Forum game: “Well, I’ll be darned!”

Dear craft-loving friends…

Today I came across this phrase again: “Well, I’ll be darned!” I haven’t heard this phrase in at least 30 years, but back in the ’70s and ’80s, it was used all the time…
What phrases, sayings… or words do YOU still remember from your youth and childhood,
that are very rarely heard these days? …It would be exciting to find out… 🌸 

Warm regards, Petra Perle 

We always used to say something like...
I think a horse just kicked me
I think I’m standing in the woods

“Belief is just ignorance”—that was my father’s response whenever I started a sentence with “I believe…”

My ex always used to say when it came to money: if I can get over the dog, I can get over the tail

Best regards, Inge

Everything will be fine again once you get married.

Exactly, Petra,

when you get your 3rd husband, all that will be forgotten :-))))

Come here, I’ll pick you up, when a child had fallen down

Best, Inge

My dad always used to say to us: “Get in line, but don’t act stupid.”
And my mom always said: “Anyone who spells ‘nämlich’ with an extra ‘h’ is stupid.”

My mom used to say things like:
“A spider in the morning brings sorrow and worry,” or
“A spider at noon brings joy on the third day,” or
“A spider in the evening, refreshing and soothing.”

I believed that for a long time as a child, until I eventually thought it was silly. But I have to admit that I still think of it whenever I see a spider.

I read somewhere that these sayings don’t refer to arachnids, but to spinning as an activity.
Something along the lines of: if you have to spin in the morning, you’re poor and have to do it to earn a living; in the evening, wealthier people do it as a hobby and for relaxation. I just don’t remember what the midday part is supposed to mean.

But on a quick note about spiders:
When I spotted one of those Nosferatu spiders in my garage one evening, I didn’t exactly find it refreshing or invigorating either. We then politely went our separate ways....

In Main-Franconia, when we act *dabbich*—meaning stupidly—we always say “dabbichkeit verlassmined” :-)

Love, Inge

An uncle of mine used to say:
“Modesty, modesty, don’t
forsake me at the table, and grant that I may snag the biggest cut at just the right moment.”

When I was a little kid, my grandma didn’t like it when I whistled. She’d always say, “Girls who whistle and roosters that crow—you have to wring their necks in good time.” I thought that was pretty brutal.

Love, Ina

Oh, Ina, I know that saying too. That’s probably why I still can’t whistle to this day. Where I’m from, we used to say, “Chickens that crow…” (roosters crow anyway).

Veronika, I think it’s an interesting twist that it refers to spiders. In general, I also avoid spiders. My husband always takes care of them—thank goodness!

On modesty:
Where I’m from, we used to say, “Modesty is a virtue, but you get further without it.”

Over the decades, I’ve learned to question certain sayings and strike them from my vocabulary.

Yeah, Ina, I know that saying from my mother-in-law—she wasn’t exactly the cheerful type. She’d also say:
“Birds that sing in the morning get caught by the cat in the evening!”
The only thing that helped was having strong nerves. 🤣

Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere....................

I’ll just leave it at that 

“If you get run over by a tram”
(In Aachen dialect, of course.) That’s what people always said when you had a little scrape as a kid.
When you fell down:
“Did you catch the mouse?” 😅
Oh, I could think of a few more…
Have a wonderful day, everyone!

When someone talks nonsense, we say here in Franconia: dumb babble is easy to come by, but not warm Kaseplootz :-)

@ Kaseplootz = tray cheesecake

Best regards, Inge

There are so many sayings. Some have a grain of truth to them, some remind us of a carefree childhood, and others are words of wisdom.

Another one that comes to mind is: “Never kill an animal as a joke, for it feels the pain just as you do.”

My parents always used to say to me when I was in school , “You’re not studying for others, but for yourself, for your own life.”

“Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.”

Another poetic saying comes to mind: “Be modest and humble—that is the finest adornment; then everyone will like you, and that is what I wish for you.”

Oh yes, the sayings in our poetry albums. There were so many things in there that our loved ones shared with us to guide us on our way.

Who still has their album? I always enjoy flipping through it every now and then and reminiscing. 

I still have my autograph book, too, and I’m even still in good contact with one or two of my school friends—we graduated in 1966. Our class was the last to complete 8 years of elementary school.

My older brother wrote a very nice message in my autograph book:
**“Sail on calmly. Even if the mast breaks, God is your companion; God will not forsake you.”*

Love, Inge

Yes, I still have my autograph book, too. I still don’t think some of the sayings are very kid-friendly, but it’s definitely a precious memory.