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

I have often heard the word used as; "Chuuing Nora!" which I hate to think what it means. Nice Nora is not likely.
As to The Plough, I believe Americans call it The Big Dipper ... Boom, boom!

I accept that the spelling 'barmy' is more common in these barely-literate times, but I assure you that it is a corruption of the earlier 'balmy'. It is not difficult to see that people first have trouble pronouncing the LM in balmy, saying barmy, and then spell the word according to its common pronunciation. The origin of the word will presumable have some connection with 'balmy'.
Like Potholer I have also heard 'chuff' used as a synonym for anus. I am inclined to think that this is the reverse of the 'balmy' to 'barmy' change. The spelling has remained the same but the meaning has changed.

"Phew!"

*exhausted after long session catching up on weekend postings to this thread*

I suppose I'm chuffed to be back.

Perhaps it's my sad mind, but is this billboard advert for a well known airline a naughty tongue twister?

"sit, shower, shave"

Think I'll chuff off now

I am not so sure, P. **searches deep in dingy brain** I think barm has something to do with baking, making the bread rise. And its not too far from there, imagine bread with too much yeast in, to bonkers. I cannot think of a track from the calming connotations of balm. Besides, its a neater rhyme with 'army'.

Crackers has similar usage to barmy/malmy (in British English)

Encyclopaedia Britannica lists one meaning of "balmy" as crazy or foolish, with no explanation of where it came from. It lists "barmy" as an alternative form of balmy, first appearing in 1892.

Once again, G. The crushing response.

(At least this time you admit to cheating (sorry, I mean looking things up so that your posting bears some resemblance to an actual truth) You'll be spell-checking next!)

Sorry P. I forgot the rules of the game for a minute there. This discussion is supposed to wander around spouting half-baked theories because no-one can be bothered looking things up, occasionally reverting to the original topic, British English. Isn't it about time we had someone explain what the phrase "Dogs Bollocks" means?

There are harsher judges than I on this forum, G, and I hate to think what they will do to you for that canine reference.

I think Kaeori has given up by now.I'm certainly more confused than ever and I speak this damned language.

I thought we got the definitive "Dogs Bollocks" explanation from the boxes of meccanno theory and weren't allowed to talk about it (the phrase) any more.

As for balmy - if its baking/yeast related, could balmy be related to drunk?

Give up? Never!

This thread is better than a college course, and I expect before long to be at least a PhD!

Keep the postings coming - it's light to my day.

Thanks for supporting my contention, oh shadowy one. It does not get us much closer to why balmy should have come to mean 'barmy' does it?
Now then, as my old mum used to infuriate me by saying, why the insane compulsion to refer back to canine gonads? Could we not discard this pathetic argot and invent something more picturesque, picayune and playful? How about - 'It's the toad's teeth!' 'The budgie's beard!' or 'The mollusc's toenail's!'? Please think of this as a 'right slagging orf' for mentioning the less attractive features of lupine derived domestic animals. Now then - ma foi - who corrupted that felicitous word 'slag'?

I merely mentioned the canine gonads because we have gone way beyond them, but every two days or so, someone comes up with a plausible definition, identical to all the previous ones, which shows that they are unaware of the 1300+ posts that came after the first one.

Don't get a strop on, G, was only peeved you always get it right, on the nail, on the button, each and every. You are surely the canine gonads in the, sadly often lost, art of correctness-mongering.

Re: drunk, Nikki got the malmsy connection & that might work somehow.

But, I am sure I never saw the 'barmy' spelling until journalists wrote down the soccer/cricket supporters chants 'Arry Redknapps barmy army' etc (Not an invitation to the cricket diversion) which always refer, note, to the Managers (four syllable Managers at that) in soccer and only Atherton, that I know, in Cricket.

Ohhhhhh I see. Irony. Asking a bit much on a Monday afternoon, what?

So you'd not come across barm cakes then? (bread rolls for the uninitiated)

You are right Mr Big Number, I distrusted my memory, what with all that talk of lardy cakes the other day.

Sorry to disappoint - malmy was just mis-keyed !!

Too much Malmsey - like the Duke of Clarence?