As I was growing up, my family had a couple of sayings I took for granted were universal, at least within my language. As I became an adult I have learned that these are not universal at all:
- the ketchup effect. It is an expression meaning that when things arrive, they all arrive at the same time. Think of an old school glass ketchup bottle. When you hit the bottom of it, first there is nothing, then there is nothing and then the entire content is on your food.
- faster than Jesus slid down the mount of olives. Basically a saying that implies that the mount of olives is slippery due to olive oil and Jesus slipped.
- What you lack in memory, your legs suffer. An expression meaning that when you are forgetful, you usually need to run back and thus your legs suffer.
Please share your own weird family sayings.
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I’m familiar with the last one. Love the “ketchup effect”, have to remember that one
My mom used to tell my brother’s and I to eat vegetables that were longer than they are wide because it’s good for growing an ankle duster.
The what
Eat long veg, grow long dong.
Yeah I know what it means. Don’t you think that’s a little strange coming from mom? Bow chicka wow wow 😽
… Am… Am I understanding correctly that your mother told you and you brother , regularly, to eat dick shaped vegetables so you could grow a long shlong?
Spot on! I take it your mother didn’t off that advice?
Was she your first 🥰
Mother? Yes. There was another one that came later.
You are motherfucker
Well my sisters and I don’t have that kind of equipment, so no.
That’s a smart mom.
A Dutch one I got from my Oma: “It’s as if the angels upon my tongue have pissed”. It means “yum”.
Alsof er een engeltje over je tong pist.
Not really a saying, but when I was a kid I wanted to learn how to whistle so badly. I was told that if I ate pickles it would help me learn faster? I didn’t eat any, and I still figured it out eventually.
Probably because sour would make your lips pucker? I think lemons would be more obvious.
Funny my grandad had a little rhyme related to your ketchup effect:
“If you do not shake the bottle, none’ll come and then a lot’ll”
Clearly ketchup bottles have been a bigger influence on culture than we realised
Shaking the ketchup bottle is a great pro tip. No idea why it works but it does.
Vigorous shaking mixes the thicker areas (where the sauce has settled) and the thinner (more watery) areas so they now have the same viscosity (pouring characteristics). Most importantly, this lets the mass of sauce slide cleanly down the bottle, helping the air bubble to also slide up in one unit at the same time, preventing the “air-lock” blockage at the opening. Important Note: Before vigorously shaking any container, ensure that the cap is truly secured! Now you are in control!
Before vigorously shaking any container, ensure that the cap is truly secured!
Wife has this bad habit of not closing stuff all the way. Learned this the hard way :D
I think what you said is true but that also ketchup as a material is shear thinning—meaning as you shake or tap the bottle, this creates stress or “shear” on the liquid which causes the viscosity to decrease. It also takes a little bit of time for the liquid to re-thicken, so it will actually pour pretty well a few seconds after shaking it.
Bravo!
I really love both ketchup effects here:D
You might already heard this one but I didn’t learn until a relatively recent internet meme that its only here in Norway that something being “complete texas” means its completely chaotic and messy.
Also I’m using “what the fir forest” (“hva i granskauen”) as a replacement for “what the hell” and I have no idea where I’ve picked it up… Nobody else around me do, not even family. Works just as fine though against pain and annoyances.
complete texas
I have distant family who moved to Texas. I will steal this, but only to give it away.
My mom used to describe a solution to a problem that worked well as “slicker than snot”
Used that phrase in a work meeting once when I was younger and got the most eclectic mix of reactions ranging from, “ think I’m going to vomit” to full on LOLs.
I’m stealing that one.
To correct someone from saying “so” too much:
“Sew buttons on ice cream”
“Hey” too much:
“Hay is for horses”
“Well” too much:
“Well, well, well - that’s three holes in the ground”
Micromanage much?!?!
“Sew buttons on your underwear” is how I’ve heard it.
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Perhaps the futility is the point.
I like the some in conversation says “but hey…”
I quickly interject “Butt hay is for butt horses”
Dad humor.
“Hay is for horses” is universal. I do agree that these are all dumb though.
My dad used to say “Hay is for horses, I eat oats.”
True
“si” (italian yes) too much:
If you say si too much, you become a sisi.
70’s kid my Dad says “wadda want eggs in your milk?” (still to this day)
always said if you “upscale” something.
Me: Dad I need shoes Dad: ok we will get some. Me: how about those Adidas like Run DMC Dad: Wadda want eggs in your milk toofunny thing is as dumb as the saying is. My oldest child used it the other day when a person was trying to merge in front of him
The last one’s very similar to a german saying: “Was man nicht im Kopf hat, muss man in den Beinen haben.”
That literally translates to “What you don’t have in your head, you have to have in your legs.”
Yeah my family (mostly my grandma) used that one too but in Dutch. Wat je kop vergeet moeten de benen ontgelden.
So that’s 3 people in this thread that brought this up. What does it mean? Is it intelligence versus athletics or something else?
Means work smarter, not harder.
If you don’t think to bring something with you, you have to go back and get it (for example)
“Work smarter, not harder”
I think this one means, either you use your intelligence or use your physical strength to do things. Guess it applies to work and tasks in general.
If you leave stuff in the other room, you walk more to go get it.
“Dead meat is hung, live meat is hanged.” Turns out most people’s grandma’s aren’t radical leftist english teachers.
“That’s the cock for Dolly!” - Finally got that working.
Ketchup effect is known outside your family. Some years ago, the then head of government of my country used the term in the context of COVID-19 vaccines. I can’t quickly find sources in English, but: https://kurier.at/freizeit/trending/ketchup-effekt-mcdonalds-scherzt-ueber-kurz-sager/401206246
“Life’s tough. It’s even tougher when you’re stupid.”
-my grandfather quoting a line from a John Wayne movie I think.
“If you’re gonna be stupid, you’ve gotta be tough,” is one I’ve heard.
Lol well this reminds me of what my Hodor sized buddy’s foreman used to say about him, “Thank God he can lift a ton cuz he can’t fucking spell it.” 🤣
That’s fucking great
There is even a song for it!
Is there really?! Do you know the artist? I think I messed the quote up a bit cuz I didn’t get anything from googling it and even when I read it out loud it doesn’t sound quite right.
Fritzlehoffers. As a general term for anything you either don’t know the name of or cant remember. Hand me the fritzlehoffers next to you please.
