Capesofwrath
Practically Family
- Messages
- 780
- Location
- Somewhere on Earth
That’s not only British though? I’m sure I’ve heard it in the States.
That’s not only British though? I’m sure I’ve heard it in the States.
My grandmother called soap opera TV shows "serials" and frequently said "I swan," meaning "I swear" (or the occasional "I swanny to my goodness").
My grandmother and mother both insisted on silence in the house while they followed their "stories." "Shut up you kids, my story is coming on!"
A wonderful insult you never hear anymore is "hobbledehoy," referring to a self-conscious, awkward teenager. It was often used as a subtle synonym for "impudent young pup" or "whippersnapper," but it carried with it the nuance of gawky adolescence. It was common in the Era for walrusy old plushbottoms to wave their canes in the air and write fuming articles for Scribner's or the Readers Digest denouncing the generation of hepcats, alligators, and jitterbugs before them as "irresponsible hobbledehoys."
My grandmother and mother both insisted on silence in the house while they followed their "stories." "Shut up you kids, my story is coming on!"
A wonderful insult you never hear anymore is "hobbledehoy," referring to a self-conscious, awkward teenager. It was often used as a subtle synonym for "impudent young pup" or "whippersnapper," but it carried with it the nuance of gawky adolescence. It was common in the Era for walrusy old plushbottoms to wave their canes in the air and write fuming articles for Scribner's or the Readers Digest denouncing the generation of hepcats, alligators, and jitterbugs before them as "irresponsible hobbledehoys."
I seem do remember, back in the 70s, it didn't get much more macho then JPS! Almost made me want to smoke.Strangely, Pall Mall is the name of a fashionable street in London yet the British (who have never learned to speak proper English) insist on pronouncing it "pell mell." Not only that, but as early as Dickens the term "pell mell" is used to mean chaotic or haphazard. As to the cigarettes, it has long been noted that American cigarettes tended to have macho names while British brands tended to have socially snooty names.
Strangely, Pall Mall is the name of a fashionable street in London yet the British (who have never learned to speak proper English) insist on pronouncing it "pell mell." Not only that, but as early as Dickens the term "pell mell" is used to mean chaotic or haphazard. As to the cigarettes, it has long been noted that American cigarettes tended to have macho names while British brands tended to have socially snooty names.
Strangely, Pall Mall is the name of a fashionable street in London yet the British (who have never learned to speak proper English) insist on pronouncing it "pell mell." Not only that, but as early as Dickens the term "pell mell" is used to mean chaotic or haphazard. As to the cigarettes, it has long been noted that American cigarettes tended to have macho names while British brands tended to have socially snooty names.
I've heard this phrase all my life in the US of A. Can anyone confirm that it is of British origin?A british term, which I like:
"To paint the town red". Means going out and celebrate anything. British humor.