I have just been watching some useful ‘Crafty’ tuition videos on YouTube and was struck by a strange expression that three of the American presenters used constantly to describe something pretty - “Stinking cute” ! Can something be stinking and cute at the same time?
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Cat got your tongue.
That’s a strange expression m ST?
How can a cat get your tongue?
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I know what you mean.
Don’t like that expression much at all, Tabs.
Don’t sound very nice at all, to me.
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Colly Wobbles
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Cooking Fat
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Well I’ll go to the foot of our stairs!
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innit…
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Neither do I, Mups. Can’t help wondering who starts these things off? In every other respect she is a really good presenter and her videos are excellent. It is obviously a current phrase in US just now as two other presenters used it as well.
What about this one.
“ Butter someone up”…
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“ Barking up the wrong tree”… who barks up a tree…I’ve only ever done it once,
That could be another US inport, Pauline, hunting dogs - being a bit dim - chasing their racoon up the wrong tree!
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Butter someone up
Origin: This was a customary religious act in ancient India. The devout would throw butter balls at the statues of their gods to seek favor and forgiveness.
And you thought it was another US idiom…
Here is another similar one to your strange expression…
I f you say that someone knows what side their bread is buttered on, you mean that they know what to do or who to please in order to stay in a good situation or to avoid a bad one.
We are learning a lot today! 
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@RightNow - Have you come across the ‘stinking cute’ one, RightNow? I see you are in NY - the ‘Crafty’ presenters sound as though they are from somewhat further south.
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We’re not entirely innocent ourselves Silver 
, how about “You’re awfully nice”, what’s nice about awful?
“Stinking rich”, surely if one was that rich they would have access to the best hygiene and the finest deodorants money could buy therefore could not be stinking in any way.
I remember as a young man whenever I made a present for my dear old Grandma she would say “Oh Jem, you shouldn’t have, you’re a horrible man altogether”…a great compliment coming from her. 
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Two local expression that has always amused me are.
Hold you hard. Meaning wait.
And, putting your parts on. Meaning, having a tantrum.
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I have heard it used often, but not thought too much about it. Recently, slang is that someone is “dope” if they are exceptionally with it, and now the term for someone who is good looking is they are a “snack”…
These terms will soon fade, so I don’t spend time trying to exact how they make any sense at all. I haven’t been much help to you, have I? Still, you can’t say I’m dope!!
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Dia dhuit, Jem, you are quite right - we also have some strange expressions. I find them fascinating - even single words can be used differently. For example in the UK ‘bold’ seems to mean brave/adventurous - but in Grandma’s house it meant cheeky/naughty as in ‘you’re a bold child’ !
Thank you - I find the use of words fascinating and, as you say, these things come and go.
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It’s never too late to take up a new hobby Tabs.
What about Soviet motorcycle restoration …
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