lost dialect
- Thread starter cashman
- Start date
I think it somes form the military sanitorium in Deolali, India. The soldiers who were there waiting there for months to be shipped back home were so bored they went a bit ... well...... doolally.
My dad used to say, when asked what he was doing, "Making layo'ers for meddlers". I once heard that layo'ers were really lay overs, or nets, put over medlars, the fruit that's like a pear, to stop birds pecking them.
Well, it's as good an explanation as any.
I don't know if this one has been mentioned before but yesterday I heard a mother say to her daughter "Come on! Shape yourself!"
My mum used to say that, too, but my Yorkshire in-laws always said, "Frame yourself".
a fascinating explanation, ........thanks Willow
"somes form" I must have been half asleep! That should have been "comes from"
I must have been half asleep! That should have been "comes from"
My dad used to say, when asked what he was doing, "Making layo'ers for meddlers". I once heard that layo'ers were really lay overs, or nets, put over medlars, the fruit that's like a pear, to stop birds pecking them.
Well, it's as good an explanation as any.
thanks for the answer West Ender, I had allways assumed the saying had come out of the cotton mills , something to do with overlookers and tacklers , I'd never heard of Medlars (fruit) before .
ive really enjoyed reading all your posts. 
ive not heard of most of them only one i recall is apples and pears meaning stairs.
ive not heard of most of them only one i recall is apples and pears meaning stairs.
remember when i came down on holiday to blackburn well [visit relatives] they used to call heavy metal people knebs .sumthin like that
Someone will get vexed if you've been oining themparis n i were nattering last night n she said i'm Vexed at you, lol we both started laughing n said my mam used to say that to me, aint heard that for donkeys years, anyone still say/hear it.
ya got it in 1, but have ya heard/used the word lately, i aint heard it for years.Someone will get vexed if you've been oining them
well ya sure got him baffeled.
re kissing the shuttle , I've never been sure what that was , one explanation I was told was , a weaver did it when she was sucking the thread out from the bobbin through the hole in the shuttle before putting it into the loom , the other thing I heard was it was when the shuttle used to 'jump/fly' out of the loom and hit someone , considering they were metal tipped I supposed they could and did cause a few injuries , I think the saying goes back to the days of old Lancashire looms and phased out when Northrop and other automatic looms were introduced .
Gee Steeley, you seem to know your shuttles & Looms. Your mum must have been a weaver.