Sayings from parents/adults that you remember from when you were a child.

[Dougella]

I was walking to the shops and passed a woman with two children and I think I heard her saying the classic...

"Look with your eyes not with your hands"

Are there any sayings you remember from your childhood or that you found yourself saying to your children?

[Mr. Nobody]

Choochul, McToochul,... sometimes when I sneeze I say this.

[Consolida]

Sayings my mum said to me as a child...

Your eyes are bigger than your tummy.

Just wait until your father comes home! (This was a hollow threat because I was far more frightened of my mum than my dad)

If you don't eat that you can't have any pudding.

Your eyes will go square sitting that close to the TV

Stop crying or I'll give you something to really cry about.

If I get hold of you, you won't be able to sit down for a fortnight! (This was back in the day when it was okay to chastise and smack children)

I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I'd spoken that way to my mother (As a teenager, I hated this one most of all).

Take off your stocking and play with your shoe (this was in response to me saying that I was bored. Not that I wore stockings, lol)

Does your mother have any more like you? (I never quite knew what this meant but I think it was probably negative)

What did your last Servant die of? (My dad would say this if I asked him if he could make me a drink )

A blind man would be pleased to see it (My dad would say this if I was moaning about the size of a spot or whatever).


I didn't remember repeating many, if any, of those sayings to my son accept maybe the eyes being bigger than your tummy one. I tried my best to praise and compliment him rather than criticise, but no doubt failed miserably on occasion.

[Dougella]

^ Oh yes, the days when parents could threaten a physical punishment and mean it!

One I heard a lot was "if you don't stop that I'll give you a clip round the ear!"

[Tonkin]

A blind man would be pleased to see it

^ that's a good one ^

[Jen.]

^ I remember a primary school teacher telling me and another girl that she'd bang our heads together I thought she meant it literally and was very upset about what was going to happen. All it meant in reality was spending the whole of the lunch break being told off.

[Dougella]

I also remember that one "I'll bang your heads together" luckily in my case it was an empty threat.

[Consolida]

^ I grew up as an only child so that's one thing that my mother couldn't threaten me with

I remember being told that if I said that again I'd have my mouth washed out with soap and on one occasion having a bar of soap stuffed in my mouth

[Dougella]

^ I can't imagine you ever doing anything naughty as a child!

I heard other people's parents saying the wash your mouth out with soap thing.

[Consolida]

^ Yeah, like a girl is going to eat something after being told that it will put hairs on her chest. Parents could be so dumb

Originally Posted by Dougella

^ I can't imagine you ever doing anything naughty as a child!

I heard other people's parents saying the wash your mouth out with soap thing.

I think I was quite a well behaved child compared to many because I'd worry about getting into trouble. I don't even remember why my mouth was washed out with soap. It could have been for answering back or saying the word 'bloody'

[Percy]

Spare the rod, spoil the child.

[Dougella]

I remember being told eating bread crusts would make my hair curl

[biscuits]

English isn't my Mum's first language so I wasn't exposed to many of these British sayings and idioms. But if she did pick one up, she took quite a few of these literally, thinking they were actually what British folk do.

Once she took me to this girl's house because she wanted me to apologise to her, she was like, "Kiss and make up."

despite my protests, I had to kiss the other girl on the cheek!

I didn't really hear many of them because my Dad doesn't ever use them. He'd make up his own. When he brushed my teeth or hair, he was really rough and I'd be like, "Ow! Dad that hurts."

And he'd say, "It hurts to be beautiful."

[Percy]

^What's her first language (just out of my own nosey parker curiousity)?

[biscuits]

^ Sass.

[Percy]

What's sass?

[biscuits]

^ hehe I mean she's a sassy lady, so her first language is sass

Portuguese

[Percy]

Oh i see.

[Mo34]

There's no pockets in shrouds

Nout queer as folk

I'll wash your mouth out with soap

Me: It's not fair!!! My mum: It'll be red then (this used to drive me crazy!! , Apparently my granny used to say it to my mum and drive her crazy with it too)

If the wind changes your face will stay like that

Back in my day

Those who hesitate are lost (usually my dad saying this re. crossing the road)

Because I said so

Being warned about all the starving kids in Africa when I wouldn't eat my dinner

You'll get square eyes (watching TV)

Who's 'She' - the cats mother

Carrots make you see in the dark

Crusts will make your hair curly

[Dougella]

^ I'd forgotten about "if the wind changes your face will stay like that"

[choirgirl]

^Yup to the wind changes one, carrots, crusts, eyes too big for your tummy. My granny was the main one saying all these.

Don't be a dog in the manger (if you didn't want something but you didn't want your sibling to have it either.)

Time waits for no man. (My dad, who also has a tendency to run late.)

One cuts, the other chooses. (This was an instruction.)

Don't answer back.

The starving kids in Africa was definitely one from a few adults.

[Tonkin]

Some of these are brutal! Do you think people with a lack of social skills use them as crutches to have something to say, like stock phrases that hide their inability to chat like a "regular" person?

"go anywhere nice?" when someone trips on something.

"no, the other right" if giving instructions and someone goes left instead of right.

[Dougella]

^ Maybe, but it's often things parents say to their kids so it's more like things to say in situations they regularly find themselves in with their children or when they don't have an answer to give their child!

Another example -

"What was the man who invented the steam engine. Don't say what, say pardon."

[Consolida]

There's no such thing as can't was something I'd hear as a child but in the next breath the adult might tell that child that he can't go out to play or whatever so it was a complete nonsense.

[Azalea]

"Were you made at Pilks?" when standing in front of the tv
"stop crying or I'll give you something to really cry about"
"you stupid stupid girl" if I fell, dropped or spilled something or did the slightest thing wrong

[Dougella]

^ What's Pilks?!

[Azalea]

Originally Posted by Dougella

^ What's Pilks?!

Pilkington's glass, half of St Helens worked there years ago but like anything it's gone downhill.

Originally Posted by Nanuq

Is that a reference to Pilkiington's?

My mum used to say "why are you standing there like one of Lewis's" That was a reference to the mannequins in the department store

It is

I remember the Lewis's quote too.

[Consolida]

Just thought of another one my mum used to say to me a lot.

'I'd rather keep you a week than a fortnight'

I got that when I was was proving more expensive than usual to feed, clothe, etc.

[Dougella]

^^ Oh yes that was a frequent one "were you born in a barn?!" when we'd left a door open.

[Percy]

We had a cat who was literally born in a barn.