Quizzes & Puzzles7 mins ago
Hello Mrs Magpie, and Ants in Your Pants
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Does anyone know if the following are local sayings, or widespead. When seeing a single Magpie, a friend of mine in the Cotswolds always has to say "Hello Mrs Magpie, how's your familiy". As one on its own is bad luck, the suggestion of a family is like saying there is more than one, and thus no bad luck will follow. Just a guess. The second one is something we said as kids (living in the Midlands) -"Ants in your pants, makes your belly button dance" When someone fidgets alot, it is sometimes said they must have ants in their pants. I suspect as kids, we addded the last bit just because it rhymed. Again just a guess. Any one no for sure? Thanks
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.I believe the more common greeting is, "Good morning Mr Magpie." Magpies are the subject of superstition wherever they are found for some reason, so I imagine a similar greeting to fend off ill luck is widespread.
"Ants in your pants" started as an Americanism, first appearing over there in the 1930s. It is pretty universally used in the English-speaking world nowadays.
"Ants in your pants" started as an Americanism, first appearing over there in the 1930s. It is pretty universally used in the English-speaking world nowadays.
okay magpies usauly go around in pairs and usualy see them together if you dont and yo wait a few minutes the other one always turns up unless they have baby magpies to feed etc 1 for sorrow
2 for joy
3 for a girl
4 for a boy
5 for silver
6 for gold
7 for a secret never to be told
i know there is more buy thats all i know
2 for joy
3 for a girl
4 for a boy
5 for silver
6 for gold
7 for a secret never to be told
i know there is more buy thats all i know
I usually say, 'hello Mr Magpie, how's your wife today?', for the same reason you say your version, countrykid. I salute them too - don't know why. The luck has some truth in that magpies generally mate for life, so seeing one on its own is indeed bad luck, for the magpie at least, because it could well mean that its mate has died.
I once met a girl who maintained that as long as two or more people witnessed the same single magpie simultaneously, then that would cancel out any bad luck, but I'm not sure how valid that one is.
American or British, if you had ants in your pants (either your trousers or your underpants, depending on where you're from), then you certainly would be fidgeting some, especially if the ants were the biting sort.
I once met a girl who maintained that as long as two or more people witnessed the same single magpie simultaneously, then that would cancel out any bad luck, but I'm not sure how valid that one is.
American or British, if you had ants in your pants (either your trousers or your underpants, depending on where you're from), then you certainly would be fidgeting some, especially if the ants were the biting sort.
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