I've heard both those expressions in the U.S., Yoyo, but maybe not recently.

My mum would have said both of those, but not quite so common now in Australia.

'geed up' from 'gee up' as you might say to a horse.

'keen as mustard' just means very eager.

I drafted a letter to a client urging him to take advantage of a stock offer but my boss objected to "urge" as that was what you did to a horse! I substituted another word but still think I was right! (I still tell him that, see our discussion on arguments with the dead!)

urge /ûrj/

intransitive verb

1. To force or drive forward or onward; impel.
2. To entreat earnestly and often repeatedly; exhort.
3. To advocate earnestly the doing, consideration, or approval of; press for."urge passage of the bill; a speech urging moderation."

Thanks, you will not be surprised that I didn't stay very long with this company!

Here are a few more from the same novel :

" ...she looked gormless"

to "drop a brick "

"Ruby did what she was told and pottered off........."

Ah, pottering is a great word. I'd usually say someone was pottering about or around, especially outside in the garden just doing random small tasks.

I like gormless too, although it's not one I would think of to use.

Drop a brick I am unfamiliar with.

I haven't heard "drop a brick"in a long time, but it means to make an embarrassing gaffe or faux pas, to say something in a conversation that is so wrong that the conversation grinds to a halt momentarily while everyone looks aghast at the brick dropper :-)

what is 'gormless' ??

“Gormless” is brainless and lacking in common sense. Someone slack-jawed with a vacant stare would be decribed as looking ”gormless”.

Agree with all the above replies. You might say " He was so gormless he failed to notice he had dropped a brick in his conversation with the Duchess and wandered off into the garden to potter among the sweet peas."

You could indeed say that of him!

So many bricks got dropped when my husband died but he would have been amused.

Best one was when I got a bit dressier than usual for the funeral and got the comment that I looked very smart and would find a new man in no time!

Annpan. I had an acquaintance P who used to attend ALL the local funerals. I once met her when she was in a hurry to get to one as she needed "a good seat". When I next saw her she said she had been the first arriving at the church with over half an hour to spare. Eventually the next mourner arrived, a relative of the deceased, P called over "People don't live long in your family do they?" She was quite unaware that she had dropped a brick with her inappropriate comment!

A woman going through the condolence line at my mother's funeral told me to have a nice day.

See........this is why I prefer dogs .

Dogs do inappropriate things too, though!

We had a little Jack Russel, much loved and very protective of the family but not to be trusted when out and about.

I was once standing in a slow-moving queue with the dog on a tight lead when the elderly lady in front turned to me and said most apologetically "I'm so sorry but I seem to have put my foot into your little dog's mouth."

How very British!