Phrases that date you

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  • That's one I use quite a lot.

    It usually comes up in our house as a suggestion for what a kid should do when they complain of boredom, and keep rejecting suggestions to do some list of useful tasks. It's generally followed by "slap round the face with a wet fish?"
  • On the sub-equatorial thread there was a mention of a 'supermarket'. That is surely a rarity these days. The only one I know of around here is a family-run corner store that sells everything, rather that the big grocery stores that used to be called supermarkets.
  • FirenzeFirenze Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    Supermarkets are still alive and widespread in the UK. What has disappeared is the department store. If there is an agglomeration of different business under one roof, it's usually a mall ('arcade' seems to have disappeared as well).
  • Heard today at church: 'More rabbit than Sainsbury's'.
    Nice!
  • Nick TamenNick Tamen Shipmate
    edited September 14
    On the sub-equatorial thread there was a mention of a 'supermarket'. That is surely a rarity these days. The only one I know of around here is a family-run corner store that sells everything, rather that the big grocery stores that used to be called supermarkets.
    Supermarket was never widely used in these parts, at least not in my experience. We all knew what it meant, of course, but in everyday conversation, that place was called a grocery store rather than a supermarket.
    It strikes me that much of what we’re talking about here are not just phrases that date us, but that locate both in a particular time and a particular place. I’m of a comparable age of many posters here, I think, but the majority of the phrases mentioned in this thread are meaningless to me, not because I’m too young to have heard them but because I’m from a part of the world where they were never familiar to start with.

    I don’t think that’s at all surprising. It’s something to enjoy.
    RockyRoger wrote: »
    Heard today at church: 'More rabbit than Sainsbury's'.
    Nice!
    And this reminds me of what used to be said here: “More ____ than Carter has little pills.” (See here for background.)


  • RockyRoger wrote: »
    Heard today at church: 'More rabbit than Sainsbury's'.
    Nice!

    Eh?????
  • DoublethinkDoublethink Admin, 8th Day Host
    edited September 14
    RockyRoger wrote: »
    Heard today at church: 'More rabbit than Sainsbury's'.
    Nice!

    Gertcha !
  • RockyRoger wrote: »
    Heard today at church: 'More rabbit than Sainsbury's'.
    Nice!

    Eh?????

    To 'rabbit' is to talk - chatter - a lot. Sainsbury's, a grocers, sold cheap and popular rabbit meat in their butcher's department.
  • HeavenlyannieHeavenlyannie Shipmate
    edited September 14
    As Doublethink hints, the line features in the Chas and Dave song ‘Rabbit’ and means to talk too much.
  • My father often called me “Mac Nabs”. I don’t know where that came from.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    jedijudy wrote: »
    ... "Well, that's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick." ...
    In Northern Ireland the equivalent would be "better than a slap in the face with a wet Telegraph" (the local broadsheet is the Belfast Telegraph).

    Again, more of a place reference than a date one.
  • When my parents played bridge, they sometimes used the expression "Hearty man ate a toad". I don't know if that was idiosyncratic or dated.
  • Perhaps it was some kind of code they had when partnered at bridge, in order to pass details of the play of the cards to the other?
  • At the hospital today I found myself using the phrase, 'Heaven's to murgatroyd'. Now where (oh where) does that come from?
  • They also used the expression "Sent a boy".
  • ThunderBunkThunderBunk Shipmate
    edited September 15
    Among other places (potentially), Snagglepuss cartoon. That's who I remember it from.

    ETA - read all about him https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snagglepuss
  • Among other places (potentially), Snagglepuss cartoon. That's who I remember it from.

    ETA - read all about him https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snagglepuss

    well, heavens to murgatroid!

    Many thanks!

    According to Mrs RR I say it quite a lot ....
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    I remembered the phrase, and that it was a cartoon cat, but I'm glad @ThunderBunk answered because the question would have nigged all afternoon if he hadn't.
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