"Don't play bingo. Legs eleven, my giddy aunt!"
"Who said ants are strong? I can still- I can still- I can still- I can- I can- I--- Bollocks! Squish 'em."
"The zero is the same. It always will be. It never changes. Zero is zero.... One? Huh, he's just a lonely cunt."
__________
Karen's note: Ok, about that first one, Adam tells me that "legs eleven" is how you call out the number eleven in bingo. It frightens me that he knows this. He also tells me that "my giddy aunt" is some sort of expression that means "silly," although it definitely not the sort of thing he would ever use when awake. Anyone want to check on the validity of these?
20100217
Feb 17 2010
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Legs Eleven is definitly 11 in bingo
ReplyDeleteYup, I can confirm both of these :)
ReplyDeletegiddy aunt does indeed mean silly or foolish, but as you said, I don't know anyone who'd use the term out loud...
ReplyDeleteYer, legs 11 is a bingo term like 2 fat ladies.
ReplyDeleteAnd my giddy aunt is like "oh my gosh"
Legs eleven is followed in bingo by a slow wolf whistle. Did he do this??? And my giddy aunt means 'oh my goodness' and I (shameful blush) sometimes use it to avoid swearing in front of the kids... Soph :)
ReplyDeleteYah, legs 11 is a bingo term, and my giddy aunt means 'oh my goodness' or similar.
ReplyDeletelove the sleeptalking, by the way. hilarious.
Your posts never fail to make me giggle like an idiot. Thank goodness I read this blog at home where nobody can see me. They'd call me certifiably crazy if they saw my reactions to your posts. Love it!!!
ReplyDeleteBoth Legs 11 and My giddy Aunt played big parts in my childhood.
ReplyDeleteI was, as a snotty brat of a Girl Guide, a caller at the bingo run each week for the local RNID (yes D, DEAF) home. (Apparently, it let them practice their lip-reading skills.)
And whenever one of us kids did anything REALLY stoopid, my mother used to say the latter, with enough withering expression and force to make you want to crawl away and die in a convenient hole.
Claire here:
ReplyDeleteI'll never think of the number one again without contemplating it's lonliness..........aw!
I always thought my giddy aunt was like a exclamation of shock, like: "oh my god!"
ReplyDeleteAt least, thats what it means in Yorkshire. :)
'My giddy aunt' was used fairly often by my former employer - an 84 year-old. It means something like 'goodness gracious' and to say it's archaic is an understatement.
ReplyDeleteLOL @ Claire..right?? 1 is a lonely lil guy :(
ReplyDeleteAmbyr from WI
so funny
ReplyDeletethank you
'oh my giddy aunt!' a lovely clean expression of surprise which we simply don't use enough these days.... as for the bingo, legs 11, two fat ladies 88, all the 2s 22... it's an other fine old english passtime. The bingo-caller has a little phrase for each number, to add a bit of showmanship to the game, and also allow enough time for players to mark their numbers.
ReplyDeleteadam you are just too funny.
ReplyDeletei love reading this blog, it makes me laugh so much.
thanks adam.
It shouldn't frighten you that Adam knows legs eleven, even if you never play bingo it's just one of those things that people know. My great aunt and great gran used to live together at house number 88 which always made me chuckle...
ReplyDeleteLegs eleven is indeed the phrase they use to call out the number 11 in bingo - there are plenty of others too (88 - two fat ladies, 22 two ducks etc).
ReplyDeletewww.ameliais.blogspot.com
As an American living in the UK, I can confirm that "my giddy aunt" is indeed a British expression of surprise or amusement, rather like "oh my goodness". It's a little old fashioned and I have never personally used this phrase, although I have heard it used in conversation - usually when the person is trying to avoid using various swear words we won't mention here. ;)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.charnwood-catalogue.co.uk/fundraising.php?info_id=117
ReplyDeleteyou may find that useful, and if the lovely hubby reads it you'll get more entertaining bingo numbers coming up! Maybe we can all grab a card for the next two weeks sleeps and see who wins. :)
Does this mean Sleeping Adam is going soft?
ReplyDeleteThis is just another benefit from STM - and that is education. What fun!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletei believe they even let Ron use "my giddy aunt" in one of the Harry Potter Movies too!!!
ReplyDeleteMy father used to say "oh my giddy aunt!" when he was despairing/amused by a situation. It's a very old fashioned polute way of saying "oh for god's sake!" or "for crying out oud!" (or similar phrases I am too polite to post here.
ReplyDelete"My Giddy Aunt" is stereotypically something an elderly person would say... I believe STM is mocking bingo as being an old person's game.
