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Grandmother's sayings

rowan

Born a Brummie
"Little pigs have big ears!"

"Elephants have long noses!"

"As old as me tongue and a bit older than me teeth!"

"Gone to see a man about a dog!"

"Whistling women and a crowing hen are neither good for God nor men"

"Bless her little cotton socks"
 
If you don't eat your Sardiines you will get them tomorrow and I did :(
 
I read this on another forum yesterday, and it really tickled me...

Quote J

This is true, it was said to me.

When the men first landed on the moon there was some discussion on what would happen if they were unable to return.

My grandmother said to me that she couldn't see any problem. Why can't they jump off with parachutes?

;D
 
Another one was,

"There and back agen to see how far it is!"


The thing is I found myself saying the very same things to my children!! :o :laugh:
 
"Many up the Bull Ring?"
was the question my Gran and my mum always asked if I'd been sent to the corner shop and taken a long time about it!! ha ha My mum still says that to me if I have taken my time about something!!
 
I used the word 'scum' tonight - first time I have used it for many a year.

I recall it being used a lot as a child and when I was in nurse training, we often had to check the bowels for 'scum rings' before the matron did her rounds

I quickly looked up the definition in the dicionary - a film of impurities or vegetation that can form on the surface of a liquid

Why dont we hear the word used in the above format so much now ( I know we use scum to describe people sometimes ) - are we just a cleaner population?
 
Here's another one our Subee....SWILL.....I always get told off if I say "I'll just swill this bowl out"....I'm supposed to say RINSE. So I looked up the definition of SWILL in the dictionary......and I am RIGHT!!!!................but I still get told off :( :( :( :)
 
Yes - I use the word swill, and I hear it a lot in the community I work in - rinse reminds me of washing the shampoo from my hair.
 
MY GRAND MOTHER,S SAYING WAS GET A MOVE ON OR YOU,LL BE LATE FOR YOUR OWN FUNERAL , AND WASH THOSE EARS OUT , OR YOU WILL POTOTES GROWING OUT OF THEM AND EAT YOUR YOUR CRUST,S ON YOUR BREAD IT WILL MAKE YOUR HAIR CURL, ASTONIAN ,;;;;
 
my nan always used to tell me to go and swill my face !!!

another one that i still remember vividly, but have never been able to find out where it comes from is

"see you on the ice in the fishmarket" when saying "tara a bit" to someone

Anyone got any ideas ???????
 
There was a large moth flying around the living room. My Canadian wife said "there's something flying around". I looked up from my newspaper and out of no where I said "it's a bobhowler". I have not heard or used the expression in years. Was the term correct? Has anyone heard this before or was it something my dad made up? I can't use the expression again my wife won't come out of the bedroom.
Regards.
 
it,s funny you should say that about the moth , and calling it a bobhowler, because the word was used years ago in the fities and in fact it was a large patterned , brown beautiful butter fly that was reguralar flying around in those days there was alot of beautiful butter flys around in plenty of lovely colours and when we used to see them and catch one we would shout look a bobhowler some we caught some got away, so yes there is a word bobhowler he iwas conciderd the male species , the varitie of colour was fantastic, i haven,t heard the expression in years, since i was a nipper, but you don,t see them any more , you are prone to meet a normal month , all in brown , but the big chuncky ones are the hornets and they do sting you if you clasp your hand over them , i still used the word bobbyhowler myself today , perhaps we haven,t grown out of our boy hood yet , ah , ah, astonian,'''''
 
HI
REF BOBHOWLER
I AM MARRIED TO A WELSH GIRL AND LIVE IN WALES AND I REFER TO ANYKIND OF MOTH FLYING AROUND AS A BOBHOWLER AND MY WIFE ALTHOUGH THE SAME AGE AS ME HAD NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING IN WALES SO ITS SOMETHING FROM MY BRUMMY PAST
JOHN
PS THANKS FOR THE ARTICLE I KNOW ITS A FEW MONTHS AGO BUT AT LEAST I CAN SHOW MY WIFE I HAVEN'T LOST THE PLOT JUST YET.
 
Well did anyone do it this morning?
My wife came out with this one, this morning, that I have never heard before. It was told by her Brummie grandmother, who has been dead these past sixty years, to her mother.

On Good Friday never throw any water away before midday. To do so is throwing out the blood of Christ.
Little macabre I know but sixty plus years ago it was taught.
Will.
 
Granny's sayings

I still use the word bobbyhowler today , its a huge brown furry moth seen only on few occasions nowadays.
My granny used to ask me if I'd had a catlick when I'd had a wash but for years I thought she was saying catholic!
Another was "Its black over Bills mothers" meaning its raining heavy over yonder!
And Miskin was a dustbin!
Cast neer a clout till May is out, meaning dont take your winter clothes off till the May flower is blooming.
Hope these bring some memories back!
 
Jude I remember catlick and don't cast a clout till May's out - Colourful to say the least
 
Where are yer goin Mom.........to see a man about a dog! I never understood this one and why did the say " It's looking black over Bill's mothers.
 
If I said to my gran that I was hungry she would answer:

We'll go in a field and fight, the one who wins will have first bite.
 
If I was saying something to Mom and shouting it, she would say
alright I ain't in the Bull Ring.

If we had gone a long way round to get somewhere it was
Gone round the Wrekin.

My mates Mom was always telling us
Don't play in the horse road.
 
My nan, when asked how old something was or how long ago something happened, would always deepen her voice and say, with a wonderful Brummie brogue "Ohww! Donkey's Years",
I still don't know what that means, but I use it, too, much to the puzzlement of my American friends:)
 
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Darby and Fellowkev. I still use "Donkey's Years" and "Going round the Wrekin" thanks to my Mom.

Her Mom used to say "Any road" instead of anyway and often said things twice in the same sentence - like "Any road, I ended up tellin im in the finish".
 
A couple more that come to mind: "Our" as in "Our Kev'" or "Our Pat", and the affectionate monikers "Aunty" and "Uncle" as in "Aunty Pat" and "Uncle Kevin" when referring to close friends of the family (perhaps this is more of a British habit rather than just a Brummie trait).
 
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