Things that make you go hmmm...
 

I'm from Canada and last night I got to think about some of the strange phrases you can hear locally. For instance we have such lovely illustrative phrases as to "piss like a race horse" and "mad as a skinned cat". Also had an odd reaction from folks lately when I described people as "rubber knecking" as they crained to get a better look at an accident as they drove by.

I was just wondering on your travels what are some of the more colourful and interesting phrases you've heard. Especially the ones where you do a double take and go "huh?" cause they're just so odd.

There is a Dutch saying which translates as "don't stand in the sun if you have butter on your head" -- the meaning: tell the truth in order to have a clear conscience.

..big six and a small seven

..no flies on him (her)

..dumb as a fox

Whereas our roosters say,"Cock a doodle do", the French ones say,"Co co ri co!".
:-)

I've always thought some of the funniest ones were:
His elevator doesn't go to the top floor.
He's a sandwich short of a picnic.
and a whole list of similar ones.

I have heard all kinds of expressions when I first came to live in the US. However the one that really puzzled me and could not figure out was;
" Good Night and dont let the bed bugs bite...(Yack)
Even now after all these years,it does not makes sense..

Patrick, how about "Not the brightest porch light on the block"?

Patrick, Another one for you: Last evening we were having dinner with some friends, and one said a guy's driveway didn't go all the way to the road...I hadn't heard that one before!

The biting bugs is not US alone.

We were brought up (in Scotland) with

Night, night, sleep tight
Don't let the bugs bite
If they bite, squeeze them tight
They won't come back another night.

I tell the cats every night "sleep tight, don't let the bugs bite." Dad said that to us all the time.

Also - "at sixes and sevens" - meaning in between things; not sure which way to go.

Another that confused a Mexican friend: at starting something, "Now, then . . . ." Which? he asked.

"Not the brightest star in the night sky."

A favourite British saying, one used by my Aunt Beryl: She's so daft that Grace Poole is her gaoler. (Americans may not get it unless they are literary.)

When I arrived in this exotic land of New York City, my husband would say that something was " six of one, half dozen of the other"
A definite cause for me to go "huh?"

I like the way the British use the word piss...so many uses! who knew??

Not the brightest bulb in our chandelier

Some Australianisms for you. Mad as a cut snake. He's got kangaroos loose in his top paddock.

Not the sharpest tool in the shed.

doesn't have both oars in the water

the lights are on but nobody's home


but what's with "dressed to the nines"?

What about "daft as a brush" :D

And also some of the interesting Scottish slang words meaning disgusting: boggin', hummin' (= smelly), mingin', bowfin', clingin' were just some of the adjectives in use when I was at school. Also "barry" meaning great, and "rat-arsed" for drunk.

We had a fellow from the UK visiting us here in the states, and thought it a bit odd when he said he was going to put on his 'jumper' and his 'trainers'.
In the US, we call them sweaters and sneakers!

Local for Coloradoans: She hasn't been a girl since Pikes Peak was a hole in the ground.

For Patrick: One brick short (of a full load).

If something was worn out and ready to go in the garbage, my mom would say that "it had the biscuit."
As in "these socks have had the biscuit", or "isn't it time to throw away those old pajamas? They've really had the biscuit."
Huh? If anyone is able to explain the origin of that one, I'd be eternally grateful :)

Thingorjus - isn't Grace Poole the guardian of Mr. Rochester's mad wife in "Jane Eyre"? What a job!

For Patrick : " He's/She's one fry short of a Happy Meal " or " The wheel's turning but the hamsters dead "

Also for Patrick: The lights are on but nobody's home. I think the cheese slid off his cracker.

And I always liked: She lies like a rug.

And one I've come to use frequently when dealing with some of my clients: It's like herding cats.

A friend always refers the things as a "goat rodeo" when trying to get a lot of people to do the same thing.

For all you youngsters, "Don't let the bed bugs bite," is literal. When I was a child (granted that was a while ago), Mom would pull the mattress from our bed, take it outside and sun it. We kids would search for bed bugs (small, red bugs that lived in the mattress edge. The did come out and bite at night!

In Britain, one is "Taking the mickey" out of someone else when they are "pulling their leg."

St. Cirq, I love the line "It's like herding cats". Unfortunately, I use it quite often as well. "Kangaroos loose in the top paddock"!! HAHA... I'll have to try that one in a meeting soon.

I thought I'd heard all the ones like I was talking about, and most of the additions I'm familiar with, but Mathieu, that dead hamster one has me rolling!!!

Oh, and "better than sliced bread". What's that supposed to mean anyway?

I always liked
" he was all over her like a cheap suit"

Bob's your uncle!

Patrick

I think you're thinking of something being described as "the best thing since sliced bread".

I assume this refers to what people, probably housewives (at that time), thought about this new product. They were the ones who until then would have had to slice the loaves themselves.

"Lower than a snakes belly in a wheel rut".....but even lower than that is:
"lower than whale s**t".

I think the souther U.S. takes the prize for funniest epressions. One of my favorites, overheard in western NC..."God willing and the creek don't rise."

My favorites

Don't insult 7 guys if you only have a 6-shooter.

Don't throw rocks at someone with a machine gun.

As a Texan, I heard "God willin' and the creek don't rise" as long as I can remember. Another favorite: Slicker than deer guts on a doorknob.

And, also for Patrick: two tacos short of a Mexican (plate) special. And one I made up in honor of a family member: Two steps short of a 12-step program.

This is a fun break from a monotonous Monday! Here are a few from my restaurant days:

...I've seen better hair on a coconut.

...I've seen better legs on a table.

...I've seen more pleasant faces on poison bottles

...I'm as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

...he couldn't pour piss out of a boot if the instructions were printed on the heel!

Strive

Oh, heck, if it's Americanisms:

"Don't let your mouth write no check your ass can't cash."

Another Texas one, "Don't come to a gun fight with a knife."

From Henny Youngman:

"I told my grandson over and over feet first when you get out of bed!!"

Couple of expressions that make me go hmmm....

Dressed to Beat the Band

It's the Cat's Pajamas