What uncommon phrases, sayings, adages, idioms and/or cliches have you spoken more than once IRL?

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What uncommon phrases, sayings, adages, idioms and/or cliches have you spoken more than once IRL?

I'm not talking about principles, proverbs or really long sayings. I mean stuff like "that's what she said", "maybe when monkeys fly out of my butt", and "taste of your own medicine". Generally expressive phrases THAT YOU SAY as opposed to witticisms/quips that I could easily look up on the internet.

For example, do you say "shit end of the stick", "piss like a racehorse (or stallion in my case)", "cost an arm and a leg"... Which phrases have you said more than once and aren't ashamed of? (stuff that is more uncommon than "take with a grain of salt")

CaptainLorax, Friday, 5 March 2010 19:06 (fifteen years ago)

ie. which ones do you say and approve of?

CaptainLorax, Friday, 5 March 2010 19:07 (fifteen years ago)

"battier than a bessie bug"

gleaned the phrase from my grandmother who grew up picking cotton

I say a lot of archaic southern phrases, usually while affecting a sudden country bumpkin accent

lukevalentine, Friday, 5 March 2010 19:12 (fifteen years ago)

"stone cold, dead in the market"

The other side of genetic power today (Laurel), Friday, 5 March 2010 19:15 (fifteen years ago)

"dog in the manger"

Edward Gibbon & Ruskin' Man (Jon Lewis), Friday, 5 March 2010 19:17 (fifteen years ago)

xpp
I really love the Southern sayings as well. I have a friend who is chock-full of them (good ones too). I can't remember a single one.

CaptainLorax, Friday, 5 March 2010 19:23 (fifteen years ago)

^you done stepped on your dick now boy

hope this helps (Granny Dainger), Friday, 5 March 2010 19:23 (fifteen years ago)

I once wrote "it was snowing like the clappers" in a story at primary school, because I didn't know it wasn't a normal non-slangy probably-only-used-by-my-dad phrase. My teacher laughed at me :-(

ailsa, Friday, 5 March 2010 19:30 (fifteen years ago)

"job's a good un", "sound as a pound" and various other stereotypically northern expressions

Springheeled Jack, Friday, 5 March 2010 19:33 (fifteen years ago)

"Sorry, Charlie"
"Don't ask me, go ask your mother"
"mell of a hess"
"bloody blue blazes"

The other side of genetic power today (Laurel), Friday, 5 March 2010 19:37 (fifteen years ago)

"i dont have a dog in that fight"

69, Friday, 5 March 2010 19:45 (fifteen years ago)

^^ maybe on the common end of uncommon phrases

69, Friday, 5 March 2010 19:45 (fifteen years ago)

Alternately "horse in that race."

The other side of genetic power today (Laurel), Friday, 5 March 2010 19:46 (fifteen years ago)

"you can bang in a nail with a screwdriver, but a hammer works better"

鬼の手 (Edward III), Friday, 5 March 2010 20:07 (fifteen years ago)

^ kind of a proverb plus I made it up tbh so nevermind

鬼の手 (Edward III), Friday, 5 March 2010 20:09 (fifteen years ago)

I usu bang in nails with the heel of a shoe ever since I somehow lost my good hammer to a roommate years ago. No idea where it went but shoes work fine.

The other side of genetic power today (Laurel), Friday, 5 March 2010 20:11 (fifteen years ago)

"does the pope piss in the woods?"

Darin, Friday, 5 March 2010 21:26 (fifteen years ago)

"Stranger things have happened."

The other side of genetic power today (Laurel), Friday, 5 March 2010 21:35 (fifteen years ago)

"does the pope wear a funny hat?"

Wet Hot American Oil Spill (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 5 March 2010 21:38 (fifteen years ago)

"that dog'll hunt"

noted schloar (dyao), Saturday, 6 March 2010 00:56 (fifteen years ago)

"battier than a bessie bug"

gleaned the phrase from my grandmother who grew up picking cotton

I say a lot of archaic southern phrases, usually while affecting a sudden country bumpkin accent

― lukevalentine, Saturday, March 6, 2010 3:12 AM (5 hours ago) Bookmark

imaginin u as kenneth the paige

noted schloar (dyao), Saturday, 6 March 2010 00:57 (fifteen years ago)

"how's tricks?"

Pontiac Driving Excitement (Z S), Saturday, 6 March 2010 01:01 (fifteen years ago)

"that's gotta count for something"

= "done enough overthinking about this topic"

lol i used to say 'how's tricks' alot, got one too many blank looks

they want a fapz (tremendoid), Saturday, 6 March 2010 01:04 (fifteen years ago)

I said it for the first time in forever to a coworker the other day. He was puzzled. Then he said "How is tricks?"

