As I was growing up, my family had a couple of sayings I took for granted were universal, at least within my language. As I became an adult I have learned that these are not universal at all:
- the ketchup effect. It is an expression meaning that when things arrive, they all arrive at the same time. Think of an old school glass ketchup bottle. When you hit the bottom of it, first there is nothing, then there is nothing and then the entire content is on your food.
- faster than Jesus slid down the mount of olives. Basically a saying that implies that the mount of olives is slippery due to olive oil and Jesus slipped.
- What you lack in memory, your legs suffer. An expression meaning that when you are forgetful, you usually need to run back and thus your legs suffer.
Please share your own weird family sayings.
My mom used to tell my brother’s and I to eat vegetables that were longer than they are wide because it’s good for growing an ankle duster.
… Am… Am I understanding correctly that your mother told you and you brother , regularly, to eat dick shaped vegetables so you could grow a long shlong?
A Dutch one I got from my Oma: “It’s as if the angels upon my tongue have pissed”. It means “yum”.
Not really a saying, but when I was a kid I wanted to learn how to whistle so badly. I was told that if I ate pickles it would help me learn faster? I didn’t eat any, and I still figured it out eventually.
Probably because sour would make your lips pucker? I think lemons would be more obvious.
Funny my grandad had a little rhyme related to your ketchup effect:
“If you do not shake the bottle, none’ll come and then a lot’ll”
Clearly ketchup bottles have been a bigger influence on culture than we realised
Shaking the ketchup bottle is a great pro tip. No idea why it works but it does.
Vigorous shaking mixes the thicker areas (where the sauce has settled) and the thinner (more watery) areas so they now have the same viscosity (pouring characteristics). Most importantly, this lets the mass of sauce slide cleanly down the bottle, helping the air bubble to also slide up in one unit at the same time, preventing the “air-lock” blockage at the opening. Important Note: Before vigorously shaking any container, ensure that the cap is truly secured! Now you are in control!
I think what you said is true but that also ketchup as a material is shear thinning—meaning as you shake or tap the bottle, this creates stress or “shear” on the liquid which causes the viscosity to decrease. It also takes a little bit of time for the liquid to re-thicken, so it will actually pour pretty well a few seconds after shaking it.
You might already heard this one but I didn’t learn until a relatively recent internet meme that its only here in Norway that something being “complete texas” means its completely chaotic and messy.
Also I’m using “what the fir forest” (“hva i granskauen”) as a replacement for “what the hell” and I have no idea where I’ve picked it up… Nobody else around me do, not even family. Works just as fine though against pain and annoyances.