ReplyDeleteI was just doing a history club with some middle school students yesterday, and one of the girls brought some papers with her from when her grandmother had been lucky enough to get sent to England (from Canada) for the coronation of King George VI. At the back of her journal was a list of British expressions and what they meant, and "my giddy aunt" was one of them, so it was used by teens in 1937, at least.
ReplyDeleteI used to call Bingo at an old folks' home. They soon told me off if I forgot one of the special phrases. It's mostly only the doudle-digit numbers that have them (like Legs 11 and Two fat ladies) but we also had "one little ducky on his own, number 2" and "five-and-nine, the Brighton line, toot-toot" (where I had to do a train toot sound). I got very very scowled at when I forgot that one.
ReplyDeleteAre we seeing a new theme emerge?
ReplyDelete"Don't play bingo. Legs eleven, my giddy aunt!"
"Too many legs! Far too many legs.Can't play football. Trip myself up."
"Legs time! Everybody get your legs!"
I wonder if his talking about one being lonely is a reference to this song: http://lyrc.com.ar/en/tema1en.php
ReplyDeleteOpening lines:
one is the loneliest number that you'll ever do
two can be as bad as one, it's the loneliest number since the number one
Always smile in anticipation when a new post pops up in my RSS feed reader. Thank-you Adam's subconscious.
I'd only be concerned if Adam is from or has ever spent time around the Midlands in England. Legs 11 is the name of a pretty horrible strip club in Birmingham.
ReplyDeleteSorry if I landed you in it Adam...
And while we're discussing bingo callouts, let's not forget "Curly Wee - Number Three"
ReplyDeleteMy mum says 'my giddy aunt' to mean 'goodness me' or something. Usually when she's very frustrated. Usually with me. :/
ReplyDelete"legs -11, two little ducks - 22, two fat ladies - 88"
ReplyDeleteI suspect this custom grew up due to the age of most bingo players and the associated loss of hearing. It most certainly is real. You might well enjoy watching "The Mighty Boosh episode: Nannageddon" for a perverted example).
"My giddy aunt" is also a real expression and was often uttered by the 2nd Doctor Who incarnation (Patrick Troughton roughly 1967-70), but rarely heard now.
I can also confirm both those expressions, being English myself. My giddy aunt is a slightly outdated expression now, but as the post mentions above, was used in various BBC productions and books.
ReplyDeleteA singing songbite whirling in Sleep-o-Adam?
ReplyDeletereminds me of the song Two Divided by Love - Grass Roots - can only be one and one is a lonely number OR
Three Dog Nights - One is the Loneliest Number, It's the loneliest number, since the number one ... is the loneliest number that you'll ever do...
zero is as Zero, does = 0 = 1 single digit all by it's lonesome, but never forgotten...0 degrees is better than -1 and below! just zeroing in on the O effect.
Law of physics that zero goes nowhere up nor down, invisibly fast nor slow...it remains on an even keel , balanced and proportioned :)
I o_o that now.
... and over in the corner, over there...
in a giddy mood, my giddy, my giddy, my bad!...my giddy aunt! ROTFL, My Giddy Aunt is ranting over the ants taking on an arm ('n a leg )wrestling match with Adam in his sleepy pajamas asking himself - - -
"Who said ants are strong? I can still- I can still- I can still beat'em!...- I can- I can- I--- Bollocks!
those army... stick together 'n did me in; again, too many arms, 11 legs even...Squish 'em. and good."
waitillnextime...just1moretime...i'll unravel the 'O' factor once and 4'all - - -git'em done.
i'm off to the races now...O + O (that's over'n out)
= ZenZ-O-ne...peace out!
! BINGO !
ReplyDeleteThank you anonymous 12:32! It was driving me Nuts trying to remember which movie I heard "My giddy aunt" in!
ReplyDeleteIt may be time to revive some of these old sayings into daily speech, at least then I wouldn't have to edit in front of the kids! lol
Thanks again for my morning laugh Adam and Karen!
Sherri - Canada
Both of those are true... though I've only ever heard anyone say 'my giddy aunt' in a movie (A Knight's Tale, and it was Paul Bettany's character (Chaucer)).
ReplyDeleteThanks again for posting these. Gives me a great giggle every morning.
I have to say, my favourite one of the day is quote about ants.
Well done!
I just shared this blog with my son. I cacked. So will he.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
The first one makes me feel like I'm reading something my grandmother would say!! When you hear him saying "whoopsie daisy" you might want to start worrying... :D
ReplyDelete22 is sometimes refered to as 2 little ducks....bingo is a strange game......used to play a lot as a child at the old peoples home at the end of my Grans road!
ReplyDeleteGiddy aunt also means "oh my gosh" to me, born in Cornwall. Although my dad and family are from Yorkshire......
