Old country sayings

[besserheimerphat]

"Crime in Italy?" which is a shortened version of "There's crime in Italy?".

My father used to say this when someone said something patently obvious to him... like he didn't already know - or everybody should know by then.

I have no doubt he picked this up after returning from WW II and working for some families in Des Moines in the late 40's and early 50's.

Ha! It's "criminently" or "criminitly," an expression of surprise or astonishment. Derives from older British English "criminy."

Etymology of Criminently

English word criminently comes from English criminy (A minced oath that expresses surprise.)

etymologeek.com

But I can understand someone mishearing it, especially as a kid. Kinda like "we're going to see da rabbits (Cedar Rapids)."

 

[cyputz]

I heard this quote after my uncle passed after rolling a tractor in a ditch.
“There are only three things that can kill a farmer: lightning, rolling over in a tractor, and old age.”

 

[Cypwr]

When I was in Jr high bailing hay for old timer farmer, he would say "I'm so mean I pee on baby chickens". Don't know if that is a saying or not but heard it more than once.

 

[NebrClone]

Raining like a cow p###ing on a flat rock here. What other pithy adages do you rarely hear anymore. No racist, sexist, gender jokes, please.

He's the south end of a north bound horse.

 

[HawaiiClone]

He's high hatted

 

[HawaiiClone]

My dad used to call me "Sonny Jim" as a friendly expression.

 

[cycloner29]

“You’re like a North Dakota windmill, all wind no water.”

 

[JM4CY]

“You’re like a North Dakota windmill, all wind no water.”

He’s all ****, no balls.

 

[Papajets]

Just a c*** hair short (vulgar slang womens genitals). Water the dog. (I have to take a leak). It takes a big dog to weigh a ton. (answer to What do you know?)

 

[Cysmik]

"It's all over but the crying" - you knew you had just lost the cards or pool game, now all you could do was sit back and watch grandpa finish you off.

 

[RLD4ISU]

I'm finer than a frog hair split four ways
If I was any better, there'd be two of me

Hotter than a fresh f***ed fox in a forest fire
Jumpier than a cat on a hot tin roof
Slower than a turtle trudging through peanut butter

Eat the ugly frog first (Do the task you dread most first and get it out of the way)

I also had a friend that - when a storm was rolling in - would say "Get the chickens!"

 

[Althetuna]

"He has a hitch in his giddy up."- Things aren't going well or doesn't feel well.
"He looks like something the cat drug in that the dog wouldn't eat."-Looks terrible.

 

[BWRhasnoAC]

Old farmer : 'Look like rain'
Another old farmer : 'Might could..'

 

[4cy16]

I was on that like hair on soap.

 

[Pope]

"He can go piss up a rope."

My dad would say that when he didn't like somebody. As a kid, when I heard him say that I'd try to visualize it and then I'd get confused.

 

[CycloneVet]

I’m gonna give birth to a marine, my old neighbor was an old Navy man and would say this when he had to drop a deuce

You are a gentleman and a scholar when you did something good for someone

 

[BACyclone]

As popular as a fart in church

That went over like a fart in a diving suit

Work smart, not hard

My wife is a horse person, she would often say (about people) 'that one was rode hard and put away wet', and you'll have to use your imagination for the context...but it's not a compliment.

 

[CascadeClone]

"He can go piss up a rope."

My dad would say that when he didn't like somebody. As a kid, when I heard him say that I'd try to visualize it and then I'd get confused.

Our family used this, but to describe an impossible or fruitless task.

 

[qwerty]

'rode hard and put away wet' is a pretty common saying. I have heard it a lot (growing up and still).

 

[dafarmer]

Congratulations people! Dad always said, couldn't find his butt with both hands and doesn't know enough to pour warm piss out his boots.