BS: American speech

Subject: BS: American speech
From: The Sandman
Date: 23 Aug 26 - 01:04 PM

Jefferson said, "The new circumstances under which we are placed,calls for new words, new phrases, and for the transfer of old words to new subjects
""We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language." – Oscar Wilde

American English is it an improvement or other wise?, in my opinion it is only to be expected that language will change and evolve.
I wondered how others feel about the American evolvement of langauge and spelling.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 23 Aug 26 - 04:25 PM

I find it difficult to accomodate some of their favorite words into our UK language. Ours came first!

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Helen
Date: 23 Aug 26 - 04:48 PM

I watched a very interesting and informative documentary TV series and then bought the book. I highly recommend it.

The Story of English by Robert McCrum & William Cran & Robert MacNeil

"Now revised, The Story of English is the first book to tell the whole story of the English language. Originally paired with a major PBS miniseries, this book presents a stimulating and comprehensive record of spoken and written English—from its Anglo-Saxon origins some two thousand years ago to the present day, when English is the dominant language of commerce and culture with more than one billion English speakers around the world. From Cockney, Scouse, and Scots to Gulla, Singlish, Franglais, and the latest African American slang, this sweeping history of the English language is the essential introduction for anyone who wants to know more about our common tongue."

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 23 Aug 26 - 05:09 PM

You do realise that English in the UK has also evolved? And in India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa. Anywhere English is spoken it has been adapted to local needs.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 23 Aug 26 - 05:12 PM

Robert "Robin" MacNeil is American PBS royalty, having been on an early version of the PBS News Hour called the MacNeil Report and then the MacNeil Lehrer Report. I remember watching when his Story of English came out and I think I have the book here.

Before anyone on the east side of the pond gets too uppity about the language, to keep in mind the quote from Canadian book reviewer (and a lot more) James D. Nicholl:

“The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.”

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Helen
Date: 23 Aug 26 - 06:08 PM

Manitas, that is exactly the basis of the Story of English book and TV series. Very enlightening and educational.

One thing I remember learning for the first time was that certain areas of UK English dialect can be seen to have influenced US variations of the English language, depending on where the UK immigrants originally lived e.g. The Puritans etc.

(A thread detour: Robert MacNeil also wrote a fiction book called Burden of Desire which is one of my all-time faves. Part of the reason I read it in the first place was that someone visited a student share-house I lived in a long time ago, looked at the view of the nearby shipping harbour and told us about the Halifax explosion. He said we would have been killed immediately in a blast like that because the house was on a hill facing the harbour - right in the line of fire. In Halifax the whole side of the hill facing the harbour was obliterated, buildings, people, everything. Scary!)

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: meself
Date: 23 Aug 26 - 07:11 PM

Robert MacNeil was from Halifax, if I remember correctly. Far too young to have experienced the explosion, which was in ... 1917?

*******************

Met a woman in a line-up in the Calgary airport some years back - Canadian, but a professor at Cambridge. She had had academic positions all over the world, and felt relieved that she would not have to learn another new language when she got the post at Cambridge ... "Boy, was I wrong!" said she.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: JennieG
Date: 23 Aug 26 - 07:21 PM

An article from Canadian CBC about the last letter of the alphabet and its pronunciation:

The last letter

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Helen
Date: 23 Aug 26 - 07:24 PM

MacNeil's book was a fiction book. He didn't claim to have been alive to witness the event at the time.

Another brilliantly revealing book about the evolution of the English language was written by Owen Barfield is History in English words

described as ".. a historical and linguistic exploration published in the early 20th century. The work delves into the evolution of the English language, examining the historical significance and meanings buried within words, particularly those derived from various cultural and linguistic influences. Barfield aims to illustrate how language reflects the inner history of humanity and the evolution of consciousness. The opening of the text introduces the concept that the meanings of words provide insight into their historical context. Barfield employs several examples to illustrate how certain words, like "electric," have evolved both in definition and significance over time. He emphasizes that examining these words can reveal much about the societies and cultures that used them, fundamentally arguing that language serves as a living archive of human history, bridging the past with present consciousness. This opening segment sets the stage for a deeper analysis of language and culture as the text progresses."

