Before hand

Why do people say before hand? Are there specific circumstances when you say it? Rather than just saying before
Margaret prepared the spider trap before hand.
The goats had not experienced touch support before. It was in their care plan that had been prepared before hand by the regional administrator

Google tells me that "Before Hand" was a Middle English term, it developed into a hyphenated "Before-hand" in the 18th century, then one word "beforehand" in the 19th. Now we tend to just say "before".

It will probably morph into "b4" before long.

When whoever organises the WAN Awards this year organises the WAN Awards this year, I'd like to nominate "The goats had not experienced touch support before. It was in their care plan that had been prepared before hand by the regional administrator" as the Quote of the Year.

On the subject of phrases - two interesting ones I've heard in Cambridge but nowhere else.

"I'd been thrice round Fanny's aunt..." ("I'd been everywhere looking for it") - used, apparently, only by old people who still pronounced "Cambridge" as "Cam-bridge," with the A pronounced as in the River Cam.

"If that were a bear it woulda bit me" ("And then, there it was right under my nose!") - I mentioned this one to a Dutch friend, and she says it exists in Dutch too. Since I haven't heard it anywhere else in the UK other than here, I assume it must have been imported by the Dutch and Flemish engineers who came over to help drain the Fens.

"If that were a bear it woulda bit me"

I'm fairly sure I've heard this one used in Ipswich, by the lady who worked in the sandwich shop next door to my client, who had a very distinctive fenland accent.

who came over to help drain the Fens

I dunno, they come over here, take all our swampland, and what do we get out of it? A load of bloody foreign sayings clogging up our language, that's all.

Want a fenland accent please check the guy who does the train announcements at Ely train station!
Especially when he says places like Maaaaarch, Braaaandon and Narrrwich.

I've always liked the way there are three Cambridges. Came-bridge (to rhyme with "name bridge), Kime-bridge (to rhyme with "lime bridge") and Caaam-bridge (which is dying out).

I think 'Kime-Bridge' is true authentic Cantabrigian dialect...But it might just be a North Cambridge dialect, I can't be sure....