Philosophy of other Nations
- Thread starter bograt
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tony from suffolk
Well-known member
That quote sits above the door of Craghill's Boot Store in Keswick. Alas, it didn't help pull in the punters - Craghill's has recently gone bust.bograt said:
tamarmole said:bograt said:
I thought it was a quote from Ted Hughes, the poet chap
It's definately not Ted Hughes. I heard my gran say it back in the '50's - along with 'Don't wear your coat indoors. Tha'll not get it's benefit when tha goes outside' - and many others. That one never did seem to make sense as warmth in her house was confined to a little patch in front of the coal fire.
richardg
Active member
When I used to run a farm in Somerset and be out in the fields with the lads getting the ground ready for planting I would generally have my shirt off.
Most days we would have the pleasure of being visited by Pete... a proper deepest somerset farmer who would kindly drop by and cast his eye over proceedings and give his seasoned advise....
Pete would look at me and my bare chest, then look upwards across the sky as if he could detect some cloud or hint of a gathering storm. ( which I might add would be invisible to rest of the assembled audience)
And with that air of authority that comes only with age would repeat in the best of of local dialect ..
" Never castah clout before may is zowt"
Most days we would have the pleasure of being visited by Pete... a proper deepest somerset farmer who would kindly drop by and cast his eye over proceedings and give his seasoned advise....
Pete would look at me and my bare chest, then look upwards across the sky as if he could detect some cloud or hint of a gathering storm. ( which I might add would be invisible to rest of the assembled audience)
And with that air of authority that comes only with age would repeat in the best of of local dialect ..
" Never castah clout before may is zowt"
tony from suffolk
Well-known member
Hereabouts in Suffolk the locals have a quaint and charming little poem, relating to the idea that if you repeatedly hit a walnut tree with a stave or somesuch, enough to break the bark in places, it increases the tree's yield. It goes like this - "A Woman, a dog, and a walnut tree. The harder you beat 'em, the better they'll be!"
andys
Well-known member
I understand that there is still hot debate on whether the "may" is the month or the blossom in this old proverb. I prefer the flower since it seems to echo the fact that the blossom is usually far more advanced in the south than the north (in Gods Own County, we were about 3 weeks behind where my folks in Suffolk were last year) meaning that it was warm enough for them to get their kit off that bit sooner than we could! But "opinion" - when considering the origins of the phrase, and its parallels in other languages - seems to plump for the month. See http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/till-may-is-out.html - but don't believe everything you read on the 'net. Or here!Laurie said:
Peter Burgess
New member
The owl tells the sparrow he has a big head, is the Hungarian equivalent of pot calling the kettle black.(Back on topic).
From one of the Scandinavian countries (can't recall which):
"Some days you get to eat the bear; other days the bear gets to eat you".
Equivalent to our "Some you win; some you loose".
I once browsed an academic book that compared the equivalent everyday sayings of various counties; it was noticeable how often wolves and bears featured in Scandinavian sayings where we would have foxes and harmless animals.
"Some days you get to eat the bear; other days the bear gets to eat you".
Equivalent to our "Some you win; some you loose".
I once browsed an academic book that compared the equivalent everyday sayings of various counties; it was noticeable how often wolves and bears featured in Scandinavian sayings where we would have foxes and harmless animals.
