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?

SpunBodgeSquarepants that sounds like a different tune.

We did the same as you op, but back in the 60s. S/E England.

West country...

Omm omm omm omm omm omm OMM

Said rapidly.

We also had itchy chin or chinny chin chin

Oooooooo! in the Welsh Marches.

And itchy chin and something about Jimmy Hill?!

It was 'orrrrr' where I grew up in Leeds, in the 90s. And another with the 'you're getting done'. Does this not happen anymore???

Oh, and a weird TSSSS noise. I think that was supposed to be water sizzling off people’s red faces if they were embarrassed?

I had no interest in or understanding of other children. :-S

I was brought up in Northwest England and the sound was

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaah” with the pitch gradually rising.

For Dh in Essex it was “ommmmmm” I think although will check with him later

Uuuuuuummmmm was always said with the bottom lip folded under the top teeth, followed by "you're gunna get done!"

Thinking about it, the ahhhh rose and then fell in pitch

I grew up in the West Country. It was definitely ‘ummmmm-ahh!’
And ‘itchy chin’ sometimes expanded to ‘itchy chinny reckon’ complete with itchy chin rubbing moves

Oh my god, I’d forgotten the “licked my cheese and you never said please”!

East Midlands in the 80s/90s it was an Ahhhhh with the rising and falling intonation followed by a drawn out "telling"

Was our primary school the only one where ummm! was always accompanied by an index finger on your lips (same gesture as telling someone to be quiet)?

South London
Ummm I'm telling!
(Infant school only 70s)

It was aaaaAAAAAhhhhh at my school in the NW.

It still happens at my DC's school. UmmmmMMMmm. Definitely hasn't died out.

Ummmmm I'm telling!
You jumped over my garden without saying pardon.
You licked my lolly without saying sorry!

@Sausagefingers9

Last one, anyone else say “Aayaz” when they hurt themselves?!

^ yes haha from tyne & wear

I also vaguely remember that we would hold up our pointer finger whilst saying "I'm telling on you"

Essex. 80’s. “Uuuummmmmm you’re gunna get well dun!”
Also “WAAAAAAAYYYY” if anyone ever loudly dropped something.

Ireland and it was this

Aaaaaaaaaaaaah, with a long up-and-down sound.

Haven't thought about that in years. well done OP. great post.

Ummmmm I'm telling, South East in the late 70s at primary school. Chinny reckon, itchy beard, Jimmy Hill, Tutankhamen all came later, probably late 80s, at senior school.

"Uuummmmmm, I'm tellin' yer Muh" .
Translation from Bristolian to English is
"Uuummmmmm, I'm telling your Mum".

...and we got the dap too.

Here in Birmingham, it was definitely more of an 'ommmmmmm' sound that we made.

I’m in NI and we did “ohwee ohwee ohwee, i’m Telling Miss/mummy/daddy”

I need to ask my West Country DH about this immediately!

It was definitely ‘Ummm I’m tellingggg’ at my school(s - we moved) in the South East in the last 90s/early 00s.