What are some of your family idioms that make no sense to anyone outside of the clan / household? We have:
- 'going rubby-round', when a cat rubs up against your legs because it wants dinner
- 'don't tell John', a generic name for cat treats that are human food e.g. ham
- 'osbidge', meaning a horse
- 'going rubby-round', when a cat rubs up against your legs because it wants dinner
- 'don't tell John', a generic name for cat treats that are human food e.g. ham
- 'osbidge', meaning a horse
Comments
He was also responsible for a "soldier" being one of those briefcase-styled carry cases for tapes or CDs.
"willy and the chocolate box factory" - for when someone's misremembered the title of a film, song etc
"bring norway to belgium" - when someone's serving food and the plate is too far from the pot
- “[he’s] a bit chicken & ham”, handsome
- whenever someone yawns we say “hot pies on baby’s head!” and gently lay a hand on their forehead
2nd is a riff on the 70s “Mmmm Mattessons” adverts
I have never been able to find an origin or explanation for the 3rd
"Do the needful" = make or pour the tea
Also we pronounce it “Farridge”, which I think I got from Paul Merton on HIGNFY.
-"look a big one", to display shock and surprise
-"barking up a dead horse's ass", an activity of utmost futility
I was unaware it was not common usage until I said it at a Guides tour of a fire station. The fireys were pretty much pissing themselves laughing.
also ‘back-alley-sally’ is a way to refer to a shortcut/secret route, but you should have seen the looks I got using that in public for the first time.
"Bat-bat" - general expression of affection
"Purrfungus" - cat so burrowed under the covers only a tail tip is visible. (Esp. But not necessarily if purring.)
“Jahsainsbury’s” pronouncing the J that used to be on Sainsbury’s shop signs
“MORE TOAST?!” Said in a strange accent usable during any food or drink top up situation. Apparently after a b&b waiter who said it funny one time.
*I believe* at some point when I was very young he had to go on some work outing involving a bus and it sprang from that.
My youngest kid had a speech problem and loved sharks, which he pronounced “arc-shas” which is a name that stuck.
~ To Schmuff - a verb for cats to bat a toy or other small object underneath the furniture. I got it from a flatmate and passed it onto my family and a friend. The past participle can be conjugated in German (geschmuft), English (schmuffed) and Italian (hai schmufato).
With one flatmate we had “the stuff cupboard” and “the other stuff cupboard” which referred to specific cupboards.
- Fodge for fog.
- Dunno how to spell this but "gym" is pronounced like "time" with a hard-G instead of the T.
Breakfast is brekwins, after a toddler mispronunciation from one of my cousins (he's 19 now)
SWMBO made the slip once. No I will never let her forget it.
Clothules - clothes
Nog - hot water bottle (shorted from 'nog wagger boggle')
Long loo go/short loo go (my fault, sharing a house with only one loo and someone with significant digestive issues it was important to know if I needed to jump the queue!)
We say Disneyappear for disappear.
We insert an extra P in fruit and other words ending in T to make Fruipt.
And an elbow is also known as a "fault".
Bumblebees and noodles is pound and needles.