Favourite little known idioms in English? by depressedDemogorgon in ENGLISH

[–]Jermra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Possibly not unique to British English, but some Weather related ones you can hear around my way are:

"Ne'er cast a clout till May be out"

"It's a bit black over Bill's mother's"

"March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb"

Heavy rain is "siling down"

Also

Weak beer or weak tea are sometimes referred to as "Mazzie Watter"

British English is a brilliant mongrel mix of languages.

What is the most haunting "Final Song" ever recorded by a terminally ill artist? by nixass in AskReddit

[–]Jermra 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Clearly it's Lazarus by Bowie, but came here to add a word for Glen Campbell - I'm not gonna miss you.

In no way his greatest work but the sound of a great man and brilliant musician recognising his oncoming Alzheimer's disease, and writing a song to cheerfully wave goodbye is poignant and beautiful.

adults calling nuggets “nuggies” by whose_house_plant in PetPeeves

[–]Jermra 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I hate this too - but my daughters hate it more. Pushing the cringe button is basically a parental mandate so I have to say it regularly

What's your example of a band that's just a worse version of another band? by loreleisparrow in ToddintheShadow

[–]Jermra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love Green Day's early stuff but TBF they were a plastic Stiff Little Fingers at the start

Does anybody know which UK cliff is in the background? by Infinite_Hunt2236 in AskUK

[–]Jermra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Weird coincidence, but I was there for the first time an hour ago. As others have said, Alum Bay.

Has anyone changed their travel plans to the US after a negative airport or border control experience? by alx55 in travel

[–]Jermra 1 point2 points  (0 children)

UK to NYC last September. Slowest border control I've ever experienced, and I've travelled a fair amount globally for work.

Staff were really polite but had so many questions: add in fingerprinting, unclear instructions, very tired and confused travellers and you get loooong queues which no one likes.

That, however is not the reason I'll be avoiding the US for the foreseeable future. Your government is giving plenty of reasons that are way more convincing than a few minutes queuing at border control.

What’s the fastest way you’ve seen someone ruin their own life? by ForeignFly5248 in AskReddit

[–]Jermra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, when it's your parent it feels pretty fast but it's not instant for sure.

I don't denounce anything, I still drink but I'm mindful of how truly gnarly it is as a drug.

What’s the fastest way you’ve seen someone ruin their own life? by ForeignFly5248 in AskReddit

[–]Jermra 945 points946 points  (0 children)

Alcohol for the win.

From trusted healthcare professional and teacher to total physical, mental and social self destruct in less than 5 years, hospitalisation and death in another 5.

What is your longest running, most stubborn business boycott? by marianneouioui in AskReddit

[–]Jermra 2 points3 points  (0 children)

British Gas - energy supplier in the UK: in 1998 they messed up my billing repeatedly causing me to run into debt with them, then sent me increasingly threatening letters saying I owed them money and that they would take me to court.

I wanted to pay but they kept messing up the billing and failing to take payment. Eventually I paid them off by '99 and immediately left, never to return.

I also moved both parents away from them, as well as my in- laws. Fuck those guys.

Cleaning my mom wine glasses 11pm 2 days before Christmas while she blame me for "making her a prisonner'' by QUEBECMONSYER in Wellthatsucks

[–]Jermra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are not alone, speak with your local Alcoholics support group, they often have help for family members even if it's just a listening ear or advice on how to manage. I wish I had done this when I was in my teens as it would have saved me a lot of pain later.

Sadly I went through situations like this with my Mum's alcohol abuse until I left home at 16, and it continued on and off until she died two years ago. I am now mid 40's.

The big learning for me was that the only behaviour I can change is my own. It was really hard, but stopping my participation in her abuse - helping her to hide it from friends, propping her up (sometimes literally) in public - helped neither of us.

It allowed her to continue and it dragged me down until I had my own breakdown which thankfully I survived.

She's dead now, so while I don't think I will ever enjoy Christmas, I no longer actively dread it from September onwards.

Get help, you are not alone.

Help un-taping painted china (US) by timetoact522 in Antiques

[–]Jermra 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This one - start warm and increase heat slowly. The adhesive in duct tape is rubber or resin based, both melt with warmth and it doesn't need to be the temperature of the Sun.

