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

Apparently barmy derives from 'barm', which is yeast leaven or the froth on fermenting malt liquor. I'm guessing, but it may originally have implied crazy because drunk.

You've forgotten Dog End - the end of a cigarette. As in, "don't smoke that dog end, why not bum a fag off me?"

Sounds good to me.

I'll have a pint and a half of medium sliced wholemeal shandy, please.

No, no, no... not "Sounds good to me." I think I'm becoming an expert in this now, what you should have said is:

"Sounds like it's the dog's!"

or "... puppy's!" or "...mutt's!"

Curses!

Outwitted by a colonial.

Pass me my smoking jacket & thinking cap.

Thankyou Nurse.

Don't worry, I think you need some kinda degree to understand this doggy influence on English.

I hope you won't mind my saying that your interesting name sounds like it came from my side of 'the Pond'.

Naw!

We got better cases of illness over here. I shan't remind you about "Limeys".
(Damn, that was careless.)

"The Black Death", Bubonic Plague, paid these shores a visit in the 17th century. (It was preferable to Dolly Parton.) It made a foray "up north" to Eyam (pronounced by the cognoscenti "EEM" and by the rest of us "EE-YAM") in Derbyshire (pronounced Darbysher). The villagers decided/were persuaded to quarantine themselves to protect others. They paid a terrible price for their altruism. "Plaguesville Towers" is situated in a street named after the village.

When, last August, I was introduced to the joys of the internet I found that my name seemed to have been registered with every single ISP. So the old family retainer suggested that I should use the name of the estate. The rest of the staff and all of the serfs agreed.
So "Noblesse oblige".


The story of Eyam (q.v.) is very moving.

Derbyshire, eh? Your name sounds more like a small town in a spaghetti western. You know, saloon doors creeking in the wind, dust blowing, and Clint riding in past the graveyard, coffins waiting to be buried.

The town's called 'Yaputa' (or something), but someone's crossed it out in dripping red paint, and written in its place 'plaguesville'...

I think 'dog slow' is a contraction of 'Slow as a dog with no legs', i.e., stationary. Like 'cat in hell's chance' is a contraction of 'As much chance as a cat in hell with no claws', i.e., no chance.

It's "deja vu" all over again.

I have recently upset a bunch of people by retelling a v. old joke set in almost exactly the town you describe. It is utterly disgusting.

As an impressionable youth I grew up to the strains of Gerry Mulligan, Dave Brubeck et al.. I had a friend who wore dark glasses at every opportunity and we haunted a pub that was a rehearsal room for local musicians. He would take along his poetry and when the alcohol and smoking materials had taken their toll he would request e.g. "Slow blues, man, minor key." and for the next 10 minutes verging on 2 days we would endure his latest epic. To be honest it wasn't bad. It was yer actual "Coolsville".

Back to subject - sort of:
Have you encountered London's pride and joy?
I do, of course refer to "clatter and bang". (That's one I made up.) Rhyming Slang.
I should have looked back to see if that matter has been addressed. It's really sad the way my short term memor ... ex audio tapes seem to have been misfiled.

If it's anything to do with cockney stuff, I'll give it a miss, thank you.

By the way, did your "Slow blues, man, minor key" friend have some novel blues alternative in a major key?

Kaeori 5 : Chas & Dave 0
and Chas & Dave were lucky to get nil.

Did J. P. Sartre have a pink beret?
No, "hip" was slow & minor. We might have had a couple of lines doubled up from 2/2 to 4/4 to see who was paying attention.
The delivery was similar to John Hagley or perhaps more familiar to you ... er .. whatsisname ... you know - Lake Woebegone geezer. I know he's done a lot more but ... the only name coming up is Willis Connover and I know it is not he. (That's a nice bit of G.B. English, nice as in precise, but I still can't remember the name.) Anyway you can't imagine either of them breaking into a Roger McGough style sprint.
Oh, why did I have to think of Willis Connover?
Rats!

It's good to see that not everyone got away from a mis-spent youth with all their synapses intact

Hey, getting back to this expression (Mustapha mentioned it somewhere in this thread), I think I figured it out.

I saw something dexfribed as "the cat's whiskers, the bees knees". Now, I reckon the cat's whiskers are happy (just like the dog's 'purse') because they get the cream.

So, it follows that the bee's knees are happy because they get all the pollen or honey. Simple, and not at all disgusting! Can't we avoid dogs and stick to bees?

Hey, getting back to this expression (Mustapha mentioned it somewhere in this thread), I think I figured it out.

I saw something described as "the cat's whiskers, the bees knees". Now, I reckon the cat's whiskers are happy (just like the dog's 'purse') because they get the cream.

So, it follows that the bee's knees are happy because they get all the pollen or honey. Simple, and not at all disgusting! Can't we avoid dogs and stick to bees?

Seems logical - so it's probably wrong.

Did you hear the Great Man on Radio 4, 17 May a.m.?

If you still wish to be regaled with "ENGLISH" wisdom, then try:
http://www.h2g2.com/a291935
and visit the page of the author - an erudite donkey who really knows where his towel is:
http://www.h2g2.com/u112242
(if you haven't already)
Hope those work - it's very adventurous stuff for me.

If you're referring to Mr Adams, the answer's "No." I usually switch off after the Today programme, and although Libby mentioned at 8.30 that he'd be one of the guests, I had places to go, things to do...

Thanks for the links - they're the bee's!

At least we don't have "highways". Oh yeah, and we can say "mirror" without it sounding like a Russian spacestation!

I'm not sure too many people will find your post hidden away up here

Or the "mutt's nutts"