OT: US brand names VS UK brand names etc

jbarter · Post by **jbarter** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 6:48 am

Back to tea. How come nobody markets an Irish blend tea? I believe the Irish still drink more tea per head of population than anywhere else in Europe. Considering the other liquid refreshments available in Ireland that tea must be really good.

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 7:58 am

On 2002-01-15 07:48, jbarter wrote:
Back to tea. How come nobody markets an Irish blend tea? I believe the Irish still drink more tea per head of population than anywhere else in Europe. Considering the other liquid refreshments available in Ireland that tea must be really good.

Aren't companies like Twinings etc selling their 'Irish Breakfast Tea' overthere, it's available all over Europe.

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 8:31 am

On 2002-01-11 23:43, ndjr wrote:
For those of you who are interested, there is a British - American, American - British dictionary on-line at:

http://www.peak.org/~jeremy/dictionary/dictionary.html

My wife and I watch a fair amount of British television, and have found it quite useful.

Warning for those who tend to faint easily: The dictionaries have a fair amount of really naughty words in them.

This is phantastic! Now I can say things like "There was a bit of a Barney down at the local, until Old Bill came along and found that a bint was at the bottom of it. The bint was a bit of all right"

Please do correct me, I think I'll need to refine this some.

And Peter: They did not rename Derek Bell's CD for US release... :roll:

StevieJ · Post by **StevieJ** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 8:40 am

On 2002-01-15 09:31, Bloomfield wrote:
Please do correct me, I think I'll need to refine this some.

Not bad, Bloomfield, just one little word gives your foreign origins away. You have to say "the Old Bill".

"Bint" is a lovely word, but I haven't heard it since about 1962!

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 8:44 am

On 2002-01-15 09:40, StevieJ wrote:

"Bint" is a lovely word, but I haven't heard it since about 1962!

Yes, I also felt that it had dusty quality to it. I love the tendency to revive old words or slang terms. "I was gobsmacked when I saw the bint, and then she smacked my gob when I called her bint." (Or something.)

StevieJ · Post by **StevieJ** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 8:47 am

"smacked me IN the gob."

The effect of this is spoiled a little when you consider that "gobsmacked" is not native English slang, but a recent import from Ireland following the film "The Commitments".

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 8:52 am

Well, I guess if you're not born with it...

I didn't realize that about the Commitments. Interesting. I saw the move when it came out years ago but didn't feel that it justified the hype. The most memorable scene was the skinny, freckled red-head kid sitting on a concrete ledge in the Belfast slums, surrounded by little dirty children. He is practicing his guitar, and as the silent children regard him, he looks up at them and says "I am black and I'm proud."

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 9:40 am

On 2002-01-15 09:47, StevieJ wrote:
"gobsmacked" is not native English slang, but a recent import from Ireland following the film "The Commitments".

Hi StevieJ,

You're probably right, having more miles on the clock

than I, and as my head is bunged up with a cold today the lift isn't going all the way to the top floor but I feel sure I've been using that expression for much longer than such a timeline would allow.

Maybe The Commitments popularised an expression that was in local use outside Dublin beforehand? English (and Irish) slang is after all quite regional in usage, but a smack in the cakehole is rarely open to misinterpretation.

In future I must try to include at least one obscure or anacronistic word or phrase in every posting, this thread has been enlightening!

nickt · Post by **nickt** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 9:48 am

Bloomfield

Needs slightly updating into more modern usage; here goes:

"there was a bit of a barney at the local, but the bill came along and sorted it. Turned out there was a bit of totty at the bottom of it, and she was real tasty". How's that?!

Your phrase "refine this some" is purely west of the pond - we never use "some" in that context. Brit equiv: "refine it a bit".

If you ever come over, there's some great Irish gigs in London well worth buying the wilsons for. (see if you can suss that one out)

Nick

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 10:09 am

Nick, thanks! I like "totty"

As for my use of the word, "some" I did that on purpose, of course. Something for y'all over there to enjoy.

And I will keep those gigs in mind! Bye-bye, I mean: cheers, mate!

PS: 'Fraid I can't suss "buying the wilsons".

_________________
/bloomfield

[ This Message was edited by: Bloomfield on 2002-01-15 11:12 ]

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 10:10 am

On 2002-01-15 10:40, Martin Milner wrote:
On 2002-01-15 09:47, StevieJ wrote:
"gobsmacked" is not native English slang, but a recent import from Ireland following the film "The Commitments".
Hi StevieJ,

Maybe The Commitments popularised an expression that was in local use outside Dublin beforehand

I think 'gobsmacked' was around for a bit and it was 'sh*t' that was introduced to the public at large by Roddy Doyle's writing.

As a sideline: Does any of you ever watch 'Father Ted'?

gogo · Post by **gogo** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 10:15 am

On 2002-01-15 11:10, Peter Laban wrote:
...
As a sideline: Does any of you ever watch 'Father Ted'?

I love Father Ted! They were showing the one the other night when Father Ted is stuck in a tiny caravan with another priest and his youth group, and they're all stepdancing (for anyone who has ever done the "Irish holiday in a caravan", it's so funny because it's so true).

ndjr · Post by **ndjr** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 10:15 am

On 2002-01-15 11:10, Peter Laban wrote:

As a sideline: Does any of you ever watch 'Father Ted'?

We have it on the "BBC in America" channel, but haven't watched it much. Our favorites are "Monarch of the Glen," "Ground Force," and "Changing Rooms."

Martin Milner · Post by **Martin Milner** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 11:21 am

Father Ted really deserves it's own thread! I was hooked from Episode One.

It was such a shame that Dermot Morgan died so young, but I'm glad they didn't try to continue with another actor in his role. FT will go down as a gem in the same way as Fawlty Towers - so few episodes but they're all excellent.

I was chuffed(!) to have been to some of the places the characters visit, like the "Really Dark Caves", on various visits to Ireland over the last few years.

Cayden · Post by **Cayden** » Tue Jan 15, 2002 12:28 pm

On 2002-01-15 12:21, Martin Milner wrote:
Father Ted really deserves it's own thread! I was hooked from Episode One.

I was chuffed(!) to have been to some of the places the characters visit, like the "Really Dark Caves", on various visits to Ireland over the last few years.

'I don't believe it', hm, I mean the Really dark caves was on last monday night, with Victor Meldrew turning up. We had just moved to Clare when they were filming the last two series , the crew was based in ennistymon and filming was going on allover the Lahinch/ennistymon/Kilfenora area (Craggy island parochial house is on the back of Mullaghmore mountain). Kept running into them was hard not to use Fr Jack's catchphrases all the time.
The Pat Mustard episode was a good one too.