# Its a bit black over Bill's Mother's



## Klocky (Mar 29, 2011)

Which is what we say in my neck of the woods when the sky goes all dark before a storm - this got me wondering if anybody else has heard the expression or maybe your region has a similar one of its own?

Anyway its bucketing it down in Nottingham as of this minute and I think I just heard a crack of thunder.


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## vince13 (Mar 29, 2011)

Both in Kent - where I was born - and Hertfordshire - where I lived for 27 years - the saying from my mother and my then father-in-law was  being "Black over Will's mother's".  The other one was "black as Newgate's knocker" referring to the old prison there I guess.


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## HelenP (Mar 29, 2011)

Haha, my mother-in-law (from Twickenham!) used to say something similar - "it's a bit dark over Will's mother's"  

My hubby always says "it's a bit taters", which is apparently a shortened version of "potatoes in the mould", cockney rhyming slang for 'cold'.  I'm guessing that's 'regional'........ ?

xx


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## Klocky (Mar 29, 2011)

HelenP said:


> Haha, my mother-in-law (from Twickenham!) used to say something similar - "it's a bit dark over Will's mother's"
> 
> My hubby always says "it's a bit taters", which is apparently a shortened version of "potatoes in the mould", cockney rhyming slang for 'cold'.  I'm guessing that's 'regional'........ ?
> 
> xx



Regional phrases are great aren't they?  When its particularly cold, we say its a bit pearl harbour but I'm not explaining why cos I suspect its very probably racist


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## HelenM (Mar 29, 2011)

> Its a bit black over Bill's Mother's
> Which is what we say in my neck of the woods when the sky goes all dark before a storm - this got me wondering if anybody else has heard the expression or maybe your region has a similar one of its own?
> 
> Anyway its bucketing it down in Nottingham as of this minute and I think I just heard a crack of thunder


Yep, I say that too, my family comes from Northamptonshire.
 How about when there's a bit of blue sky on a grey day ' is it enough to a  make sailor a  pair of  trousers? 
(don't be jealous but the temp has been up to 26C here in SW France this week with clear blue skies.. but started to change again today)


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## Robster65 (Mar 29, 2011)

I've lived in a few regions of England and I've never come across aywhere yet that doesn't use that expression. 

The only saying peculiar to our family was my grandad apparently used to say... 

"How's your belly off for spots ?"  dropping the H obviously, as a Teddingtonian.

meaning, presumably, I hope you haven't got a nasty rash. Or something equally obscure.

My mates at work thought I was a bit strange when I shared that with them. It's something I've got used to over the years 

Rob


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## Steff (Mar 29, 2011)

Yeah my dad uses hows your belly for spots, and gordon bennett gets used alot too


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## Robster65 (Mar 29, 2011)

It must be more well known than I thought ! 

And Chesterfield (near where I worked) was off the radar when it came to well known phrases. 

Rob


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## margie (Mar 29, 2011)

Am I the only one never to have heard the phrase ?

I've heard Gordon Bennett before but not the other two.

ETA - I would probably say look at the leaden sky or the sky looks threatening.


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## HelenP (Mar 29, 2011)

Robster65 said:


> "How's your belly off for spots ?"  dropping the H obviously, as a Teddingtonian.
> 
> Rob



My uncles used to use that one on us kids, several decades ago, I used to hate it!!

As for the "Will's mother's" one - I never heard it until I got married, so maybe it never reached Wimbledon?? 

xx


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## ypauly (Mar 29, 2011)

Once worked with a yorkshireman who used to make me laff with his "put t'wood in ole" which I learned the direct translation was "shut the bloody door" lol


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## Blythespirit (Mar 30, 2011)

Love this thread... could add loads to it. 'Put wood in't oil' is 'put the wood in the hole' as in please close the door. 'black o'er our Bill's mothers', seems to be a national saying. 'ows thi belly for spots' is a general enquiry about a persons health and I believe has a reference back to the Great Plague as a rash on the trunk was one of the first symptoms

I live in Derbyshire, close to Chesterfield and have worked witha lot of people from Sheffield. We do seem to have a lot of these saying around here. XXXXX


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## Caroline (Mar 30, 2011)

We say it looks a bit imminent meaning it will rain soon, but I have never heard anyone else use it.


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## AlisonM (Mar 30, 2011)

My favourite Scots one is Dreich, which is what it is here today, dark, dank, damp and depressing. Dreich.


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## Robster65 (Mar 30, 2011)

HelenP said:


> My uncles used to use that one on us kids, several decades ago, I used to hate it!!
> 
> As for the "Will's mother's" one - I never heard it until I got married, so maybe it never reached Wimbledon??
> 
> xx


 
You were South of the river. There was a definite divide ! 

Rob


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## HelenP (Mar 30, 2011)

Lol, are sayings like Taxi Drivers - don't like crossing the river, lol ?

xx


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## Klocky (Mar 30, 2011)

Since the saying seems to be widespread over most of the country, that Bill/Will's mother certainly seems to have got around a bit - floozy lol


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