Not many people know that ..........

Contratrombone64

Admiral of Fugues
yeah, Matt - I loved Wales when I paid my brief visit there ... the Welsh were charming, especially once they figured out I wasn't English but Australian ... (I know my Aussie accent is mild but puhleeeze).
 

Buttercup89

New member
To blow/make a rasberry, has it's origins in Cockney slang, which is quite singular in that it replaces words with non-correlated words which rhyme. For example "have a chat" becomes "chew the fat", "titfer", short for tit-for-tat means hat, and "raspberry tart" rhymes with fart, which is exactly what a raspberry sounds like... :)
 

JONESEY

New member
Well FWIW I loved Wales - the scenery, the castles, the singing.


Reminds me of yet another Blackadder quote:
"Huge gangs of tough sinewy men roam the valleys terrorising people with their close-harmony singing"


(I'm allowed to say this, I have Welsh relatives!!!!)
 

Soubasse

New member
Ah, the acerbic Edmund! Love it to bits. One can learn much about Europe from Blackadder:

"Don't you worry about my poets Mr. Blackadder, they're just being intellectucal"
"Mrs. Miggins, there's nothing intellectual about walking around Italy in a big shirt trying to get laid."

Or:

"The Teutonic reputation for torture is legendary - their operas last several days"

Thanks for the info on raspberry blowing Buttercup, I didn't know that and I quite like Cockeny Rhyming Slang (I was surprised after many years of hearing people being called "berk" to find out where that one came from!)
 

teddy

Duckmeister
The slowworm is actually a type of lizard that has lost its legs through evolution. They can just be seen under the skin.

teddy
 

Dorsetmike

Member
Re Cockney rhyming slang, can anybody translate this phrase, it's in the later abbrevialted form where the second word was omitted so e.g. apples and pears meaning stairs would be abbreviated to apples, as in "get up them apples"

Nip down to the lolly on the johnny and fetch us a packet of harries, here's an oxford and bring us the kitchen.

Clues if necessary tomorrow
 

teddy

Duckmeister
Lolly I believe is shop (lolly pop) and kitchen would be change (kitchen range)

johnny, harries and and oxford have me stumped although I believe it may mean quickly, cigarettes and a specific sum of money.

teddy
 

Dorsetmike

Member
Wrong on the quickly, it's a location of sorts, cigarettes and money you have the right idea, just need a bit more sideways thinking maybe.

Bet we have the colonials really baffled, they must think we're sally. (and can you figure sally?)
 

Chi_townPhilly

Sr. Regulator
Sr. Regulator
...I would like to help you out on the pronunciation... but the phonetic interpretation would be just as bad.
Inspired by the example of the Assistant Administrator, I looked at my travel-guide to Great Britain not long ago. [It'll be a while before it can happen- I have a car to replace... but I can dream, right?] Anyway, this book said Welsh pronunciation was pretty much phonetic.

What are they... kidding me!?:crazy:

I'm going to skate at the edge of the language rules here- and this may fall more in the realm of 'Urban Legend' than Genuine Useless Knowledge- but my brother told me that in one of the Michael Moorcock stories, there was a fictional Welsh-like place name called Llareggub.:smirk:
 

teddy

Duckmeister
Inspired by the example of the Assistant Administrator, I looked at my travel-guide to Great Britain not long ago. [It'll be a while before it can happen- I have a car to replace... but I can dream, right?] Anyway, this book said Welsh pronunciation was pretty much phonetic.

Hi
Practice on this one and forget about phonetics.

Machynlieth

Best of luck

Teddy
 

Dorsetmike

Member
<snipped>
I'm going to skate at the edge of the language rules here- and this may fall more in the realm of 'Urban Legend' than Genuine Useless Knowledge- but my brother told me that in one of the Michael Moorcock stories, there was a fictional Welsh-like place name called Llareggub.:smirk:

Not Michael Moorcock, Dylan Thomas from Under Milk Wood

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Milk_Wood

Must admit I hadn't looked deper into the spelling of Llareggub, not for the young!!
 

naDiNawasA

New member
@Teddy :) I am in Cardiff, and 3 of the few words that I learned from my Welsh co-workers before are diolch, croeso and shwmai (sp?) :) One guy said, nobody really speaks Welsh in Wales anymore o.0 They have all the translations in road signs, broadsheets, and other signs as well. It's very interesting.
 

teddy

Duckmeister
@Teddy :) I am in Cardiff, and 3 of the few words that I learned from my Welsh co-workers before are diolch, croeso and shwmai (sp?) :) One guy said, nobody really speaks Welsh in Wales anymore o.0 They have all the translations in road signs, broadsheets, and other signs as well. It's very interesting.

Go further North and you will find Welsh Wales. My school graded you on ability as well as ability to speak Welsh. Some pupils were taught everything in Welsh. If you get up around Snowdon you will find plenty of people who speak Welsh as a first language. When I go back there I put on my Welsh accent and speak a few words which I find gets me better tables in resteurants, discounts in car parks etc. and always a friendly greeting. I sometimes feel guilty, but not very.

teddy
 
Top