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Topic: Favourite Brit Speak?  (Read 8548 times)

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Re: Favourite Brit Speak?
« Reply #75 on: November 21, 2003, 01:01:59 PM »
Favs:

beaute
chazzer
nob
brolly

i can't say i have any dislikes, Bu throws new words at me everyday and I do my best to pick up the slang


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Re: Favourite Brit Speak?
« Reply #76 on: December 22, 2003, 08:48:25 PM »
Ok -- how about some translations for us benighted ones? What is chazzer? And what about parson's egg  ??? ??? and do laly :-/ Boy, do I need help!  :) Katelyn
« Last Edit: December 22, 2003, 08:49:40 PM by Katelyn »


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Re: Favourite Brit Speak?
« Reply #77 on: December 22, 2003, 09:13:25 PM »
Hope this helps:

Chazzer: can be an affectionate nick-name for someone called Charles.

Doolally: crazy.  So called because during the Indian Raj there was a large military mental hospital at a place called Deolali.  There was also in India a bird called the doolally bird, which was reputed to send British soldiers mad, so monotonous and repetitious was its call.

Parson's egg: I think you may be thinking of the Curate's egg here.  Goes back to a cartoon in Punch in Victorian times, and refers to something that is good in parts, bad in parts.  A description of the cartoon is given at

http://www.word-detective.com/back-b2.html#curate

or are you by chance thinking of the parson's nose?
« Last Edit: December 22, 2003, 11:59:10 PM by howard »
Deo gratias Anglia redde pro victoria


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Re: Favourite Brit Speak?
« Reply #78 on: December 28, 2003, 03:18:43 PM »
Quote
I like muppet.  What an endearing way to call someone a fool.

I absolutely detest referring to the bathroom/WC as a toilet; I find that so horrendously common.  The only time you will hear me say toilet is when referring to the item itself (ie, the toilet needs to be cleaned).


Being a Brit myself I have no hang up with it. Someone complained about seeing it in even fancy restaurants.
But think about this. In public places, it ISN'T a bathroom - when did you last take a bath in a posh bar or restaurant.
And it isn't really a restroom either, so both of those names are unsuitable. WC (short for Water Closet as you know) describes it perfectly.


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Re: Favourite Brit Speak?
« Reply #79 on: December 28, 2003, 03:27:57 PM »


Scots, Welsh and Irish all roll their 'R's.

Let's rejoice in all the accents of English worlwide,
Lots of love,

Howard[/quote]

A good post.


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Re: Favourite Brit Speak?
« Reply #80 on: December 28, 2003, 03:46:51 PM »
Quote
Being a Brit myself I have no hang up with it.

I wouldn't expect you would.  You were most likely raised with it, thus consider it the norm.

Quote
But think about this. In public places, it ISN'T a bathroom - when did you last take a bath in a posh bar or restaurant.

Bathroom, to us, is a general description, much like many Brits use the word hoover to describe all vacuum cleaners.

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And it isn't really a restroom either, so both of those names are unsuitable.

That depends entirely upon someone's point of view.  I solve the problem by referring to it as a loo which to my American ears sounds significantly less common than toilet.
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