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?

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

I’be just remembered this was a thing!
See also: You liked my bum and you never said yum 😂

A long exaggerated 'uummmm'! Another one I remember was when we had parents' assembly every Thursday morning. We all used to chant 'Good morning Mr. Barker,(head teacher),good morning teachers,good morning friends,good morning parentsssssssssssss'. I think it was a contest to see who could make the 's' sound last the longest!

Growing up (Australia) it was a very quiet tssssssssssssssssssssss at my school.

Oh wow, I’d forgotten about this! It was definitely UMMMMMMMMM in the South - late 80s. I don’t remember it at secondary school, so think it was just a primary school thing?

ooohhhhhh
Cumbria

Ummmmmmm

I’m originally from Essex now I’m the midlands. I also knew exactly what you meant from the title! 😄

in yorkshire in the 90s it was ommmmmmurrrrrsssyyyy which i (as an outsider who moved from the south) had no idea of the meaning of until years later when i realised it was ‘oh mercy!’

Itchy beard

Ummmmm- Errrrrr

County Antrim

Ummm veee!
West Country

North Wales - ummm um um um um um. Sometimes with 'I'm telling' and something with 'I'm telling you're smelling in the middle of my wedding' 😂😂

Not sure I remember a specific sound. Maybe just an ooooooooh.

It was itchy chin at my school not chinny reckon. (Highlands)

I was coming on to say north east 80s 'you'll get wrong for that!'

I'm now in the West Country and plimsolls are still daps here. At school in the NE in the 80s they were sandshoes. When we moved to the Midlands they were pumps. Which was hilarious to us, as 'pump' in the NE meant fart. Imagine our delight when we went to Leamington Spa and saw the Royal Pump Rooms.

We said ummmmmmm in NW England in the 90’s :)

SE Ummmnnm here

We totally did ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Even used it in sentences like ‘you can’t do that it’s umm’

OMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM (followed by I'm telling usually!) Here in South Wales x

Ohhhh-ah, i’m Telling (Scotland)

Ammmmm for my school on the East Coast.

I echo a PP this is fascinating.

It was 'Ommmmmmmm' here as well.

It was “ummmmmmmmmmmm” in South East England. (And “BEARD” shouted whilst clutching your chin rather than “chubby reckon” which I think is northern)

East Anglia, 1970s, was "ummmmmmmm, I'm telling of you!"
Moved to Kenya late 70s where to my surprise they said
"Ummm-ma-mum- ma- mia! I'm telling!"

Hereford, so nearly Wales: OOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM TALLINNNN

and just 'mm mm mm CHINNY' for chinny reckon

Ours was more 'Orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr'

And chinny reckon for us too.

Soith Yorkshire in the 80s aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarm im telling on you

1980s/early 90s East Sussex said UMMMMMM as well!