Sayings from the Old Country

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

Tendril is the night

guffaw.

[DanaC]

I remember the first time I saw 'tidbit' in an American book. Struck me as slightly bizarre. I think it's taken over a little from Titbit here now.

As has 'ladybug' instead of 'ladybird'.

My niece always calls them ladybugs. I said to her that is what Americans call them but that the British word for them is ladybird, but she says she prefers ladybug.

[footfootfoot]

In for a penny, in for a pound
Penny wise, pound foolish

[DanaC]

Both of those are commonly used over here.

[casimendocina]

You're just joshing...

I thought this was English, but I'm watching Scrubs and it's in one of the episodes.

[DanaC]

Joshing is English, but it may have travelled.

'Joshing' is generally seen as a slightly upper-class, public school, and old fashioned way of saying 'joking'. It's recently come back into vogue (last 20 years or so) in a more general sense.



[eta] according to google, it originates in the US in the 19th century. So I guess it travelled here.

[Sundae]

I thought "snatch you bald-headed" was North of England.
But before I posted it I checked online.
It may have originated here, but it's been in currency on both sides of the Atlantic at least.

[footfootfoot]

what about "your bald-headed snatch"? Almost unheard of in the 1970s...

[casimendocina]

Both of those are new for me.

Once again on Scrubs, heard dilly dally as in 'mustn't dilly dally" which I'm pretty sure is English. Reckon the Scrubs writing team must have done a lot of borrowing of phrases from across the Atlantic.

[DanaC]

My old man said "Follow the van,
And don't dilly dally on the way".
Off went the van wiv me 'ome packed in it,
I followed on wiv me old cock linnet.
But I dillied and dallied, dallied and I dillied
Lost me way and don't know where to roam.
Well you can't trust a special like the old time coppers
When you can't find your way 'ome

An old music hall number from the early 20th century. I doubt there's a single Brit alive who wouldn't recognise that tune :p


From wiki:

It is a humorous song, but it also reflects some of the hard aspects of working class life in London at the beginning of the 20th century. The couple, in the song, are obliged to move house quickly in the middle of the night, because they cannot pay rent. They fill up the van with their possessions. But there is not room for the wife, so the husband instructs her to follow the van, which she does, carrying the pet bird.

[Clodfobble]