you
get ere
 
Big Gee said:
Hi Leonard Job,

the motto of the French Navy is, or was, "Honneur, Valeur, Patrie, Discipline". C'est ca! When we sank their fleet during WW2, the motto was changed to 'merde aux les Anglaises!' Vrai!

The word 'plonk' that we use for cheap wine comes from the French 'vin blanc', which to the ears of a WW1 English soldier would have sound like v'blonk, courtesy of the French habit of losing consonants in their pronunciation. Sante!

Le Grand Gee
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Big gee I'm afraid your wrong the motto of the french navy is "To the water it is the Hour"....Translate.!!!!
 
Darthdc said:
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.
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There was another saying:
"If yo can see the Wreakin it's gonna rain.
If yo cor see the Wreakin,it is rainin' "

And if someone suspected they were the subject of a wind-up:
"Yow must think oi come up on the down train"
 
I certainly remember the 'down train' saying and when I was a small child I understaood 'round The Wreakin' to mean the long way round or someone using a paragraph instead of a sentence. I was years older when I found out there really was a Wreakin ha ha.
 
A lot of old Brumagem' and 'Black Country' words are pure Saxon; very similar, but differently pronounced, to words used in the North East of England.

Whereas, 'donny' probably derives from the old French/Norman french : 'donnez' - 'to give, from the hand' - so ''give me your donny'' probably means something like ''give me your free hand'' ......but whether this is a genuine 'throw-back' to Norman times, or to possibly something from the Napoleonic period, I don't know. It might even be something introduced by Hugenot silk-weavers; perhaps refering to a silk-gloved hand? But why did it become almost common parlance in the midlands???
 
I heard an expression, I haven't heard for years, today.

As we were passing a woman in a red cloche hat out came the expression

"Red hat no drawers"!! I nearly died with laughter and hoped the lady in question didn't hear!!

Not really PC
 
Hi everyone did anyone play "bashes"..these days theyd call it dares. Other words i remember my gran saying was the suff or snuff which was the drain....and the mixin men .who were the dustmen..i remember the nit nurse coming to school many of those who knew they had them used to hide in the toilets till the rest of the class were seen then join the queue back to class .....
 
Hello Sandracoley. I remember 'the suff [drain] and the entry and yard. My mother used to clean all three every Friday with Jeys Fluid, water and a stiff brush. Oh. I did like the clean smell.
What I didn't like was the 'coal hole/coal house' being off the kitchen and the toilet outside. Very cold in the winter when one went for a 'visit'!

Miriam.
 
i can remember the poor kids who were alive with headlice they had sores all over their heads because they were so dirty they went to sherborne road shool clinic and had their heads shaved .put the fear of god into me .us kids used to look in each others hair everynight after school to save us from the same fate......and derbac shampoo i remember sittingon the doorstep with it plastered on my head with half the street doing exactly the same .......
 
hi al.....the old outside toilets were a nightmare if you got took short during the night ..i used to wake my sister to come out with me in the dark and promise her the earth .lol.and the jeyes fluid .i quite liked the smell .good clean smell.im glad you remembered the suff...my mom doesnt remember it but i clearly do..my dad used to say put it down the suff.
 
another saying comes to my mind ;
when argueing between two people
one would say ;
take no notice its not true its ;
only tit for tat -or tickle tatlins to some-one ;;
 
Sandra i remember the nit nurse and some of the poor kids would be sent to the clinic every time.
do you remember the derbac soap it was black, your mom would use that in between the shampoo treatment to make sure you were clear,and the outside toilets,how we managed is a miracle,
Particularly old people,i was always envious of people in the flats because they had inside bathrooms,the good old days,how do you think people would cope if it suddenly reverted
 
Sandra my Dad (country born and bred not Brum) always called them Spugs or Spuggers.
 
anyone remember ....wockers and duckers wockers were big bricks we used to chuck. and duckers were thin bits of stone or slate we used to skim ..
 
Hello Veegee,

Like you we still say , our mom and dad, our darrin, etc. never thought about it till you mentioned it. Miriam.
 
My Missus took me right back, a few months ago, the Grandchildren were outside throwing stones. having an argument with other kids.

My Missus, Linda. Stood on our step, and shouted across the road,
"PUT THEM DUCKERS DOWN"!! Well!! I was transported back in time. I hadn't heard that said for a long time.
 
Brummies would say goodbye to each other in a distinctive way,I noticed.
For example,taking one's leave from another person,it would be:
"Tarrar a bit"
Saying farewell to two people,it would be;
"Tarrar both"
And for more than two people it would be:
"Tarrar each"
 
You're right Reg,it used to come out "Orright mate"
When I was an apprentice many years ago,I would sometimes be greeted with
"Owm ya gooin' on son"
 
Hello Sandra, I've found most of them now, traced them back to worcester, and Hartlebury. I'd be more than interested to see what you have though Sandra.!!
 
Sorry Sandra!! that reply sounded a tad suspect, after reading it again. I obviously meant your familytree. PHEEEEEEEWWwwwwww. Sorry.
 
is ok reg lo....my husband now deceased was anthony john coley his dad was albert coley he had sisters but cant recall names at moment...his mom was elizabeth bailey...deceased...
 
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