Things that make you :)

[Co-tr-Paul]

Somebody needs retraining. 

[Ozexpatriate]

3 hours ago, steve1 said:

????

Glad I wasn't the only one.

2 hours ago, Gareth Collier said:

Rhyming slang, Hank Marvin/starvin' I guess.

There is a South Park episode called "Starvin' Marvin", which is a somewhat uncommon US expression and the name of a couple of unrelated restaurant chains.

 

"Hank" I still don't get.

[billbedford]

He was the leader of The Shadows, a 60s UK beat combo. 

Edited March 11, 2022 by billbedford

[The Johnster]

You probably wouldn't if you are a born and bred American.  Cockney (London) rhyming slang replaces words with others that rhyme (no sh*t, Sherlock) but prefixes the replacement with an appropropriate name or phrase, then drops the original word so that it becomes a sort of code language; indeed, its origin was as a theives' patois that could be used without alerting police or other authorities to the content of your conversation. 

 

So, if for instance you had no money, the slang  term for this is 'skint', because you have been made skinny, skinned, and this is shortened to skint.  Up to about 50 years ago, domestic metal polishing was done with borassic acid paste, and wiped off with lint, so the rhyming slang for being skint became 'borassic and lint', then just 'borassic'.  To this day, a Londoner might say that he isn't coming up the pub tonight because he's borassic until pay day!

 

There is a British pop singer called Cliff Richard, who began his career in the rock'n'roll days of the late 50s and is still making records, though he has for some time been mostly a Gospel/Christian singer (his Christian stuff is much better musically than his 'mainstream' work).  His backing band were called The Shadows, and they made albums and released hit intrumental singles in their own right as well, a 4-piece guitar band led by a guy called Hank Marvin, and under the title of Hank Marvin and the Shadows.  Hank Marvin was, I mean is as he is still counted among the living, along with Cliff, a distinctive looking chap with black hair and glasses, something like Buddy Holly, but he was a lead guitarist not a singer.  There is little reason that an American would have heard of any of these people unless they had lived in the UK for any length of time; unlike the Beatles, Stones, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple &c, Cliff and the Shads never 'made it' in the States.  Canadian immigrants from the UK in the last 60 years would know them, though.

 

So, in Cockney rhyming slang, being hungry, starving, became being 'Hank Marvin', but for some reason has yet to make the progression to just being 'Hank'; 'mam, what's for dinner, I'm Hank Marvin'...  This may or may not be due to the unfortunate rhyme with 'w*nk', w*nking being British slang for the act of .  This is referred to in the UK, and particularly London, as 'having a J Arthur', from a man called J Arthur Rank, former chairman of the Rank Organisation, a well known British entertainment, media, cinema, and film conglomerate; 'I was watching internet porn and having a quick J Arthur'... 

 

Its a bit like if an American referred to his shoes as a 'pair of Howards', after Howard Hughes to rhyme with shoes.

[melmerby]

44 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

Cliff and the Shads never 'made it' in the States

Cliff Richard has had several US top 40 hits, going right back to Livin' Doll which made No. 30

https://www.billboard.com/artist/cliff-richard/chart-history/hsi/

 

Edited March 12, 2022 by melmerby

[Steamport Southport]

6 hours ago, Gareth Collier said:

Rhyming slang, Hank Marvin/starvin' I guess.

 

Also used in an advert a few years ago.

 

 

[Steamport Southport]

1 hour ago, The Johnster said:

You probably wouldn't if you are a born and bred American.  Cockney (London) rhyming slang replaces words with others that rhyme (no sh*t, Sherlock) but prefixes the replacement with an appropropriate name or phrase, then drops the original word so that it becomes a sort of code language; indeed, its origin was as a theives' patois that could be used without alerting police or other authorities to the content of your conversation. 

 

So, if for instance you had no money, the slang  term for this is 'skint', because you have been made skinny, skinned, and this is shortened to skint.  Up to about 50 years ago, domestic metal polishing was done with borassic acid paste, and wiped off with lint, so the rhyming slang for being skint became 'borassic and lint', then just 'borassic'.  To this day, a Londoner might say that he isn't coming up the pub tonight because he's borassic until pay day!

 

There is a British pop singer called Cliff Richard, who began his career in the rock'n'roll days of the late 50s and is still making records, though he has for some time been mostly a Gospel/Christian singer (his Christian stuff is much better musically than his 'mainstream' work).  His backing band were called The Shadows, and they made albums and released hit intrumental singles in their own right as well, a 4-piece guitar band led by a guy called Hank Marvin, and under the title of Hank Marvin and the Shadows.  Hank Marvin was, I mean is as he is still counted among the living, along with Cliff, a distinctive looking chap with black hair and glasses, something like Buddy Holly, but he was a lead guitarist not a singer.  There is little reason that an American would have heard of any of these people unless they had lived in the UK for any length of time; unlike the Beatles, Stones, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple &c, Cliff and the Shads never 'made it' in the States.  Canadian immigrants from the UK in the last 60 years would know them, though.

