Balderdash and Piffle

[Rhiannon2006]

I'm sure everyone's heard of "kit and kaboodle" (everything or all of it).
Example: He took the whole "kit and kaboodle."

There was one my granddaddy said, that to this day, I haven't figured out the origin. "Skin the cat." I must have been around 6 or so and my playset had a set of metal rings hanging from chains... much like the rings the men have in the Olympics/ gymnastics. He saw me playing on them and asked if I could "skin the cat." I had no idea what he meant. He rephrased his question, asking if I could a flip over with the bars. I could and demonstrated. Then he said, "Okay, now skin the cat. Do it backwards." From then on, "skin the cat" meant a backwards flip. Anyone else ever hear this term before?  

[Poppetta]

sisu1969

What a fun thread!

Around here "dig in" means to start eating. As in "Dig in you guys before the foods all gone!"
I "tuck in" my kids to bed at night. (OK, well my two year old anyway, the others I just send off to bed with a kiss and a hug.)

Let's see... the pot calling the kettle black. (means you do the same as whatever you are accusing the other person of doing.)

Get off your high horse (don't be so uppity thinking you are better than everyone else)

Hold your horses. (Don't be in such a rush)

When I was young we'd insult people by calling them "Richard Cranium" (d**k Head)

I'll write more as I think of them.

We use all these phrases in England too 3nodding Though as Harbone said tuck in as opposed to dig in when refering to food 3nodding many older educational establishments such as boarding schools have 'tuck shops' that sell sweets. But tucker is a term that i associate with Australia ninja  

[Rhiannon2006]

I loved hearing my dad yell at my brother when he dragged in past curfew...

"Where were you? Out gallivanting till all hours with those friends of yours?"

Dad's bark was always worse than his bite. wink  

[sisu1969]

Rhiannon2006

I'm sure everyone's heard of "kit and kaboodle" (everything or all of it).
Example: He took the whole "kit and kaboodle."

There was one my granddaddy said, that to this day, I haven't figured out the origin. "Skin the cat." I must have been around 6 or so and my playset had a set of metal rings hanging from chains... much like the rings the men have in the Olympics/ gymnastics. He saw me playing on them and asked if I could "skin the cat." I had no idea what he meant. He rephrased his question, asking if I could a flip over with the bars. I could and demonstrated. Then he said, "Okay, now skin the cat. Do it backwards." From then on, "skin the cat" meant a backwards flip. Anyone else ever hear this term before?

My mom used to say, 'There is more than one way to skin a cat'
(I used to think that was pretty gross.) But I took it to mean there is more than one way to get a particularly difficult job done.  

[Rhiannon2006]

sisu1969

Rhiannon2006

I'm sure everyone's heard of "kit and kaboodle" (everything or all of it).
Example: He took the whole "kit and kaboodle."

There was one my granddaddy said, that to this day, I haven't figured out the origin. "Skin the cat." I must have been around 6 or so and my playset had a set of metal rings hanging from chains... much like the rings the men have in the Olympics/ gymnastics. He saw me playing on them and asked if I could "skin the cat." I had no idea what he meant. He rephrased his question, asking if I could a flip over with the bars. I could and demonstrated. Then he said, "Okay, now skin the cat. Do it backwards." From then on, "skin the cat" meant a backwards flip. Anyone else ever hear this term before?

My mom used to say, 'There is more than one way to skin a cat'
(I used to think that was pretty gross.) But I took it to mean there is more than one way to get a particularly difficult job done.

Between my granddad and your mom, there must have been some very naked cats running around... *checking PetsMart for kitty clothes* 4laugh  

[Lil Brat]

Oh, I've heard so many of these... bringing back some memories...

Skinning the cat ~ solving the problem another way 3nodding
Beat us up one-side and down the other 3nodding
Kit & Kaboodle, galivanting, the horse phrases, pot/kettle ~ yup some of us coulda almost grown up together lol

My mom tells a story on my grandfather from when he was a young boy (with 11 sibs). One of his younger sibs went into the house saying, "Salmon Ditch." Needless to say, didn't take my great grandmom much to figure out what he was really attempting to say, and boy was grandad in a good deal of trouble. Needless to say, we use "Salmon Ditch" frequently.

More family specials ~ you'll be home by midnight, or you're shoes will turn into pumpkins... eek
Your a** is gonna be grass, and I'm the biggest lawnmower you've ever seen... emo
and from dear old dad: "I'm gonna kick your a** up between your shoulderblades, you'll part your hair to wipe." gonk

Don't know if my family is just really warped, or if other parents/families had oddball sayings that seem to be unique. sweatdrop  

[Rhiannon2006]

Lil Brat

Oh, I've heard so many of these... bringing back some memories...

Skinning the cat ~ solving the problem another way 3nodding
Beat us up one-side and down the other 3nodding
Kit & Kaboodle, galivanting, the horse phrases, pot/kettle ~ yup some of us coulda almost grown up together lol

My mom tells a story on my grandfather from when he was a young boy (with 11 sibs). One of his younger sibs went into the house saying, "Salmon Ditch." Needless to say, didn't take my great grandmom much to figure out what he was really attempting to say, and boy was grandad in a good deal of trouble. Needless to say, we use "Salmon Ditch" frequently.

More family specials ~ you'll be home by midnight, or you're shoes will turn into pumpkins... eek
Your a** is gonna be grass, and I'm the biggest lawnmower you've ever seen... emo
and from dear old dad: "I'm gonna kick your a** up between your shoulderblades, you'll part your hair to wipe." gonk

Don't know if my family is just really warped, or if other parents/families had oddball sayings that seem to be unique. sweatdrop

rofl I think you're right. We're all long lost cousins! I love this thread! Bringing back a lot of good memories. biggrin  

[Poppetta]

lol!! i love the shoulderblades comment, that's great 3nodding  

[Lil Brat]

Still find myself saying this one occasionally: "What's that got to do with the price of tea in China." The younger crowd get a rather baffled look at that expression, "what's tea in China got to do with it", my point in exactly, luv. rofl  

[Poppetta]

the English equivalent of that is the price of bacon lol  

[Harbone]

How about the term "Normalcy?" It gets tossed around out here on the Front Range from time to time.

At first I thought "Return to Normalcy" was referring to a bishop going back home.  

[Gambitpoet]

http://www.heptune.com/fartword.html#flatus

A true tour de force of potty humor...  

[Harbone]

Normally, I dislike potty humor. But this does have a great many ways to say "Expelled Gas" and it's cross-cultural, too!

We Got Ourselves... hey, wait a second! How does "We Got Ourselves a situation, here" go over in other parts of the world. "We Got Ourselves" is still pretty much a common construction among the more horrible denizens of this state.  

[Elspeth Telrunya]

we had an assignment in college to come up with a word or current one and explain its meanings etc how it was used for multiple things blah blah

so I used Crieky being the good kiwi smile

translation - lots of cuss words I can't repeat, oh gosh, what the heck?, wow etc.  

[Isbjorn]

Some of my favorites are: "somebody's kids" which I like to follow with "Not mine". Generally the first is said when I do something naughty like steal the computer from my mom. She's learned though and started following my follow up with "no, but you're related".
Another favorite of mine is "You did what to who for how many cheerios??" I say this when someone has mumbled or said something I didn't understand, though I also say "you shaved who now?" Gets a few funny looks but it's worth it.
One of my favorite come backs to the ever popular Smartass is "it's better to be a smart a** than a dumbass."
Course there is also the regulars like "hold your pea picking horses" and "in a coons age" "son a of a biscuit", "holy beans" and a few others.