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Lighter
Date: 23 Aug 26 - 09:42 PM

Oh, Gawd, not "The Story of English!" I and my colleagues, who taught the history of English, were looking forward to the series so many years ago, and yes, some of it is is interesting and even entertaining.

It's also super-simplistic, frequently trivial, usually gee-whiz, and poorly informed on the way languages really work and evolve. And did I mention kind of bardolatrous and a wee bit sententious?

The best episode was the one with the exotic dialects.

Maybe the "Third Revised Edition" of the book is better than the original I remember.

I recommend "The Stories [sic] of English," by actual linguist David Crystal (not an editor or a TV journalist). It too is fun to read.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Helen
Date: 23 Aug 26 - 10:41 PM

Perhaps you would like to pooh-pooh Owen Barfield's book as well.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: The Sandman
Date: 24 Aug 26 - 03:49 AM

"uppity" originated in the United States during the 19th century. It first appeared in African American English and was later adopted into wider American use.Origins and MeaningFirst recorded in print in 1881, the word combined "up" with a playful ending.It means arrogant, snobbish, or acting above one's social class.Similar British variants like "uppish" existed earlier, but the specific form "uppity" is American.Cultural Impact in the US During the Jim Crow era and the Civil Rights movement, the word took on a heavy racial connotation.
"pooh-pooh" is not exclusively American. It is used across global English, including in British, Irish, and American English, meaning to dismiss an idea or suggestion as silly or unworthy of serious attention. The interjection "pooh" (expressing scorn or disgust) dates back centuries in the broader English language, and the doubled verb form has been used since the early 19th century.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 24 Aug 26 - 08:39 AM

Bill Bryson's book "Mother Tongue" is a very good and easy to digest read. I don't know how academically accurate it is but Bryson, being an American writer living in England, is in a good position to comment.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Lighter
Date: 24 Aug 26 - 04:47 PM

Check out the many one- and two-star reviews of Bryson's book on Amazon before investing your dough.

Enjoy.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: The Sandman
Date: 24 Aug 26 - 04:54 PM

I take no heed of reviews , I found it some years ago and considered it good

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Monique
Date: 24 Aug 26 - 05:22 PM

You can listen to History of English Podcast.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Donuel
Date: 24 Aug 26 - 08:51 PM

Tikity boo

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: The Sandman
Date: 25 Aug 26 - 02:04 AM

"Tickety-boo" is an old-fashioned, informal British expression that means everything is correct, satisfactory, or running smoothly

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 25 Aug 26 - 10:31 AM

Checking Amazon UK Lighter, I find that, out of 7828 reviews, 80% are five and four star with only 5% being one and two star. Amongst the latter, a lot seem to be complaining that it is not Bryson's usual humorous travelogue while others complain that it is not academic enough. He can't win really!

Like Sandman, I rarely take notice of critics, let alone amateur ones, but even if I did I think I would risk less than a tenner on this one :-) (Cheapest used copy on Amazon is £1.09 if you don't even want to risk the full price)

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Helen
Date: 25 Aug 26 - 03:28 PM

Thanks DtG. I agree. I just looked up the Amazon reviews on The Story of English book written by McCrum, Cran and MacNeil and the reviews are statistically similar: 85% positive (4 and 5 stars) and only 5% negative (1 and 2 stars).

The TV series was broadcast in 1986, presumably to inspire an interest in the general public in the variations of the English language around the world and the book was published in 1987. The serious and (I presume) academic study by James Crystal was not published until 2004 i.e. 18 years later. I don't think the initial series and book can be judged by the same academic standard. I would assume that Crystal was inspired by the TV series and book to take his studies into a more deep academic level, and his audience would be academic rather than for popular use by the general population.

