I've always used 'old saws' or sayings. When my kids were growing up I used them as teaching tools. Once in awhile, I'd have to tell them I didn't make that up. Sometimes I did. If they'd do something I'd tell them not to do, I would adapt something they would relate to, i.e., then don't cry for me Argentina, or there's gonna be big trouble in Little China.
Between the devil and the deep blue sea - I like that one. I have always loved The Wave painting and recently bought this 3D postcard that moves the water around.
Love is blind... Oh, how we could all have heard that more. A few others I have used ~
Devil is in the details
Waste not, want not
Measure twice, cut once (I thought my husband was going to have a stroke when I used that one on him.)
There are literally thousands and not just in English. For instance, kick the bucket, means to die. It is humorous, in a slightly disrespectful way. Kind of. The version in Arabic, wad'aa" means, he said goodbye (sounds kind of sad.) Reminds me of 'whadup'. In Lithuania, instead of kick the bucket, they say, pakratyti kojas,
or to shake the legs (doesn't sound quite as funny.)
In this computer age, they have become common, in the form of memes.
BTW ~ It took me years to figure out what a meme was. LOL meant lots of love, or so I thought. I'm hopelessly ignorant of modern day lingo or computereze.
What are some of your favorite idioms? I know you have some, or is it just a generational thing?
28 comments:
'Shake the legs' reminds me of our 'shake a leg' which has a totally different meaning. :)
My dad used to always say 'take a powder' when taking leave. Nobody, but nobody understands me when I say it now.
So it must be generational Bea. Too bad. Wisdom in some of those little ditties.
I like "Mind your P's and Q's". Irish for "Mind your Pints and Quarts"!!
It was funny hearing my mothers voice with a few offered.
The child of depression parents, we heard many, and since they were not explained, I only figured out many as an adult. For instance, between the devil and the deep blue sea to me was an image of a beautiful ocean. The devil held no terror for me. What was the big deal?
I did like puzzling ones, like my dad's, we eat what we can and what we can't, we can.
Mine were French..when we would say we were hungry..the would say:"Mange ta main,garde l'autre pour demain"
Eat your hand save the other for tomorrow..
And of course Après la pluie,le beau temps.😌
Never knew that Ry. Today they'd say, 'none ya'.
I got a million of them Prairie.
I know now it is generational. Young ones today wouldn't know anything about canning.
Oh lordy Monique. I never heard that one. Have to go look up pluie.
One of my Mom's oft said phrases was and is, Takes two to tango. (I've learned that she would rather say it than hear it. xo
Ha ha, Frances. Do as I say, not as I do; that's my all time fav.
I gave that Hokusai print to my husband as a wedding gift : D
My kids have mastered the eye roll when I spout any but I have heard a few repeated back to me so they are worming their way in.
I constantly had to tell my kids" Stop making mountains out of molehills". One I often use, " It's just not my cuppa tea" I use idioms in my books quite a bit, I love them.
We do have much in common. They remember. I've even heard them repeated to the grandkids;)
I do love them too Jeri. Short and sweet.
I know many of what you wrote but don't really remember any that we said.
cheers, parsnip
They are a part of my speech. To the extent that sometimes I don't recognise them. 'Better out than in' was a common one. Also 'you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink....'
'rat killing' for running errands, 'tempest in a teapot' for making something out of nothing, 'what goes around comes around' for minding your behavior, 'god willing and the creek don't rise' for getting something done.
I bet you have a million too Ellen.
I don't remember my mother using them either, so I guess I just picked them up somewhere.
Me too Child. Heard the horse one, but not the other. The kids know, Karma's a bitch and I oft repeated The Golden Rule to them too.
We were watching an old Audience with Billy Connolly the other night which I have seen a million times and I cry with laughter every time ..... he comes out with some wonderful old silly ones :
" But they used to say strange things to you. Say "Can I go out on my bike?" "What? Bike? I'll give you bike!" "I've got a bike." "Don't talk to me like that! And don't think that about me, boy!" "Can I go to the pictues?" "WHAT? Pictures is it? I'll pictures you, my lad!" What does that mean? There's lots of things I don't know. "I'll make you smile in the other side of your face." "What're you gonna do, slash me?" And then there's one they use in Scotland: "I'll take my hand off your face, my boy."
I don't know if they make sense to you Donna but they are things that our parents said that didn't really make any sense at all !!!! XXXX
Jacqueline, I know what you mean. I used to make up ones to the kids apropos for what they were talking about. I just can't remember them as well as you. Haven't had the kids around in so long I'd forgotten about it.
Mind your P's and Q's was one my mom always used to say to me. And when I'd go out on a date as a teenager, she used "stay out of the clinches." My partner has one for Trump: The higher the monkey climbs, the more you can see his ***. We're going to need some good ones for the next 4 years, if he lasts that long. Ooooh don't get me started!
LOL also means, 'laugh out loud.' I come from a household brim full of sayings. 'Storm in a teacup' has now rather rudely been updated to 'storm in a D cup.'
I'm so with you Kirsten. Let's hope he doesn't. Glad to know even a young one like you remembers them.
Ha, Rosemary. I hadn't heard that one. lad you got to hear them in your daily. They were little teaching moments. I just hope my kids learned from them.
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