Another visit to the museum, and CH expressions

[Jo]

I had the pleasure of another visit to the Forgotten Blues exhibition at Hertford Museum yesterday. A friend from my year, who didn't make it last time, decided on the spur of the moment to go yesterday and asked me if I was free to come along too. I was delighted, and as it wasn't busy I had a good leisurely look round, though I still didn't manage to go systematically through everything in the right order! But I think I saw everything this time. I was thrilled to have time to go through the file of additional photos and found one of myself and a group of friends from 5's, I think when I was in the third year. There were also people from the year and two years below, and we were sitting on a bench behind the house, probably watching something on the field.

I was reading some reminiscences, and had completely forgotten until I stumbled upon it in one person's account, of the expression "being blown up" for being told off. Someone had written that she had been "blown up sky high by DR". We talked a while ago on here about "being cracked on", and about "veins/vains", "quiz", "ego", "bags", "squatting" and so on, but I'd forgotten about being blown up. What other Hertford expressions were there that have also slipped from my conscious memory??

[gillieg]

Hi Jo
Please put me out of my misery- what was squatting?
Do you remember going "up T'imf"?!
A Strange history we all share...that most people don't believe if you try to tell them.

[gma]

A Strange history we all share...that most people don't believe if you try to tell them.

I Know! 'Mallory Towers' has a lot to answer for!

(so pleased that you and Sara caught up - looking forward to catching up with both of you on 2nd Aug!)

[gillieg]

any joy with Googie Frances and Jane?

[gma]

Have emailed Jane's sister Molly who will pass message on to Jane but nothing back yet, have started interenet whisper for Googie and am tracking Frances; have also popped message on another thread on here that relates to us as well - working from home today preparaing client briefs, you can tell can't you!!

[Katharine]

Hi Jo
Please put me out of my misery- what was squatting?

Not Jo, but in 6s Squatting was sitting next to someone in the School Hall for a concert or similar. May have applied elsewhere than the Hall but don't remember where else! What was the word for walking with someone either to Ashbourne or on the Sunday walk?

[MKM]

What's an internet whisper - it sounds useful.

[gma]

What's an internet whisper - it sounds useful.

It's when you slide unobtrusively into cyber world (hop into a chat room, games room and/or a couple of facebook type sites) and plant a story (the whisper) and a few willing helpers (the geeks) will do the work for you!!

Apparently that type of search and destroy (or more precisely in this case seek and find) is like music to their ears, fodder to a shetland pony or clippers to Britney!

[Jo]

Hi Jo
Please put me out of my misery- what was squatting?

Not Jo, but in 6s Squatting was sitting next to someone in the School Hall for a concert or similar. May have applied elsewhere than the Hall but don't remember where else! What was the word for walking with someone either to Ashbourne or on the Sunday walk?

Katharine's right - as in "will you squat in chapel this afternoon". I don't remember a similar word for walking with someone, except "walking with"

I do remember "up t'imf", and I think I already mentioned elsewhere how I used to get silently frustrated with my mother for never getting it quite right. She knew we abbreviated it, but she would ask about being "in the inf", which was just plain WRONG !!

[englishangel]

surely it was 'up t'inf' as 'up to the infirmary'?

[Vonny]

Yes - definitely up t'inf

[Jo]

surely it was 'up t'inf' as 'up to the infirmary'?

Strictly speaking, it was. But it was always said as "imf". Mind you, "infirmary" is pretty much pronounced as "imfirmary" - for which there is a phonetic explanation but I won't bore everyone with it

[Angela Woodford]

Hi Jo
Please put me out of my misery- what was squatting?

Not Jo, but in 6s Squatting was sitting next to someone in the School Hall for a concert or similar. May have applied elsewhere than the Hall but don't remember where else! What was the word for walking with someone either to Ashbourne or on the Sunday walk?

Katharine's right - as in "will you squat in chapel this afternoon". I don't remember a similar word for walking with someone, except "walking with"

Squatting! Katharine - wasn't squatting frequently applicable to weekends/home jam days when we could choose where to sit at tea time? Place next to housemistress deeply unpopular?

Jo, as I remember it, there was no opportunity to squat with anyone in chapel. There was a seating list (just like a smart hostess's placement)drawn up at the beginning of term by The Study, and you lined up in it down the side of the House ready to trudge down to the Chapel in that term's House order. Passing the Pavilion, the choir members fell out into another placement and glided in last.

Here's another expression - to split (on) meaning the betrayal of an unlawful action of another girl to Authority! I can't remember any examples of this occurring, as we were very loyal to one another, but yet the potential situation and the expression existed!

[Angela Woodford]

surely it was 'up t'inf' as 'up to the infirmary'?

Strictly speaking, it was. But it was always said as "imf". Mind you, "infirmary" is pretty much pronounced as "imfirmary" - for which there is a phonetic explanation but I won't bore everyone with it

Sorry, another thought. To be admitted into the place was definitely to be or to go "up t'Inf". But never "Inf" on it's own. For example "Hey! Just saw Chemi-T and Merce arm in arm walking past the Infirmary! I mean - are they, or aren't they?"

Yes - I never thought of it. It was often pronounced "Imfirmary".

[Jo]

Jo, as I remember it, there was no opportunity to squat with anyone in chapel. There was a seating list (just like a smart hostess's placement)drawn up at the beginning of term by The Study, and you lined up in it down the side of the House ready to trudge down to the Chapel in that term's House order. Passing the Pavilion, the choir members fell out into another placement and glided in last.

I think it might have depended on your house. Or possibly there was a list for morning chapel but not for Sundays? I definitely remember sitting next to a couple of pals in chapel, and I doubt that three of us would have deliberately been put together by anyone more senior