By comparison, in the realm of astrophysics, Galileo could be dismissed and disparaged but given the level of technology available to him compared with today, his studies are still inspirational to this day.

Lighter, I could tell you what I really think of your explosive, dismissive and disparaging comments about The Story of English, and especially about your complete lack of explanation for your beliefs and the lack of identification of the educational context in which you worked (early schooling, high school, post-secondary school, college, university, higher level university?) ... but I won't.

I'll just say that if the TV series and book had been available a few years earlier when I was teaching high school English I definitely would have been happy to use them as a resource to inspire the students. As it happened I left teaching and qualified as a librarian and worked in the local public library system for almost 20 years so after seeing the TV series I ordered a copy of the book for myself and also one for the library, to inspire interest in the variations of English around the world.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: The Sandman
Date: 26 Aug 26 - 04:53 AM

American spelling, and the correction of English spelling on the computer can be mildly irritating.
Dough, is an americanism for money.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 26 Aug 26 - 08:58 AM

.... can't .... resist ....

And "D'oh!" is a Simpsonism for frustration.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Donuel
Date: 27 Aug 26 - 06:14 AM

META will pay 17 Billion to those addicted to their online speech.
What about the number one killer of children, which are guns?

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Mary G
Date: 27 Aug 26 - 03:21 PM

someone once asked why do dutch speak english with an american accent. answer was, they don't. americans speak english with a dutch accent.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Helen
Date: 27 Aug 26 - 05:39 PM

Review written in 1986 by David Crystal of The Story of English book.

There are positive comments and some suggestions for improvement. It is certainly not dismissive of the book and in fact, it appears that David Crystal has a high level of approval for the book. I am assuming that David Crystal is the same person who wrote the book Lighter recommended.


The story of English, by Robert McCrum, William Cram & Robert MacNeil. Faber &
Faber/BBC Publications. 384pp. £14.95.

This, unusually, is the book of a film as yet unseen. The TV series, 'The Story
of English', starts soon on BBC2 in nine 55-minute episodes, and this book has
been compiled by the script-writer (Robert McCrum), the producer/director
(William Cran), and the presenter (Robert McNeil). It is the biggest linguistic
media event for years, the first thorough photographic account of the world's
most widely-used language.

The book follows the plan of the series, and gives a guided tour, often
whistle-stop, of the way English has grown around the world. We begin at the
beginning, with the Celts, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans. We move on
through the Renaissance, the Reformation, Shakespeare and early American
settlements. We come back to England for the age of Johnson, and move north for
the English-Gaelic conflicts, the exodus to northern Ireland, and the further
exodus to America. We retun to Ireland for the history of conflict there, and
then emigrate again to America and Liverpool.

Next we leave for Africa, but in no time are back in America via the slave
trade, the development of Caribbean pidgins and creoles, and Black American
English. We stay for the War of Independence and the Canadian migration, a'1.d
see the forceful impact of immigrant languages. World War I brings us back to
Europe with the US troops; then we are abroad again, via Cockney London to
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and finally to the West lndies, West
Africa, India, and Singapore. We end the tour with a look at language change
and decay, at Plain English and Americanisms, and are left wondering what the
future will be.

The emphasis is very much on explaining regional development in social
terms. This book is about social history as well as language - and that is how
it should be. Unlike so many writers on English, the authors have grasped the
essential point - that language means people, and it changes because people do,
as they travel the world meeting new accents, words, and usages. The overriding
theme is the variety of the language - the many 'Englishes' which identify where
people are from, who they are, and who they want to be like.
The influence of television is everywhere - in the documentary style ('The
African past is still vivid for Janey Hunter'), and the end-of-chapter links
which get us from, say, the Celtic fringe to Africa, just as magazine programmes
would. And there are many full-colour illustrations - but these give me mixed
feelings.

