Favourite Quirky Phrases

The English language is fantastic isn’t it? There are so many dialects and so many accents. Even travelling for as little as 30 minutes between one city and the next and you can notice the difference. Liverpool and Manchester, Yorkshire and Lancashire, Suffolk and London.

And with these accent and dialect changes comes a wealth of different phrases. Some music to your ears (how I love the Irish accent), and some not. For those who have lived in different locations around the UK you will notice the differences in not only how people talk, but the way they talk.

I have heard some quality quirky phrases recently, and some certainly worth sharing in the public domain so they can be picked up and talked about in the local pub.

So – top three favourite phrases plucked from TV and good old fashioned banter.

At 3 a nice one by Oscar Wilde used in the corporate world and even by posh toffs. Best used for those who have a ‘lively’ persona.

“The only thing worse than being talked about, is not being talked about“

It was a close race for number two, but in the end it had to go to the quirky one. I first heard this phrase during our Tignes ski trip, and it makes me chuckle each time I think about it. Not sure where it came from, never sure when to use it but still funny.

“….wetter than an Otter’s pocket…..“

Having done a little more research however, it seems the Urban Dictionary can shed more light on the phrase.

And at number one a phrase that is used by many….and….well…is just superb. Whenever someone pulls a face for something they don’t like, pull this out of your personal vocabulary and it’ll have your audience is stitches.

“He’s got a face like a bulldog licking piss off a nettle“

Funny though how when we Brits are abroad, foreigners generally won’t notice the accent differences between one British city and the next. And vice-versa. I’ll be the first to admit that I couldn’t tell the difference between a Lyon accent and that of a Parisian.

Could you imagine trying to translate ‘wetter than an Otter’s pocket’ into French? Good luck with that one.

And that’s why English is great.

July Update – just heard another brilliant phrase that had be rolling around on the floor, howling with laughter. So not to offend this is a small disclaimer to say I have nothing against ladies who like to have lots of children…

Anyhow, talking briefly during pre-season training about a chap who is now engaged to a lady who has had 6 children already, it was proposed that the lady in question had “a fanny the size of a wizards sleeve“

October Update – there are just so many quirky phrases it is difficult to fit them all into one blog post!

Here are a few more to wet the appetite!

“Tis far better to be pissed off than to be pissed on son“

Always a common one at Uni for those in need of ‘number two’;

“I’ve got to go and drop the kids off at the pool“…

Why not help me out! Send me some of your quirky and amusing phrases!