Page 5 | Words/phrases you have seen in books that you have never heard a real life person say

OneUmberJoker · 2025-12-17T17:01:12+00:00

Little high little low - stuart little

Thedogscollar · 05/06/2026 00:42

Lashings of ginger beer.
Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.

KittytheHare · 05/06/2026 00:38

Weedingtodo · 03/06/2026 21:42

It’s a Dublin expression so that makes sense 😁

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Ahem it’s an Irish expression, not strictly confined to Dublin. We’ve been using it with carefree abandon in the west of Ireland since time began.

MillicentReally · 05/06/2026 00:38

BorisTheShark · 09/05/2026 20:31

In every martina Cole book - me and mine, or you and yours. Never heard anyone actually say that

Is it a bit ‘east end in the 90s’?

I remember her books having quite a distinct dialect where characters would always say ‘I am’ and ‘you are’ vs I’m and you’re - like ‘you are making a right mug out of me’ 😆

MarthaBeach · 05/06/2026 00:37

Dancing in the disco
Bumper to bumper
Wait a minute -
Where's me jumper?

(the Sultans of Ping)

KittytheHare · 05/06/2026 00:33

SixSevenShutUp · 09/05/2026 19:34

A jersey is a particular style of knitted jumper. In the olden days people would recognise the pattern. I had an Arran sweater, also a jumper but a different style.

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Gosh this z so true! I hadn’t thought about the difference in years, you’ve brought me back to my childhood days.

ourSusie · 05/06/2026 00:31

there’s cold pheasant in the pantry…

SaffySaffron · 05/06/2026 00:23

I do hear fizzog in real life but though I've met Marian Keyes and read most of her books I don't recall ever reading it. In any book.

As in my uncle "What's he done to his fizzog? (About Michael Jackson)

NotMyRealAccount · 04/06/2026 16:39

OneOfTheseNights · 04/06/2026 16:11

When I was (probably a moody teen) a lot younger, and I wasn’t happy about something, Mum used to look straight at me in (pretended) amazement, and say “good grief, what on earth is wrong with your fizzog”.
Ot either made me more “humpy” or it’d break the ice, and we’ed both end up in fits of laughter 😂 🤣

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In that situation my parents would have said, "Ye've got a face like a torn-oot fireplace." An expression I don't think I've ever seen in a book.

notatinydancer · 04/06/2026 16:21

PeoniesAreMyFavouriteFlowers · 09/05/2026 19:35

Don’t let’s.

I read this a lot in Enid Blyton books.

Does it mean let’s not?

I thought it was ‘do not let us’

OneOfTheseNights · 04/06/2026 16:11

NotMyRealAccount · 04/06/2026 14:48

I grew up in the West of Scotland and we used "fizzog" as a neutral/mildly derogatory synonym for "face".

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When I was (probably a moody teen) a lot younger, and I wasn’t happy about something, Mum used to look straight at me in (pretended) amazement, and say “good grief, what on earth is wrong with your fizzog”.
Ot either made me more “humpy” or it’d break the ice, and we’ed both end up in fits of laughter 😂 🤣

OneOfTheseNights · 04/06/2026 16:00

IGotBigKidsAndICannotLie · 03/06/2026 21:57

Also in many films: "We're just alike, you and I".

Nobody in the history of the world has ever actually said this IRL.

There’s not many a day that passes, when my OH doesn’t say that to me, and to some extent I say it to him.
This has happened from almost day one of our twenty four year relationship.
In our case l, it’s not gooey talk, it’s usually genuine amazement that say something happened in our past childhoods that were strikingly alike.
Or maybe a confession of as feeling or an emotion, that the other of us has also experienced.
Genuinely, it’s so strong, it can feel like we are blood related.

OneBusyFinch · 04/06/2026 15:09

Gruntled (from the wonderful Bertie Wooster books)

ThreeStripeQueen · 04/06/2026 15:00

My Dad says fizzog and fizzer for face.

Shithotlawyer · 04/06/2026 14:49

fizzog is physog -as in physiognomy.

NotMyRealAccount · 04/06/2026 14:48

3luckystars · 04/06/2026 14:36

I use this phrase. A lot 😁

she uses the phrase fizzog for people’s faces and I have never heard that used though, it doesn’t sound very natural. Is it an insult? Like ‘look at the puss on her’ type remark?

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I grew up in the West of Scotland and we used "fizzog" as a neutral/mildly derogatory synonym for "face".

Shithotlawyer · 04/06/2026 14:48

"A penny for your thoughts, Margery!" when someone is a bit distracted.

Most unnatural things are the exposition ones. "As you know, Margery, we've been married for 43 years..."

Shithotlawyer · 04/06/2026 14:43

AudiobookListener · 09/05/2026 19:30

Last book I read was a children's book in which everyone was wearing a jersey. It was set in 1975. No, just no. It was a jumper then and it's a jumper now.

we said "fisherman's jersey" in the early 80s to distinguish a jumper from big chunky knit.

muddyford · 04/06/2026 14:41

SquirrelGG · 31/05/2026 02:52

Jumpers are commonly called jerseys where I live. I never use the word jumper.

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I call them jerseys too.

ElizaMcC · 04/06/2026 14:40

3luckystars · 04/06/2026 14:36

I use this phrase. A lot 😁

she uses the phrase fizzog for people’s faces and I have never heard that used though, it doesn’t sound very natural. Is it an insult? Like ‘look at the puss on her’ type remark?

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It's an old term, comes form physiognomy (I think)

Sort of thing you used to hear Bertie Wooster say!

3luckystars · 04/06/2026 14:37

samantha9 · 04/06/2026 12:18

Blinking, characters in books are always blinking at each other, I don’t notice anyone blinking in real life. Obviously I know everyone does all the time, but it’s not something that is noticed.

Apparently liars blink a lot.

3luckystars · 04/06/2026 14:36

GonetoGreece1982 · 03/06/2026 21:31

I’ve been reading Marian Keyes Walsh sisters series, she describes men as total rides a lot, I’ve never heard that phrase before.

I use this phrase. A lot 😁

she uses the phrase fizzog for people’s faces and I have never heard that used though, it doesn’t sound very natural. Is it an insult? Like ‘look at the puss on her’ type remark?

Terpsichore · 04/06/2026 14:30

Choccyp1g · 04/06/2026 12:06

They say "you and yours" at 12 o'clock nearly every day on Radio 4.

Edited to add, I see a PP got there before me.

I was pondering the other day while listening to R4, what does "you and yours" actually mean as a programme title.

Edited

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I’ve always taken it to mean everyday consumer issues that affect 'you', the listener, and 'your', family/nearest and dearest, @Choccyp1g (the latter saying possibly also a candidate for the thread?)

samantha9 · 04/06/2026 12:18

Blinking, characters in books are always blinking at each other, I don’t notice anyone blinking in real life. Obviously I know everyone does all the time, but it’s not something that is noticed.

Choccyp1g · 04/06/2026 12:06

BorisTheShark · 09/05/2026 20:31

In every martina Cole book - me and mine, or you and yours. Never heard anyone actually say that

They say "you and yours" at 12 o'clock nearly every day on Radio 4.

Edited to add, I see a PP got there before me.

I was pondering the other day while listening to R4, what does "you and yours" actually mean as a programme title.

Rhaidimiddim · 04/06/2026 12:03

Very well!