Skewed Sayings

Sir: Readers may be interested to learn of a recent subject on BBC Radio Stoke regarding some of “Grandma’s Sayings” which, in being repeated over time, have been misrepresented or, as one put it, “Gone plain wrong!” Examples of these gems included: The world is your lobster. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t change its stripes.

One listener remembered a relative having an issue with revolving doors and complaining that “she can’t stand these revolting doors!”, while another spoke of taking a dog to the vet to “have it muted!”

I recall from my days working in local government there was a councillor who occasionally experienced “a touch of the Hylda Baker’s”. An example of this was in a debate about itinerants, she explained that there was a problem with “initerants”! — GRAHAM BEBBINGTON,

TRENTHAM, STOKE-ON-TRENT, STAFFORDSHIRE.