I have no worries about the 34 clear and colourful maps displaying the
movement of English around the world, apart from an error (in the very first
of~~c:...
map, where no mother tongue use is shown ~n South Africa) and a discrepancy (the
map showing the Indo-Europeans coming from the Black Sea doesn't tie in with the
text, which plumps for north-central Europe). It's the 156 pictures which upset
me.

Let me put it this way: what is a picture of Anne Hathaway's cottage doing
in a book on the English language? The problem wouldn't be noticed on
television, of course. As the presenter talked about Shakespeare's role in the
history of English, the camera would rove around Stratford, searching out good
scenes to make interesting television and to avoid the much-feared 'talking
head'.

But books are, in effect, printed talking heads, and irrelevant pictures
stand out. The pictures should be as informative as the text - but in this book
only a dozen are about language directly (such as a comic strip in Indian
English). The rest are of famous users (Shakespeare, Dennis Lillee), places
(the Appalachians, Londonderry), or events (slave ships, Culloden). It's a pity
more use wasn't made of the more visual aspects of English (such as the graphic
range of written language).

The authors have produced a text of great clarity and accuracy, and
supported it with useful footnotes, further reading, and an index. There is the
occasional bit of emptiness, such as 'English as a world language is sustained
by another elusive quality - its own peculiar genius', but I can live with that.
The only blunder I spotted was the claim that English 'has a grammar of great
simplicity and flexibility' - hardly an appropriate remark, remembering the
l8DD-page grammar of one of the series consultants, Randolph Quirk, which shows
just how complex English grammar really is. And I wouldn't pay much attention
to the view that an educated person's vocabulary is only 15,000 words.
The book tries to tell the whole story of English, but of course it falls
far short of that. It stresses, rightly, the development of the spoken
language, but treats less well of the written language. It is good on regional
varieties, but less systematic about occupational varieties (science, religion,
law, etc.). It is very good on vocabulary, but grammar gets little attention,
and much of the discussion of pronunciation is opaque (why didn't they issue a
tape or record to go with the book?).

But still, more than any other book on the language, this one holds a
mirror up to nature. It is a realistic and responsible account of English in
the world, with its many new varieties and hybrid Franglaisian forms.
And it leaves us with an understanding of the biggest problem of all - the tension
between the demands of a universal standard and those of regional diversity.

Such are the issues dealt with in this appealing, informative, and elegant book.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: meself
Date: 28 Aug 26 - 12:51 AM

I read the book and watched the series, back when they were new, and found them thoroughly engaging and worthwhile.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Helen
Date: 28 Aug 26 - 01:59 AM

There are videos available online of the BBC documentary The Story Of English An English Speaking World 1986. There is a playlist of all episodes.

Enjoy!

I'm going to re-watch it after 40 years since it was first broadcast.

To fit in with the topic of this thread, the American episode could be episode 6 Pioneers O Pioneers!

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: The Sandman
Date: 28 Aug 26 - 09:13 AM

In the first chapter of the book Winnie-the-Pooh, Milne explains that the bear's arms sometimes got stuck straight up in the air. When a fly landed on his nose, he had to blow it off, making a "pooh, pooh, pooh" sound

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: The Sandman
Date: 29 Aug 26 - 02:42 AM

"Catch-22" – Coined by Joseph Heller in his 1961 satirical novel Catch-22. It describes a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a paradox inherent in the problem itself. Today, people use it constantly in bureaucratic or everyday situations (e.g., "You need work experience to get a job, but you need a job to get experience—it's a Catch-22").

