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sayings

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The French sing for Auld Langs Syne, (whatever that means) Un encore aurevoir, another goodbye and Bon Anniversaire for Happy Birthday, which is not your wedding Anniversary which used to catch me out, ,Bon fête du fin d'anée, Happy end of the year celebrations, Not Happy New Year. Mind you these celebrations go on for ever you can say it till February. Although they say Bonne Anée on the 31st.
 
Mad as a box of frogs.
There's speculation the phrase originates from a group of German explorers who, whilst in the Amazon, attempted to collect and collate data on poisonous frogs. All was going swimmingly until one of the intrepids accidentally became intoxicated by venom, prompting hallucinations and much leaping about, like a frog. :grinning:
 
Pedrocut said:
To be off one's nut, to be nuts....(hence Nut House)
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Friend says you are off the cake, for crazy, mad as a fish. daft as a brush. Have heard as soft as clarts possibly Tyneside. Thick as two short planks. Thick as a brick. Gran said thick as 'unrepeatable. but rhymes with wit. A colleague was referred to as The Plank. We also had Bone Head. We had lots of names. Not telling you mine. A few coppers short of a bob. No the full shilling.
 
Thick as two short planks
Rare as hen's teeth (There is another version, which I will refrain from publishing, but around North Devon it is the more popular one..Rocking Horses feature in it.
The one word that I have come to love the use of in the west country is Maze used to describe a busy scene 'tis maze yer', it is very busy here, or 'ee be Maze', he is a little simple.
Bob
 
Bob Davis said:
Thick as two short planks
Rare as hen's teeth (There is another version, which I will refrain from publishing, but around North Devon it is the more popular one..Rocking Horses feature in it.
The one word that I have come to love the use of in the west country is Maze used to describe a busy scene 'tis maze yer', it is very busy here, or 'ee be Maze', he is a little simple.
Bob
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As in Doc Martin, eez gone Bodmin. Is that a made up one?
 
Nico said:
As in Doc Martin, eez gone Bodmin. Is that a made up one?
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Bodmin used to house St Lawrences Hospital, a home for the mentally disturbed, which was next to the prison and was a home for those who used to be confined to what were called Lunatic Asylums. Going to Bodmin meant jail or St Lawrences, you could take your pick.

Bob
 
Times change and so do sayings.

Remember when neighbours would stop at the garden gate to chat. Memories of ladies in conversation dressed in three quarter length coats or pinnies, shopping bags in hand and maybe wearing a headscarf and the posh ones with hats fixed with a hat pin. If it was general chatter my Nan would say they were having a tête à tête but as she had no inkling of French it was just a 'Tate a Tate'. If it was malicious gossip and the group was outside another neighbours gate she would say they were 'canting'. Kids would never be part of the group and we would circle, at a distance, until the meeting ended. The topic of conversation was never of interest to us and most of what was discussed we couldn't hear anyway but their phrases and their mannerisms said it all. If it was real gossip the lead speaker would raise her head, look around furtively and lean back into the group as she revealed the latest gossip.The gravity of the news release would be monitored by the extent to which the crowd leaned back, arms folded about their chests muttering responses like 'Well I never', Ooh I say' 'Little madam' or 'What a sight for sore eyes'. If they were discussing someones health and the prognosis was serious there would be mention of 'them swathing it away'. This would conjure up visions of poultices and bandages and leave me wondering how they would ever be used to treat a serious illness! Now these social gatherings take place in private on mobile phones, the presence of the group is indicated by a picture icon and being 'online' and the latest gossip is shared on social media. The level of response to the latest news is rated by emojis, or SMS abbreviations.... OMG, SMH, RLY, TIME. Unlike the privacy of a discrete huddle a message can now be accidentally leaked to all and sundry by pressing the share button!

I wonder what my Nan would have done with a mobile phone and no need for a garden gate LOL
 
Has 'When Hector was a pup' been mentioned. It was always used to say 'many years ago' in our house and I find myself saying it even now although I have no idea who Hector was!
 
My wife has just been reading a book entitled " Practice makes Perfect" by an author named Penny Parkes. The plot revolves around a doctor's practice in a Cotswold village near to the city of Bath. Imagine her surprise when one of the characters said " You've got a face as long as Livery Street".
I wonder if any of the author's readers realise where Livery Street is and perhaps she is showing her true Brummie roots, although a biographical search on google doesn't mention where she was born.
 
Actually I believe
jmadone said:
My wife has just been reading a book entitled " Practice makes Perfect" by an author named Penny Parkes. The plot revolves around a doctor's practice in a Cotswold village near to the city of Bath. Imagine her surprise when one of the characters said " You've got a face as long as Livery Street".
I wonder if any of the author's readers realise where Livery Street is and perhaps she is showing her true Brummie roots, although a biographical search on google doesn't mention where she was born.
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Livery St was a part of an old Roman road so it is very long!
 
Lady Penelope said:
Has 'When Hector was a pup' been mentioned. It was always used to say 'many years ago' in our house and I find myself saying it even now although I have no idea who Hector was!
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My friend at work from Leeds used to say, when God was a lad. My Irish mate was always wound up by his London colleague who used to say to him, we came and civilized you lot when you were swinging through the trees and painting your backsides blue. His Asian colleague used to to call him an Irish donkey. All good natured.
 
mbenne said:
Times change and so do sayings.

Remember when neighbours would stop at the garden gate to chat. Memories of ladies in conversation dressed in three quarter length coats or pinnies, shopping bags in hand and maybe wearing a headscarf and the posh ones with hats fixed with a hat pin. If it was general chatter my Nan would say they were having a tête à tête but as she had no inkling of French it was just a 'Tate a Tate'. If it was malicious gossip and the group was outside another neighbours gate she would say they were 'canting'. Kids would never be part of the group and we would circle, at a distance, until the meeting ended. The topic of conversation was never of interest to us and most of what was discussed we couldn't hear anyway but their phrases and their mannerisms said it all. If it was real gossip the lead speaker would raise her head, look around furtively and lean back into the group as she revealed the latest gossip.The gravity of the news release would be monitored by the extent to which the crowd leaned back, arms folded about their chests muttering responses like 'Well I never', Ooh I say' 'Little madam' or 'What a sight for sore eyes'. If they were discussing someones health and the prognosis was serious there would be mention of 'them swathing it away'. This would conjure up visions of poultices and bandages and leave me wondering how they would ever be used to treat a serious illness! Now these social gatherings take place in private on mobile phones, the presence of the group is indicated by a picture icon and being 'online' and the latest gossip is shared on social media. The level of response to the latest news is rated by emojis, or SMS abbreviations.... OMG, SMH, RLY, TIME. Unlike the privacy of a discrete huddle a message can now be accidentally leaked to all and sundry by pressing the share button!

I wonder what my Nan would have done with a mobile phone and no need for a garden gate LOL
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Mine loved new gadgets. Would never go out in her carpet slippers or her pinny, or without stockings or without even a light jacket in the summer as it was common, she would have been canking. Very Les Dawson ish if someone had it all taken away. Sucking air in through pursed lips, the heaving of bosoms, folded arms, nodding, mmmm! mmmmm! If it was womens' talk I would be told to go and play. If men were seen to be chatting, it would be a conflab. If it was my dad, oh, ees got the tail on again. Nan's second husband had done it or had it or seen it etc. Nan would get him back when he was in mid schpiel, singing "I've been everywhere man!"
 
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