Iliff-King phrasebook Iliff-King phrasebook

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definition

all of a sudden a big black pudding came floating through the air exclamation

You are about to be struck during a pillow fight

Origin

Turns out to derive from a song (see Notes)

Collector

Granny – 1950s
Marion Dixon (Howes) – mother of Mum, spouse of Pop

Notes

Black pudding is a blood sausage associated with northwest England, where Granny & Pop lived for most of their lives.

Oct 2023:
Following a spike of interest in this entry I dug a bit and discovered that it’s from a song reasonably well known in northeast England.

The relevant verse, in one version, runs thus:
All of a sudden a little black pudding
Came flying through the air
It missed my Ma, and hit my Pa
And knocked him off his chair
…which just happens to be the least rude part of the song in every variation I found.

The general consensus on Mudcat seems to be that it should be sung to the tune Blaze Away (by Holzmann but sounds as if it should be by Souza).
—Mark

Link

Collected versions on Mudcat

Submitted: 14/03/2021 by Mark ● Last updated: 09/11/2024 15:06 by Mark

comments

 I visited my Irish relatives when I was 13 years old back in 1946 and I remember my uncle singing this verse: All of a sudden two rolls of black pudden can tumbling down the hill” Definitely sung to the tune of Blaze Away.

—Joe Grady, Montreal, 15 Dec 2025

 @Joe Grady: Great to know. Thank you. (If there were a prize for our most mature commenter then I'm certain you would win it!)

—Mark Iliff, beside the Thames,, 16 Dec 2025

any thoughts?

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