That's definitely an affirmative on the 'leg's eleven' and 'giddy aunt'...I think the latter was last heard on teatime drama for kids in the 70's
ReplyDeleteI did not know about the special phrases in Bingo, or about the phrase "my giddy aunt." See, your blog is educational as well as hilarious! The things one can learn from a sleeping man.
ReplyDeleteYorkshire background here, and
ReplyDelete"oh my giddy aunt" or "good god, giddy aunt" said regularly, and part of our family lexicon even now.
Have also heard "oh my giddy aunt fanny"
Where is all the audio? I miss it!
ReplyDeleteMy nana used to say "my giddy aunt" all the time. I have a feeling my parents did too when I was younger.
ReplyDeleteIf you cant beat them, squish them. I believe that all people abide by your methods. It is the jealous spirit inside all of us that yearns to sabotage others when the goal is beyond reach. Ants can lift twenty times their own body weight. Many humans cannot even lift twice their weight. When the odds are so stacked against you, the last resort is to stop others by any means possible.
ReplyDeleteAlways want to squish the little tiny ants, too!
ReplyDeleteIn australia Legs 11 means "nice legs". like a girl with long, good looking legs..
ReplyDelete"My giddy aunt" is said by the awesome Paul Bettany as Chaucer in "A Knight's Tale." It's one of my favorite movies! (Note - the line wasn't written... he just kind of threw it in because he liked it!)
ReplyDelete"my giddy aunt" is said. outdated but still said
ReplyDelete88 may be "two fat ladies", but where do they play bingo with more than 75 numbers?
ReplyDeleteEveryone knows the bingo calls. 'My giddy aunt' is a really funny way of saying 'my goodness!'.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, are you guys going to a jungle for your honeymoon? Is it in a flight path?
Oh, yeah. I remember "legs eleven" and "two fat ladies" (88) from when my grandmother used to take me along to bingo when I was little. :-P
ReplyDeleteI don't remember 22 being two ducks (that's cute, I like that!) -- I do remember "all the 2s" as someone mentioned above.
The bingo caller where my grandmother went also used to say "lucky for some, thirteen" -- since, I suppose, someone might win on that number. :-)
Is Adam a closet bingo-er by any chance? ;-)
He's weird in his sleep.
ReplyDeleteAs I've said before (anonymously, I adore Adam and his night talking and the comments.
ReplyDeleteThis blog has introduced me to a new incarnation. Now I have a sign-on and soon I'll have my own blog (although not about talking in my sleep)
yep legs11= bingo term and giddy aunt = darn it although my being an ex-pat I always heard it as "oh my giddy aunt fanny" lol
ReplyDeleteClaire here:
ReplyDeleteJust reading thru the comments and got to thinking: Can you imagine in years to come leaving all these innocent bingo phrases behind and new one's taking their places. As has happened with "Oh, my giddy aunt!"
"dying for a pee, 33"
"one muff dive, number 5"
"two little fucks, 22" (? didn't rhyme with ducks either!)
and let's not forget: "a lonely cunt all on it's own - number one".
Found this...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/my-giddy-aunt.html
Too funny! Has he picked up any Americanisms (apart from asswipe)that appear in his sleep talking?
ReplyDeletePat, gala bingo goes up to 89 I think. 89 or 90. They don't do the chat though.
ReplyDeleteKelly's Eye number 1
Legs 11
Unlucky for some 13
Two little ducks 22
Two fat ladies 88
there are others, I just can't remember them
Claire - no, 22 didn't rhyme with ducks - it's the SHAPE of the numbers that started it.
ReplyDeletehilarious..
ReplyDeleteive been wondering wat Cunt means...
cuz im from the states and its a word im not familiar with
Claire here:
ReplyDeleteBrett-Nicole, are you living in the middle of no-where?? LOL,....maybe you're Amish? However; to help you out there is always the URBAN DICTIONARY, google it - it will open your eye's to many wonders!!
Thanks Anon 20:55, of course, shape!! Funny how things make sense once you know why ;)
I recall noticing a bit of cross-cultural borrowing in bingo, in a TV documentary (on what, precisely, I can't remember): the caller announced number 54 as "Car 54." with the players response, "Where AAARE you?"*
ReplyDelete* For those of you unfamiliar with the reference, that was the title of an American sitcom of the 1950's/'60's.
I always wanted to be a bingo caller, and confuse the elderly by getting the calls wrong, like "Two fat ladies, 71; Gordon's Den, 54; Top of the shop, 6!"
ReplyDeleteI don't know about the bingo expressions, but "oh, my giddy aunt" was a line used in "A Knight's Tale", in a line by Jeff (Sir Paul Bettney's character).
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to say "oh, my giddy aunt"!!
