# Odd sayings **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 29, 2006, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319 "2006-10-29T10:54:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/1 "2006-10-29T10:54:21Z")
F’rinstance… “Well I’ll go to the foot of our stairs” and “Daft as a Brush” and others along the same line. These may well be British in origin but how did they come about ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/2 "2006-10-29T11:08:51Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] F’rinstance.. “Well I’ll go to the foot of our stairs” and “Daft as a Brush” and others along the same line. These may well be British in origin but how did they come about [/QUOTE] Both from [www.phrases.org.uk](http://www.phrases.org.uk) > [@](#): > > I’ll go to the foot of our stairs > > Meaning > > An exclamation of surprise. > > Origin > > This originated in the North of England. It did travel to others parts of the UK during the 20th century, but not much further, and is little known in other parts of the English-speaking world. It is now less used than previously, although it is staple fare for any writer wishing to write a part for a stage Yorkshireman. Beyond that there’s little more to tell. When it was coined and by whom, I don’t know. Why the stairs and not the kitchen, the back-parlour or Belgium? I don’t know that either. > [@](#): > > I found an explanation which I think is a maybe—the Victorian chimney sweep! > It seems that children were first used as sweeps since the skilled child was small and could easily work his way vertically through the confined space, clearing blockages and removing the build up of soot by hand. > While in training the apprentice was sometimes dropped head first down the chimney which caused severe cerebral damage. Hence the phrase. Seems both are British in origin. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/3 "2006-10-29T11:15:19Z")
‘Daft as a brush’ is discussed [here](http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/3/messages/363.html) and [here.](http://plateaupress.com.au/wfw/daft.htm) Both sources support **Shrinking Violet** ’s chimney sweep theory (on preview). ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/4 "2006-10-29T11:19:07Z")
You **Shrinking** are a mine of info. Thanks a bunch for that site…however… It does not give the origin of “F\*\*k me standing low” or “Well I’ll stand pissing” These being just two filthy sayings of which we Northeners are fond of 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/5 "2006-10-29T11:42:17Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] You **Shrinking** are a mine of info. Thanks a bunch for that site…however… It does not give the origin of “F\*\*k me standing low” or “Well I’ll stand pissing” These being just two filthy sayings of which we Northeners are fond of 🙂 [/QUOTE] Now c’mon **chowder** … you made those up, didn’t you. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/6 "2006-10-29T12:01:47Z")
I can’t add any more to the origin of “go to the foot of our stairs”, but I can say that the origin of “daft as a brush” is, in fact, known and recorded, and has nothing to do with chimney sweeps. The original (Northern English) expression was “_soft_ as a brush” (ie soft in the head). It was adapted to "daft as… " and used as a catchphrase by comedian Ken Platt. His [obituary](http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19981003/ai_n14195333) says that he added it to his act in 1951, though I have a book here that quotes him as saying: “I started saying this when I was doing shows in the Army in the early 1940s. … People used to write and tell me I’d got it wrong!” Where the chimney sweep idea came from I don’t know, but it does show the effectiveness of the internet at promulgating peoples WAGs. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/7 "2006-10-29T12:15:59Z")
[QUOTE=Shrinking Violet] Now c’mon **chowder** … you made those up, didn’t you. 😉 [/QUOTE] No honestly I didn’t. Matter of fact there are any number of sayings along those lines. Example.." F\*\*k my old boots" I suspect they are native to the north of England 'cos we aint as posh as what they are darn sarf 😃 ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/8 "2006-10-29T12:36:06Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] No honestly I didn’t. Matter of fact there are any number of sayings along those lines. Example.." F\*\*k my old boots" I suspect they are native to the north of England 'cos we aint as posh as what they are darn sarf 😃 [/QUOTE] One I heard recently: “Bless his little cotton socks” ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/9 "2006-10-29T12:41:30Z")
[QUOTE=11811] One I heard recently: “Bless his little cotton socks” [/QUOTE] Yep another good one along with “Fit as a Fiddle” What? ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/10 "2006-10-29T12:56:48Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] I suspect they are native to the north of England 'cos we aint as posh as what they are darn sarf 😃 [/QUOTE] Quite. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/11 "2006-10-29T13:10:04Z")
My grandmother (Suffolk) had quite a few little sayings she would often come out with, among them: “I’ll give you socks” - once I got old enough to wonder, I decided “socks” as in “sock round the ears”. “oh FOOT!” - her own little swear word. 🙂 “Well I’ll be jiggered” - this may be more widespread (I can well imagine your version **chowder** :D) “joeing” - talking, as in “I was held up joeing to Mrs Smith”. Possibly joeing = jawing? “hocker with laughter” - not sure where that comes from. Many more which I can’t bring to mind. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/12 "2006-10-29T14:32:36Z")
Jiggered?? You mean savagely rogered surely. Socks!! My mother used to threaten us with “A box round the lugholes” ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/13 "2006-10-29T15:44:07Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] Jiggered?? You mean savagely rogered surely. Socks!! My mother used to threaten us with “A box round the lugholes” [/QUOTE] The thought of my lovely, meek little Nan saying that! :eek: 😃 According to [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com), to “sock” is to deliver a blow - btw this was only ever said in an affectionate, jesting manner. No thug, my Nan. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/14 "2006-10-29T17:24:41Z")
Here’s one I asked about in its own thread and never got a clear answer for: My prim-and-proper grandmother (who would NEVER use vulgar language) said of a friend’s baby: “Poor little thing is just as ugly as a dick.” Gave me pause, it did. I wondered briefly if I should tell her that she was using a word which had a very different meaning in today’s world, but decided not to embarass her. Anyone know where that might have come from? ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/15 "2006-10-29T17:27:45Z")
> [@](#): > > My mother used to threaten us with “A box round the lugholes” Ha! My mum used to threaten to “box my ears”, too. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/16 "2006-10-29T17:42:42Z")
Does anyone in England still say, “not half \”, actually meaning “\ to a great extent”? ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/17 "2006-10-29T17:43:43Z")
[QUOTE=Spectre of Pithecanthropus] Does anyone in England still say, “not half \”, actually meaning “\ to a great extent”? [/QUOTE] Not half mate, not half we do ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/18 "2006-10-29T17:45:42Z")
**Lissa** I never heard that expression but I have heard “Face like a blind cobblers thumb” or Face like a Slaters Nailbag" or even “Face like a sack full of Hammers” ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/19 "2006-11-18T16:13:48Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] Not half mate, not half we do [/QUOTE] Or the American redneck version “about” Heard someone say to his misbehaving dog, “Dog, you’re about a mother\*\*\*\*\*\*, ain’t ya?” See also, Doug Sahm’s “She’s About A Mover” ---
**Author:** ![Sonia\_Montdore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Sonia\_Montdore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sonia_Montdore)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319/20 "2006-11-18T16:25:18Z")
[QUOTE=Shrinking “Well I’ll be jiggered” - this may be more widespread .[/QUOTE] “I’ll be jiggered” is used here in New England, mainly by people over the age of 60. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/odd-sayings/378319.md?page=2)