Old wives tales, superstitions and other sayings

You could measure the distance of a storm by counting from the flash of the lightning to the sound of thunder. This is True!

When the wind blows the leaves on the trees upside down there will be a bad rain.

If the deer are out early grazing there is big storm coming.

Red sky at night sailors delight,
Red sky at morn sailor be warned.
This is true.

If the cows in pastures are all lying down, it's a sure sign of rain.

A ring around a winter moon means snow.

Winter thunder means snow within 10 days.

Squirrels nesting in dead trees instead of making nests of leaves means a harsh winter.

If you kill a spider indoors, it will bring rain.

If you killed a snake hang it over a fence and it will rain.

When your left palm itches, it means money coming into your pocket; when your right palm itches, it means money going out of your pocket.

If you drop a fork on the floor it means you'll get money.

Health

1950's before the polio vaccine.

People thought kids would get polio if they played in the mud puddles after a rain.

If you sit too close to the TV you'll go blind.
Not true, but how many times did you hear that growing up as a kid????

If you let your hair hang in your face you'll go blind. Again not true.

If you accidentally swallow a cat or dog hair it will become a worm in your tummy.

Kissing toads give you warts.
Not true.

If you go out in the cold you will catch a cold.
Seems true enough.

Death

A howling dog is a sign of impending death nearby.

NEVER Sweep after Dark, either inside or outside, as Someone you Love will Die by Morning!

if you plant a cedar tree then when the shad from the tree is big enough to completely cover a grave you will die. This is most likely true as Cedars are slow growing trees.

Didn't wash clothes on New Year's day because if you do the person whose clothes you washed would die sometime before the year was out.

Brides: During your wedding ceremony, put a penny in your shoe for good luck.

Your will have one child for every ribbon you break at your wedding shower.

Girls hold our feet up when you go over the railroad tracks or you will never get married.

For Brides on your wedding day.
For good luck wear: something old, something new, something barrowed and something blue.

Don't to whistle in the house (or barn) because it would call the devil.

My cousin used to tell me if you eat in the bathroom you invite the devil to dine on your soul.

When someone in the household dies, cover all the mirrors so that he/she won't come back to haunt you.

When you put the pillowcases on your pillows, the opening should never face a door - otherwise evil spirits will be able to slip into the pillowcase.

Hold your breath going past a cemetery or ghosts will follow you home.

Whistle past a cemetary.

Now I am not dure how one holds there breath and Whistles....best to avoid the cemetery after dark.

Speak of the Devil, and he will come.

Childern

Don't have a cat around if you have a baby as it will snatch the baby's breath away.

If you let children eat bananas after 6pm, you run a risk of their having seizures.
This is False.

Pregnancy

If you have bad heart burn while pregnant you will have a hairy baby.

Dont vaccuum or hang clothes on the line when your pregnant. (Someone probably didn't feel like doing it so they made this up)

If you're carrying SO low, you MUST be having a boy!

Don't eat honey when you are pregnant.

Honey last forever.
This is true!
If honey is store at a stable temperature out of the sun it will never go bad.
Honey stored in Egyptian tomes was still good after 4000 years.

Salt
Salt last forever and never spoils . This is true!
Salt is known as the chef's best friend, it can be used to enhance the flavor of almost any other kind of food.
Salt has been used for thousands of years as a food preservative.
If your salt gets wet, just let it dry out and it will be good as new.

Eggs
If an floats is bad. This is true!

If you want to make sure an egg is good, put it into a bowl of cold water. Cover the egg. If it stays on its side on the bottom, its fresh and good. If it stands up on the bottom, it's a little older, but still good. If it floats, toss it, it's bad.

Beans
When cooking beans never "clean the spoon" by banging/bumping it on the top of the pot or it would make your beans stick.

Milk
NEVER Drink Milk with Fish or You will be Sick by Morning! Some claim this is true.

Apples
Eating apples at night will constipate you.

Fish
Eat Mac & Cheese with fish or you'd get worms.

Never turn a whole fish over when you serve it at a meal, or the fisherman's boat will sink.

Peanut butter
The Heimlich maneuver will not work for someone choking on Peanut butter.
This is True!
Never eat peanut butter by it's self. Always eat it on something like bread or celery.
Never give a small child a spoon full of peanut butter to lick.

Gum
Don't swollow gum it takes 7 years to digest.
Not true.

Carrots
Eating carrots makes your eyesight better.
True! Good old Vitamin D.

Don't swim within one hour of eating.
This is not true.

Cures

Eat burnt toast for a sour stomach.

Whiskey,lemon, and honey mixed together are supposed to be good for a cough.

Gargle with warm, salty water for a sore throat.
It's true and works like a charm!

Drink buttermilk for irritable bowels.

Hot coffee will head off a migraine if you drink it at the very beginning of the headache.
This is true!

Bad Luck

If a black cat crosses your path, turn around, go all the way back and start your destination over.

If a black cat crosses your path to put an x on your window.

Don't step on a crack, you'll break your mother's back.
Don't step in a hole, you'll break your mother's sugar bowl.

Spilling Salt:
If you spill salt you have to take some and throw it over your left shoulder to ward off bad luck.

Never buy pearls for yourself, it'll bring bad luck.
This is very true! Please send all your bad luck pearls to me. I well uhhh... dispose of them for you.

It's bad luck to wash on New Year's Day.

It's bad luck to wash your hair on your birthday.

Breaking a mirror.
If you break a mirror, throw salt over your left shoulder to avoid 7 years bad luck.

Never put shoes on a bed for ANY reason. It's very bad luck.

Never walk under a ladder.

Don't open an umbrella in the house.

Good Luck
If you give someone a wallet or purse, you have to put money in it (even one coin is Okay).

Find a penny, pick it up.
All day long you will have good luck!

The expression "break a leg" replaces the phrase "good luck," which is considered unluckyin the theatre.

Cross your fingers right before you want something to happen for good luck.

Finding a 4 leaf clover brings good luck

Your hair grows faster in the summer than in the winter. This is True.

If you look at someone cross-eyed and a wind blows, you'll stay like that. Not true but funny.

Don't wake up a sleepwalker or they will go mad (drop dead, freak out ect...) Not true. They might get mad at you but they won't die.

Everytime you say something that could curse someone but you didn't mean it, you have to spit the badness away.

Never give a friend or loved one a knife as a present or it will "cut" your friendship.

Don't cross your eyes or they'll stick that way.

If you pull out a gray hair 10 more will grow back in it's place.

Don't put your new shoes on the table or they will forever hurt your feet.

Always wear clean underwear in case your in a accident. Not sure undies would be clean after the accident, but it is good hygiene.

Itchy nose means you will kiss a fool or have a fight.

Ears ringing means someone is talking (thinking) about you.

Drop a butter knife and company's coming.

Don't joke about something going wrong, because it will.

Don't talk about something going right... you'll jinx it.

Never, ever mention having extra money while in the car. You're sure to need a repair within the week.
Oh, how true is this!

A stitch and time saves 9.

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