the Top Gear British phrases explanation thread

It was "twat" - not as offensive as c**t but still deemed unsuitable for pre-watershed viewing which TG normally is.
 
:oops:

Glad I now know it's better to avoid that term in polite company. I might not have always done so in the past, I'm afraid. ;-)
 
I heard this one a travel show where the host was interviewing an british chef what his favorite fish was and he answers 'sea urchin' :huh: and as the conversation progressed it was clear they were using the words 'seafood' and 'fish' interchageably because when the chef referred to fish he was talking about urchin, shellfish and regular scaly creatures w/ fins as 'fish'. Is this general a brit usage of the term fish, so when they talk about the catholic 'fish on friday' it just refers to an aversion of all things seafood?
 
Usually fish means fins and scales, and seafood means molluscs, bivalves, crustaceans etc. I didn't see the show you refer to , so I can't comment on how these individuals used the terms. The "fish on Friday" thing is actually a "no meat on Friday" thing. Meat was never served on a Friday at school, for instance, but we weren't forced to eat fish. I don't even think that tradition is observed any more.
 
There is some laxity when using English - for instance I say the Broker signs on when I mean an employee of an organisation with a contract to sell insurance with our company is signing into our system, its sort of 'short hand' - caused no end of confusion with the Indian chap from WIPRO who could not grasp the slack English usage - still does not I think.

Similar with the Fish and shell food could be a bit of laxity.
 
Mineworksfine said:
It was "twat" - not as offensive as c**t but still deemed unsuitable for pre-watershed viewing which TG normally is.
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I had to tell my (75 yr old) mother that twat meant lady's front bottom. She was upset - she's been using it for years and insists it used to mean "twit" or "fool"
 
People still use it for that purpose today, as well as the other meaning. It's a bit like 'cock' in that respect, it is a slang term for a mans tallywhacker but you call someone it if they've been a bit of an idiot.

'Twat' can also be used as a verb for the general hard hitting of something, when playing football you might shout 'twat it!' when you want the player to kick it or you might have witnessed a fight and said 'he twatted him right in the face'.
 
Dave Lister - "Well I say let's get out there and twat it"
 
Gingertom said:
People still use it for that purpose today, as well as the other meaning. It's a bit like 'cock' in that respect, it is a slang term for a mans tallywhacker but you call someone it if they've been a bit of an idiot.

'Twat' can also be used as a verb for the general hard hitting of something, when playing football you might shout 'twat it!' when you want the player to kick it or you might have witnessed a fight and said 'he twatted him right in the face'.
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Oh absolutely but it's not a word I want to hear my elderly (and rather genteel) mother using :blink:
 
Gotta love the English language, consider the fragment

...second, ahead of the person in second...

As in "he has a lead of one second, ahead of the person in second"
 
I find often all seafood gets referred to as fish... both finfish and shellfish. Most people are not big seafood eaters OR biologists (I'm not defending it, just observing...)
 
13x2 - "Actually it's not a water bed it's a lie low"

Assuming it's some sort of air mattress?
 
Ha! Shoulda gone with the gut. Thanks for the insight man.
 
Not really a phrase, but can someone clear up where the camaro gained a reputation as a car murderers drive? Was there some kind of UK killing spree by a camaro driver in the past, or is JC trying to get this to catch on.
 
Didn't you mean Lilo?

lilo.gif


Meega nala kweesta! Goobaj!
 
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