If most of you are like my family, there are sayings or phrases that have been handed down from generation to generation. Remarkably, you find yourself saying the same things your parents or even your grandparents said.
I thought I would share with you a few words of wisdom and phrases that have been handed down in my family that we still continue to use today. These are officially called “idioms”, and it would be worth your time to look these up on the internet and see the history behind these phrases.
This is my history.
1. Straighten up and fly right. This phrase was used by my dad when he was too tired to give me a spanking I rightly deserved. This was always said to me with a finger pointing at me and shaking in my direction. I heard it just about every day.
2. Until the cows come home. Growing up, I never understood what cows had to do with anything. We lived in the city and a cow couldn’t be found anywhere in the vicinity except on a milk carton label. It was said in reference to my stubborn behavior and never-ending whining about washing dishes.
3. Katie, bar the door. My mother always said this when any small disaster arose. I had no earthly idea who Katie was or what door she was trying to bar.
4. Heavens to Betsy. To this day, I don’t know who Betsy is. But I hope she made it to heaven, whoever she was. My mother always said this when frightened or surprised. She said it a lot when I was a small child.
5. If that don’t beat all. I guess this meant that everyone was being beaten. It was used by my father at the advent of any shocking situation. Once he said it when I managed to pass math.
6. Land sakes. My grandmother always used this phrase. It was a phrase used for every situation whether bad, good, or frustrating. I never knew what land she was talking about.
7. Lord, have mercy. I understood this phrase perfectly. My parents used it all the time in reference to me and my shenanigans. They would look up to heaven as if begging for help that never came. They would sigh with frustration, raise their hands up to the heavens and say this over and over.
8. If the creek don’t rise. We lived nowhere near any creek ever. Why worry about it rising when it was nowhere near us. But it was always said when promising to do anything for anybody. I guess if the creek rose, that would be our way of getting out of anything we didn’t want to do.
9. Heavens to Murgatroyd. Amazingly enough, this phrase was always said by my mother’s mother, my grandmother, Evelyn. For a lady who seemed so cold and introverted, it was always hilarious to hear her say this because the phrase came from a cat on a cartoon that she loved. However, she always seemed to use it in reference to the growing number of children and grandchildren who came into her house and irritated the life out of her.
10. For Pete’s sake. Growing up I always wondered who in the heck Pete was and why should we care about his sake. It wasn’t until I was grown and reading the Bible that I figured out this phrase had everything to do with the apostle Peter and a person’s strong desire to seek help anywhere possible, including Saint Peter. This was always said by my father every time he attempted to do anything electrical, mechanical, or constructive. He would wipe his forehead and say this out loud with a note of frustration and aggravation.
11. For crying out loud. This phrase was said by my father, usually in reference to me after I asked him to do something or take me somewhere when he had just come in the door after a long day’s work. He said it with irritation when I needed something for school immediately because I had waited for four weeks to do a required assignment that was due the next day.
12. No room to cuss a cat. My mother always used this phrase, and I never understood why. My mother never cussed, and we never owned a cat. But she used this phrase when there was a lack of space to do anything. She always said this when she came into my bedroom, saw the mess on my floor, and told me to clean up because there was no room to cuss a cat. She just said this the other day in frustration because my bathroom is so small.
13. Dad gum it. I heard my grandfather say this many times, and my father also used it a lot. It evidently meant they were worried they’d have no teeth in the future. My father always used this phrase in resignation or frustration. He would shake his head from side to side and say with force “dad gum it”. He used this phrase one time when we went to the local gas station to put air in the tire on my bike and it popped.
It’s funny, but I say the same phrases almost every day, and every now and then I hear my sons use one of these phrases.
Well, if I can’t pass down a fortune to them, at least I can pass down something.
