old sayings

[a-l]

                Anyone speeding "must be a traveller for nutmegs."                                                       "selling shim shams for wedlars"                "having a face like a blind cobblers thumb"                                                           "having a face like a diseased paunch"      When scratching their bottom it was"home made rice pudding tomorrow"                                      Would love to hear more , time to revive these descriptive sayings!             

[a-l]

These were said by my Leicester ancestors, I don't know if they were regional or generational though.

[Annui]

@alien lady ~~ I've heard only the rice pudding saying - my roots are in East Yorkshire.
A few I recall:

If your hand itches somebody is going to give you money
If your nose itches someone is talking about you

If a knife needed sharpening my grandmother used to say "I could ride bareback to York on that!"

 Asking someone to close the door:  "Put wood int'  'ole  (Were ya born in a barn?)"

[JMStrachan]

Two my Yorkshire grandmother used a lot were:
"Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs" when told anything surprising.
"Doesn't know if they're Arthur or Martha" for someone in a muddle or confused.

[Jool]

A couple from West Midlands

"Charlie's dead" usually said with eyes looking downwards to indicate a lady was showing her underskirt.
"It's a bit black over Bill's mother's" when the sky was clouding over

[ann255]

Yes 'charlies dead' for when your petticoat was hanging below the hem of your dress/skirt. But who was Charlie?

[everlea]

I'd forgotten all about Charlie! See Google for some interesting - and some rather bizarre - theories.

                                                                                                  Everlea.

[weste]

Charlie's dead I've heard in my nursing when anyone's petticoat was showing.  I'll go to foot of our stairs i've heard in the west mids but there are some Yorkshire roots. Lay holes for meddlers when did n't want to explain what someone was doing. The wood in the door one I've heard as well.

[Treetotal]

In East Yorkshire...if your underskirt was showing below the hemline we would say "It's snowing down South"..If a man's flies were undone...we would say "Your flying low"
 "I'm going to see a man about a dog" meant that you were going to use the toilet.

Carol