That sound you made at primary school if someone broke a rule

[TheFirstOHN]

When I was at primary school, if someone broke a rule or did something deliberately naughty, we would make an ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm! sound, with the inflection rising then falling.

My husband (who comes from the West Country) says his peers used the same inflection, but with an 'ah' at the end: ummmmmmmmmmmmah! A friend once told me that where she came from (Northern England), it was a similar inflection, but the sound was ooooooooooooooh!

I've asked my teenage children about this, and none of them have any idea what I'm talking about. Was it just a 1980s thing? Does anyone here remember children doing this? If so, what sound, what part of the world and which decade?

hahah I know what you are on about and same as you with the ummm. As soon as I saw your thread title I could hear the sound we made straight away!

FYI I was born in 90s and from S.E

I was a West Midlands kid, and I did ummmmmmm-ahhhhhh in the 90s! Hilarious. Never considered that it might be regional!

The “uh oh- now you’re in for it” noise?

I don’t think it matters what the sound is, it’s the inflection. I think we said “ooooh”.

I say it to my dc if they break something when they’re being deliberately rough and have already been told to stop!

We're in Wales and did an Oooooooo-eeeeeeeer

Yep we did it- 80s child, 90s teenager.

Long exaggerated ummmm!

North London suburbs

South Cumbria.

It was ommmmmmmm here. I hated om with a passion.

Also chinwag when kids would dramatically roll about clutching their chins if someone was thought to be lying.

More of an ooooOoooh but like Oh rather than Ooh.
Scotland.
80s

Northern and we did the inflection and fall but will an Oooh sound.

Guernsey here, in the 90s we all went “ummmmmmmmm” but a few years ago I was in the taxi queue and someone stropped off for some reason and the whole 50 strong queue (including me) went “ooooooOOOOOOOOOoooh” as one, it was beautiful.

Ommmmmmmm here in south Wales. If you’re really drawing it out with full valleys accent, it’s ommmmmmmah 😂

As above, in Scotland,
Ooooooooooooh with an “oh” sound rather than “oo” through the 90’s.

Ohhhhhhmmmmmmmmm (followed by if you were on your own "telling!!")
West Midlands

It was ommmmmmm in 80s South Wales. Usually followed by "I'm telling!"

This is probably identifying as I’ve since established that it was probably just our school that did it... but we went:

Aw aw, chatter chatter!

In a rhythmic kind of chant. I thought this was totally standard.

We said 'jimmy hill' instead of 'chinny reckon' as well.
Weirdos.

Ommmmommmmmmommmm in south Wales.

We said 'jimmy hill' instead of 'chinny reckon' as well.

The standard reaction in my part of the world was to pull one's imaginary beard and say 'aye, Tutankhamun'

I'd forgotten about the addition of "Telling!!"

I'm feeling quite relieved that you all know what sound I'm talking about. I tried to explain it to the 14 year old, and the only modern equivalent he could think of is "Ooof!" which is not the same at all.

I find it interesting that although the vowel sound is regional, the intonation seems to have been the same across the whole of Britain.

I wonder when it died out?

I grew up in Stoke and it was Aaaaaaaaaaaaah, with a long up-and-down sound.

It was "Ummmmmmm, I'm tellin'" with a raised hand when I was at primary school in the early 1960s (I am that old!) in East Anglia.

North West England - early to mid nineties- Ommmmmmmmmmmm (O as in Orange) with an inflection. Also usually followed with a “I’m telling”.

Oh yes, I forgot to answer the original question. In my part of N Ireland it was 'oooooohhh'

And at secondary school, if anyone dropped a plate in the dining hall and it echoed really noisily, the whole place erupted into cheers. And extra cheers if a teacher did it

Definitely UMMMMMMMMM! down south.

Also, does anyone else remember “ITCHY BEARD!!!!”?

I remember "itchy beard"!!

North West and we did the 'oooooh' noise. brilliant