Funny Old Phrases from your Culture

[nickmcmechan]

I'll start off with a few Scottish ones:

Ben the Loby = by the hallway (my old gran used to say "go ben the loby and get ma jay-ket" (jayket = jacket))

glaekit (glay-kit) = stupid, fool

Auld Reekie = City of Edinburgh, Auld = Old, Reekie = smelly (nickname came about from the practice of throwing toilet contents out the window into the street regardless of passers by with a shout of "guardiloo", apparently a french term...before the days of sanitation

Auld Alliance = (auld = old) an affectionate term for the long standing relationship Scotland has had with France, whom the English hate

Auld Enemy = another affectionate (honest!) term for the long standing relationship Scotland has had with England, whom the French hate

(btw the last two were a bit tongue in cheek, please don't take offence)

Fitba' = football, as in real football = soccer

heid = head (pronounced heed)

heid the ba' = head the ball, but it dosen't mean this if you are called a "heid the ba'", then you are being told your a bit crazy

I'll think of a few more today when I'm out and about....

[nickmcmechan]

midden = mess

[Fungi]

'round the twist
got a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock
Both mean mad

(to) come out a cropper
to experience bad luck in something

(to look) like a right galah (species of bird)
to make a fool of oneself

ridgy didge
true blue
fair dinkum (also to concede a point of view, e.g. "That's a wallaby, not a bandicoot you duffer", person two "Fair dinkum eh?")
All mean the genuine article, the real deal

(to) bat for the other team
To betray one's friends/harbour a soft spot for members of the same gender

And one of my personal favourites:
drop bear (noun)
Another name for a koala, those cute fuzzy things you see in eucalyptus trees that (or at least we tell people when overseas or tourists) at nighttime fall down from tall trees to land on your head thence to gouge out your eyes.
People say that this originated as koalas pass out from alcohol in the leaves of the eucalyptus leaves (practically the only thing they'll ever eat in their lives), then they lose their grip on the tree and fall off

There are so many it would take years to collate them all, from the banana benders up north to the Tasmanian devils down south, there are so many...

[lizzies]

haha, i love ridgy didge!!!! il have to use that one!!!!!

[nickmcmechan]

sleekit = sly

[nickmcmechan]

fu = full (pronounced foo) = 1. ate too much 2. drank far too much alcohol

"i was oot last night and i was fu"

=

"i went out last night (to the pub) and drank too much"

[nickmcmechan]

ma tank is fu of fash

=

my tank is full of fish

=

i'm overstocked

[yogias]

So are we to deduce from this that the Scottish dialect is almost another language? lol

how about -

Mad as a bicycle
Sound as a marble
smart as paint

[KingOfTheDeep]

So are we to deduce from this that the Scottish dialect is almost another language? lol

how about -

Mad as a bicycle
Sound as a marble
smart as paint

i believe its gaelic..

[Fungi]

But then you've also got:

Keen as mustard
Sharp as a tack
Thick as thieves

which seem to be found in most cultures

[janewalsh11]

Havea pep-have a sweet
bit of buppy-slice of bread
noggy-first slice on a loaf

[Swayde]

ya'll = as in you all

In response to how are you doing = Finer than a frog hair (variation, Finer than a frog hair split 7 ways and braided)

[shoreliner]

In response to how are you doing = Finer than a frog hair (variation, Finer than a frog hair split 7 ways and braided)


or finer that frog's teeth.

Slicker than a greased eel in a bucket of snot. (lovely image, I know)

yonder (over there, distance undefined)

[jessicar613]

Wow.... Ky ain't got nuthin on yall!! lol! :rofl:

[Sploke]

one that always got me when I saw down south - down the holler = down the road/street/path/whatever

[charlie_stubbs]

from my scottish grandpappy:
"Who dar' meddle we' me"
Translation: you better run for your life

[nickmcmechan]

from my scottish grandpappy:
"Who dar' meddle we' me"
Translation: you better run for your life
better watch or he might have given you a

"glasgow kiss"

which is in fact nothing to do with affection, its a head butt!!!

[jpappy789]

I'm from minesooooda don't ya' know?

