Colloquialisms & Slang

[stephec]

I prefer the dogs bollocks

Red or brown sauce?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Use some elbow grease

First memory is when I was cleaning my Euphonium (not a euphemism). I was using brasso or some such polish. My mother told me to use some elbow grease. I naively asked her where it was kept. She meant “Put some effort in”.

 

[Profpointy]

Pull your finger out.

Of what, I often wonder?

the traditional longer version is "out of your arse"

 

[Profpointy]

At some point this thread's going to go horrendously Yorkshire isn't it? It's just bread you know, nobody cares.

"there's nowt worth owt that ain't got barley gummit"

 

[CanucksTraveller]

"The mutt's nuts". (For our American friends, I should point out that "nuts" is used here in the same way as in General McAuliffe's famous response to the Germans at Bastogne). Meaning: Top quality/one's most prized possessions/held in high esteem. eg "How was your holiday?" "It was the mutt's nuts, mate".

I'd argue that this one should be in the "Stupid phrases" category, I've never understood why dog's testicles are held up as a prized thing of high esteem when there are more logical things to compare something of worth to. If you were relatively new to English (or to Earth even!) and you enquired about whether a holiday was good, you might reasonably expect to hear that it was "brilliant" (like a gem), "it was diamond", or that "it went like a dream".
But if you enquired about a friend's holiday and they said that their holiday could be likened to a dog's testicles, you'd assume things had gone pretty badly and it was all rather unpleasant.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

As fit as a butcher’s dog.

Means a person is extremely fit and healthy even in a challenging situation. Linking back to a butcher‘s dog living off scraps.

 

[byegad]

Pull your finger out.

Of what, I often wonder?

It's behind you!

 

[oldwheels]

I'd argue that this one should be in the "Stupid phrases" category, I've never understood why dog's testicles are held up as a prized thing of high esteem when there are more logical things to compare something of worth to. If your holiday was good, it might make sense to say "it was diamond", or, "wow, it was truly golden".
But let's say I'm new to English... if I enquired about a friend's holiday, and they said to me their holiday could be likened to a dog's testicles, I'd assume things had gone pretty badly and it was all rather unpleasant.

But bollocks is bad tho' dog's bollocks is good. Explain that.

 

[swee'pea99]

Arriving in New Zealand back in the early '80s, I first encountered the expression 'no worries'. Everyone says it now of course, but they didn't then.

We didn't have rising inflection here then either?

 

[swee'pea99]

Use some elbow grease

First memory is when I was cleaning my Euphonium (not a euphemism). I was using brasso or some such polish. My mother told me to use some elbow grease. I naively asked her where it was kept. She meant “Put some effort in”.

Mrs Wilson, whose windows I used to clean, whose garden I gardened, when I was 13 and she must have been knocking on 80, on her first day as a skivy ("I would have been about the age you are now."), got sent to the corner shop for thruppence worth of elbow grease.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

But bollocks is bad tho' dog's bollocks is good. Explain that.

On seeing my dog effortlessly lick its balls for five minutes, my mate said, "I wish I could do that."
I said, "If you give him a biscuit he might let you."

That explains it.

 

[kayakerles]

The use of "CC" on emails. I wonder how many of the younger generation know what this stands for and probably very few have used it in it's original form.

Agreed, Sharky, and even if they know it means "carbon copy" they probably haven't even seen one. Besides, the younger riders on this forum probably think it stands for Cycle Chat for some reason.

 

[kayakerles]

i always remember my sons utterance...
That's well bad good that is .

As in, its really good....

These things come and go...

Here in the States, GBB, kids here say, "that's sick! or "that's dope" to mean "that's great."

"That's well bad good that is" is one I would have had to think about.

 

[carpiste]

Wigan, Hindley, Leigh....
If you ever visit you will be completely lost! People going round with a Monk on because they ran out of Babbies Yed and Pea wet!
I kid you not!
https://www.wiganworld.co.uk/stuff/dialect1.php

 

[kayakerles]

As fit as a butcher’s dog.

Means a person is extremely fit and healthy even in a challenging situation. Linking back to a butcher‘s dog living off scraps.

I like that one, Ming, it's descriptive and can be visualized. A butcher's dog could sure be better off than a dog eating only tins of stuff or bagged food.