Pontiac Driving Excitement (Z S), Saturday, 6 March 2010 01:06 (fifteen years ago)

How's tricks is not uncommon in the UK. Or at least the bit of the UK that involves me talking.

ailsa, Saturday, 6 March 2010 01:07 (fifteen years ago)

"pushing shit uphill"

Slacker Bilk (S-), Saturday, 6 March 2010 01:38 (fifteen years ago)

"as you do". Always saying that, and it seems to confuse/throw people.
Also a big fan of "ugly as a hat full of arses"

ABBAcab (Trayce), Saturday, 6 March 2010 02:27 (fifteen years ago)

hah, that reminds me, I always say "as you like" when people ask me for my opinion about an activity/choice.

noted schloar (dyao), Saturday, 6 March 2010 02:30 (fifteen years ago)

"I'm going to pull the trigger on..." when I refer to purchasing something.

Elvis Telecom, Saturday, 6 March 2010 02:38 (fifteen years ago)

One of my dad's that I'm fond of - and used the other day to a rection of gales of laughter. Someone's doing something annoying (making a noise, tapping a pen, whatever). You say "is that hard to do?" they go uh no why and you say "BECAUSE ITS HARD TO LISTEN TO, HAR!"

... maybe it isnt that funny.

ABBAcab (Trayce), Saturday, 6 March 2010 02:40 (fifteen years ago)

A lot of poker jargon, lately.

"wtf, everybody on xxx thread is on tilt"

Hervé Grillechaise (WmC), Saturday, 6 March 2010 02:50 (fifteen years ago)

Ha, Trayce, it used to be whenever I was singing a song, my brother would ask, "Oh mna, who does that song?" And of course being a big dork I'd answer w/great enthusiasm, after which he'd say, "Well let them sing it!"

How to Make an American Quit (Abbott), Saturday, 6 March 2010 03:31 (fifteen years ago)

Do BWP lyrics count?

Kevin John Bozelka, Saturday, 6 March 2010 04:35 (fifteen years ago)

Haha Abb I like that variation! :D

ABBAcab (Trayce), Saturday, 6 March 2010 05:07 (fifteen years ago)

deader than a whippet on a pikestaff

Aimless, Saturday, 6 March 2010 06:43 (fifteen years ago)

six of one, half-dozen of another.

Joint Custody (ian), Saturday, 6 March 2010 06:45 (fifteen years ago)

Actually, I grew up in the western USA, born to parents who fully partook of the more colorful phraseology of the common folk, who were raised in an era when radio and movies were still novelties and where barber shops were still a common gathering place where men came to get their ears lowered, to hear dusty old jokes trotted out and the Police Gazette beckoned to waiting customers.

Therefore I have always felt at ease using a huge number of corny old sayings. More corny old sayings than you can shake a stick at. I am a walking compendium of this stuff.

Aimless, Saturday, 6 March 2010 06:50 (fifteen years ago)

to dine out on something (i.e. a story)

noted schloar (dyao), Saturday, 6 March 2010 06:51 (fifteen years ago)

well pull down my pants and call me swamp thing

mandible corrective (latebloomer), Saturday, 6 March 2010 07:05 (fifteen years ago)

that's an old appalachian saying

mandible corrective (latebloomer), Saturday, 6 March 2010 07:08 (fifteen years ago)

"X is like a lingerie store without a display window."

...where "X" can be pretty much anything you're discussing about. My friend taught me this when we were kids, the basic idea is that it sounds deep but doesn't really mean anything.

Tuomas, Saturday, 6 March 2010 15:33 (fifteen years ago)

My husband has lots of these. 'Dryer than a buffalo fart in July' is one that comes to mind.

franny glass, Saturday, 6 March 2010 16:53 (fifteen years ago)

"Great hairy swinging ballsack" - usually when irritated at work.

"It was so dark I couldn't see a carrot" - when describing a dark place.

"Fuckin' bone in here" - ie. it's a bit cold. My brother coined this when we were teenagers, as a contraction of stone cold and chilled to the bone and it stuck.

Bill A, Saturday, 6 March 2010 19:10 (fifteen years ago)

maybe on the common end of uncommon phrases
― 69, Friday, 5 March 2010 19:45 (3 days ago)

I realize I put "that's what she said" in the original post. I never heard yours "I don't have a dog in that fight" so you are all cool there.