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: The Sandman
Date: 29 Aug 26 - 03:35 AM

thank you Helen, interesting

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: The Sandman
Date: 29 Aug 26 - 04:05 AM

the strength of the English language is that it can and does change ...quote

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Donuel
Date: 29 Aug 26 - 08:42 PM

That stuff is interesting Sandman.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 30 Aug 26 - 07:03 AM

> the strength of the English language is that it can
> and does change

The strength of Latin is that it doesn't. Unless, of course, you're a Jesuit in the Vatican who has to talk about computers.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: The Sandman
Date: 30 Aug 26 - 11:04 AM

Latin is a dead language.however nobody has done any research into what if anything is spoken in graveyards

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 30 Aug 26 - 12:20 PM

I always thought Latin would have been easier and more interesting if we had been made to converse in it rather than just recite declensions, conjugations and translate passages of Cicero! Or we could have learned Italian instead.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Helen
Date: 30 Aug 26 - 12:46 PM

I enjoyed studying Latin. Yes, it was mostly learning by rote, but its vocabulary forms the basis of a lot of European languages so it is a sneaky way in to understanding some of the words in those languages. I especially like the way words originally from Latin come into English via different languages so we have variations coming from the same root word. I'll have to think of some examples. I'll get back to you on that. Owen Barfield's book will have some good examples, I think.

Meanwhile, one of the few American words I use fairly often is "wrangling". I tell people I left teaching high school English because I didn't want to spend my working life wrangling teenagers. I came to this conclusion fairly early in my teacher training year when I first went "prac-teaching" (i.e. practice teaching) on a weekly basis. Yeah? Nuh! Thanks but no thanks. I stumbled on library work and it was a lot more predictable.

wrangler

"1510s, 'one who takes part in quarrels, angry debater, stubborn adversary,' agent noun from wrangle (v.). The meaning 'person in charge of horses or cattle, herder on a Western ranch' is from 1888; as a proprietary name for a brand of jeans, trademarked 1947, claiming use from 1929."

"wrangle(v.)

"late 14c. (early 14c. as a surname), wranglen, 'contend (with) in a test of strength,' also figurative, 'dispute, argue noisily;' from Low German wrangeln 'to dispute; to wrestle,' related to Middle Low German wringen, from Proto-Germanic *wrang-, which according to Watkins is from a nasalized variant of *wergh- 'to turn,' from PIE root *wer- (2) 'to turn, bend.'

The meaning 'take charge of horses or herd animals' is by 1897, American English. In the U.S. West, wrestle (v.) for 'throw (cattle) for the purpose of branding' is attested by 1888. Related: Wrangled; wrangling. The noun is recorded from 1540s, 'angry dispute, noisy quarrel'."

At a high school class reunion event I was talking to a woman who said that she was teaching a class and a teenage boy lifted up a chair and held it over her head and he came very close to hitting her. Scary!

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 30 Aug 26 - 01:22 PM

I'll pass that tale on to Herself, Helen. She has tales from the classroom of having to face down riotous teenage boys that make my hair stand on end; "wrangling" (in both the C14th and C19th senses) would be an apt description. At least no chairs (or knives) were involved.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: meself
Date: 30 Aug 26 - 03:16 PM

"Wrangle" is one of those words that strike me as onomatopoeic, even though there is no specific sound it corresponds to - but the sound of the word itself helps to convey the meaning.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Helen
Date: 30 Aug 26 - 03:46 PM

I forgot to say that when I taught adults in the post-secondary college for a few years I encountered some students who needed wrangling but they were there by choice so it was good motivation for them to comply.

I insisted that one very noisy, persistently disruptive young man should leave the class and stand outside, which he did and he calmed down from then on. I also managed to wrangle another very persistent class disrupter - in love with the sound of his own voice, thought he was the class clown but not funny - by reminding him that the subject was compulsory and if he failed to pass the assignments he would have to take the subject again next year. For some strange reason he shut up and did the work for the second half of the semester after that. LOL

