Favourite phrases etc.

If you don't ask - the answer is always "no"!

Cathy

Heard John Le Carre interviewed this morning (what a voice) talking about the new Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and he said that George Smiley was the sort of man who would "carry his horse up hill".  Few of that sort about these days.

Although probably not fitting the bill it reminds me of "You can take a horse to water but a pencil must be lead" tend to sling that one in when I'm out of my depth in a debate.

Use Pot & Kettle alot, as I do "You think your body every self" shortly followed by "go stick your 'ed up a dead bear's bum" both of which can be used if the horse & pencil fall on deaf ears.

for exit, 2 to speak with a moron, 3 to access music that we make sure you will hate, 4 to wait for the only person in the tiny room based in the remote part of the punjab and of course 5 for the complaints department, also manned by person who cannot speak a word of English.

An old Yorkshire saying drilled into me by my dad ....

'them what ask don't get .... and them what don't ask dont want'.

In other words ... the answer is 'NO'.

As Cathy says "No" is a powerful message but, because I'm not all bad, "No but" works well, as in whenever a client says "We need to meet tomorrow" the response will always be "No but I can do Friday" (never said on a Thursday).

My favourite in the past year (and hopefully for the next 40): "Do Less - Be more"

Thinking of some of T shirts:

"Paddle quicker I hear banjos"

"Don't make me come down there!"...God

"Jesus is coming.....Look busy"

(No offence intended I can laugh at Richard Dawkins jokes)

My mum was a geordie and frequently used 'those who ask don't get' - slightly different dialect mind - and I used it to my girls all the time - but we didn't have the end half.

Her favourite phrase to Dad though was

'whats yours is mine and whats mine's my own'

... an' theer wah me thinkin' t'was a gud ole Yorkshur sayin'

I'll have to go listen to 'Ilkla Moor bah't 'at' now to get back into the mood ;)

Mae o'n 'abod pawb ond yn 'abod neb

Translates as "he knows everyone but he knows no-one". Sounds better in Welsh though :)

Also, to describe a particularly useless person "mae o 'fatha buwch mewn coeden", meaning "he's like a cow in a tree".

As Paul mentioned Richard Dawkins, my favourite phrase recently has been "I'm just one God more atheist than you are". Perhaps I should point out here that I have a couple of Christian friends who often try to convert me when we've had a few pints!

• Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil, because I am the meanest [mod - removed offensive language] in the valley. 

• Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. -  George S. Patton

... is a favourite of mine.

Buy one get one free, except with some things ... one is enough ;)

... and one that is particularly relevant to myself .. "I can resist everything, except temptation"

.... although 1 whole week off the ciggies at 5pm today :) :) :)

With some things (and some people!!) one is too many - and duplicates are definitely undesirable!

Cathy

useful as a one legged man in an arse kicking contest. (no offence to one legged men)

If [mod - removed offensive language] was sugar we'd have sweeter tea.

He went behind a dung cart and thought it was a wedding.

It'll all come out in the wash

Do-one

"Pride of place"

doesn't make you a bad person

[Mod note: self-censored offensive language is still not allowed.]

Are you still counting the days, or did you do a quick calculation?

...almost every line of Blackadder & have found myself having discussions with friends completely in Blackadder quotes.

A couple of my favourites are:

"I think the phrase I am looking for rhymes with clucking bell"

"Not with a bayonet through your neck you couldn't" (when someone offers to do something you don't want them to)

They know the price of everything and the value of nothing!

I think this fits well with the rioters of recent times, although it makes me feel old just to say it!

All things bright and beautiful,

all creatures great and small.

All things wise and wonderful

just happen to be here.