Old Time Sayings

[please delete my account]

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[Pubey]

Bob's Your Uncle comes from some war saying which was to do with some invasion of afghanistan in the late 19th century. it's explained in the book shantaram.. i'll try to find out more. Bob was some General or someone who apparently looked after his men and so they all liked him and said "Bob's Your Uncle"

 

[returningshrimper]

I have always wondered how the term "Gordon Bennett" came about

 

[Mr. Benedict]

I have always wondered how the term "Gordon Bennett" came about

Wiki came up with this suggestion for the phrase:

Gordon Bennett!

 

[BLUEBLOOD]

Anyone knows the origins of

"Oh for f*cks sake Harrold !!!" ???

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

For example, I believe 'at sixes and sevens' originally came from this: -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Stool_Chart

LOL. Highly amusing, and sadly totally inaccurate.

The phrase "to be at sixes and sevens" is believed to have come from a dispute between the Merchant Taylors' and Skinners' Livery Companies, two of the Livery Companies forming part of the City Corporation of London.

In 1515, the Court of Aldermen of the City of London settled an order of precedence for the forty-eight Livery Companies then in existence, which was based on the Companies' economic or political power. The first 12 Livery Companies are known as the Great Twelve City Livery Companies.

There are now one hundred and seven Livery Companies, some of recent formation, so the Order of Precedence is sometimes reviewed.

However, the Merchant Taylors and the Skinners have always disputed their precedence. The two Livery Companies, founded in the same year, argued over sixth place in the order of precedence. After more than a century, it was decided that at Corpus Christi, the companies would swap between sixth and seventh place in the order of precedence, and feast in each others' halls. Nowadays they alternate in precedence on an annual basis.

This is one of the theories for the origin of the phrase "at sixes and sevens", as the master of the Merchant Taylors has asserted a number of times. The phrase had also been used previously by Chaucer in a text, so the dispute between the Merchant Taylors and the Skinners is a happy coincidence.

That said, it's not as funny as the Bristol Stool Chart.

Matt

 

[BLUEBLOOD]

The phrase had also been used previously by Chaucer in a text

Sorry Matt ... but thats total nonsense, they didn't have mobiles back then !!!!









I'll fetch me coat :darkcloud::tumbleweed:

 

[steveo]

Back to square one, supposedly originated before TV when football matches were broadcast on the wireless. The listener had a chart with numbered squares. When the ball went back to the keeper is was described as back to square one.
Suppose this does make a bit of sense but why is there no saying for whatever square a goal is for example “and he’s headed a square 55”

 

[MK Shrimper]

Rule of thumb - before the 19th century you were allowed to beat your wife with a stick as long as it was no thicker than your thumb.

 

[Benfleet A1]

The Black Hole of Calcutta

Live and learn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hole_of_Calcutta

 

[Gremlin]

Rule of thumb - before the 19th century you were allowed to beat your wife with a stick as long as it was no thicker than your thumb.

Whereas these days it has to be much thicker, right?

 

[MK Shrimper]

Whereas these days it has to be much thicker, right?

Er.....

 

[osymandus]

The Black Hole of Calcutta

Live and learn http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hole_of_Calcutta

I vaugly remember that a more recent investigation into this showed , 3 people possibly died , and around 40 were kept in the room.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Toerag - the dockers at Millwall in the 19th century wore rags on their feet to protect their shoes. Said dockers were invariably unsavoury characters and as such 'toerag' has come to mean a bit of a ne'er do well.

 

[South Bank Hank]

Anyone knows the origins of

"Oh for f*cks sake Harrold !!!" ???

From Wikipedia(ish)

"The phrase was first uttered by a Wilhelmina Iggy to a professional footballer at the beginning of a pre-season football match even before the player had actually kicked a ball. While unpopular at the time, the phrase rapidly became part of popular Roots Hall lexicon when fans of Southend United came to realise that, although often wrong, Wilhelmina was in this instance entirely correct in her observation that, for a professional player, Matt Harrold's ability to hit the large door of a farm outhouse building with a small stringed instrument was entirely lacking."

 

[OldBlueLady]

In all seriousness, this website's pretty good and gives reasoning to loads of sayings, including many you've probably never heard of


http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/index.html

including this one for Gordon Bennett

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/gordon-bennett.html