Average Brit is bewildered by old-fashioned sayings

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

An Idaho man is celebrating breaking 52 Guinness World Records in 52 weeks. The aptly named David Rush, who breaks Guinness World Records to promote STEM education, said he set out to break one record a week in 2021. He started by breaking the record for stacking bars of wet soap, but said his trickiest challenge was slicing the most kiwis in one minute using a samurai sword while standing on a Swiss ball.

The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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

‘Dead body’ was Prince Charming mannequin

Police called out to attend to a suspected dead body rolled up in a carpet on the motorway discovered it was in fact a mannequin of Prince Charming. The caller had become concerned after seeing a pair of feet in black trainers and socks dangling over the front headrest of another car while driving on the M11 on Saturday. “Advice was given to the driver to avoid such circumstances occurring again,” said a police spokesman.