Sayings: logical/illogical/translated

One from my wife’s family - if you were standing in front of someone, unknowingly blocking their sight/view, they’d say, “Hey, you know you make a better door than a window!”
 
Were you born in a church
(Ben je soms in de kerk geboren)
If you didn't close the door behind you (and let the heat go out)
One of my dad's favourites
 
One from my mom: “Don’t you get above your raising, young man!” - meaning that someone is putting on airs and acting superior, when we all know they weren’t raised that way.

The first time I brought MrsT back to Ohio to meet my family, my mom had occasion to caution one of her grandkids with that, and I found out later that, due to my mom’s accent, MrsT interpreted it as “Don’t get above your raisin,” and for the life of her, she couldn’t work out what a dried-up grape had to do with anything. :laugh:

For extra effect, Mom would sometimes followed that up with, “You was raised on taters an’ turnips same as the rest of us!” - reminding a person of their humble beginnings.
 
Just remembered a Northern one, and I don't know whether it came from Lancashire (where my mum's family was originally from) or Yorkshire:
"Nowt more queer that folk"
Basically, people behave strangely sometimes...
 
"She was green with envy".

I've never turned green but whatever.
 
karadekoolaid said:
Not even when you ate something you really hated? Like "green at the gills"?
Oddly enough if you say you're "green" over here, it means you're really hungry. No idea where that one came from!
Click to expand...
I dont eat things I hate, but yeah, interesting bit that it means hungry elsewhere. Green also can mean beginner, newbie, etc. person or referring to a mostly untrained horse.
 
“Don’t get your knickers in a knot” - meaning there’s no need to be so upset or worked up about something.

Funnily, this lately seems to have been replaced with “don’t get your panties in a twist/bunch”
 
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