[nickmcmechan]

ochsters = armpits

yer ochsters are reekin = your armpits are smelly

[nickmcmechan]

i'll take ma hand of yer face

a parental warning over continual misbehaviour - i'll take my hand of your face

(its not the hand coming off the face thats the worry, its the going on at speed...would end up in jail these days for that kind of parenting...20/30 years + ago it was normal)

[Dwarf Puffers]

Cut the mustard :naughty:

[lizzies]

i'll take ma hand of yer face

a parental warning over continual misbehaviour - i'll take my hand of your face

(its not the hand coming off the face thats the worry, its the going on at speed...would end up in jail these days for that kind of parenting...20/30 years + ago it was normal)

a quote from billy conoly i beleive...

[nickmcmechan]

indeed

[smbjedi]

feed them fish heads!:rant2:

[bluerat]

as much use as chocolate tea cup = useless

[sguthrie]

as much use as chocolate tea cup = useless
a chocolate coffee cup inside a bigger cup would be pretty darn skippy...

[nickmcmechan]

as much use as a chocolate oven

[Fungi]

Like a fart in a thunderstorm = insignificant

[12 Volt Man]

along the same lines:

"Like a fart in a hurricane"..

I know in the UK, people say:

pissed as a fart = drunk/intoxicated.

[nickmcmechan]

what's for dinner gran

sheep ***** and cauliflower wrapped in veil

(that standard response used to annoy the rap out of me)

[Fungi]

Is that sheep sauce?

[nickmcmechan]

no, not sauce........

[12 Volt Man]

I am stumped too.

darn word filters..

[nickmcmechan]

sheep ***** and the last letter

actually just realised that may only be swear word over here....?

[nickmcmechan]

i hope i dont get into trouble for that post

[nickmcmechan]

i believe its gaelic..
more like gaelic / old scots mix

[nickmcmechan]

this is turning into a scottish terminolgy thread....

anyway

on the west coast of sctoland kids are 'waynes'

on the east coast they are 'bairns'

non highlanders are 'sassanachs'...not a nice term really

[Fungi]

Scottish can't be the only culture with little knick-knacky phrases can it?

[nickmcmechan]

Scottish can't be the only culture with little knick-knacky phrases can it?
no, c'mon guys chime in

[nickmcmechan]

niko, what about some cockney ones such as

trouble and strife = wife

[bluerat]

to stop work whilts its raining
it has to be more than 10 splats in a small puddle before you can stop

[jpappy789]

See here in America we don't have a lot of funny phrases...most of us can barely speak proper english:lipssealedsmilie:

[Sploke]

yo i speak real good.

[12 Volt Man]

I have heard this one:

"about as useful as **** on bacon"..

how's that for graphic imagery since I can't type in the word!

LOL

I hope one day word filters become illegal :)

[dixienut]

[quote]"about as useful as ****on bacon"..[quote]
i believe it's .....
**** on a bore hog.... which is a male pig..

[magakitty]

cute as a bug
cute as a button

doggone = @#$%^
dang it = @#$%^

walking in tall cotton = doing well financially

God willing and the creeks don't rise = just this side of an absolute promise to do something

rock with lips = dumb as a door knob = stupid

[Fungi]

Cadbury (n) Someone who can't hold their liquor (e.g. glass and a half)
making hay while the sun shines making the most of an opportunity

[12 Volt Man]

brain fart = momentary lapse in judgement.

this one is gaining popularity around the world it seems.

[Fungi]

brain fart = momentary lapse in judgement.

this one is gaining popularity around the world it seems.

Never heard that one... must be taking its time to get down here :p:

[12 Volt Man]

LOL

[Rbishop]

Please bring this thread back on track and remeber this is a family forum.

Thanks.

[Fungi]

walking in tall cotton = doing well financially


That one's interesting, do you get "tall poppy syndrome"(abstract noun) up there?

It means that the tall poppy which grows higher than the rest gets cut down, sort of an envious hatred of those who succeed

[Sailor Jet]

This all makes me very happy. I'm going to call people glaekits all the time now. They're gonna look at me soooo funny! I am EXCITE!

[Fungi]

Great avatar Sailor :D

[Sailor Jet]

Thank's I drew it special for my avatar. It's based on my black mystery snail, Mr. Black. He's a regular celebrity.