Old wives tales

nicolo

anyone have any good ones? always liked that one about rubbing raw meat on a mole or veruca then burying it in the garden to get rid of it (the mole not the meat) half remember it working actually
then again i wonder how many of them are based on distractionary tactics,
so anyone got any good ones?

Pherekydes

More old wives' tales:

It's too cold to snow! :rolleyes:

(Yeah, like you never see it snowing in Antartica)

Ponster

Girls who shave their legs will only result in hair growing back thicker.

Ruu_Old

You will be able to see in the dark if you eat carrots or if you cross your eyes, they will get stuck that way.

Alter-Ego

Somthing about the wind changing your facial expression...

Wishbone Ash

If you sit on concrete/go out with wet hair, you'll catch a cold!

I thought colds were caused by a virus?

Slow coach wrote:

It's too cold to snow! :rolleyes:

In many countries it can be bitterly cold (e.g. -20 degrees) but bone dry. However, it does not snow unless the temperature rises.

Riamfada

masturbation makes you go blind ! its true!

humbert

god created the world.

Riamfada

humbert has a big penis

humbert

and a fetish for old wives.

SimpleSam06

nicolo wrote:

rubbing raw meat on a mole or veruca then burying it in the garden to get rid of it (the mole not the meat)

How would you go about burying the mole in the garden? Are we scratching the surface of the shady world of Irish back alley cosmetic surgery, operated by the old wives cartel?

UrbanFox

Sitting [spelling correct !] on cold concrete will give you piles.

Never commence a sea voyage on a Friday.

Never put to sea with a red haired woman on board.

Never whistle on a ship or it will bring bad luck. Ditto about whistling or singing before breakfast.

swingking

Ruu wrote:

You will be able to see in the dark if you eat carrots or if you cross your eyes, they will get stuck that way.

apparently carrots contain something called carotene which is good for the eyesight. Not sure about the whole seeing in the dark thing;)

scojones

If you have a sore throat, tie a 2 week old used sock around it for an hour and a half. Something along those lines anyway.

deisemum

Don't talk to red heads on a Friday the 13th or you'll have bad luck. I didn't believe it until I did speak to a red head and then missed the school bus so had to walk home 6 miles. That was back in the early 80's and I avoid red heads on a black Friday

I don't walk under ladders

cee_jay

Eat the crusts on your bread, and your hair will go curly
Didn't work for me

Nickibaby*

Dangling a ring suspended on a string over an expectant woman's stomach. According to the tale if the ring swings from side to side, it's a girl, and if it swings in a circle, it's a boy

deisemum

If you get a slice of wedding cake and put it under your pillow you'll dream about who you'll marry. Could be a nightmare.

If you recieve a christmas card with a robin on it there'll be a death in the family within the year.

If you put some coins under a Statue of Prague you'll never be short of money. However the Statue of Prague must be a gift and not one you've bought yourself.

If a bird (feathered type) craps on you it's a sign of good luck. :eek:

Nickibaby*

cAr0l wrote:

Eat the crusts on your bread, and your hair will go curly
Didn't work for me

My dad made up his own version of this one to my little cousin. He said if he didn't eat the crust on his bread his willy would fall off, he always eats the crust now

mcsmohil

Did ye ever hear of brushing your teeth with sooth from the chimney

Ponster

mcsmohil wrote:

Did ye ever hear of brushing your teeth with sooth from the chimney

Err, yes, my ma's family did it for a while.

It actually works very well (from what I remember) and isn't really an old wives tale as it's what a lot of people did until the toothbrush was invented.

andrew

Chewing Gum is made from cat guts.

Picking a Dandelion will make you piss the bed.

Unpossible

Did ye ever hear of brushing your teeth with sooth from the chimney

my dad did that a few times as a kid, he says he doesn't know if the soot actually made his teeth cleaner or if it was the fact that he had to scrub so much to get it off


My dad used to always say when we were growing up:
Eat your <insert odd food> it will put hair on your chest.

Im now 24 and have a lot of bodyhair

monkeyfudge

Ruu wrote:

You will be able to see in the dark if you eat carrots

That one was actually a government cover up.

Britain didn't want to let anyone know it had acquired RADAR technology so they said that thier gunners had eaten lots of carrots to improve their night vision so they could shoot down German aircraft.

Jesus Wept

Nickibaby* wrote:

My dad made up his own version of this one to my little cousin. He said if he didn't eat the crust on his bread his willy would fall off, he always eats the crust now

<---heads for the fridge :eek:

Black Swan

The lad who catches the bouque at a wedding is next to marry. Now the one that catches her garter? (I'm not talking!)

Wishbone Ash

deisemum wrote:

a Statue of Prague

Child of Prague? That's what we always called it.

(Some people used to put it under a bush on a night before a family wedding to ensure good weather).

deisemum

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Child of Prague? That's what we always called it.

(Some people used to put it under a bush on a night before a family wedding to ensure good weather).

