If I told you "It's snowing down south" would you check your weather app or your hemline?

[TeaAndStrumpets]

Also, what about poor Charlie? He must have died many times.

What never gets said these days?

I've not heard of either of these.

@spotcheck

OP Put us out of our misery! What is the Charlie one???

"Charlie's dead" is an alternative to "It's snowing down south", both meaning "your slip is showing". I am interested in the Paris variation....far more discreet

Weather app for snow, but not if you told me it was raining in Paris. Whoever came up with that one?🤣

Charlie's dead = your petticoat/slip is on show.
A commonly used phrase in 1970s Croydon.

I dont know most of these. Can people please post explanations alongside their phrases!?

My lovely granny always used to say "spend a penny" to mean going to the loo. I assumed it used to be from the days you needed to pay to access a public loo?

Oops crossed with the explanations!

How on earth did Charlie's dead come to mean that?! Surely that could cause more of a stir dropped into conversation!

Raining in Paris is the phrase I used/know. I remember wearing a petticoat to primary school all the time in the eighties but my DD doesn’t own one and I haven’t seen any for kids in M&S etc. I do own slips but tend to wear shortish one and midi dresses so not an issue.

I dont think my kids would even know what it is. I remember all girls used to wear petticoats.

What/when did it change?

My gran still says she's off to spend a penny or to powder her nose. I guess the latter phrase could raise some eyebrows these days, if she wasn't so old!

My mum still “spends a penny”.
If my Dad thinks someone is a bit thick, he’ll say they’re “as dim as a Toc-H lamp”, which I think is some kind of camping style gas lamp from the 1930s. He’s only 78 but his mum used to say it.
He’ll also say someone is “not as green as they’re cabbage-looking” if they turn out to be less daft than he thought.

The bit about spending a penny was because the public toilets charged 1p to be able to use them. There were locks on the outside of the cubicle doors and you put 1p in and the door would open for you, or you paid the attendant to allow you to use the facilities.

I have no idea where or what the other sayings relate to.

We used to use Charlie's died. No idea why! I'm now starting to think I'd quite like a nice warm slip under my dresses this winter- another year of freezing in my ventilated classroom feels unbearable.

Powdering one's nose isn't a euphemism for doing lines of cocaine. In the good old USA, women's bathrooms/wc's were called Powder Rooms and they used to reapply their make-up after using the facilities so that they were looking their best, as far as I know.

Weather app. Who is Charlie?

I’m 50, And used to wear a slip with my school skirts, but never heard of either of those phrases. Can’t think what we used to say.
I’m more likely to say going to the toilet than spend a Penny or powder my nose, not very ladylike I didn’t realise they were that old fashioned. Mind you I don’t think I’ve ever spent an actual Penny.

Charlie's dead was really common down here in the South East. Never heard of any of the others though.

@GetOffTheTableMabel

My mum still “spends a penny”. If my Dad thinks someone is a bit thick, he’ll say they’re “as dim as a Toc-H lamp”, which I think is some kind of camping style gas lamp from the 1930s. He’s only 78 but his mum used to say it. He’ll also say someone is “not as green as they’re cabbage-looking” if they turn out to be less daft than he thought.

Mabel that Toc-H one is fantastic! I'll try it on a few older friends and see if they know it. I've heard the cabbage one before, still usable today I reckon!

I am fascinated by the sayings that have disappeared into history. Schoolgirl slang is interesting because boys were never meant to know what was being said.

You are showing next weeks washing was the one I grew up with meaning your underskirt was in show. 1970s-80s north west

Oh yes, Charlie’s dead was a well known hint back in the 60’s and 70’s, when I was a teenager!

@QueenofLouisiana

We used to use Charlie's died. No idea why! I'm now starting to think I'd quite like a nice warm slip under my dresses this winter- another year of freezing in my ventilated classroom feels unbearable.

Queen I was thinking the same re warmth. I have a strappy nightie which annoys me by twisting round, so I tried it under a midi skirt to see if it could be used as a slip. As I checked in the mirror I had a flashback to my schooldays, so here we are!

It was always 'It's snowing in Paris'

It was 'It's raining in Paris,' for your petticoat showing at school near Bristol in the 1970/80s.
Flies undone was 'half mast.'

Snowing for white and Charlie's dead for black!

@GetOffTheTableMabel

My mum still “spends a penny”. If my Dad thinks someone is a bit thick, he’ll say they’re “as dim as a Toc-H lamp”, which I think is some kind of camping style gas lamp from the 1930s. He’s only 78 but his mum used to say it. He’ll also say someone is “not as green as they’re cabbage-looking” if they turn out to be less daft than he thought.

My Dad (who would have been 100 this year) used the Toc H lamp one - although I always thought it was Toc 8? Also the cabbage one. I'm sure there were loads more but I can't remember them sadly

So all the snow is in Paris? None down south? I am feeling like a proper yokel now