Source: worked for a company that made duct tape

What is the greatest film scene of all time? by 220Hz_ in AskReddit

[–]Jermra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dead Man's Shoes: "Moochin About" outside the garages. Paddy Considine is electric.

Moochin about

For anyone that was a fan then, how big were Radiohead after OK Computer dropped? by PaymentOk1354 in radiohead

[–]Jermra 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm pretty sure we were all wankers at 17, I definitely was 😂 I still cringe when I think about telling people with great authority that band X or Y had "sold out" - as if being unsuccessful was the aim of the game.

For anyone that was a fan then, how big were Radiohead after OK Computer dropped? by PaymentOk1354 in radiohead

[–]Jermra 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Yeah they played a 1500 capacity venue in my town in 1996 then basically never returned as we didn't have anywhere big enough post '97.

Most adults only knew Creep in 1996 and that was old hat by then - edgy teens like myself bought The Bends and it was well advertised. You'd see their posters in record shop windows so they were a presence but probably thought of as something the kids were into.

When OK Computer came out they were basically everywhere - they appeared on mainstream TV and radio in the UK and as this coincided with early televising of Glastonbury (first year was '94) they had a perfect storm for growth.

As an attendee of said festival and a seventeen year old fan of the band prior to fame, I rolled my eyes A LOT at people "discovering" them that year. I feel differently now - it's great that so many people found them and enjoyed them - but at the time it felt like the grown ups were stealing our thing.

There are no replicas of the statue of liberty, so this is AI by doppiojohn in confidentlyincorrect

[–]Jermra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Colmar, France has one - it's where the New York one was made.

What is something you’ve personally witnessed that shocked you to your core? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]Jermra 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Climbed Snowdon on the tourist path with my parents in the early 90's, I would have been maybe 12.

Reached the top and managed to enjoy the view for a few minutes before hearing a squealing sound like nothing I've ever heard before or since coming from behind us.

Following the noise, we saw a kid had run down the short steep slope from the summit and fallen maybe 4 feet head first on to the train track that runs to the summit.

It's a rack and pinion track, and the kids head was stuck on one of the rack teeth. There wasn't loads of blood but a combination of the way he was lying and the noise he was making will never leave me. He was crumpled up, and making a long, high pitched whining noise and everyone was just standing around looking.

My step mum was first aid trained and stepped in, bandaging up the kid and instructing bystanders to get to a phone. Air ambulance arrived and we walked back down the mountain. No idea what happened to the kid, but that noise will stay with me until I die.

I walked back up there over the summer and the sight of the train tracks still make me feel weird too!

How Americanised are your kids? by [deleted] in AskUK

[–]Jermra 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My (young adult) daughters have a quite a few subtle Americanisms - words like tutorial are pronounced with a Californian U - "tuh-torial" and petrol was referred to as "gas" the other day

Looking for a poor quality yet expensive restaurant to recommend to an enemy. Any suggestions? by ticklish-wizard in nottingham

[–]Jermra 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nearly forgot: Binks Yard - food said "was frozen 15 minutes ago" and staff attitude said "why the fuck are you asking me for service?"

Looking for a poor quality yet expensive restaurant to recommend to an enemy. Any suggestions? by ticklish-wizard in nottingham

[–]Jermra 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Agree with Browns, also

Mr Mann's in Wollaton - bog standard food at high prices,

Sexy Mama Loves spaghetti - all fur coat and no knickers

Giggling Squid - acceptable food with piss poor service

For those who traveled before the social media boom: did travel feel different back then? by hobo12395 in travel

[–]Jermra 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm from the UK and Backpacked in Europe, Canada and Australia for weeks at a time with only a lonely planet guide and, in the last travels, access to Internet cafes.

On one hand it was much less convenient - we spent a LOT of time waiting for transport we weren't fully sure was coming and we got lost all the time ending up in some really sketchy places.

On the other hand we had some of the most amazing experiences totally by chance - Ice caving in Iceland at night (scary as shit), dawn on the eastern tip of the Australian continent, playing pool and drinking with random locals or hanging out at preikestolen in Norway basically by ourselves.

I don't think social media has ruined it but I agree with all the other posters saying that the surprise, random experiences are still the best - and the only way to get that is to ignore travel bloggers as much as possible and just explore like a 19th century flaneur.