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know which Harry Potter movie? It's worth re-watching just to look for that! And almost worth going to play bingo to hear all this stuff.
Day after day - it's amazing that it just keeps getting sillier. And thanks again, everyone, for such a great read through the comments.
These seem really stranges this time lmao I wonder what in the world he was dreaming about.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I started to use "Oh my giddy aunt" as an alternative to swearing in front of our grandsons. However, it backfired when we heard one grandson mistakenly use the phrase "Oh my giddy arse" !
ReplyDeleteI use "oh my giddy aunt" from time to time, that said I don't swear at all and it's funny hearing those strange sayings come out of a 3 year olds mouth after I've said them!
ReplyDeleteReally enjoying reading the blog, I have 2 sleep talkers in my house and can only dream of recording hubbies ramblings
Yes, and 22 is 2 little ducks, 21 s a duck and a crutch, and 88 is 2 fat ladies.
ReplyDeleteHow are you married to someone British without knowing all these things?!!
ReplyDelete21 as a duck and a crutch? I always thought it was 'key to the door'
ReplyDelete'my giddy aunt' an archaic phrase?!
ReplyDeleteI'm 17 and use it almost every day :p
66 - clickety clicks :)
actually, I think I might just be an 80 year old in a 17 year olds body :/
I grew up in the north west of England, where "Oh my giddy aunt" was and is used frequently. I always assumed it was an alternative to "oh my god". See also the use of "fishcakes" by grown up who didnt want to use the f word around their children!
ReplyDeleteA bit late to join in, but "Oh My Giddy Aunt" was used as a substitute for blaspheming, the real term being "Oh My Gawd Above". "Oh My Giddy Aunt Fanny" takes it a step further. No need to spell that out. Sadly or not, as a London boy I do use the phrase from time to time - rolls nicely off the tongue. And Karen, thank you so much for sharing your old man's nightly ramblings - absolutely top drawer.
ReplyDeleteWhere I'm from, B11 is the "sexy legs of bingo." O69 is the dirty ball of bingo. :p
ReplyDeleteah pet the wonderful lingo of uk bingo installed in us from childbrith by overzelous relatives that only rears its head in holiday destinations worlwide when a brit is issued with a laminated bingo card by a holiday rep. Seriously once saw a grown man in mexico fall and break an ankle whilst trying too be first too claim a free t-shirt :)
ReplyDeleteI admit that I didn't read through every single comment. I read probably 4 pages worth and then scrolled down to comment, but I'm seriously surprised that all you UK residents say that "my giddy aunt" is not used anymore. I hear it all the time on BBC America. I'm not watching all old shows either. The show Skins says it constantly and that's current.. Top Gear's Hammond has been heard to utter the phrase now and again... Am I missing something? Sounds like y'all use it a fair amount there still today.
ReplyDeleteWell, I'm 29 years old and I still say 'Oh my giddy aunt.' However, people do take the mickey. I have no idea why I say it and my friends don't, so it is alive and well, although I've only ever seen it in print once and heard it said by someone else once (and, yes, they were under thirty!) Loving the blog! Had me crying at work so much I had to leave the room.
ReplyDeleteBingo-wise, I used to call number 20 duck a l'orange. :3
ReplyDeleteThe ants thing made me laugh, though~ :D
"My giddy aunt" can be heard in the movie A Knights Tale starring Heath Ledger.It is said by the " Chaucer" character.
ReplyDeleteHahahah my friends and me play bingo and the caller calls legs eleven and every one wolf whistles, its hillarious, If my hubby said that in his sleep I would probably piss myself laughing....lol
ReplyDeleteIf you have ever seen the IT Crowd, one of the characters says "I am a giddy goat!". Have a look on YouTube if you're interested to see. Giddy does mean silly, but it's more ditzy than silly, I suppose. It was used more "back in the day" here in England. Everyone in England knows that "legs eleven" is 11 in Bingo. There's way more of 'em (two fat ladies is 88, for example). Calling numbers out this way at Bingo in England is somewhat of a tradition, nowadays, albeit weird.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, yep, completely valid is what you said.
haha. I say 'Oh my giddy aunt' quite a lot. I am remarkably uncool though.
ReplyDeletegoogle law firm
ReplyDeleteI just lost my comment when I selected the profile drop-down... why they would put that *after* the comments makes no sense to me.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, what I said was that I ran across this site randomly, as one is wont to do on the Internet. And I don't have time to read all the comments as I am at work. Working, I swear. So my apologies if this has already been covered...
Here's a link to a great discussion of the expression "oh my giddy aunt!" from the BBC's Fraser's Phrases:
http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2014/05/frasers-phrases-oh-giddy-aunt/
Cheers,
Tim