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"old saying"

  • Thread starter Thread starter margaret sheridan
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Funny Sayings

I've had a look at those sayings John and there are some really good ones on there. One I looked for but wasn't there, was one our Dad used to use which was 'Guys Squint' What an earth did that mean? Also, when we say Rabbits at the beginning of a month with an R in it. I thought it was perhaps a brummie saying, but my husband is from Yardley by the Yew Tree Pub and he had never heard of it. I think they weren't as posh as us lot!
Lynda
 
I know that I should't admit to this here, but my father is a.........SCOUSE.
However, my mother was born in Little King St, Hockley, so I grew up with a mixture of different sayings . A 'piece' in our house was a 'Butty' (and still is) . Or "I'll knock yer from here to the 'one eyed city' " (Birkenhead). My mother was (and still is) a 'refined' Brummie. I have never heard her use even a mild swear word. "Flippin'" was her most serious cuss. Whereas my dads arsenal was "Bloody" and "Soddin" and made up about 50% of each sentence. Sometimes in reverse order. We were not allowed to use slang words at home so imagine my mom's consternation when My older brother and me both got apprenticeships in "Smerrick"! I used to come home saying things like "Ah caw" and "I Ay" just to wind her up, but being 16 or 17 didn't stop me from getting my ears "boxed". Talking about winding up Mom, just reminded me of the time when I was being particularly cheeky and she chased me out of the house. Now I could run... but Mom kept after me all the way down Frederick Road. Much to the delight of the neighbours. I was laughing so much that I just couldn't run any more and she caught me and dragged me all the way back by my earhole. I forgot that at school she used to run for Birmingam, (and she hadn't forgotten how) By this time the whole street was out and loudly applauding my Mom and jeering me., and we were laughing so much that the tears fell. Maybe now that she's eighty four I might give it another shot...........but then again.......maybe not!
 
Old Sayings

Lynda, we used to say white rabbit, white rabbit bring me good luck on the lst day of months beginning with an R.

Pandora, your post about donneys reminded me that when I worked at Delta Metals one of our bosses was transferred from the London office and one of the girls said to him one day give me your donney, he recoiled in horror and I'll never forget the look on his face, we all fell about laughing, he never told us what he thought a donney was, but was very relieved in was only his hand she wanted.
 
Old Sayings

Reading a Kandor post about being in his tots, reminded me of the saying "he was in his hoile tot" don't know if the spelling is correct, but it means he was very happy or pleased with himself.
 
Sylvia, I had never heard the saying 'Mumper' until I read your post, and today a friend used it in the context of being mean. It would have slipped by me but for this forum. :D
 
:) When my daughter was about three I took her to the doctor to find out if she was hearing ok, as she did not use much language. Our son the eldest had rabbit’ed on from around 18 mths of age using any words that he heard. The doc said no I think her hearing is ok, but do you mix much with people? Only being in NZ for a few months before Angie was born I told him not as much as I'd like too and I did not know many people outside the family and having two young children made it more difficult to meet new people . He said that Angela’s hearing was fine and because I had a child that could not see not to look for something to be wrong with the other that it was a case of “She is not able to understand what you are saying because of that strong accent of yours”. I was so embarrassed I just walked out and tried to speak to Angie much more slowly and clearer after that. Needless to say when Angela was 12yrs old I was told that she had quite a severe hearing loss in her right ear and that it was strange that had I not picked it up sooner. Well…
I wish now I had told that first Doc ‘Not to be such a cheeky bleeder and lamped him one’. After all, my son as I said spoke well and even now can sound like a true Brummie if he wants.
:) 8)
 
I don't sound much like a Brummie now, but I can, and if I meet one I fall on their necks. :D

We don't only sound lovely, we are lovely. Not too many people hold a shop door open for you here, let alone say 'Come on love' when they do.
 
Old Saying

When it looked like rain my Mum used to say "It's black over Bill's Mother's". Who was Bill - that's what I'd like to know?

Jan
 
old sayings

Hi! how about when upset "gu on the more yo cry the less yo'll widdle"
Pull ya socks up and blow ya nose
gi us a kiss and lend us a tanner
wher ya bin? I ain't bin nower I'm jest guin or wher ya guin? I ain't guin nowher I've jest bin.
When hurt -- Yo can't be dead or yo culdn't cry
Some one mentioned strong language or the lack of it,well my father,a cockney , squashed his thumb with a 4lb hammer, looked at it and said "Damn and Blast It". My mother was upset, she was never known to swear, strong talk was "Oh Bother" or "Blood and Guts"
Me I was in the navy; I know all the words but never use them.