 

So, in Cockney rhyming slang, being hungry, starving, became being 'Hank Marvin', but for some reason has yet to make the progression to just being 'Hank'; 'mam, what's for dinner, I'm Hank Marvin'...  This may or may not be due to the unfortunate rhyme with 'w*nk', w*nking being British slang for the act of .  This is referred to in the UK, and particularly London, as 'having a J Arthur', from a man called J Arthur Rank, former chairman of the Rank Organisation, a well known British entertainment, media, cinema, and film conglomerate; 'I was watching internet porn and having a quick J Arthur'... 

 

Its a bit like if an American referred to his shoes as a 'pair of Howards', after Howard Hughes to rhyme with shoes.

 

 

Nah. The "act" you are referring to is a Sherman....

 

 

Sherman Tank = ****

 

Jodrell is a bank - named after Jodrell Bank telescope

 

Americans are Septics.

 

Septic = Yank (from Septic Tank)

 

Listerine is somebody that doesn't like Americans.

 

Listerine = Anti Septic 

 

 

 

Someone who has spent far too much time in "That London"....

[Hroth]

7 hours ago, billbedford said:

He was the leader of The Shadows, a 60s UK beat combo. 

 

Legally speaking, "a popular beat combo, m'lud...".

[The Pilotman]

17 hours ago, Steamport Southport said:

Nah. The "act" you are referring to is a Sherman....

Are you having a bubble? 

[The Johnster]

You mean a giraffe (a laugh).  A bubble is a person of Hellenistic ethnicity, bubble and squeak, (British dish made of fried potato mash, onions, veg, etc., = Greek).

[Mark Saunders]

[Hroth]

8 hours ago, Mark Saunders said:

 

Would there be a boom in genealogy research as people try to align themselves with historical witches? 

 

Perhaps Fishface could pardon this poor wee lassie too?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by Hroth

[Titan]

On 11/03/2022 at 23:24, The Johnster said:

You probably wouldn't if you are a born and bred American.  Cockney (London) rhyming slang replaces words with others that rhyme (no sh*t, Sherlock) but prefixes the replacement with an appropropriate name or phrase, then drops the original word so that it becomes a sort of code language; indeed, its origin was as a theives' patois that could be used without alerting police or other authorities to the content of your conversation. 

 

So, if for instance you had no money, the slang  term for this is 'skint', because you have been made skinny, skinned, and this is shortened to skint.  Up to about 50 years ago, domestic metal polishing was done with borassic acid paste, and wiped off with lint, so the rhyming slang for being skint became 'borassic and lint', then just 'borassic'.  To this day, a Londoner might say that he isn't coming up the pub tonight because he's borassic until pay day!

 

There is a British pop singer called Cliff Richard, who began his career in the rock'n'roll days of the late 50s and is still making records, though he has for some time been mostly a Gospel/Christian singer (his Christian stuff is much better musically than his 'mainstream' work).  His backing band were called The Shadows, and they made albums and released hit intrumental singles in their own right as well, a 4-piece guitar band led by a guy called Hank Marvin, and under the title of Hank Marvin and the Shadows.  Hank Marvin was, I mean is as he is still counted among the living, along with Cliff, a distinctive looking chap with black hair and glasses, something like Buddy Holly, but he was a lead guitarist not a singer.  There is little reason that an American would have heard of any of these people unless they had lived in the UK for any length of time; unlike the Beatles, Stones, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple &c, Cliff and the Shads never 'made it' in the States.  Canadian immigrants from the UK in the last 60 years would know them, though.

 

So, in Cockney rhyming slang, being hungry, starving, became being 'Hank Marvin', but for some reason has yet to make the progression to just being 'Hank'; 'mam, what's for dinner, I'm Hank Marvin'...  This may or may not be due to the unfortunate rhyme with 'w*nk', w*nking being British slang for the act of .  This is referred to in the UK, and particularly London, as 'having a J Arthur', from a man called J Arthur Rank, former chairman of the Rank Organisation, a well known British entertainment, media, cinema, and film conglomerate; 'I was watching internet porn and having a quick J Arthur'... 

 

Its a bit like if an American referred to his shoes as a 'pair of Howards', after Howard Hughes to rhyme with shoes.

 

There used to be a saying that if a joke needed explaining, it was not funny.  I wonder how unfunny a joke needs to be to require an explanation of such magnitude? 

[Nick C]

58 minutes ago, Titan said:

 

There used to be a saying that if a joke needed explaining, it was not funny.  I wonder how unfunny a joke needs to be to require an explanation of such magnitude? 

This is more a case of a joke not being able to transcend a cultural barrier though. To anyone familiar with Cockney rhyming slang it didn't need explaining.  

