What idioms were bandied around in your family and who said it?

Question

For example my dad says
"We all eat a peck of dirt, before we die"
"Better 5 minutes late in this world, than 5 minutes early in the next."

Mum
"Red sky at night, shepherd's delight, red sky in morning shepherd's warning"

Answer 1

"A head that doesn't talk is a cabbage" (I think it rhymes in Italian) -Italian grandmother

"When the bill collector comes through the door love goes out the window"
"You can love a rich man just as easily as a poor one"
"This too shall pass"
"Better you should find out now than suffer later"- Jewish grandmother

When my father would ask if his nose was big (it is) the family would say "Your nose fits your face"

Answer 2

My dad always used to say "this won't buy the baby a bonnet" when we were all sitting round doing nothing on a sunday afternoon. It got changed to "this wont buy granny a bonnet" by me and my housemate as we had a flower called granny's bonnet growing in the back garden which we both thought was hilarious for some reason

When I'm running late (as usual) and I'm driving somewhere, my mum always says "better to arrive late than "dead" on time" - ie dont kill yourself driving too fast to try and arrive on time. That one always makes me think.

My nan's got loads of odd phrases, she's from the east end and says some very bizarre things!

Answer 3

My mother was a great source of such sayings.
During torrential downpours she would look out of the window and say, 'I think it's going to rain.'
When the sun did shine she would say, '"die Sonne scheint aus" (Schiller)'.
If there was a break in the cloud, 'There's enough blue to make a Dutchman a pair of trousers', which was apparently a good sign.
There was also a saying used in the whole village, 'It's looking a bit black over Mary's backside.' This meant that rain clouds were gathering behind Mary's house.

Answer 4

My Great Grandfather had a few, now his grandchilderen are passong them on to my cousins and I. He'd say the same as your mum, except with sailors.

"If there's enough blue in the sky to make a sailor a pair of pants, the weather will clear up"

"That man has a double dose of common sense"

"A blind man on Forty Second Street would not see the difference."

"If I hit your big toe with a hammer, your head will stop hurting."

"Learn something everyday other wise it is not worth getting out of bed."

Answer 5

Better late than never
See ya later alligator, in a while crocodile
Night night, sleep tight, hope the bed bugs don't bite
Don't pull that face. If the wind blows you will stay like that
A watched pot never boils
You die in bed

All said by my Mother and no doubt her Mother. And yes I use them too!!

Answer 6

everytime i got dumped by a loser my mum would always say that iwould have to kiss many frogs before i found my prince. The best one she told me when we where both drunk was the best way to get over someone is to get under someone.

Answer 7

My mum used to say (now my partner says it) that I was like a bull in a china shop.

Answer 8

Mum went in for mixed mataphors!
My favourite of her expressions was "It's a long worm that has no turning!"

Answer 9

Mum said, 'the bee's knees' often, when referring to you're the best.
Dad annoyingly often said, 'don' teach your grandmother to suck eggs', if we tried to tell/explain something to him.

Answer 10

well i guess we were unconventional cuz i got:

curiosity killed the cat, but the cat got the rat