Words/phrases you have seen in books that you have never heard a real life person say

[OneUmberJoker]

Little high little low - stuart little

I've heard Freddie Mercury say (or sing, rather) little high, little low. Does he count?

Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to me, to me....

The sky being "cerulean blue". I read it in a book recently where the narrative was from the POV of a very poorly educated but streetwise urban teenager who had had pretty much no parental support or guidance and limited access to books. I thought yeah right, how many people, never mind that character, would throw in an offhand description of the sky as "cerulean blue".

I’m reading a book by Rachel Clarke which mentions unbuttoning a pony’s saddle. Girths and saddles don’t have buttons on!

People who are cold saying ’bbrrrrrrrr’

I say/make that noise all the time when i am cold.

Until recently infra dig - think it was someone on Radio 4.

I read a book where the main character kept asking people “shall you” do whatever. I’ve never heard anyone use it in real life.

How very dare you!

I just noticed in the book I'm reading that one character "reached for" someone. Always used in novels in the context of initiating sex. Seen it lots.

Last book I read was a children's book in which everyone was wearing a jersey. It was set in 1975. No, just no. It was a jumper then and it's a jumper now.

A jersey is a particular style of knitted jumper. In the olden days people would recognise the pattern. I had an Arran sweater, also a jumper but a different style.

Don’t let’s.

I read this a lot in Enid Blyton books.

Does it mean let’s not?

In every martina Cole book - me and mine, or you and yours. Never heard anyone actually say that

I called all jumpers jerseys until I started buying mine direct from Shetland - at the opposite end of the British Isles - and it seemed incongruous.

Half the stuff people say on here. I’ve never actually heard anyone say ‘hollibobs’ or ‘hubby’ or talk about holiday ‘spends’.

"She padded across the flagstones/kitchen"
"His lip curled"

I read too much romantic fiction.

Chagrin. Never heard anyone say it in real life but seemed to come up loads in the Twilight books for example

See also a ‘Guernsey’ the more rigid, hard wearing ( but itchy) version of a ‘Jersey’ -both worn by fisherman -
’Jersey’ has become colloquial for a jumper

‘Erstwhile’
I have never ever heard anyone in the real world say it.

"So, the days have worn away, have they?”

Yes. No. I don't know.
You're incorrigible.

Preternatural

Used anytime any writer wants to indicate that something is strikingly, abnormally intense in some way. Things in novels are routinely preternaturally blue (eyes, usually), preternaturally dark (the sky), etc., etc.

Until I checked just now, I didn't even have a clear idea of what the word meant. And yet I always know exactly what writers are aiming for when they use the term. It's just a shorthand way of saying: I'm aiming for something very atmospheric here. Please imagine something terribly moody like what you have read in other books that use this word.

I write You and Yours, say in a Christmas card if I don't know the family of the person that I'm sending the card to:

"Dear John, wishing you and yours a very happy Christmas."

Not so much a word as an action, where a character, invariably a man, usually a detective runs their fingers through their hair in bafflement, frustration, etc.

Never ever seen this in real life.

Disclaimer: not to be confused with shampoo ads where women shake out their tresses and do a bit of finger running.

That's actually fairly common

Jumpers are commonly called jerseys where I live. I never use the word jumper.