To think people should use these words/phrases more often

[SybilRamkin]

Inspired by the 'hubster' thread, there are several words and phrases in our glorious language that have been much neglected of late, and I resolve to use them more often.

My current favourites:

"I don't like the cut of your jib"

"steal a march [on someone]"

"lollygagging"

What words and/or phrases do you think should be brought back into common parlance?

Balderdash. Codswallop.

As welcome as a fart in a spacesuit. Even I find this last one vulgar.

'Fill your boots' as in help yourself and putting lipstick on a pig, which is a futile attempt to make something bad look good.

Love them both and my dad often says 'fill your boots'.

"I heard that James Blunt fellow on the wireless the other morning. He really is quite a card, you know."

Always an education on MN! I had forgotten a few of these. I like to say
Blinkey

He thinks he's gallus. (Sadly not enough these days as I get met by blank stares as a Scot in England)

Outwith & forthwith

Oxters as in - she's up to her oxters in it (again didn't realise for years only Scottish people have them)

Muppet or tumshie-heid for someone who is not very clever

Also 'do you think I zip up the back?' when people think I am not very clever

I do a good line in swears - maybe save them for another thread!

I'll probably get into trouble for mentioning this but "obfuscate" was one of Margaret Thatcher's favourite words.

A couple of London ones that I read:

"Black over Bill's Mother's" means thunderclouds. I think it comes from some political scandal or other.

"Coming round like 1 O'Clock" is from the Arsenal cannon that fired at 1pm every afternoon.

I'm reliably informed that "banter" originated as a slang word at Winchester College. I wonder how many other public school expressions have leaked into every day use?

This thread is far more _Chat than it is AIBU (for a start, everyone is being lovely, no bun-fights, all very civilised).

Far be it for me to be the Thread Police. While I'm here, may as well add another one .....

Along the lines of "herding cats" theme (upthread), I'm often to be heard saying

"it's like nailing jelly to the wall"

Jolly hockey sticks. Might have been used in the Mallory Towers books (which, incidentally, I have never read).

Pesky. A Beano/Dandy favourite.

Goodo. A one-time breakfast cereal.

Extremely bloody hell. Relatively recent expletive from Paul Whicker the Tall Vicar ( Viz).

Running around like a blue-arsed fly

What's that got to do with the price of fish?

He can't tell Christmas from the railway station (as politer version of arse from his elbow/hole in the ground)

Good grief!

Not a pot to piss in nor window to throw it out

Hell's bells, hell's teeth

Christ on a bike

My DP says oxters - I had no idea what they were. Aren't they armpits? (Scots)
Friend says the blue arsed fly one -all the time, (and she does run around!!)
same person who says the herding cats also uses the nailing jelly to the wall expression - I like it

Is everything and everyone "Tickety Boo" this morning? I love that saying. TICKETY BOO. lol hehe. :)

When feeling tired and weary at the end of the day my mum used to say "I'm a knock kneed knackeredy old nose bag" I loved it.

my grandpa had some choice expressions. He grew up on a Canadian wheat farm in the middle of nowhere.

"Useless as tits on a bull" for when something or someone is not working or being stupid.

"Horseshit" this is used as an expletive when someone is trying to put one over on you.

I use lollygagging all the time. DS thinks it's hilarious. I also think the word "scooch " should be used more often. As in, "scooch over, there's not enough room on this bench" or, to dh at bedtime "scooch magooch".

my mom used to say "Piss or get off the pot" meaning get busy doing or get out of the way.

My da used to use "suck it and see" meaning to try something out as in
"do you think this will work?"
"I don't know, sure suck it and see".

Nosleep. "Horseshit" is one of my favourites. More expressive anf and more impact than "bullshit".

I didn't spot it above, and I think I might be a bit Chaket School, but does anyone else declare that something is "a bit of a fag" to say it's a damn nuisance or a lot of extra work?

Thunderclouds is looking black over the wife's mothers or it is where I come from

vienna1981, indeed!

I also like "you're darn tootin'", it's a very enthusiastic yes.