Average Brit is bewildered by old-fashioned sayings

And other stories from the stranger side of life

A pig
(Image credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Many old-fashioned sayings are confusing to the average Brit, according to a new study carried out by the research agency Perspectus Global. More than 2,000 people aged 18 to 50 were given a list of quintessential British phrases and asked whether they understood or used them. Researchers discovered that almost 80% of respondents had never used or did not understand the phrase “casting pearls before swine”, while 71% had never heard the phrase “colder than a witch’s tit”. On the flip side, 73% of those surveyed said that it was a shame when such phrases died out.

52 world records broken in 52 weeks

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us