old sayings

[radstockjeff]

"Look see at 'e young'un, all dressed up, smart za carrot!"

radstockjeff

[a-l]

You know what thought did, followed a muck cart and thought it was a wedding.

[Meezer]

If one hand itched you were going to be given some money, if the other itched you would be giving it away (sorry, cannot remember which is which)

"Right to receive, left to leave"!

The saying about Hell, Hull and Halifax relating to a thieves prayer is supposedly as there were gibbets at Sheffield, Hull, and Halifax. Sheffield is the county of Hallam. There was a city in the parish called Hallam, or Haellam, hence the saying from Haell, the abbreviation for Hallam, or Hell.

[Annui]

@Meezer ~~ Thought it was something like that but was too lazy to look it up earlier.
 I see there are slight variations though - here's one:

From http://www.yorkshirefolksong.net/song_database/Occupational/The_Dalesmans_Litany.86.aspx

The Beggar’s Litany is very old and dates back at least to c1600 when coiners and criminals who doctored the king’s coins were common in both Hull and Halifax and were severely dealt with. In Hull they were hung but Halifax had its own gibbet, a forerunner of the French guillotine. The local authorities of the time gave the wronged party the chance to cut the rope to behead the wrongdoer. If they declined the offer any stolen goods were forfeit and the prisoner was freed.
The severity of the local justice in both places led to the above saying among vagrants and beggars.

The saying appeared in 1682 as part of  A Litany for St Omer’s, a political ballad of the Whigs, against the Tories. In this ‘Hallifax’ actually referred to Henry Savile, the younger brother of George Savile, First Marquess of Halifax, who was also Baron Savile of Eland and a staunch anti-Catholic. (See Roxburghe Ballads Vol 5, p189-196)

[DORAN54]

you are as much use as a chocolate teapot  or  chocolate fireguard

[BevL]

HI,
If you are not careful, the wind will change and your face will stay like that.
From chocolates to boiled lollies.
make sure you have clean knickers on, you might get run over by a car.
If you had half a brain, you would still be useless.
Bev

[Jean McGurn]

"I'm not as green as I'm cabbage looking"-my mum used to say this when she thought you were trying to fool her.

I still use this phrase today. Had to explain this once a coup[le of years ago  to a lad at work who had never heard the phrase before 

[Treetotal]

A few more with their origins:

WIDE BERTH

A berth is the place where a ship is tied up or anchored. When the anchor was lowered a ship would tend to move about on the anchor cable so it was important to give it a wide berth to avoid collisions. Today to give someone wide berth is to steer clear of them.

WILLY-NILLY

This phrase is believed to be derived from the old words will-ye, nill-ye (or will-he, nill- he) meaning whether you want to or not (or whether he wants to or not).

WIN HANDS DOWN

This old saying comes from horse racing. If a jockey was a long way ahead of his competitors and sure to win the race he could relax and put his hands down at his sides.

WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF

In the ancient world grain was hurled into the air using a tool called a winnowing fork. Wind separated the edible part of the grain (wheat) from the lighter, inedible part (chaff). In Matthew 3:12 John the Baptist warned that on the judgement day Jesus would separate the wheat from the chaff (good people from evil).

Carol

[stevew101]

Curiosity killed the cat

Killing two birds with one stone