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

My mum aged 90 picked up a great expression from the day centre she went to once a week - “couldn’t hit a cows arse with a banjo”, she loved the shock on our faces because she wasn’t known to swear.

My mother used to call me a guttersnipe when I was naughty. I’ve never thought to look it up. Will do now. We used to refer to continental quilts (duvets).

How about this - said to me (at around ten) when I was right but a bit cheeky to my mum: "You been sleeping in the knife box again?"

Though I dislike the phrase in a conversation with my son 27 yesterday I said it’s a better phrase than pointing Percy at the porcelain! He said I have never heard that in all my life and yet his Grandad said it!

@Greenfinch we used to say “up the wooden hill to blanket fair then down sheet lane to have a game of shuteye “

Were you born in a barn? (You’ve left the door open)

What’s for dinner?

A jump at the larder and a bite at the knob

A little girl at nursery said that the other day and I had to laugh. She was only three! “ oh my giddy aunt” I knew then she had a granny same age as me!

Going to see a man about a dog

Fur hat and no knickers - a person pretending to be upper class with no money
Like a black hole in here - a dark room
Like Blackpool illuminations - too many lights on in empty rooms etc
Flying without a licence - fly zip undone
Raining in Paris - slip is showing
Put the wood in the hole - close the door
Raining cats and dogs - torrential rain
Knee high to a grass hopper - said to a small cheeky child
Face like the back of a bus - a nasty ugly person

Chocolatelovinggran

eddicat, I think an " old fashioned look" refers to a recriminatory glance given. The equivalent in our house would be a "Paddington Bear hard stare".
I'd like to add " talk of the washhouse" , meaning someone who has provoked gossip.

Yes, or a cynical, judging disbelieving sort of look ( old fashioned).

eddicat, I think an " old fashioned look" refers to a recriminatory glance given. The equivalent in our house would be a "Paddington Bear hard stare".
I'd like to add " talk of the washhouse" , meaning someone who has provoked gossip.

It's snowing in Paris - your petticoat is showing
As black as the Earl of Hell's waistcoat
Do you think my head buttons at the back because my belly buttons at the front?

My mum was Glaswegian and she used to say “it looks like Duffy’s sublets in here” if the place was untidy.

As a Fifer, we always heard “I’ll see you in the Forenoon” meaning morning.

Fur coat and no knickers always gets a blank look.

Black over Will’s Mothers

Not exactly an expression but cowboys and indians seems to have disappeared.

One of my Dad's favourites was "don't look at me in that tone of voice".
I too always refer to the "quilt" on my bed, not "duvet" - I'm sure they were originally called continental quilts. My parents bought me a fabulous down filled one for my first marriage 50 years ago.

Can anyone explain this one? When I was a teenager my dad commented that one of my friends had an old fashioned look. I objected, saying she was very up to date. He just said that that wasn't what he meant - but I've never found out what he did mean!

What’s for dinner? My mother always said’ neck of nothing and no turnips’
Expression of surprise -Jiminy Cricket
Expressing annoyance - fossilised fish hooks.

Seeing ‘a man about a dog’ was common, too. My grandad said that a lot. Also, if I asked him how old he was, he’d say ‘Same age as my tongue and six months older than my teeth.’

On what’s for tea - kippers & custard, or, more rudely (and not in our house!) poo-poo pie with muck-muck sauce.

My granny used to say 'put the wood in the hole'.

I think she meant shut the door.

My dad used to say he was going to get 'a whim wham for a duck's bottom' when asked where he was going. I suspect it was the duck's 'arse' really, but he thought 'bottom' sounded better for us children.

All my eye and Betty Martin was a popular naval expression in the 1700’s according to google.

Tell it to the Marines, a fave saying from Dad.