Britishisms sneaking into American vernacular

[esteban68]

definately not or his ilk or anything he stands for, dashed un English what!

 

[Tomasso]

The English ladies were thinking along the right lines, along with two euopean members. and I feel Lizzie was not far off toward the end

Is the word 'nonsensical' used in the UK?

 

[CinnamonCinders]

Is the word 'nonsensical' used in the UK?

Oh yes!

 

[esteban68]

indeed it is AC, indeed it is!

 

[Otter]

That's ok. We don't like him either.

He's yours now, we aren't having him back!

 

[dhermann1]

Actually, I believe the anti red head prejudice goes back even farther. The red fright wigs on clowns dates back to the Roman Empire. Plautus, who wrote the original play that "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" was based on, would have worn a red wig when he performed in the 1st century C.E. The Romans considered all people from north of the Alps as naturally inferior. There are letters from the first or second century that are startlingly identical to comments made about African Americans in the 19th century. It has taken us a long time to really realize that all people are created equal.
(But I digress . . .)

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Actually, I believe the anti red head prejudice goes back even farther. The red fright wigs on clowns dates back to the Roman Empire. Plautus, who wrote the original play that "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" was based on, would have worn a red wig when he performed in the 1st century C.E. The Romans considered all people from north of the Alps as naturally inferior. There are letters from the first or second century that are startlingly identical to comments made about African Americans in the 19th century. It has taken us a long time to really realize that all people are created equal.
(But I digress . . .)

Just what exactly is there to hate about redheads???

 

[ButteMT61]

Just what exactly is there to hate about redheads???

Not a d@mn thing! I've always had a thing for the ginger girls. Now they're "in". My son told me that they are getting more rare. And, I see many women coloring their hair red. Not sure who doesn't like them, but whatever - their loss!
http://www.thestar.com/living/article/683205 Talks some about it...

 

[angeljenny]

Here's a good article from BBC News about British phrases that are creeping into American usage. interesting, and from my experience, accurate.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19670686

I only use a couple of those words but I get described as twee by colleagues!

 

[LizzieMaine]

Actually, I believe the anti red head prejudice goes back even farther. The red fright wigs on clowns dates back to the Roman Empire. Plautus, who wrote the original play that "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" was based on, would have worn a red wig when he performed in the 1st century C.E. The Romans considered all people from north of the Alps as naturally inferior. There are letters from the first or second century that are startlingly identical to comments made about African Americans in the 19th century. It has taken us a long time to really realize that all people are created equal.
(But I digress . . .)

The association of redheads with low comedy was still very strong in vaudeville in the early years of the century -- among the standard stereotype characters used in comedy sketches was a bumpkin from the country usually called "Patsy Brannigan" or "Patsy Bolivar," whose appearance was based around oversized clothes, freckles, a missing tooth or two and most characteristically, an unruly red wig. This character was popular in revues, minstrel shows, and skits well into the twenties -- and lived on beyond that era in the character of Harpo Marx, who got his start on the stage as a Patsy. He continued to appear with the red wig all thru his career on Broadway and thru the first of the Marx Brothers films.

You could argue that Harpo's successor in redhead comedy was Lucille Ball at one extreme and Danny Kaye at the other, both of whom adopted aspects of the old Patsy character in their own stage personae.

 

[angeljenny]

Yes I agree 7 pages and still no one can spot it.

It's now a little like not seeing the wood for the tree becuse you all got so obsessed with in a way with the British identity or what that is defined as, I do not know what it is and do not care that much in the way you think I do.
maybe in the UK I will say I am from Yorkshire that is only to help people know where I live, most people in the UK will know where Yorkshire is in relation to the country but not me town , that the same for a lot of people

If you read what I written somewhere along the line that I am British and ref to myself as been so. If I did not like British surly it logical for me not to use it to use it, if I am in Scotland maybe some one will say are you from England again no problem it would be a litle oddl for them to say are you British.

I sure a lot of Americans will use Britain or British or maybe if the know the accent well England again I have no problem with that may be it a little old fashion these day and GB is more modern.
So why not now go back and write 7 more pages about what you think it is.
I sure 55,000 000 people here in the UK would agree with my point so it's not about been British or not

I will say again I am British or English i am OK with been referred as been one or the other.

Again iIcannot understand why your taking 7 pages to work it out.

I'm from Yorkshire.

And I thought the thread was fascinating and entertaining. Far from offended.

 

[stephen1965]

Concerning the term ‘patsy’, do old-time ‘hillbilly’ / country bands traditionally have a character who is the ‘patsy’…often the bass player?
I remember Bill Black taking this role in the Starlite Wranglers before fame as Elvis’ first bass player:

I wonder if the ‘patsy’ character is connected to the Zanni (zany) from the Commedia dell'arte …Zanni is a variant of the name Gianni and is common in the Lombard-Venetian countryside. Apparently, the Zanni archetype although a slow thinker, was acrobatic and nimble. Harlequin with his red and black mask wears the patchwork clothes.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

The association of redheads with low comedy was still very strong in vaudeville in the early years of the century -- among the standard stereotype characters used in comedy sketches was a bumpkin from the country usually called "Patsy Brannigan" or "Patsy Bolivar," whose appearance was based around oversized clothes, freckles, a missing tooth or two and most characteristically, an unruly red wig. This character was popular in revues, minstrel shows, and skits well into the twenties -- and lived on beyond that era in the character of Harpo Marx, who got his start on the stage as a Patsy. He continued to appear with the red wig all thru his career on Broadway and thru the first of the Marx Brothers films.

You could argue that Harpo's successor in redhead comedy was Lucille Ball at one extreme and Danny Kaye at the other, both of whom adopted aspects of the old Patsy character in their own stage personae.

Though it seems that the image of what we popularly know today as Alfred E. Neuman had been around in various forms long before Mad Magazine.

1908

1924

circa 1937

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Absolutely nothing!

Just what exactly is there to hate about redheads???

 

[esteban68]

love em especially in a nice green dress....the ladies that is.

 

[davidraphael]

love em especially in a nice green dress....the ladies that is.

et voila: Mad Men's Christina Hendricks

 

[davidraphael]

Though it seems that the image of what we popularly know today as Alfred E. Neuman had been around in various forms long before Mad Magazine.

1908


1924


circa 1937

And here's one from 1876

from The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carrol

 

[LizzieMaine]

To say nothing of this guy...

 

[hatophile]

Another Redhead in a green dress.

 

[vitanola]

Over here red-heads have always had a certain, er- "cachet"
Why, they were once commonly celebrated in song.

"I had a brunette and a blonde, both of whom I was very,
But that red-head miss, when she gives me a kiss
why she's got me Bottled in Bond!"

[video=youtube_share;3Lz2S58MnGY]http://youtu.be/3Lz2S58MnGY[/video]

"I'm not miner, but I know my game
There's nothing finer than staking a little claim
to a Red Head!
Red head!
I said I want to wed a nice Red Head!"

[video=youtube_share;WB2oKqE6oYg]http://youtu.be/WB2oKqE6oYg[/video]

"Nobody Knows what a Red Head Mama can do,
Give her a heart made of rock, she will break it in two"

[video=youtube_share;8VR0ds5HsTM]http://youtu.be/8VR0ds5HsTM[/video]