Weird phrases
When I was growing up, my gran on my mum's side had the strangest way with words.
I would ask her, "What's this, Gran?" And she would say, "Scotch mist," when clearly it wasn't. Her point being that I shouldn't be so nosy, probably. But equally I suspect it meant she didn't know either.
When my brother or I would ask her for a sweet, she would say, "Those who ask, don't get." But if we didn't ask and still didn't get, she'd say, "If you don't ask, you don't get."
So, "damned if you do, damned if you don't," as Bart Simpson said.
My personal favourite, though, was her other stock response to the "what's this?" question.
"A wim-wom for a mustard mill," she'd say.
Ain't that some crazy shit?
I would ask her, "What's this, Gran?" And she would say, "Scotch mist," when clearly it wasn't. Her point being that I shouldn't be so nosy, probably. But equally I suspect it meant she didn't know either.
When my brother or I would ask her for a sweet, she would say, "Those who ask, don't get." But if we didn't ask and still didn't get, she'd say, "If you don't ask, you don't get."
So, "damned if you do, damned if you don't," as Bart Simpson said.
My personal favourite, though, was her other stock response to the "what's this?" question.
"A wim-wom for a mustard mill," she'd say.
Ain't that some crazy shit?
permalink posted by * (asterisk) at 1:06 PM
6 Comments:
aww..I'm from the south..we always use weird little expressions..I love them..
one was You'd rub someone on the head and say "wish cotton was a monkey"
i always thought it was a good luck thing..then I researched it a bit and it has ties to the KKK and lynching and stuff..damn..
There goes that innocent childhood memory.
My my, isn't that sweet?!
to the parental unit..
where are you going?
there and back to see how far it is!
if thats right i will stand the drop of york. (?)
how old are you? as old as my teeth, not as old as my hair.(?)
heh heh those are lovely. I can't think of anything cool my family said...it was all children should be seen and not heard obviously that is why I am such a rebel and could talk to a tombstone.
But my friends dad always had great things to say like the tombstone comment to me, and he'd say, you know how you get freckles on your knees? Eating too many cornflake sandwiches.
Cornflake sandwiches, Candy? Excellent! I used to make salt and vinegar sandwiches as a kid. No butter; just two slices of bread liberally sprayed with salt and vinegar. What was I thinking?!
FF: "There and back..." was one of my gran's too; and "as old as my gums and a bit older than my teeth".
Since you said you speak some Italian, you might like this little pearl of wisdom:
"Nic nic, chi ruba s'impicc"
(Even I don't know what it means... something like "a thief will hang himself" or something.)
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