h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The motto "Go you big red fire engine!" - A811586
Author: the_league_against_helium (2+0!)*(0!+8+4+0!)=42 - U200840

OK, this has languished in Writing Workshop without any suggestions other than "Move to Peer Review!".

All suggestions/comments/criticisms gratefully received - especially if you have any GYBRFE! stories of your own!

Cheers!

You've lost me here! I haven't heard of it. Still, h2g2 is a broad church, as they say.

Signature is spelled wrongly, though. (I think you've a rogue 'i' in it.)

Right you are, Zarquon's fish... one typo duly corrected.

Thanks!

"GO YOU BIG RED FIRE-ENGINE!"

Excellent!

GYBRFE! OK, not quite, but it's the closest I can get with smileys.

It sounds like the moronic Arthur Atkinson's catchphrase (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/fastshow/characters/arthur_atkinson.shtml)
'Have I Got me Washboard?' (cue hysterical laughter from the stalls).
We want less of this sort of thing. Help stamp it out, now.

Yeah, it's probably really irritating if you don't know where it comes from - like most catchphrases and in-jokes (the latter of which H2G2 is riddled with). "Go you big red fire engine" makes me laugh because I remember the original story.

It was never really used as a catchphrase by the comedian, by the way. He just went round the world telling the story and cracking a few jokes about how others had started saying it in situations where it wasn't entirely appropriate. Can you imagine landing in London and the first thing you hear when you realise you're safe on the tarmac is "Go you big red fire engine"?

Not as irritating as the Thingites and the Keepers of Toenail Clippings etc. I think the term used to describe this sort of crap is 'shibboleth'. Got a sickener of it at school and university and now I find it very juvenile .

Juvenile behaviour? Here, on h2g2? No! This must be nipped in the bud...

Break out the maturity-blasters and blast that ridiculous childishness off the face of h2g2, immediately!

Would you trust a Misanthropic Hypertensive Welsh Git with a maturity-blaster? Just think of what happened to all those nice holiday cottages....

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!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm suspending my disbelief and *really* seeing a fire-engine - those windows are just for getting to the hoses more quickly!

Thanks folks!

Right, that's two silly-season articles in a row . I promise I'll do something slightly meatier next time. Maybe.

!!!!!