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"Old fashioned" expressions that young people have never heard.

(250 Posts)
ExDancer Mon 03-Aug-26 18:03:13

I was quite amused at the checkout in our local supermarket by the reaction of the young checkout cashier, when -not quite hearing what she said - I said "I beg pardon".
She truly didn't know what I meant.
Is this a local (Cumbrian) expression? It means 'what did you say' or 'pardon', or 'what', or 'eh?'.
Is it country-wide?
Do you use old fashioned speech? If so - what?

Sheba Wed 05-Aug-26 04:43:39

Kippers and curtains…….appearing well to do on the outside but couldn’t afford a decent meal in reality !!

Crumbly159 Wed 05-Aug-26 01:33:43

"Punctuality is the politeness of Princes".

Say no more.

Sweetsnbooksnradio4 Wed 05-Aug-26 00:27:20

I would use that just like that - e.g. ‘if you think I’m cleaning that lot up, you’ve got another thing coming!’

Gosh, is it a veiled threat?

BoggledMind Tue 04-Aug-26 22:27:48

I remember so many of these. What great thread.

Couldn't stop a pig in an entry was common round our way when describing someone bow-legged.

Patsy70 Tue 04-Aug-26 21:32:11

A tit in a trance. Someone who is disorganised.

MissAdventure Tue 04-Aug-26 21:31:42

Enough blue in the sky to make a sailors trousers. (Something like that!)

Patsy70 Tue 04-Aug-26 21:28:20

Where are you going? There and back to see how far it is!

Floradora9 Tue 04-Aug-26 21:20:39

eazybee

Rain like stair rods.

"snickersnee," an old term for a long knife or knife fight.

StTrinians Tue 04-Aug-26 21:19:39

Ps Sorry, that should read "He had his chips!"

StTrinians Tue 04-Aug-26 21:18:38

"As tight as a crab's a**e." (For a parsimonious individual)
"She looked like death warmed up."
(For a young lady wearing overly pale/ green tinged face foundation...she looked green...) RAF sayings that I no longer hear. "He had had chips",.. "he kicked the bucket", or " he went for a Burton", and " he bought the farm". (For someone shot down.)
"It was a piece of cake" (Easy peezy...)
smile

Patsy70 Tue 04-Aug-26 21:17:25

Strangely enough I came across two today. One was ‘companion set’ and another was ‘easel’. They were both donated at the charity shop where I volunteer and two younger people were not familiar with either of these descriptions of the items.

TanaMa Tue 04-Aug-26 20:34:18

My late husband was in the Fleet Air Arm and also used that phase.

TanaMa Tue 04-Aug-26 20:32:35

My father, when spotting girls/women dressed in too short/too tight clothes, always said 'the sights you see when you haven't got your gun'!! Probably wouldn't be allowed today!!??

MissAdventure Tue 04-Aug-26 19:54:24

And me.

Baggs Tue 04-Aug-26 19:50:09

dahlia

I still say this, as well as "in two shakes of a lambs tail"

Me too.

Baggs Tue 04-Aug-26 19:49:38

My offspring think I made this one up but I think my south Yorkshire (and I mean south not South; it was part of the West Riding back then) paternal grandfather used to say it: "Let's 'ave a loook at these 'ere 'errings 'eads" when you want to find out how something works.

Rocketstop2 Tue 04-Aug-26 19:40:19

WithNobsOnIt

Probably get banned from Gransnet for saying this.
But many Northerners used to say this when freezing Winters really set in.

Never ones to mince their words
Bloody hell.

Just been to put rubbish In the bin outside. Eeh! It was as cold as buggery.oot there.

and we sometimes still say it grin

Taichinan Tue 04-Aug-26 19:34:22

Well, that didn't work!

Rocketstop2 Tue 04-Aug-26 19:30:43

Georgesgran

I now ask for 2 cod and chips, as asking for ‘twice’ just brings a puzzled look.

Yes this has happened to me when buying chips..What is wrong with people ??!!!

dahlia Tue 04-Aug-26 19:18:17

I still say this, as well as "in two shakes of a lambs tail"

4allweknow Tue 04-Aug-26 19:16:23

An emphasis on BEG in I beg your pardon would indicate you regard what's been said as rude, cheeky where I come from.
You're like the coos tail - your slow, hurray up.
Awa an bile yer heid - stop talking rubbish.
Double decker Bus conductors best - Hurrah up and come doon,
Come on, get aff. My GD who speaks Gaelic thought that was hilarious and thinks bus driver/conductors should be taught that nowadays.

Ohmygoodness54 Tue 04-Aug-26 19:11:54

MissAdventure

I like that.
A lop...
I'll have to find some way to weave it into a conversation.

Until I was iny twenties, I'd never heard "Like a piffy on a barmcake", but I love that.
Northern, I'm sure.

We used to say piffy on a rock bun.
I've spent weeks trying to stop DGS (5) saying "what you say" and to use pardon instead.

Mischief13 Tue 04-Aug-26 19:09:33

My Mum always used to say like piffy on a rock cake. She also used to talk about straining her indy. I never found out where her indy was.
When I asked my Dad where he was going he used to say there and back to see how far it is.

Plevey08 Tue 04-Aug-26 19:01:52

Oh my giddy aunt.

EllieAnne Tue 04-Aug-26 18:55:05

That rips my knitting when something annoys or exasperates you.