BRITS in BMW MOA

[testinglogin]

mandy....nice job on the spelling of Done Leera

It looks like she spelled it right to me...

[Threeteas]

While we're talking about various things British, I have always heard the terms 'git,' 'prat,' 'berk,' etc. used in usually comedic settings to describe someone as either unintelligent or idiotic or something along those general lines. Are these terms similar to each other or not? Are their meanings specific? Any particular cautions about meanings I should observe when using them?

Berk I do know. It's far tamer now than its origin, which few people know, otherwise they wouldn't use it, a bit like bloody was originally far stronger when it was God's Blood, sblud, now bloody (remember the power of the church was immense when God's Blood was an oath.

Prat...is buttocks. It might derive from a village called Pratt's Bottom

Git -ille (git) imate, but maybe from elsewhere. It's very gentle as an insult. I'd use it as uncouth, or without any thought as in "that's a gittish definition of git"

Other terms come from bastardisation of germanic and norse, with some celt, french and latin thrown in. English, you've got to love it.

[tonkandy]

While we're talking about various things British, I have always heard the terms 'git,' 'prat,' 'berk,' etc. used in usually comedic settings to describe someone as either unintelligent or idiotic or something along those general lines. Are these terms similar to each other or not? Are their meanings specific? Any particular cautions about meanings I should observe when using them?

I'm a cockney. Berk is rhyming slang derived from Berkley Hunt, in the same way that Barnet, meaning hair, is derived from Barnet Fair. Most people these days don't know the derivation - but don't use it in London anyway. Prat might be buttocks where Lamble is from but where I grew up it was a few inches removed from there (see Berk).

Don't say that you're stuffed, don't say you have a fanny pack (see Berk), pants are underwear, if your name is Walter don't refer to yourself as Wally. It goes in the other direction as well, I've had problems with knocking people up, and rubber. In Oz Durex is Scotch tape, in England it's a condom.

It's a wonder that we can communicate at all.

[Threeteas]

I'm a cockney. Berk is rhyming slang derived from Berkley Hunt, in the same way that Barnet, meaning hair, is derived from Barnet Fair. Most people these days don't know the derivation - but don't use it in London anyway. Prat might be buttocks where Lamble is from but where I grew up it was a few inches removed from there (see Berk).

Don't say that you're stuffed, don't say you have a fanny pack (see Berk), pants are underwear, if your name is Walter don't refer to yourself as Wally. It goes in the other direction as well, I've had problems with knocking people up, and rubber. In Oz Durex is Scotch tape, in England it's a condom.

It's a wonder that we can communicate at all.

Well Tonkandy, what a tw*tish load of twaddle y'w*nker. I'm b*ggered if a noddlepoppin to*ser is going to tell me a pr*t is a f*nny. That's just boll*cks! .

[testinglogin]

Well Tonkandy, what a tw*tish load of twaddle y'w*nker. I'm b*ggered if a noddlepoppin to*ser is going to tell me a pr*t is a f*nny. That's just boll*cks! .

I must be watching too much "Coupling" on BBC America. I think I can understand that.

Coincidentally, I find it funny that BBC America has notifications telling people to turn on their closed captioning before watching some of the shows. I understand that stuff better than I understand some of the things I hear in the deep south. Then again, there is a Brit at work; maybe I'm just used to it.

[tonkandy]

Well Tonkandy, what a tw*tish load of twaddle y'w*nker. I'm b*ggered if a noddlepoppin to*ser is going to tell me a pr*t is a f*nny. That's just boll*cks! .

And you, my friend, are the dog's boll*cks.

NB. Moderator, that's a compliment
Considering what it refers to I have no idea why it's a compliment, but it is.

[Threeteas]

And you, my friend, are the dog's boll*cks.

NB. Moderator, that's a compliment
Considering what it refers to I have no idea why it's a compliment, but it is.

Izzard's Dog's Boll*cks sketch is rather splendid, then again most of his stuff is funny.

[Threeteas]

I must be watching too much "Coupling" on BBC America. I think I can understand that.

Coincidentally, I find it funny that BBC America has notifications telling people to turn on their closed captioning before watching some of the shows. I understand that stuff better than I understand some of the things I hear in the deep south. Then again, there is a Brit at work; maybe I'm just used to it.

Stay away from Brits at work, you could catch language related illnesses or VD-
verbal discrepancies.

They are the Mutt's Nuts.

[Threeteas]

Dog's Boll*cks...it's got to be something to do with the fact that dogs can lick their own.
I've had two discectomies and still can't get there. To mine that is, not the dog's, I could get to a dog's boll*cks relatively easily (dachshund being an obvious exception, as I'd need to saw the legs off the stool first), but don't fancy it. Just thought that needed clearing up.

[tessler]

My favorite English cousin.

This is the best thread, ever.

Well Tonkandy, what a tw*tish load of twaddle y'w*nker. I'm b*ggered if a noddlepoppin to*ser is going to tell me a pr*t is a f*nny. That's just boll*cks! .

When I get into the office today, I'm going to have my computer "speak" this.

[Chris_d]

It looks like she spelled it right to me...

Exactly.....It was meant as a complement! Now try the pronunciation.

[MANDYPANTS]

Exactly.....It was meant as a complement! Now try the pronunciation.

It is pronounced "done leery."

Now kwitcherbellyachin! Hahaha!

[tonkandy]

It is pronounced "done leery."

Now kwitcherbellyachin! Hahaha!

Good, now try this one

[testinglogin]

Good, now try this one

Ah yes; everyone loves to visit Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysilio gogogoch, or as I like to call it, "Saint Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio of the red cave."

Click here to listen to the pronunciation. I'm not going to try it.

Note: There is no space in the name; I guess vBulletin doesn't like words that long and puts the space in automatically.

[The_Veg]

I must be watching too much "Coupling" on BBC America. I think I can understand that.

Coincidentally, I find it funny that BBC America has notifications telling people to turn on their closed captioning before watching some of the shows. I understand that stuff better than I understand some of the things I hear in the deep south. Then again, there is a Brit at work; maybe I'm just used to it.

I like Coupling, but I am almost offended at those blurbs about captioning. I did grow up in the deep south, so I understand those folks OK.

But if you like British comedy, see if your local PBS runs any. BBC America will just have fairly recent stuff, but PBS stations have things going all the way back to the late '60s-early '70s.

Some of my favourites:

Are You Being Served?
Keeping Up Appearances
Good Neighbours
The Black Adder (all four series)
Thin Blue Line
Red Dwarf
The Vicar Of Dibley
Father Ted
Fools And Horses
A Bit Of Fry And Laurie
Chef!
As Time Goes By
Fawlty Towers (except for the Basil The Rat episode, which gets shown way too much!)
The Young Ones
Waiting For God

And that's just what I can think of right now.