These traditional sayings are at risk of going extinct – how many do you recognise?

TRADITIONAL sayings are being sent to the knacker’s yard as people have never heard of them.

Phrases including “dog’s dinner”, “storm in a teacup” and even “couldn’t organise a p**s-up in a brewery” all drew blank faces in a survey of 2,000 adults aged 18-50 by researchers Perspectus Global.

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ROB PATTINSON reveals the phrases most in danger and the percentage confused by them . . .

 1.   Pearls before swine –  78%
 2.   Nail your colours to the mast –  71%
 3.   Colder than a witch’s t*t –  71%
 4.   Pip pip – 70%
 5.   Know your onions – 68%
 6.   Nod’s as good as a wink – 66%
  7.   Stitch in time saves nine – 64%
  8.  Ready for the knacker’s yard – 62%
  9.   Dropped a clanger – 60%
10.  A fly in the ointment – 59%

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11.   Keen as mustard – 58%
12. Flash in the pan – 57%
13. Tickety-boo – 57%
14.  Load of codswallop – 56%
15. Curtain twitcher – 56%
16. Knickers in a twist – 56%
17. Dead as a doornail – 55%
18. Dog’s dinner – 55%
19. Chock-a-block – 55%
20. Storm in a teacup – 55%

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21. Couldn’t organise a p**s-up in a brewery – 54%
22. Not enough room to swing a  cat – 54%
23. Flogging a dead horse – 54%
24. Toe the line – 54%
25. Popped her clogs – 54%
26. Drop them a line – 53%
27. Steal my thunder – 53%
28. Few sandwiches short of a picnic – 53%
29. Legend in one’s own lifetime – 52%
30. Be there or be square – 52%

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31. Fell off the back of a lorry – 52%
32. Bodge job – 52%
33. Eat humble pie – 52%
34. Having a chinwag – 52%
35. Put a sock in it – 52%
36. Mad as a hatter – 51%
37. Spend a penny – 51%
38. Cool as a cucumber – 51%
39. Gone pear-shaped – 51%
40. Cost a bomb – 51%

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41. Fell off the back of a lorry – 52%
42. Bodge job – 52%
43. Eat humble pie – 52%
44. Having a chinwag – 52%
45. Put a sock in it – 52%
46. Mad as a hatter – 51%
47. Spend a penny – 51%
48. Cool as a cucumber – 51%
49. Gone pear-shaped – 51%
50. Cost a bomb – 51%