[steve1]

Worrying sight found in bathroom…

 

steve

 

 

[Titan]

13 minutes ago, Nick C said:

This is more a case of a joke not being able to transcend a cultural barrier though. To anyone familiar with Cockney rhyming slang it didn't need explaining.  

I am familiar with Cockney rhyming slang, being born and bred in Essex and having several Cockney friends and therefore being exposed to it on a regular basis, I even knew most of the cockney alphabet (E for Brick, R for Mo, D for ential etc etc) and I still had not heard of that one.

[rocor]

2 hours ago, Nick C said:

This is more a case of a joke not being able to transcend a cultural barrier though. To anyone familiar with Cockney rhyming slang it didn't need explaining.  

 

I have been trying to think of an example from the other side of the Atlantic, where a type of humour that would be obvious to Americans, would not necessarily be understood in the UK. I must admit that I came up empty on this. Maybe it is because of the widespread influence of American culture. Perhaps they have no secret veins of humour that the rest of the world has so far not mined. I really would like to find that I could be contradicted upon this conclusion. 

[SHMD]

1 hour ago, rocor said:

 

I have been trying to think of an example from the other side of the Atlantic, where a type of humour that would be obvious to Americans, would not necessarily be understood in the UK. I must admit that I came up empty on this. Maybe it is because of the widespread influence of American culture. Perhaps they have no secret veins of humour that the rest of the world has so far not mined. I really would like to find that I could be contradicted upon this conclusion. 

 

Southpark.

Canned laughter.

Family Guy.

Rosanne.

 

 

Kev.

[The Johnster]

I 'get' some American comedy, which is like the little girl and she had a little curl; when it is good it is very very good and when it is bad it is horrid.  Shows like South Park, Family Guy, American Dad, Big Bang Theory, and, currently, Resident Alien, are among my favourites, but Adam Sandler? WTF?

 

Sometimes I have to Google stuff, like the Peanut Butter Jelly song, and am none the wiser!

 

My knowledge of the Cockney alaphabet is incomplete, and perhaps someone here can fill in the gaps for me.  What I know is:-

 

A for 'orses

B for lamb

C for miles

D for ential

E ?

F for vescence

G ?

H ?

I for an eye (and a tooth for a tooth)

J ?

K?

L for leather

M for sis

N for sis (!)

O for the wings, for the wings of a dove

P ?

Q for a bus

R for mo

S ?

T for two

U for mism

V ?

W for mism

X ?

Y?

Z ?

[melmerby]

6 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

I 'get' some American comedy, which is like the little girl and she had a little curl; when it is good it is very very good and when it is bad it is horrid. 

 

Sounds like a Mae West quip:

"When I'm good I'm good and when I'm bad I'm better".

[Dickon]

The Johnster said "My knowledge of the Cockney alphabet is incomplete, and perhaps someone here can fill in the gaps for me".

 

The version I learnt many years ago is a bit different but fills many of the Johnster's gaps

 

A for 'orses                              (hay for horses)

B for mutton                           (beef or mutton)

C for 'th highlanders               (Seaforth Highlanders)

D for 'ential                             (deferential)

E for brick                               (heave a brick)

F for 'vescence                        (effervescence)

G for police                             (chief of police)

H for respect                           (age for respect)

I for Novello                            (Ivor Novello)

J for oranges                            (Jaffa oranges)

K for restaurant                     (kaff or restaurant)

L for leather                            (Hell for leather)

M for 'sis                                 (emphasis)

N for 'a dig                              (infra dig.)

O for the wings of a dove

P for relief

Q for a song (or a bus)

R for mo'                                 (half a mo')

S for you                                  (it's for you)

T for two                                 (tea for two)

U for mism                              (euphemism)

V for Espania                            (viva Espania)

W for quits                              (double you or quits)

X for breakfast                        (eggs for breakfast)

Y for Gawd's sake                   (why, for God's sake?)

Z for breezes                           (zephyr breezes)

 

 

Edited March 14, 2022 by Dickon

[Steamport Southport]

17 hours ago, Mark Saunders said:

 

I think that's a case of covering her tracks when the locals get the pitchforks....

 

 

 

 

[Steamport Southport]

I think Americans often think they get the joke in British humour but don't.

 

Prime example is Monty Python.

 

They did a few jokes about football results but the Americans didn't have that in their culture.

 

I can't find the one where he's just reading the scores, but I've met Americans that think it's hilarious. It's just a man reading the scores!

 

There's this one as well. Reminds me of BBC in the 1970s when the Teleprinter always went wrong. Usually with a note saying "CORRECTION" on the next line.

 

 

[Cowley 47521]

From the Bash Mash site…

[J. S. Bach]

8 hours ago, steve1 said:

Worrying sight found in bathroom…

 

steve

 

 

????