Anyone else heard of this saying ????

[Nutcracker]

Dp reckons I have made this up

Neither use nor ornament

It is a proper saying i'm sure. He reckons that it doesn't even make sense.
Seems quite self explanitory to me.

sounds familiar to me and is self explanatory i agree nutty!

My dad always used to say this about me Fairly obvious what it means I would have thought.

Yup - my Mum used to say it (Up North)

Makes perfect sense - means it is neither functional nor aesthetically pleasing!

yep fairly common saying where I grew up in Northern Ireland

A complete waste of space, basically - makes perfect sense!

Perfectly normal phrase, and I'm not a northerner. These men have to learn that just because they're ignorant doesn't mean you're wrong.

Thanks all. I knew i was right.

One saying i truly will never understand is when someone says "well i'll go to the foot of our stairs "

What ????

I use it all the time - usually to tease dh! It's a perfectly good phrase and means 'exceptionally pointless'

Yep, another one for 'neither use nor ornament' being a common saying where I grew up (nottingham). And I THINK 'Well I'll go to the foot of our stairs' (which I have also heard) is a sarcastic comment on the non-surprising-ness of the news - i.e well i'm not exactly going to the moon and back in surprise at THAT!

Great saying! Not common in London (where I am from) but will certainly be using it in the future. I think our equivalent was "chocolate teapot".

Yep, another vote - used to hear that phrase a lot oop North. Another one was "as much use as a chocolate fireguard".

I thought that was a common saying! Certianly is round here...

it sounds very northern!

Oh it is most certainly a real saying. My friends DH uses it regularly to describe his DD charming man that he is

He's from the Midlands if that helps!

Very common saying up here

About as much use as an ash tray on a motorbike.

"Yafot" is another saying around these parts. Dh hates it. It means you have to.

Did not know the I'll go to the foot of our stairs" saying meant that Blu! Makes perfect sense when you think about it!

I know "neither use nor ornament" too - very common to have heard it here in Yorkshire as well.

I think the "foot of our stairs" thing means the opposite - it's not sarky! (I heard somewhere it means going to the foot of your own stairs to shout it up to the people on the next landing

Was looking for origins of some of these sayings on Yahoo and found this site - American commenting on our sayings!

"Re: FUNNIEST BRIT EXPRESSION
Posted: Feb 6, 2004 6:05 AM Reply

Another northern saying,

'She's/He's neither use nor ornament'

i.e. She's/He's neither good looking nor useful "

It's on that site even!

Oh and if you google the "neither use nor ornament" the phrase is used loads!

I hadn't heard it before but makes perfectly good sense to me too! Do you think your DP reckons you made it up because it's relevant to him?
Only joking - I'm sure he's lovely

My mil (from Cork) always says when someone isn't very attractive "s/he's no oil painting!" Love it!

skerriesmum, have a look at the website hula linked to - there are lots of "no oil painting" expressions, some from Ireland ("face like a lurgan shovel" was one I think.)