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Topic: "how's your father?"  (Read 4746 times)

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Re: "how's your father?"
« Reply #15 on: June 19, 2005, 12:43:16 PM »

Oh yeah! You're a better AP fan than I am ;) I just love that Mike Meyers - he's like buttah!

Yeah, I've seen it more times than I'd like to admit, lol. I love him too.
Plans on hold 'cuz Brexit


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Re: "how's your father?"
« Reply #16 on: June 19, 2005, 11:05:12 PM »
Though I do like (here in England) -- 'Bob's your uncle.'

The full version is "Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt."   
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Re: "how's your father?"
« Reply #17 on: June 20, 2005, 08:35:47 AM »
The full version is "Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt."   


OMG! Which, of course, in England can add a whole other dimension to the meaning. ;)
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in...

- from Anthem, by Leonard Cohen (b 1934)


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Re: "how's your father?"
« Reply #18 on: June 20, 2005, 11:29:15 AM »
The full version is "Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt."   


No, it's not. Or at least it wasn't.  The Aunt Fanny part is an add on to a phrase that had been around since 1887 to mean "your all set". It dates from when Prime Minister Robert Cecil (a.k.a. Lord Salisbury) decided to appoint Arthur Balfour to the post of Chief Secretary for Ireland, a rather prestigious and sensitive post. Not lost on the British public was the fact that Lord Salisbury was better known to Arthur Balfour as "Uncle Bob." In the resulting furore over what was seen as an act of blatant nepotism, "Bob's your uncle" became a popular sarcastic comment applied to any situation where the outcome was preordained by favouritism.  Of course, over time the scandal faded, but the phrase was around to stay - slowly becoming a "no worries" or "you've got it made"

(info from Eric Partridge's Dictionary of Catch Phrases)

Johnny Depp brought the Fanny's your aunt part into greater usage just a few years ago when he used the phrase "Roberts your Uncle, Fanny's your aunt" in Pirates of the Caribbean.  Before that it had been suggested it was tacked on from the phrase "My Aunt Fanny" used for something unbelievable.   Personally I think "Bobs your uncle, Fanny's your aunt" has a nice little rhythm and I love to use it!

Rosie
All wars are civil wars, because all men are brothers. ~François Fénelon


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Re: "how's your father?"
« Reply #19 on: June 20, 2005, 02:29:41 PM »
My first responce was...he's dead...and why do you care.
 
After reading it is sex...I find thew fact of using your "father" in reference to this to be icky. He's the last one I want to think about at that time.


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Re: "how's your father?"
« Reply #20 on: June 21, 2005, 12:14:04 AM »
Surely we all remember the lyrics from Cool for Cats by Squeeze well before any Austin Powers movies came out:

"...The Sweeney's doing ninety 
'Cos they've got the word to go 
They get a gang of villains 
In a shed up at Heathrow 
They're counting out the fivers 
When the handcuffs lock again 
In and out of Wandsworth 
With the numbers on their names
It's funny how their missus' 
Always look the bleeding same 
And meanwhile at the station 
There's a couple of likely lads 
Who swear like how's your father
And they're very cool for cats..."

Matt
And the world first spoke to me in Sensurround


Re: "how's your father?"
« Reply #21 on: June 21, 2005, 12:20:38 AM »
Surely we all remember the lyrics from Cool for Cats by Squeeze well before any Austin Powers movies came out:

"...The Sweeney's doing ninety 
'Cos they've got the word to go 
They get a gang of villains 
In a shed up at Heathrow 
They're counting out the fivers 
When the handcuffs lock again 
In and out of Wandsworth 
With the numbers on their names
It's funny how their missus' 
Always look the bleeding same 
And meanwhile at the station 
There's a couple of likely lads 
Who swear like how's your father
And they're very cool for cats..."

Matt
I've never seen those lyrics written down before.  Man, have I been singing it ALL wrong!  :P


Re: "how's your father?"
« Reply #22 on: June 21, 2005, 12:22:47 PM »
Nice one Matt.
Havent heard that song for a while!


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Re: "how's your father?"
« Reply #23 on: June 21, 2005, 02:39:20 PM »
Nice one Matt.
Havent heard that song for a while!

And now I'll be humming it all afternoon. 
Wonder how many other people in the office I can get to start humming it before the end of the day.   [smiley=devilish.gif]


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Re: "how's your father?"
« Reply #24 on: June 21, 2005, 02:46:35 PM »
Ooh, I've done it to myself.  Now I wish I had the CD in the car to listen to on the way home  :D

Matt
And the world first spoke to me in Sensurround


Re: "how's your father?"
« Reply #25 on: June 21, 2005, 05:36:45 PM »
Hehehehe... i've got the CD and am listening to it now!   ;D

To change the mood a little
I’ve been posing down the pub
On seeing my reflection
I’m looking slightly rough
I fancy this, I fancy that
I wanna be so flash
I give a little muscle
And I spend a little cash
But all I get is bitter and a nasty little rash
And by the time I’m sober
I’ve forgotten what I’ve had
And everybody tells me that it’s cool to be a cat
Cool for cats


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