the Top Gear British phrases explanation thread

[lws1984]

and it's one of those things they try to beat out of you in elementary school around here.

Rhode Island missed that memo, then. Even if they tried, all of my elementary school teachers had thick Rhode Island accents that would have rendered it futile.

 

[shellygrrl]

Some here in Maine do that, too. "Idear" instead of "idea", calling Mount Katahdin "Mount Katahrdin". It annoys my dad (not a native Mainer) to no end.

 

[jack_christie]

Jezza mentioned in one of his newspaper road tests, someone called Dorris Stokes, she used to claim she could talk to the dead.

 

[That American Girl]

Jezza mentioned in one of his newspaper road tests, someone called Dorris Stokes, she used to claim she could talk to the dead.

I talk to the dead all the time. It's getting them to answer that's the tricky part.

 

[Amie8]

Jezza mentioned in one of his newspaper road tests, someone called Dorris Stokes, she used to claim she could talk to the dead.

Doris Stokes made a whole career out of being a medium (allegedly)

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

Now we have Derek Acorah

 

[jdjnewman]

Jeremy just called me out on the pre-show discussion for 17x5. Forthwith, I will now say "presenters" instead of "hosts". I might even say "news readers" instead of "anchors".

 

[georgeisoff]

"Up to eleven" or "these go to eleven"

"Up to eleven" or "these go to eleven"

I was just wondering about this one myself after watching Hammond blasting on the track on the Maloo;

Wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_to_eleven

However, after watching this on-the-field tutorial, there was not doubt about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ll7rWiY5obI

 

[ThePhoenix88]

I didn't get what Jeremy meant by "Princess Di had one of those" in the latest episode. Can anyone shed some light on this please?

 

[narf]

I didn't get what Jeremy meant by "Princess Di had one of those" in the latest episode. Can anyone shed some light on this please?

Diana worked to ban landmines. The "Princess X had one of those" is a pun on Princess Ann's Reliant Scimitar.

http://pic.armedcats.net/n/na/narf/2011/07/27/_38532825_diana238.jpg

 

[MWF]

She should have had one in Paris.

What? Too soon?

 

[NoNeedForAChestWig]

She should have had one in Paris.

What? Too soon?

I'm going to write a letter of complaint to the Daily Express.

 

[Cobol74]

Since we were just discussing this in another thread, Bostonians do the same thing and it's one of those things they try to beat out of you in elementary school around here. It's just a natural reflex to allow easier pronunciation I guess.

Oh, a bit like wanking in a boarding school (The beating bit - not allowed now)?

 

[Amie8]

I'm going to write a letter of complaint to the Daily Express.

No need. It'll come up on their Google Alerts

 

[shellygrrl]

I'm going to write a letter of complaint to the Daily Express.

Do you care if they don't read it?

 

[NoNeedForAChestWig]

Do you care if they don't read it?

I have to say, I don't care about a single thing that the Daily Express does :lol:

 

[salle]

Guys, what's with the whole "r" thing when it comes to linking two words, one that ends with a vowel and the other that starts with one.
Example : "The idea-r-is" ... I hear that all the time from Jeremy and on many occasions and on other sentences.

Is it to make things fluent as it would be hard to just do without?

It's due to having that non vocal r sound at the end of most words ending in r, like beer (becomes bee-uh), but when the next word starts with a vowel sounds sometimes that r is pronounced, and if you generalize this rule ignoring weather or not the word ends with an r or not and just see to the vowel sounds preceding it and apply it to other words you get the idear-is phenomenon.
For a more extensive explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrusive_R

 

[hidea]

Thread bump time!


What's "Aga"? it was mentioned during the TG India Special.

 

[WillDAQ]

It's a type of cooking stove.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AGA_cooker

 

[Cobol74]

Note on AGA cookers: People who think that they are posh put them in ludicrous places in unsuitable kitchens sometimes. My older family members had Raeburns in their farm houses up in Scotland - brilliant cookers actually.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayburn_Range

 

[diti]

AGAs are right where they are appropriate. Just spent Christmas weekend with one, plus a woodburning open hearth in the sitting room with apple logs. That's the way to do it!