And then there was a group of four young women, one of whom was the loud mouth disrupter, who kept on talking and laughing loudly about irrelevant stuff - as she always did - while I was trying to remind the class of all the things they needed to work on for the upcoming external exam, which was an essential requirement. I tried and tried asking them to be quiet because they were making it difficult for the whole class until finally a man at the front of the class stood up, turned to the group at the back and yelled "shut up!!" and they finally did. One of the young women who was being negatively influenced by the main disrupter unfortunately failed the exam and the subject as a consequence. The disrupter passed of course, because she had secretly been taking the subject seriously herself but winding up her friends to make lots of noise in every class. And I just remembered another male disrupter who made me cringe by talking loudly from the back of the class, while looking at me and telling me some details about his Prince Albert piercing. Sadly for him it made him look like an idiotic, sad prick. It didn't boost his standing in the class, IMHO. LOL

But teaching adults was definitely more rewarding.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: The Sandman
Date: 30 Aug 26 - 05:21 PM

Tangler is a slang word in irish english

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: The Sandman
Date: 31 Aug 26 - 06:18 AM

Facebook has significantly influenced American speech by accelerating the viral spread of slang, reshaping public political discourse, and changing how people communicate online.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: The Sandman
Date: 31 Aug 26 - 08:07 AM

American television shows have influenced American speech through a process of general leveling and pop-culture vocabulary sharing, rather than the localized, socio-accent transfer seen with EastEnders on London or regional speech.How EastEnders Affected London/UK SpeechMicro-accent adoption: Research (such as studies from the University of Glasgow) shows that regular, emotionally engaged viewers of EastEnders unconsciously adopt specific phonetic features of London/Cockney speech, like TH-fronting or glottal variants, even in distant regions like Glasgow.Identity signaling: Viewers—particularly youth—use these features to project an urban, working-class, or "non-posh" persona.How American TV Affected American SpeechGeneral American baseline: Rather than importing a fringe regional dialect, American network television historically promoted General American as a neutral baseline, reducing extreme regional divergence. source AI

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: mayomick
Date: 31 Aug 26 - 08:55 AM

AIphobes avert your eyes
The word wrangle comes from the late 14th-century Middle English verb wranglen, meaning to dispute or contend in a test of strength.Origins and RootsGermanic Roots: It traces back to the Low German word wrangeln ("to dispute, to wrestle") and Middle Dutch wrangen.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: mayomick
Date: 31 Aug 26 - 11:22 AM

Wrangling Lane, which leads towards the abandoned village at Dode, near Harvel in Kent, .
, "may preserve a memory of the site being used as an ancient meeting or debating place"

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Helen
Date: 31 Aug 26 - 11:26 PM

mayomick, as I quoted from the etymology page on Date: 30 Aug 26 - 12:46 PM "...Low German wringen, from Proto-Germanic *wrang-," etc etc

The reference to horses and other livestock is attributed to US usage:

"The meaning 'take charge of horses or herd animals' is by 1897, American English"

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 01 Sep 26 - 05:54 AM

Look out for the silent P in Wranglers...

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 01 Sep 26 - 08:42 AM

LOL Dave! :-)

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: gillymor
Date: 01 Sep 26 - 08:50 AM

Ain't Wranglers dungarees?

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: meself
Date: 01 Sep 26 - 11:36 AM

I'm Canadian, but find the term "argy-bargy" occasionally coming out of my mouth, from my years of watching Coronation Street, decades ago. Often when some foreign slang is adapted, it's because it fulfills some linguistic need that no other word or phrase does in quite the same way; i.e., without the same effect or connotation.

Subject: RE: BS: American speech
From: Helen
Date: 01 Sep 26 - 01:59 PM

meself, I have a similar term which I learned in the late '90's from a very funny UK skit show Goodness Gracious Me described as "A British sketch-comedy that explores the integration of Indian and British cultures through a series of satires, musicals, and skits". Some of my favourite actors starred in it, including Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, and Nina Wadia and I have enjoyed their performances in lots of other shows, mostly drama and not comedy. Brilliant!

The question "innit?" was very common in the show. Being an Aussie I hadn't heard it and it took me a while to work out what it meant but then I started saying it and I still say it now and then, usually with a smarty-pants smile on my face - although most people I say it to usually just look confused because they didn't watch the show. It always brings back memories of that show to me.