Yorkshire expression?? Up in Annie's room, behind the clock.

[upinaballoon]

In the generation above me, members of my family would use the expression 'Up in Annie's room, behind the clock'. It means you don't know the whereabouts of someone or something.

The only other person I have ever known, who knew the expression, was an elderly woman who came from Yorkshire. My grandmother was Yorkshire-born, too, so maybe she brought it into my family.

Does anyone else know the expression?

Sorry, late to this one but my Hull grandmother used to say someone was 'up a tree, nutting' when they couldn't be found.

‘Gone/going to see a man about a dog.’

As a small child I thought there was going to be the imminent arrival of a new puppy but alas it was said to indicate when a chap was going to the toilet.

I grew up in Yorkshire until my teens and don’t think I’ve ever heard it but it’s a great phrase!

Thank you, everyone, for your replies. So, other people do know it and there are several variations on the theme, but from what various ones of you have said, it's heard in parts other than in Yorkshire. I am glad to find that other folk know it, or something like it.

This morning or maybe yesterday evening there was a snippet on the news about dialect words being lost, I know this is an expression and not dialect but it pushed me into asking the question. My family had a Cambridgeshire strand as well as a Yorkshire strand but no-one that I know of was from the Scottish borders or Wales or Ireland so I wonder how it filtered its way into my family. Another of those things that I will never know!

My dad's version was "up yer arse on't second shelf"

Wow, not heard that saying in a long while. My grandad was from Yorkshire and used to say this but it really confused me as they lived in a bungalow 😂

Lived in Hull all of my life and never heard this one before!

Several of us with arse shelves it seems.

Hello there 😁

"Up yer arse picking daisies" is the less classy version we had.

A poster up the thread mentioned that the relative would be 128 by now.
If talking about something a long way in the future, my Yorkshire gran would say "I'll be under t' table with a tall 'at on by then"

I have heard...." I am going through one door only to meet myself coming back through the other.

Don"t think it applies to losing things though I have a crazy habit of doing just that .....but I am getting better!

These sayings are hilarious🤣🤣🤣

One of my favourites is

" They can take a long walk off a short pier".

From Northern Ireland here and my grandmother would have often said “it’s in Nellie’s room behind the clock”

Yorkshire here, my grandparents used lots of Yorkshire phrases but I never heard this in my life.

I'm from Yorkshire. Never heard of it not even from great grandparents. I like the one posted by @ClemmyTine 😁

If you asked my Yorkshire grandmother where something was and she didnt know she would say.. Up my arse, hanging from a sweat bubble. I've never heard anyone else say it.
The other saying i have never heard anyone else say is a little rhyme that she would say if you asked her where she was going..
I'm going to El-a-ma-titty, which is neither house land or city and when you asked
where that was, she would say Three fields past China.
She was from Dewsbury.

@LadyEloise1

Both my parents were form Munster and used to say up in Nellys room behind the wardrobe.

Usually meant I have no idea 🤷‍♂️

Behind the jug in granny‘s room.

My dad used to say: in the vinager bottle behind the clock.
He was originally from London but spent some years in Yorkshire.

I'm from Yorkshire and have never heard that expression. Usually my family say 'on the second shelf' to mean an unknown place. Often followed by 'up your arse'

@bringarosie so your variation was "behind the wardrobe"whereas ours is "behind the wallpaper".

I used to hear my mum say "under my arm hanging on a sweat ball"!

I'd forgotten quite how many weird sayings we heard from her.

Up yer arse second shelf

Not heard that expression. My mother and grandmother if you asked what was for tea would sometimes say "stare and stand back" . It probably meant they hadn't planned anything but my sister and I knew it meant it was going to be something rubbish and used to groan: "Oh no, not stare and stand back!"

When asked what was for tea, one of my relations would say, "Wimwams".