10 Family Expressions & Old Wive's Tales

The theme this month for the 10 on the 10th is superstitions, wives' tales, and family expressions.  I struggled with this one so much as I could hardly think of any!  




1. "Brewing like a coffee pot"-- my grandmother used to say she was brewing like a coffee pot when she was angry.



2.  "You're gonna catch a cold with that wet hair"-- my other grandmother used to get so mad at me for not drying my hair all the way before going outside. She was absolutely convinced it was going to be the death of me and that I would catch pneumonia from it. I never could convince her that this was an old wives' tale with little science to back it up. 

3. Crossing your legs will cause varicose veins-- This is one wives' tale that has persisted so heavily in our family that I have only (this past summer) looked it up and disproven it! 



4. "bee in her bonnet"-  When someone is upset or has a problem they just can not let go of we say they have a bee in their bonnet. 

5. "Cracking your knuckles will cause arthritis"  -- My joins began cracking at a really young age (like under age 5 my knees would crack when I went to sit crisscross applesauce) and I heard from everyone from my grandparents to my babysitter to complete strangers that I was going to have arthritis one day from all the cracking. 



6. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away"-- My husband's grandfather quite literally ate an apple a day and he did live well into his 90's!  LOL.  

7. Black cats crossing in your path, walking under a ladder, and breaking a plate all bring you various years/times of back luck-- Good thing these are superstitions because I tend to break plates/glasses quite frequently! 


8."wait an hour after eating before swimming"-- My grandmother was very adamant about this one claiming that swimming after eating could cause cramping and make us drown.  It didn't even matter if we could touch or there was a lifeguard. 

9. Holding your breath when you pass by a cemetery so as not to breathe in a spirit.   



10.  "swamp Yankee"-- my grandmother often referred to herself and members of her family as swamp Yankees.  It's an actual term with a real definition so I guess she wasn't the only one!  (taken from google: Swamp Yankee is a colloquial term for rural Yankees (northeastern Americans). The term "Yankee" connotes urbane industriousness, whereas the term "Swamp Yankee" suggests a more countrified, stubborn, independent, and less-refined sub-typ)

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Comments

  1. I like "brewing like a coffeepot!" I'm going to start using that one :)

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    1. That one really tickled my best friend at the time too!

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  2. Fun post! I may believe in some old wives tales just a bit, because I'm always careful not to go outside with wet hair in cold weather. While the wet hair won't give you a cold, it will lower your body temperature which in return can lower your immune system.
    My kids were taught by their lifeguards over the years not to swim after eating, so there may be some truth to that.

    In Europe where I lived half of my life, broken dishes (porcelain) is supposed to bring good luck. You may have heard about "Polterabend", it's where before a wedding each guest brings a porcelain dish and breaks it in the party room to bring the couple good luck :-)
    Broken mirrors on the other hand are supposed to bring 7 years of bad luck. I may not believe all of this stuff, but I'm always careful not to break a mirror LOL.
    Really enjoyed this post, and love the brewing like a coffee pot as well! I have not heard that expression before!

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    1. My grandmother wouldn't even let us go in the water where we could touch after eating-- it wasn't just swimming in her opinion! lol

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  3. This post was so fun to read, haha! It makes me wonder where these sayings started and how in the world we still use some today?!? :)

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    1. I often wonder how the sayings got started and caught on.

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  4. My mother about wore us out with the catching a cold from going out with a we head. Crazy. And at 93 she still believes it to be true. Will stay in her apartment all day on the days she washes her hair. Guess it has served her well, though.

    Never heard about bad luck from breaking a plate. That explains a lot!! And holding your breath as you pass a cemetery is new to me. My husband says that someone is walking on his grave when he gets a chill.

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    1. My grandmother believed right up into her mid-90's and told me every chance she got. I often go outside with damp hair because fully dried my hair tends to be frizzy.

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  5. Haha, I love this! I used to hear many of these as I was growing up. Also, I think I should start eating an apple every day. 😀

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    1. I know, right?! Perfect time of year to start that too with apples being in season and oh so tasty.

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  6. I'm about to write my post for this, I'm a few days late! I always thought breaking plates was good luck!

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    1. Yeah, I'm hearing there is quite a controversy over this one. I had never heard of it being good luck!

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  7. Oh! What an interesting list. I have to admit, I didn't know that crossing your legs didn't cause varicose veins. I won't feel so bad about doing it now. #mmbc

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    1. I read quite a few articles this summer because I too thought it was true! I was really surprised to find it wasn't.

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  8. I love this. It made me start remembering some of the ones from my family. One of my favorite is my grandfather's use of "rubber necking" to mean not paying attention to where you are stepping because you are looking at other things. Visiting you from the good random fun link up. laurensparks.net

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    1. We use rubber necking when we talk of people who slow down and look from one side of the highway to the other when there has been an accident or there are emergency vehicles there.

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  9. Fun post idea! I'm visiting today from the #anythinggoes link up. Have a great week!

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