On the Early Breakfast this morning, we were talking about 'making a hames of things'; things that you could definitely have done a better job at, but the mistake is grand, because worse things could happen.
What spurred the discussion was my own cousin, Luke, cut my aunt's birthday cake yesterday and made an absolute hames of it, whether or not the cake was cut well, it was going to taste the same.
The internet likes to call them #fails, but we like #hames. So what was the last thing you made a hames of?
Here's what the EB listeners said...
'Good morning T . Flat pack furniture is my one. The doors never close properly. Will in Cork'
'Morning T, the one thing I always make a haims of is blowing out candles on my birthday cake, nearly burned the house down Ceire, lol'
'Tereseanne, I made a Dessert recently called Summer Fruit Fool.. (Egg whites, Sugar & Berries) BUT...I used the whole egg, so basically I gave everyone Raw Egg & Berries..Even the Dog wouldn't eat it ..Now that's called making a Hames of it. Brendan. Clare/Donegal. '
'Hi Teresanne I once used the phrase in a presentation to a group of English people who didnt understsnd the phrase then asked me to explain the phrase I then made a complete hames of trying to explain the phrase.. ended up having to do it in an email later......Tom Finn Wexford'
Morning T, Dave here. Wife Sinead left me to get 8yo daughter Caoimhe ready for dinner yesterday. I let her dress herself, mistake, and she asked for a plait which I attempted. It defintiely didn't go as it should. I made a total haimes of it. Couldn't tell her though. She was delighted with it. Wife wasn't happy I let her out like that.'
'Hey, in the gym at the moment. No sure if it's just monday morning or maybe I shouldn't be swinging kettlebells on my own, but I nearly let mine slip out of my hand mid swing. It would have smashed the mirror on the wall in front of me. #Hames Erica, Dublin 14'
'I tried to hang pictures in the house there recently but it didn't go to plan. Unfortunately, actually I don't know what I did wrong, but I drilled the screws in and plaster just fell off the wall. Now there's holes in the wall and no screws to hang pictures on to cover them. Derek in Long Lonford.
The spelling of the word caused a bit of confusion though...
Another texter wrote, 'How do you spell it? Haymes? Haymzz?'
Thankfully, someone else looked it up, 'Teresanne A 'hames' is part of the collar/bridle apparatus on a draught horse that is used to pull something like a carriage. It is easy to mess up putting the hames on correctly and hence the phrase making a hames - easy to mess up but no big deal Just in case you get asked where the phrase came from I had to look It up to explain. Tom Finn Wexford'
In case you fancy watching people make a hames of things...
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The weather's been decent lately. Many of us have gotten carried away in the sunshine though. I wore a strapless top out my back garden, Donal the trucker parked his car in the shade. What was the most summery thing you did?