Yes, that's what I meant. My mother always put it out under a bush the night before any of us got married or as soon as she'd hear one of us had gone into labour.

olaola

Never put a pair of shoes on the table. I suppose it is unhygenic anyway, but me ma always said it was bad luck!?!

flogen

Ah yes, I remember the carrots thing - "You never see a rabbit wearing glasses, do you?" - no, now that you mention it.

The soot thing is true too - although I'm not sure if it just made their gums darker (and as a result gave their teeth a whiter appearence)! My Grandad brushed his teeth with soot for most of his life and never needed falsies - he had a massive sweet tooth too and loved his toffee, so it's a pretty big feat either way!

deisemum

If you open an umbrella indoors it will bring you bad luck

If you get a mark from a dandlion on you you'll pee the bed

andrew

deisemum wrote:

If you get a mark from a dandlion on you you'll pee the bed

So i wasn't just imagining that one, phew!

Chinafoot

If you kill a spider it's going to rain.
Putting new shoes on the kitchen table will ensure the soles fall off.
If you buy your own wallet/purse you're sure to lose it.
Bad luck to give an empty wallet/purse as a gift, you should always put a penny in it.

lezizi

Ruu wrote:

You will be able to see in the dark if you eat carrots .

Carrots conatin cerotene and vitiman A called retinol, which if you have a deficency in, causes night blindness

Msfc

Watching too much tv is bad for your eyes:rolleyes:
Cracking knuckles causes arthritis
If you eat pop rocks(remember the sweets that crack in your mouth) and then drink a fizzy drink-your stomach will explode
If you toych a toad youll get warts

Capt'n Midnight

#Elites wrote:

If you roll your eyes, and the windchanges they will stay like that.

ahhh to be 7 again..

I thought it was if you cross your eyes

Capt'n Midnight

scojones wrote:

If you have a sore throat, tie a 2 week old used sock around it for an hour and a half. Something along those lines anyway.

some truth in this, the ammonia from the socks acts like smelling salts.

deisemum

If you get a stye you've been looking at too much porno material

If you swallow chewing gum it will take 7 years to pass through your body.

If your ears are burning someone is talking about you

Nala

If you eat too much sugar you'll get worms

If you pick your nose you'll get worms

A cat always has to be let have a litter before being neutered (I think this is partially to blame for the 1 million stray cats in Dublin...).

funk-you

UrbanFox wrote:

Never whistle on a ship or it will bring bad luck.

That one is from a british navy ship where the crew organised to mutiny when one of them whistled a certain tune. I think its still not allowed to whistle on a british navy ship today.

-Funk

Fratton Fred

I was told that peeing on your feet would cure athletes foot, but I always considered it an old wives tale.

It is however, true:eek:

kenzie

andrew wrote:

Picking a Dandelion will make you piss the bed.

I only discovered the real name for those flowers when I was about 14. We always called them "piss d beds"

Alun

andrew wrote:

Picking a Dandelion will make you piss the bed.

Not quite, but there's an ingredient in dandelion leaves that is a strong diuretic, so drinking dandelion tea would certainly make you do that! The French call them 'pissenlit' or 'piss in bed' and in English they're also known colloquially as 'pissabeds', so there must be some truth in it.

Ponster

Alun wrote:

Not quite, but there's an ingredient in dandelion leaves that is a strong diuretic, so drinking dandelion tea would certainly make you do that! The French call them 'pissenlit' or 'piss in bed' and in English they're also known colloquially as 'pissabeds', so there must be some truth in it.

Not just 'some' truth...everything you said is 100%

Ponster

flogen wrote:

The soot thing is true too - although I'm not sure if it just made their gums darker (and as a result gave their teeth a whiter appearence)! My Grandad brushed his teeth with soot for most of his life and never needed falsies - he had a massive sweet tooth too and loved his toffee, so it's a pretty big feat either way!

Google "brushing teeth soot" and this thread is number 5 in the list

It's not the blackening of the gums (in fact after having brushed with soot and rinsed all evidence of soot is gone) but the small carbon particles that work against the plaque to remove it.

Caliden

'cracking' your knuckles will give you arthritus in later years.

Piste

Ponster wrote:

Google "brushing teeth soot" and this thread is number 5 in the list

It's not the blackening of the gums (in fact after having brushed with soot and rinsed all evidence of soot is gone) but the small carbon particles that work against the plaque to remove it.

I would just chew on diamonds then.

Love2love

Chinafoot wrote:

If you kill a spider it's going to rain.

Apparently, this is because the majority of people kill spiders in their home and garden spiders come indoors when its going to rain

nlgbbbblth

A butter dish (i.e a dish with real butter as opposed to a tub of Dairygold / other spread) on a kitchen table is a sign of

- a man who beats his wife.

:!!!

Nevyn

You won't get pregnant

if it is your first time,
if you wee afterwards
if he pulls out
if you do it standing up
if you do anal

Ponster

Thaedydal wrote:

You won't get pregnant

..
..
..
..
if you do anal

Do you then?