the Top Gear British phrases explanation thread

[laxmax613]

But are they any good for cooking? How do you fit a decent-sized food in them? like a turkey, or like bread?

 

[MWF]

They are bloody enormous. Big enough for a small ostrich.

 

[Cobol74]

Small? Nah fully grown. ...

 

[diti]

Farmers sometimes put sickly new-born lambs in the warm-but-not-too-hot bit to keep them alive. True. They're also very good for quickly drying undies. That's on the outside.

My friend says she wants to be buried with hers.

 

[MP5A4]

i Have no idea what's "muff"
and i am glad that i googled it instead of asking in here XD

 

[Wyvern]

i Have no idea what's "muff"

Isn't it a thing you put your hands in to keep them warm?

 

[Cowboy]

Isn't it a thing you put your hands in to keep them warm?

Last time I did that she got mad.....

 

[controlspecimen]

Can anyone explain why Clarkson and May refer to the Telegraph as "Her Majesty's Daily Telegraph"?

 

[MWF]

Telegraph is pretty pro-Royal family and generally one of the more right-wing UK broadsheets. She may read it, I'm not sure.

I'll be sure to ask her next time I'm at Windsor.

 

[Amie8]

She may read it, I'm not sure.

Ironed, of course..

 

[diti]

She might just warm it through on the Aga.

 

[buggin]

sorry for offtopic, but it reminds me this

Damn you. I had actually managed to forget about that, then you brought it up again.
Now it wont get out of my head.

Bollocks.

I must be more of an Anglophile than I thought. Haven't run across one I didn't already know.

And to add, (for those who still question)...

Muff: A womans accessory in winter, intended as a handwarmer, and small purse.
(google muff gun for a good read)

"Turn up to 11": A reference to the Mockumentory "This is Spinal Tap".

"Most amplifiers only go up to ten, but we had these special made to go to eleven."

 

[Labcoatguy]

Turning it around a bit, but what do the British call what the Americans call "corn chips"? IIRC both "corn" and "chips" mean something different across the pond, but I have no idea if that means the phrase gets changed.

 

[Alasondro Alegré]

Can anyone tell me what Clarkson is shouting while his mobility scooter is sliding down the hill (18x04)? I don't think it's a British phrase that needs explanation, I just can't understand what he's saying and I got curious lol.

 

[MWF]

 

[Alasondro Alegré]

Ah, thanks. I think the only time I watched that was with no sound, so I missed the whole thing.

 

[NoNeedForAChestWig]

I must be more of an Anglophile than I thought. Haven't run across one I didn't already know.

And to add, (for those who still question)...

Muff: A womans accessory in winter, intended as a handwarmer, and small purse.
(google muff gun for a good read)

Yeah, that's the dictionary definition all right. Depending on which dictionary you look in, I suppose. Of course, it's also a village in Ireland which is home to the Muff Diving Club.

 

[Amie8]

Turning it around a bit, but what do the British call what the Americans call "corn chips"? IIRC both "corn" and "chips" mean something different across the pond, but I have no idea if that means the phrase gets changed.

Funnily enough, we call them corn chips. They fall under the heading of furrin food and, as there's no British equivalent, the name stays the same. Bit like hot dogs.

 

[Aussie Muscle]

Isn't it a thing you put your hands in to keep them warm?

no, that's a mitten. a muff you keep your ears warm or free from noise (ear-muff)

 

[MWF]

no, that's a mitten. a muff you keep your ears warm or free from noise (ear-muff)

Not quite.

A mitten is a type of glove which doesn't have individual spaces for the fingers, only the thumb.

This is a muff.

Neither of the above should ever, under any circumstances be confused with each other.

Or, for that matter, a minge. Unless you are a gynaecologist.