Funny sayings

[Basil Brush]

Where does the saying "it's black over Bill's mother's"come from

[simont]

Weird, don't know what's happening there.  I'll try again.  It is said to have originated in the Midlands in the between 1800-1900 and was used by someone to explain that it looked like it was going to rain.  E.g "The sky looks very black over there by William's Mother's house" - this got abbreviated to "It's black over Bill's Mothers's".

[Quizmonster]

It means rain is on the way, as Simon suggests. This saying seems to be more widespread around the country nowadays, but many - including Eric Partridge in his �Dictionary of Catch Phrases' - believe it started life in the East Midlands. 

The best explanation I've ever heard as to its origin is the one that suggests the �Bill', �Will' or �William' in the phrase refers to William (Will/Bill) Shakespeare.  He was born in Stratford-on-Avon, to the west of the Midlands and - if the sky is dark and threatening over that area (ie over Bill's mother's) - it means rain is probably headed for the east of the Midlands region, because the prevailing winds are likely to push the wet weather in that direction.

If the idea had arisen in the south of Scotland instead of the Midlands of England, the phrase might have been "It's black over Rabbie's mother's"...referring to Robert Burns!

[smudge]

In Bedfordshire it's: "It's black over Will's Mum's". Usually when it's very cloudy & going to tip down with rain.

[lodekka]

Digressing slightly, but when I lived in Cambridge during the 1990s, the phrase "gone all round Will's mother's" was used to describe a job performed in a convoluted fashion.