The point I'm trying to make is that there can be some common ones in this thread. For different regions they might actually be uncommon

CaptainLorax, Monday, 8 March 2010 16:51 (fifteen years ago)

"how's tricks?"

― Pontiac Driving Excitement (Z S), Friday, March 5, 2010 8:01 PM (3 days ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I've only ever seen this before in a 'Nam-era Doonesbury!

Jamie Bulgur Wheat (kingkongvsgodzilla), Monday, 8 March 2010 16:58 (fifteen years ago)

six years pass...

tilting at windmills

pissing it down (i've never heard anyone but a friend and i say this in north america)

F♯ A♯ (∞), Wednesday, 2 November 2016 17:25 (eight years ago)

I've been teaching various English language idioms to an Italian woman I work with, her favourite being "What did your last slave die of?"

Millions of species Faye Dunaway (Tom D.), Wednesday, 2 November 2016 17:45 (eight years ago)

I want to bring back "independent as a hog on ice"

ELECTION (no comey I) (El Tomboto), Wednesday, 2 November 2016 17:46 (eight years ago)

no one says "pissing it down" surely

Number None, Wednesday, 2 November 2016 20:38 (eight years ago)

ya sorry remove that it

F♯ A♯ (∞), Wednesday, 2 November 2016 20:40 (eight years ago)

I have said, in regard to heavy rainfall, "it's coming down like a cow pissing on a flat rock". Also, "gullywasher".

a little too mature to be cute (Aimless), Wednesday, 2 November 2016 20:44 (eight years ago)

no one says "pissing it down" surely

Yes they do.

Millions of species Faye Dunaway (Tom D.), Wednesday, 2 November 2016 20:46 (eight years ago)

yeah that's common

did we ever get wizz sorted (wins), Wednesday, 2 November 2016 20:47 (eight years ago)

vulgar, even

mark s, Wednesday, 2 November 2016 20:51 (eight years ago)

It's pissing it down here, lots of thunder & lightning too!
― PinXor (Pinkpanther), Thursday, 12 August 2004 11:50 (twelve years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

thought it was always pissing it down in schotland.
ALso, what do Scottish people call these?

http://sigve.holmen.cc/Nature/image/blomst2.jpg

― Tev, Friday, 26 May 2006 09:29 (ten years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I've been looking at the weather forecast, and it's nice to know that some things don't change and it will be pissing it down as usual.
― Vicky (Vicky), Thursday, 19 August 2004 11:22 (twelve years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Although it has just started pissing it down in London so if it doesn't stop all week across the whole South of England we could be fucked.

― Matt DC, Tuesday, 19 June 2007 17:11 (nine years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

&c

did we ever get wizz sorted (wins), Wednesday, 2 November 2016 20:53 (eight years ago)

haha

my english is sometimes a mix of vernacular and vulgarity

wouldn't be surprised if i made "mistakes" like that

F♯ A♯ (∞), Wednesday, 2 November 2016 20:53 (eight years ago)

Showing results for site:ilxor.com "pushing it down"
No results found for site:ilxor.com "pishing it down"

did we ever get wizz sorted (wins), Wednesday, 2 November 2016 20:56 (eight years ago)

i failed to bant any bantz with carl, it was pishing doon, i was at the bus stop whimpering and wondering just how wet my shoe with the hole in it could get, he was boldly striding east with not even a hood to protect him from the rain. LAD.

― Shane Richie Junior (Merdeyeux), Wednesday, 19 December 2012 23:39 (three years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Millions of species Faye Dunaway (Tom D.), Wednesday, 2 November 2016 20:59 (eight years ago)

Oops, sorry, that's "pishing doon" not "pishing it doon".

Millions of species Faye Dunaway (Tom D.), Wednesday, 2 November 2016 21:00 (eight years ago)

lol

did we ever get wizz sorted (wins), Wednesday, 2 November 2016 21:01 (eight years ago)

Me, to the rescue:

"Fuckin' pishin' it doon, so it wis, an' blawin' a gale an' aw. Ah looks oot the windae an' next hing ye know ma fuckin' gazebo's daein' certwheels acroass ma gairden, ah'm like, "Whit! Here! This must be the worst (britishes) summer ever!"

Is that any better?

― FYI Macedonia (Tom D.), Monday, 18 August 2014 14:27 (two years ago) Permalink

Millions of species Faye Dunaway (Tom D.), Wednesday, 2 November 2016 21:01 (eight years ago)

fair enough, only heard "pissing down" myself

Number None, Wednesday, 2 November 2016 21:18 (eight years ago)


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