Being sent to Coventry

[Muddlingalongalone]

Currently reading Malory Towers with dd1 (8).
Apparently her teacher doesn't know the phrase "Being sent to Coventry"
He is very young. 1-2 yrs post NQT but even so I was surprised.
Do you know what it means?
What other phrases are "old fashioned" now?

Same here @Mitebiteatnite

@CopperTrolley my granddad used to say “I’m eighty three”, if he was poorly. No idea why

My dad used to say, ‘I’ll have your guts for garters,’ as a mild rebuke.

I said someone reminded me of Citizen Smith the other day, power to the people and all that. My boss, (head of Science) looked at me blankly.

It was specifically mentioned in an NHS bullying policy at my work as an example of bullying

I know it too, probably from Malory Towers! I use it often at work (gives you an idea of what some of my colleagues are like 🙄)

Horses in Malory towers only die if they lie down with colic. Didn’t that happen to Gwendoline’s pony or something?

I’m a hundred and eleven when unwell.

I know, but only because of Blyton - it wouldn’t surprise me if people who hadn’t read her or books written around the same time didn’t know.

Not sure necessarily old fashioned, but I likened something to having a Damascene conversion recently and none of my colleagues knew what that meant. Likewise describing somebody as a moveable feast.

I always thought it originated from the civil war. Coventry was a strong parliamentary Roundheads stronghold and any royal supporting cavaliers that were captured were sent to Coventry to stop them being able to communicate with other royalist supporters and to stop other Royalists communicating with them. Hence being sent to Coventry became known for not being spoken to? But I have to say having just re read all my old Malory Towers books I’m now working my way through the twins at St Clare’s ones. On the 5th form at the moment. And when I finish them I may start on all my famous five books. Xx

I learnt it from Malory Towers too - I got it from the context in the end.

I know "sent to Coventry" - from Enid Blyton and also chums who went to boarding school.

Never heard of "Charley's dead" or "swinging the lead" - what do they mean?

Another strange one is "how's your father" to mean sex! Such an innocuous phrase and it could be uttered entirely innocently, but not one to misunderstand!

Horses in Malory towers only die if they lie down with colic. Didn’t that happen to Gwendoline’s pony or something?

Didn’t it have colic and they had to walk the horse all night so it wouldn’t lie down and die? I’m sure it all ended happily. 5th form??

Charlie’s dead = showing your petticoat!

Swinging the lead is pretending to be ill

He's not poorly, he's swinging the lead

No idea why though

I suppose it would be called bullying now. Or emotional abuse.

Yes I know it from Enid Blyton too. All these phrases are very familiar to me but I’m 51. I say all quiet on the western front a lot at work I’ve had to explain it several times.

My mum had a strange saying, if us kids ever asked her how someone had died she would say “he tripped over a straw and a hen kicked him” wtf was that all about???

Is that not true about stopping horse's with colic from lying down? I thought the same happened in one of the Jilly Cooper books too.

It was Third year & Bill, Darrell and Miss Peters where Mavis went to the talent contest btw.

Swinging the lead is just taking the piss and being lazy.

I know about Coventry.

Man about a dog is going to the pub.

Haven't heard of Charley.

Know hows yer father but not sure of origin.

My Granny used to say "I see said the blind man"

What's weird about I see said the blind man? It's a joke 🤷🏽‍♀️😂

Yep. Mallory towers here too

And what about
“A blind man on a galloping horse won’t notice”

Yes, I knew about Coventry from Enid Blyton, although come from close by. DH thought it was a term for 'Borstal or prison or something'.
Know nothing about horses, but thanks to EB I know they shouldn't lie down with colic.
Charlie's dead - petticoat (or underskirt as I knew them) showing.
See a man about a dog - generic for important business
Swinging the lead - having you on. Must be something to do with a plumb line.....

On an aside, does anyone wear underskirts now? I remember seeing them in m&S as a child and wearing them under school skirt........ i was sad.

Seeing a man about a dog means going for a wee to me.
Others:
"Are you joining the Masons" Someone who accidently has one trouser leg raised
"Like a fart in a colander " lacking focus, concentration.

Yep I know (38) and both my dd's know from Mallory Towers.

I sometimes wear an underskirt with the skirts I have which are made of material prone to riding up, or which are a little bit see-through. I think it’s more common for skirts and dresses to be lined nowadays, which de-necessitates underskirts.

If you go by Shanks' pony, you have no transport and you have to walk.