31. Did your family have a favorite saying?

What was it, and how did you feel about it.

From: Connie Farrington

I don't know if these count. My Mom had lots of sayings. Some women were "tougher'n a boiled owl". Aunt Lilly Hubbell was "meaner'n pusley". When Mom was thirsty she was "dryer'n a cork leg". When Mom was mad she shouted "Thunder and blue lightning". She referred to Millie Lackey as "pastey-face" and to my father's male bookkeeper as "baggy pants". Most men were "boneheads" or "just plain jackasses". When she didn't like some courting couple, she'd say: They should get married. It's a shame to spoil two houses with them". People who were poor "didn't have a pit to hiss in". These weren't family sayings, they were just Mom's. She'll be 97 on August 17th. She's still saying those things.

From: Connie Olson

My father would always say this, I don't know how to spell it in German but this is what it sounded like.
"Ach Gott en himmel" Which I was told it meant "Oh God in Heaven" He would say this when someone told him something or he saw something startling or special.
So we would say it too.
My mothers favotite saying was "Wait until your father gets home" It kept my sister an myself on the straight and narrow. He never spanked us, but just one grump look from him we knew he was displeased with us. It had to be the fear of the unkown, we didn't want to get him mad to find out what the unkown was. He never laid a hand on us or my mother.
When I look back I wonder how it worked so well on us but didn't work on my kids when I tried it.

From: Brenda Olszewski

I don't recall having a favorite saying, but I remember every monday night at family home evening , dad doing imitations of us and we referred to them as "Innovations".
And that was my favorite part!

From: Philip Harris

We didn't have a lot of sayings that I remember, but we had some songs my father sang to us, and I sang to my kids. Now for posterity I will recite a couple.

Chinger ranga

Chinger ranga chinger ranga chinger ranga dogchops

Johnny was a Chinese man

With his head upon a butcher boy,and boy upon his birth

I can tell you he was oil from the can

John he loved Fenny Foot Too

Johnny was a big cycoon

His face was the color of a lemon peel

And he looked like a table spoon

Atalow

Twas off the coast of China

On the good ship Atalow

When off the coast we sprang a leak

With a load of Ivory Snow

It was off the coast a hundred miles

And maybe a little more

We lost all hope and took the soap

And washed ourselves to shore

Mo zee show

Mo zee show boy and girl by the brook e low

Rada dada dee and a shing dy low

Bare foot boy

A barefoot boy with boots on

Came running down the street

His pants were full of pockets

And his shoes were full of feet

Born when he was a baby

His mothers pride and joy

His only sister was a girl

And brother was a boy

He was born from being triplets

And far from being twins

And when he put his boots on

He wore them to his shins

From: Lois Rotella

I thought about this questions and I can't remember any thing as a family we would say again and again.

From: James Harris

"Who forgot to flush the toilet!!!"

From: Joyce Eggleston

"You're Lookin' Good! We have said it to each other in the family for a long time. When Toad, Nan and I were young, there was a guy that was going to say your all good looking to us. Instead he said you're looking good. We picked right up on that and thought it was funny. We have said it ever since and still laugh everytime time.

From: Heidi MacDuff

When growing up every one was called a fruit. It was funny to hear that, but I always felt in my heart it wasn't right.