As I was growing up, my family had a couple of sayings I took for granted were universal, at least within my language. As I became an adult I have learned that these are not universal at all:
- the ketchup effect. It is an expression meaning that when things arrive, they all arrive at the same time. Think of an old school glass ketchup bottle. When you hit the bottom of it, first there is nothing, then there is nothing and then the entire content is on your food.
- faster than Jesus slid down the mount of olives. Basically a saying that implies that the mount of olives is slippery due to olive oil and Jesus slipped.
- What you lack in memory, your legs suffer. An expression meaning that when you are forgetful, you usually need to run back and thus your legs suffer.
Please share your own weird family sayings.
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My Grandmother used to say “It’s better than a kick in the teeth” when deflecting disappointment in an outcome–putting a positive spin on a negative. Being from the UK it seemed universal, but moving to Canada and saying that, people gave me odd looks.
The other one is when somebody is talking nonsense or a bit crazy, they would say “They are out of their tree”. For the Welsh the tree symbolizes stability and mental wellness (druids I guess) and if you were stressed or needed to chill their phrase translates to “I need to go back to my trees”
No one, I think, is in my tree.
I mean, it must be high or low.
I used to hear ‘better than a poke in the eye with a blunt stick’
Whatever the fuck that means
My family’s was “beats a sharp stick in the eye.”
We had better than a poke in the eye with a wet banana.
I’m from the US and “better than a kick in the teeth” and “better than a poke in the eye” are both common around my area. Never heard the tree ones though.
I’ve (also Canadian) heard it as “better than a kick in the pants”
Or “better than a boot to the head”, wayyyy before those kids started singing about it … in the hall. The kids in the hall.
The ketchup effect and the suffering legs are pretty common here and I have heard many use it. Especially the one with the legs is more or less a cliche by now.
The one with the sliding Jesus i have v never heard before!
“play with fire. get burnt!!!” or “play with a cobra. your face gets bitten!!”. both mean the same concept and are truly interesting and true
If you get hung in a rut, you better lock those hubs in. Cat get your tail out the fire!
“That’s the cock for Dolly!” - Finally got that working.
I’m familiar with the last one. Love the “ketchup effect”, have to remember that one
“Dead meat is hung, live meat is hanged.” Turns out most people’s grandma’s aren’t radical leftist english teachers.
My mom used to describe a solution to a problem that worked well as “slicker than snot”
Used that phrase in a work meeting once when I was younger and got the most eclectic mix of reactions ranging from, “ think I’m going to vomit” to full on LOLs.
I’m stealing that one.
My mom used to tell my brother’s and I to eat vegetables that were longer than they are wide because it’s good for growing an ankle duster.
… Am… Am I understanding correctly that your mother told you and you brother , regularly, to eat dick shaped vegetables so you could grow a long shlong?
Spot on! I take it your mother didn’t off that advice?
Well my sisters and I don’t have that kind of equipment, so no.
Was she your first 🥰
Mother? Yes. There was another one that came later.
You are motherfucker
That’s a smart mom.
The what
Eat long veg, grow long dong.
Yeah I know what it means. Don’t you think that’s a little strange coming from mom? Bow chicka wow wow 😽
A Dutch one I got from my Oma: “It’s as if the angels upon my tongue have pissed”. It means “yum”.
Alsof er een engeltje over je tong pist.
Not really a saying, but when I was a kid I wanted to learn how to whistle so badly. I was told that if I ate pickles it would help me learn faster? I didn’t eat any, and I still figured it out eventually.
Probably because sour would make your lips pucker? I think lemons would be more obvious.
70’s kid my Dad says “wadda want eggs in your milk?” (still to this day)
always said if you “upscale” something.
Me: Dad I need shoes Dad: ok we will get some. Me: how about those Adidas like Run DMC Dad: Wadda want eggs in your milk toofunny thing is as dumb as the saying is. My oldest child used it the other day when a person was trying to merge in front of him
You might already heard this one but I didn’t learn until a relatively recent internet meme that its only here in Norway that something being “complete texas” means its completely chaotic and messy.
Also I’m using “what the fir forest” (“hva i granskauen”) as a replacement for “what the hell” and I have no idea where I’ve picked it up… Nobody else around me do, not even family. Works just as fine though against pain and annoyances.
complete texas
I have distant family who moved to Texas. I will steal this, but only to give it away.
The last one’s very similar to a german saying: “Was man nicht im Kopf hat, muss man in den Beinen haben.”
That literally translates to “What you don’t have in your head, you have to have in your legs.”
So that’s 3 people in this thread that brought this up. What does it mean? Is it intelligence versus athletics or something else?
Means work smarter, not harder.
If you don’t think to bring something with you, you have to go back and get it (for example)
“Work smarter, not harder”
I think this one means, either you use your intelligence or use your physical strength to do things. Guess it applies to work and tasks in general.
If you leave stuff in the other room, you walk more to go get it.
Yeah my family (mostly my grandma) used that one too but in Dutch. Wat je kop vergeet moeten de benen ontgelden.
To correct someone from saying “so” too much:
“Sew buttons on ice cream”
“Hey” too much:
“Hay is for horses”
“Well” too much:
“Well, well, well - that’s three holes in the ground”
Micromanage much?!?!
“Hay is for horses” is universal. I do agree that these are all dumb though.
My dad used to say “Hay is for horses, I eat oats.”
True
I like the some in conversation says “but hey…”
I quickly interject “Butt hay is for butt horses”
Dad humor.
“Sew buttons on your underwear” is how I’ve heard it.
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Perhaps the futility is the point.
“si” (italian yes) too much:
If you say si too much, you become a sisi.
