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

In response to Recumbentman’s excellent little quiz, here’s one which requires a passing knowledge of British comedy shows (Radio and TV), or of contemporary British slang.

The following comedy shows have coined English words. When I say ‘coined’, the show’s script is the earliest published source that the OED has found for that specific meaning of the word.

I’ll give you the show and the word’s definition and length - you guess the word:


1. [The Goon Show, 1954) - Foolish, objectionable, or insignificant person (4)

2. [Round The Horne, 1967] - An abbreviation for a woollen garment (5)

3. [Round The Horne, 1966] - Unfashionable, vulgar; lacking in style, inept; worthless, faulty (4)

4. [Porridge, 1975] - A worthless or despicable person; a yob or hooligan (6)

5. [Monty Python, 1972] - Used (as a following tag or as a response) to draw attention to a joke or pun, esp. one the speaker or writer regards as weak, obvious, or laboured (8)

6. [Only Fools And Horses, 1989] - Expressing delight or affirmation, freq. in response to a success or an anticipated success (12, two words)

7. [Only Fools And Horses, 1985] - A lie (5)

8. [Only Fools And Horses, 1991] - An idiot; a fool (5)

9. [Some Mothers Do Ave Em, 1972] - A lump of excrement (8)

10. [Hancock’s Half Hour, 1959] - Nonsense, drivel (10)


Icy

Nope, not a one, unless...

The Goons were the first to use 'goon' in that sense, though; before them in the US it meant a military or gangland heavy, a tough brainless enforcer.

1. Isn't "goon". It's possibly the hardest in this list, but was used a lot in Porridge, if that helps.

All are common in the uk, and I'd guess many are wider known. If you saw the shows, you'll recognise the words.

My knowledge of British comedies stops at 1973, but I can have a stab at no 10. Piffle?

Not piffle, but a good guess. I'm actually looking for a 10-letter word there, as indicated.

I'll try these ones

1. Pleb
2. Cardie (even if it doesn't quite fit)
6. Lovely jubbly
8. Twonk
9. Whoopsie

Sorry... missed

7. Porkie. Porky?

6. Lovely jubbly
7. Porky
8. Twonk
9. Whoopsie

All correct

Wibble.

[Not as an answer to anything, but one of the few words from British comedy that I'd recognize, nudge, nudge, wink wink." ]

2. Cardy

Not those, but Cardy is on the right lines.

3. Naff

2. Wooly

3. Naff is correct

Oh, I deliberately didn't tell you that one of the remaining ones was hyphenated (as it would have made it too easy)...

So 6,7,8,9 and 3 have been solved. That leaves:


1. [The Goon Show, 1954) - Foolish, objectionable, or insignificant person (4)

Not GOON, or PLEB

2. [Round The Horne, 1967] - An abbreviation for a woollen garment (5)

Not CARDY or WOOLY.

4. [Porridge, 1975] - A worthless or despicable person; a yob or hooligan (6)

5. [Monty Python, 1972] - Used (as a following tag or as a response) to draw attention to a joke or pun, esp. one the speaker or writer regards as weak, obvious, or laboured (8)

10. [Hancock’s Half Hour, 1959] - Nonsense, drivel (10)

One of the above is hyphenated.

4, Scroat

4. Scrote is correct

Did the Goons invent twit?

Not Twit, no.

Another word they invented was the abbreviation FX for "effects". Spike Milligan appears to have used it in the Goon Show script before anyone else did.

A clue for the python one. This was clearly well used by comedians long before. It was the catchphrase of a particular puppet, who began in the 1960s.

5 Would that be 'Boom-Boom' ? (a la Basil Brush)