Idioms people don't understand

Escape goat.

We had a school secretary who always said ‘sisstificit’,

A few years back I had a student at college who would pick a word out of a dictionary that he liked the sound of and would then try to use it as much as possible over that week, both when talking and when writing assignments. Other lecturers, who didn’t know about his word of the week, barely noticed that the word was often not in context and extraneous and never corrected him!

Early teens, I told my friend I was reading the Ballad of Reading Goal.
Another friend told me she found a particularly sad situation heart rendering.

Chardy

Spitting feathers, when the person means very angry. Spitting feathers means very thirsty! Spit fire instead.

Now that's interesting. In my neck of the woods (West Country) spitting feathers always means angry or at least agitated. For example "he was spitting feathers about scratching his new car". We'd say "I'm parched" or "I'm gasping" for thirsty.

An update to my post, if anyone is still reading! I've just nosed around online and it seems that "spitting feathers" is used to mean thirsty in the North of England and also the Southern States of the USA, where "spitting cotton" is also used.

I'm in my late sixties and all my life the expression has only ever indicated anger. It was quite a common saying when I was a child. I don't suppose I've ever used it outside of the West Country so I've never received any puzzled looks.

JamesandJon33

We had a school secretary who always said ‘sisstificit’,

In my husband's family, a certificate was always a Sticky Foot. I still have to stop and think before uttering the word in public.

Here on GN it's a "stifgit"
Usually awarded by Miss Marydoll 🤣

NotSpaghetti

My father called the Co-op the Cworp. It was in jest but harked back to his South Wales roots.
I can hear him saying it now.. 🧡

In our part of Scotland it was called the sosh ( rhymes with cloche ) because it was the co-op society .

Pittcity

Here on GN it's a "stifgit"
Usually awarded by Miss Marydoll 🤣

Named as such by my unruly pupils! 😂

flappergirl

An update to my post, if anyone is still reading! I've just nosed around online and it seems that "spitting feathers" is used to mean thirsty in the North of England and also the Southern States of the USA, where "spitting cotton" is also used.

I'm in my late sixties and all my life the expression has only ever indicated anger. It was quite a common saying when I was a child. I don't suppose I've ever used it outside of the West Country so I've never received any puzzled looks.

'Spitting feathers' indicates crossness in Sussex too, as does 'spitting tacks''.

I had to leave the room when a friend told me she was going on the Venice to Simpleton Orient Express.

As a child I read pneumonia as penumonia for years, and, of course, there was always hyper bowl! My grandmother told me she always wondered why there was a hymn called Gladly The Cross Eyed Bear. Gladly The Cross I'd Bear didn't sound half as interesting.

lixy

flappergirl

An update to my post, if anyone is still reading! I've just nosed around online and it seems that "spitting feathers" is used to mean thirsty in the North of England and also the Southern States of the USA, where "spitting cotton" is also used.

I'm in my late sixties and all my life the expression has only ever indicated anger. It was quite a common saying when I was a child. I don't suppose I've ever used it outside of the West Country so I've never received any puzzled looks.

'Spitting feathers' indicates crossness in Sussex too, as does 'spitting tacks''.

Thanks lixy. Yes, we also say spitting tacks in the West Country. They both mean angry. If we ever say it in the North it seems we may be offered a cup of tea!

flappergirl

lixy

flappergirl

An update to my post, if anyone is still reading! I've just nosed around online and it seems that "spitting feathers" is used to mean thirsty in the North of England and also the Southern States of the USA, where "spitting cotton" is also used.

I'm in my late sixties and all my life the expression has only ever indicated anger. It was quite a common saying when I was a child. I don't suppose I've ever used it outside of the West Country so I've never received any puzzled looks.

'Spitting feathers' indicates crossness in Sussex too, as does 'spitting tacks''.

Thanks lixy. Yes, we also say spitting tacks in the West Country. They both mean angry. If we ever say it in the North it seems we may be offered a cup of tea!

It means angry in Glasgow,

Doodledog The colleague one always amuses me. In Sainsbury's, notices suggest that if you need help "just ask a colleague" but none of my colleagues come shopping with me!

I find using "colleagues" for staff members is pretty odd too...
They may be colleagues to each other but to me they are not.

flappergirl

lixy

flappergirl

An update to my post, if anyone is still reading! I've just nosed around online and it seems that "spitting feathers" is used to mean thirsty in the North of England and also the Southern States of the USA, where "spitting cotton" is also used.

I'm in my late sixties and all my life the expression has only ever indicated anger. It was quite a common saying when I was a child. I don't suppose I've ever used it outside of the West Country so I've never received any puzzled looks.

'Spitting feathers' indicates crossness in Sussex too, as does 'spitting tacks''.

Thanks lixy. Yes, we also say spitting tacks in the West Country. They both mean angry. If we ever say it in the North it seems we may be offered a cup of tea!

Not on my part of Yorkshire, you wouldn't- growing up there, I never came across spitting feathers used to mean 'thirsty'. In fact, I've yet to hear anyone in 'real life' use it with that meaning.

And I think most people around me as a child said 'Cwop' for the Co-op - that's how I heard it, anyway¡

What an interesting thread. I have lived in various parts of Scotland and have always been spitting feathers when I was angry. Growing up in Glasgow I am pretty sure we went to the Coh to get the dividend from the Co-op.

So it would seem that "spitting feathers" is used to mean angry in Glasgow, Yorkshire, Sussex and my home patch of the West Country.

I must admit I have never heard anyone use it to mean thirsty in real life or on the TV etc, although Chardy says it means thirsty where she comes from.

It would be interesting to hear from anyone else that uses it in that sense and what region they come from.

Yep, spitting feathers = thirsty. I was brought up in the North West.
But I’ve also heard it used as angry too, maybe because I live in the South now.

Another North-Westener
Spitting Feathers = thirsty.

'Fit note' to mean one is not fit to go to work is quite a new idiom, I think. At least, when I broke my shoulder a few years ago and was told to get a fit note from my GP, I was totally flummoxed. What on earth could they mean?

Usedn't they to be called sick notes?

Not that I'd ever needed one before.

"Cworp" for Co-op is what I remember from when I was a child and we were living in Hull. I don't think my parents said it like that but other people did.

Doesn't a "fit note" say when you will be fit again"?

I can see why spitting feathers might mean thirsty. I'm thirsty just thinking about a mouthful of feathers.

Spitting tacks was angry/mad when I was young. Think of those spikes!