Obviously this one is more of a Scottish phrase although I didn’t even realise that it was Scottish until I moved to the south of England for a few years in the late 70s.
I was met with puzzled faces when I said to people ‘I’m going for my messages’. They just couldn’t think what I meant by it and I thought that everybody used the word messages to mean food shopping, so I was really surprised when I had to explain it to them.
It is probably more common to hear people saying ‘I’m away for my messages’ – and they just mean that they are going to the supermarket.
In the days of my childhood when children were allowed to roam the streets on their own at a young age it was common to see them being sent for a message and that could mean something like picking up the dry cleaning or paying a bill for their mother. We were given quite a lot of responsibility in those days as youngster.
When you think about it, it sounds a strange thing to say. So I can see why Sassenachs were completely in the dark as to what I was talking about. Poor sowls.
It’s not really so strange when you remember people were given a note of items to be bought (each one on the list being a message, then) when they were sent for the shopping.
The English equivalent, shopping list, is so much more prosaic.
Yes, that seems logical except I never knew anyone who had a list. Even as children we were just told what we had to get – which meant we were all going to the shops reciting the ‘list’ in our heads, terrified we would forget something.And if you had been sent to the co-op your mum always said – Did you give them my co-op number? I still remember that number.
Aye, puir souls! It was the same with me when I stayed in North Yorkshire!
[...] person who arrives, breathless, one-three small children in tow with some last-minute-remembered messages*… just after they have closed, or a good 2 hours before they’re due to open. I [...]
I’ve just been remembering these experiences, and found your post while looking for a link – you might want to check it out here
Chris,
Thanks for visiting. It looks like we had very similar childhoods. It’s amazing how much responsibility we were given when we were wee. Nobody seemed to worry about kids being abducted or robbed of the messages money! I can still remember my mum’s Coop number.
Katrina
I can remember the Co-op number of our landlady on holiday on Arran – she was no. 9 and we used it when we stayed in her house so that she would get the benefit – no id cards in these days!
chris,
Wow! Just one number – she got there early on! My mum’s was four numbers, I’m not telling anyone though as I still use them, I know they’re numbers I’ll never forget unlike many others! My mum would have throttled me if I had forgotten her Co-op number.
We’re talking the 1950s here!
Earlier today, I had the young man with my supermarket groceries come round in the delivery van. I said to him have you come with the messages, he didn’t have a clue what I was speaking about.
Sean,
When you stop and think about it – using the word ‘messages’ to mean shopping is a bit strange. But it all makes sense when you’re brought up saying it and I really hope it doesn’t die out. We should spread the words!
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Katrina.