Every family has a wealth of wisdom to share. Eventually, the sayings that our loved ones use become such an integral part of our everyday lives that it feels like the entire world should know what they’re talking about. Which can lead to a lot of fun.
Reddit user Tysmily asked the internet a very poignant question about what sayings people grew up with only to later find out that they were actually unique to their families. Check out the best, funniest, and most unexpected sayings below, dear Pandas. Remember to show the sayings you love the most your appreciation by giving them an upvote (we’re huge fans of the ‘we can’t afford monsters’ one) and let us know in the comment section if your family has any unique sayings, too!
Tysmily’s thread got over 49.9k upvotes and a whopping 149 awards which just goes to show that their fellow redditors really enjoyed the topic. We reached out to Tysmily to talk about their viral thread and Bored Panda also spoke about sayings and idioms with Mike Rock from the 'Know Your Phrase' website. "Idiomatic phrases can form at any time, including today. However, not all of them will reach popularity levels to where they become a part of everyday conversations," Mike said. Read on for our full interviews with him and with redditor Tysmily!
#21
My dad sang opera so when he came to pick me up from grade school, he'd always sing my name for everyone to hear. Builds character, I guess.
Report
50points
#22
I have yet to hear anyone else say it and I stole it from my dad but if something was broken he would say "it's bucking fusted"
Miss you dad
Report
45points
#23
My dad is a neurologist. Anytime I complained that I was bored he would ask me “board certified?”. Took years for me to finally get it.
Report
45points
#24
I'm sure this is actually super common, but it comes from my Great Grandma. She only spoke Hungarian and what little english she did know were translations of her favorite Hungarian swears. She would often call people, especially my father, "b**ch-bastard" in both languages. It stuck and most of my family on that side refer to each other as "b**ch-bastards", which does cover most bases.
Report
44points
#25
When we’d go to restaurants and it came time to pay my dad, without fail, would always look in his wallet and say “ Well looks like we’re washing dishes tonight” as our means to pay.
Report
44points
#26
I'm going to start drinking, and I don't mean diet coke!
My mom when angry
Report
43points
#27
My nan and mum would always say "you're nosey for a cabbage", when I would try to ask about stuff that wasn't my business, not sure if it's unique to us but I've never heard anyone else say it
Report
41points
#28
"What time dark" was something we would say to ask like the general question of when was like dinner and down time.
Turns out my parents were ass face drunk on vacation in a different part of the world before me and my sister were born when my mom turned to my dad and proclaimed "what time dark". Because she wanted to see the sun set but couldn't get the thoughts together.
So from 1-16 I thought it was a common saying, and from 16-24 when my mom passed everytime she said something stupid we would just go "WhAt TiMe dArK???"
Report
40points
#29
My mom said something really funny once while we were getting ready to run out. She said, “Mirror mirror on the wall, you better f**king lie to me!” Since then it’s stuck and we say it before we leave to go out.
Report
39points
#30
When my grandma would say " I got a bone in my leg" when she asked us kids to fetch stuff for her. It was her reason for not doing it herself. I felt so bad for her when I was super small. I really thought she'd hurt her leg or something. Like "would you bring me an iced tea? I got a bone in my leg"
Report
39points
#31
My southern grandmother had some good ones:
“Lord willing and the creek don’t rise” = if all goes according to plan. As in “We’ll see y’all in a week, lord willing and the creek don’t rise.”
“Too much sugar for a dime” = trying to do too much with too little. As in “You want to cook twelve side dishes, four desserts, and a turkey for four people? That’s too much sugar for a dime.”
She would also sign off on emails and cards the same way: “loveyousogranma” all one word like that. Some of the family have adopted it now, and I love that.
My granddad had some good ones too. I remember playing a game with him as a kid where I’d try to get him to say his name and he’d always respond “Puddin Cane. Ask me again I’ll tell you the same.” Makes no sense but I loved it.
Report
33points
#32
my nan used to say 'who's she, the cat's mother?' whenever you told a story with too many pronouns and she lost track of characters
Report
33points
#33
When being asked a question he couldn't possibly know, my dad would always respond "Do I have holes in my hands?" referring to (not) being Jesus and thus knowing everything.
Report
33points
#34
My late grandma would tell us to go do some chores and my brothers, cousin and I would pretend we weren't listening so when one of us asked what she wanted again she would angrily say, "You heard me, you ain't blind!"
Report
30points
#35
“You got goats”
My family’s way of saying you had a wedgie, because it looked like there was a goat in your crack eating your pants. Quite embarrasing when I found out that wasn’t a common phrase
Report
29points
#37
My mum often says "they have a face like a slapped arse" whenever she is talking about co workers who aren't taking her constructive criticism well. They often have a pinched expression, lips pressed tightly together/puckered like an actual arse hole...
When my dad is done eating and is asked if he wants more food, he will often reply "mate, I'm full as a zoo keepers boot!" (I'm Australian)
He also says "they were giving out brains, you thought they said trains and you missed it" when I didn't listen to instructions.
My personal one is "they're a few skittles/crayola short of a rainbow" if someone is a bit off mark on something.
Report
25points
#38
When I would stand in front of the TV and my mom couldnt see, she would always say: Your father is not a glassmaker! Meaning I wasnt see-through and would have to move.
Report
24points
#39
Mom: You'd never notice on a galloping horse.
No one really looks closely at you.
Report
23points
#40
One I still don't understand is "What are you doing? Posing for animal crackers?"
I mean, I understood the meaning but the reference was beyond me. Basically when I was standing around during work and not doing anything.
Dad had a lot of weird ones.
Report
23points