Gransnet forums

Chat

Funny old sayings that give away (y)our age

(131 Posts)
Grannyknot Tue 11-Sep-12 22:53:21

I said at work today 'I doff my hat to you' and my colleague looked at me blankly. I also recently said 'photo-stat machine' till a young colleague said 'Why do you say that, instead of photocopier?' (blush). I wondered why myself, and then remembered about roneo-stat machines, but decided against trying to explain to a 23 year old. No wonder DD sometimes says to me "How do you still fool them at work, woman?" grin

feetlebaum Wed 12-Sep-12 10:36:13

@MiceElf "Liberty bodice, knicker elastic, darning socks, and the dreaded belt, pins and pads."

Oh! Soap and water...l wash your mouth out...

I still say 'It's five-and-twenty past...', frock (of course), no doubt if I had to refer to a lady's 'suit' it would be as a 'costume', wireless (natch),
gramophone (sometimes) .

HOWEVER

It annoys me when someone asks, re the TV, "What's on the other side?"
Of the hundreds of channels I have, which is "the other"?

Bags Wed 12-Sep-12 10:38:38

feetle, in our house, if we had a telly, the answer to that would be 'dust'.

Gagagran Wed 12-Sep-12 10:41:39

Does anyone remember a strange word we used for sticking plasters i.e spetch? Or was it just a local word in my Yorkshire village? Not heard it used since I was a child!

Lilygran Wed 12-Sep-12 10:44:47

Plimsolls, anyone? And the Banda machine in an enclosed space - how hazardous was that?

Bags Wed 12-Sep-12 10:44:49

I remember that word, gaga, but I haven't heard since in Yorkshire either. N British dialect, I suspect.

Littlenellie Wed 12-Sep-12 10:54:24

lilygran yes plimsolls and bumpers which where the thicker ones similar to the converse..kitchen cabinet and gas stove and scullery,mantelpiece grin

Movedalot Wed 12-Sep-12 11:15:47

Definitely frocks, even posh frocks for special occassions.

A newer one: I say PC when I'm talking about my laptop.

Vacuum cleaner when everyone seems to say Hoover - mine isn't!

Marelli Wed 12-Sep-12 11:22:24

In Fife it used to be 'sandshoes' (or 'sannies' for those who were 'cool')! I always wear a 'frock' and never a 'dress' - of course that's when I'm not in my beloved jeans! 'Frock' sounds lovely and droopy and soft - whereas 'dress' is frilly and not me at all!

Anagram Wed 12-Sep-12 11:44:07

Isn't that strange? Frock is frilly and dress is comfortable and soft, to me!

Greatnan Wed 12-Sep-12 11:59:58

Frock, wireless,swimming costume, tapes...........

Littlenellie Wed 12-Sep-12 12:12:37

Tape recorder even greatnan

Granny23 Wed 12-Sep-12 12:33:13

We wore sandshoes (white) and gym shoes (black). We were in big trouble if we referred to these as 'gutties', deemed to be a West of Scotland slang term. I think gutties is the more interesting word being derived from gutta perch = rubber as the shoes were rubber soled. I have never had a frock, posh or otherwise, always dresses.

soop Wed 12-Sep-12 12:56:41

Before expensive, designer trainers, we wore simple black or white plimsolls.

kittylester Wed 12-Sep-12 13:00:39

This soft shoes are always called plimmies round here.

soop Wed 12-Sep-12 13:02:56

Do schoolchildren use satchels anymore?

vampirequeen Wed 12-Sep-12 13:05:39

A dress is an every day item but a posh frock is something special.

I say five and twenty past and five and twenty to.

We wore sandshoes (sannies).

The main light in the room is the big light...as in 'put the big light on'.

We used to sit on a settee but now everyone seems to sit on a sofa.

kittylester Wed 12-Sep-12 13:09:43

A frock in our house is used to describe a really, really posh dress and is never used alone but has to hyphenated with posh. A posh frock would be worn by someone who was mutton dressed up as lamb, which was my nan's favourite saying.

Anagram Wed 12-Sep-12 13:11:49

Big light - yes!

Movedalot Wed 12-Sep-12 13:30:37

Does anyone get squiffy anymore?

MiceElf Wed 12-Sep-12 13:38:26

Or wash the pots?

Cazcandoit Wed 12-Sep-12 13:41:07

My lovely set of china, inherited from my grandmother, and displayed in the dresser, is called 'nana's old pots.'

Marelli Wed 12-Sep-12 13:55:55

I come from Nottingham, where it's definitely 'wash the pots'. Up here in Scotland, it's 'the dishes'.

absentgrana Wed 12-Sep-12 14:05:27

I'm afraid I do Movedalot. grin

I still talk about the railway station rather than the train station.

kittylester Wed 12-Sep-12 14:08:39

Do you lay the table or set it?

Gagagran Wed 12-Sep-12 14:28:31

We side it instead of clearing it! (Having set it initially of course)