FINALLY ---I'm that thirsty I couldn't spit a threepenny bit.

Tara for now, gotta catch me buzz!!!!
 
Brummie Sayings & Language

I never - ever - heard my dad swear!
Mom didn't either - but, when she was in a bit of a lather, she would cry "Oh jam and butter the muddy bucket of pitch"
Well, it sounded like swearing and it helped her to let off steam. :oops:
 
Just been reading the old sayings again, don't they roll the years away. :D

Another was : I wouldn't trust 'im as far as I could throw 'im.
 
:D Di, I still use that one (about trust) - My Dad had some real good ones but they maybe a little rude to put on the forum. However if you want to use your imagination here are couple of his more mild ones on ... 8)
'Red hat no dr..s '(I have never worn a red hat) :wink: .
' I'll never be rich, as long as I've a hole .. .. ....' :roll: and he never was and knew that he never would be :) .
No intention to offend. Just telling it like it was :lol: :lol:
 
My mum's favourite was "all kippers and curtains" to describe the posh people who lived in Solihull. :lol: My dad came from Derbyshire [not his fault someone has to] and used to say palings for fencing and jitty for a passage way, although I'm not sure if that is a Brummie saying or not. My kids both say "round the Wrekin" and since they don't live anywhere near Birmingham but picked it up from me have to explain to "foreigners" what it means.
 
Brummie Sayings & Language

Another of my mother's sayings "the better the day the better the deed"
this was often said on Sundays which when I was growing up was a more restful day than it is now, and few people did heavy household chores, but if they did my mother used this expression.
 
Pom I remember all of those, and you are right - I wouldn't wear a red hat either. :roll:
One of your earlier ones makes me think of my mother. I can see her standing with her hands on her hips, Oil give yo such a lampin my girl.

Grace we always said palings for fence. It's a very old english word. Ifyou ever read the Diary of Parson Woodford (18th Century) he uses it, and a lot of other words we have lost.
 
I just thought of another one, the grey matter does clear from time to time :D
Dad's sandwiches for work were always called his Snap, here in Cambridgeshire they call it Dockey.
 
:D Another couple of Dad's were (If we as teenagers sat on the table)
"Tables are for glasses not a..." :) and " Dono what yo girls are cribbing about, yus all sittin on a goldmine" :wink:


Here in NZ Snap was always called 'Smoko'. Not P.C these days, its now 'your break'. Sad really how the views of a few who manage to get into high positions, can change the rules for everyone. :(

Still it seems that the forum and a few other sites are doing their best to not let them fade away completely :D
 
Sayings

Worrabout "Ow'd yer like to wake up with a crowd around yer?"
A Friday/Saturday Fight Night shout! :roll:
 
if you don't shut up you will be chewing a brick

are you trying to give me the bums rush

I am going on shank's pony
 
One saying my dad amazed me with was
"DO YOU WANT A GOOD HIDING"
Like I'm gonna say
"OH, YES PLEASE ,DAD, I'D LOVE ONE" :roll:
 
Brummie Sayings & Language

When a piece of clothing was ready for the rag bag, Mom used to say -
"It's more 'oley than righteous".

Mind you, most of our clothes were - after 'Polly on the stick' or a rough game of footer. :lol:
 
Just to say i used to love playing polly on the mop stick as we called it my i had a few bruises to show for it. Have we had a face as long as Livery Street? We now say a face as long as a Bruce Springsteen concert, i remember seeing him at Villa Park in the 80s or was it the 90s :oops: you could here the bass as far away as here in Shirley. 8) :lol: :D
 
where does the name polly come from my nan was called
polly so was my mom and a next door neighbour I spent many years looking for my nan Mary Ann Pool to find out later she was called Polly from an early age where did this orignate from ?
can any one put a light on this
and there is Polly put the kettle on any connection to a domestic ?
 
Brummie Sayings etc

Re: Polly - I believe it to be a shortening of Pollyanna, which was a common name at the turn of the century. My gran was refered to as Poll - as in ' Have you bin to see Poll this week?'

Pollyanna was also a an optomistic type of individual who was written about in children's books - by E.H.Porter, an American author, who wrote in the early 1920's. :roll:
 
The only Polly I knew lived in Hamstead, she was shown as Florence in the 1891 census. She is worth a mention because she cooked fish and chips for the village in an old tin bath in her front room. They were the best I ever tasted, all screwed up in a bit of newspaper. :D
 
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