Daft sayings

[Shaker]

Gordon, the phrase 'came off a banana boat' has racist connotations, at least down south, although I'm sure your grandma never meant it as such - it's just one of those phrases that people ended up using without thinking about it, like 'cheating arab'.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_boat_(ship)

I think that in some cases we can be so hypersensitive to racism that it can be perceived where it isn't - certainly as I've seen it used the phrase is equal to "Do you think I came down in the last shower?", which is to say, do you think I'm naive and/or ignorant of what's going on here.

It's true though that "X ______________ Arab" was often used about naughty or noisy or dirty kids when I was little - I had "mucky little Arab!" or "You daft Arab!" said to me more times than I can count. I don't think there was explicit racist intent behind it as it was just a phrase, evidently of great age, made humorously and with warmth and affection. I agree that it's not complimentary to actual Arabs, though, or wasn't originally.

[Nearly Sane]

Then there is the reference to Aberdeen as Furryboots City

[Nearly Sane]

On the subject of Arabs and linking back to Dundee, the fans of the team Dundee Utd are called the Arabs,and this appears to be related to the bad winter of 63 where they ended up putting sand down on the snow to play and were successful - part of me struggles with that as being true

[Gordon]

Gordon, the phrase 'came off a banana boat' has racist connotations, at least down south, although I'm sure your grandma never meant it as such - it's just one of those phrases that people ended up using without thinking about it, like 'cheating arab'.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_boat_(ship)

I think that in some cases we can be so hypersensitive to racism that it can be perceived where it isn't - certainly as I've seen it used the phrase is equal to "Do you think I came down in the last shower?", which is to say, do you think I'm naive and/or ignorant of what's going on here.

It's true though that "X ______________ Arab" was often used about naughty or noisy or dirty kids when I was little - I had "mucky little Arab!" or "You daft Arab!" said to me more times than I can count. I don't think there was explicit racist intent behind it as it was just a phrase, evidently of great age, made humorously and with warmth and affection. I agree that it's not complimentary to actual Arabs, though, or wasn't originally.

I've never heard the term 'arab' used in any West of Scotland vernacular - I don't know if NS has.

[Gordon]

Then there is the reference to Aberdeen as Furryboots City

As regularly used in Tom Shield's diary in the Glasgow Herald.

[Shaker]

I've heard the term "dirty little Arab" which probably does have racist roots dating back to when brown skinned people weren't considered equal or as clean.

I think it would be a bad idea to use it now.

I haven't heard it said in a while but I would imagine it persists around here amongst the older generation especially. In exactly the same contexts people used to call kids Rooshans as well - deriving from Russians I guess but pronounced Rooshan, meaning a scamp or an endearingly mischievous child. I haven't heard that since I was little

[Harrowby Hall]

A couple from my Nottingham childhood:

It's black over Bill's mother's. (Mother rhymes with bother)
  - meaning It looks as though it will soon rain.

An exclamation of surprise: Well, I'll g'to our 'ouse!