Fair enough. I agree with you. We are the laughing stock of Europe and the government just feeds our small rural and farming industries to the buerocrats.
It's a bloody disgrace
American English Vs English
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peter
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Urban myth has it that this stemmed from a posh word for peeing, micturate.
Shorten this to mick, make it flow smothly it becomes mickey.
Hence Take the p!$$ becomes take the mickey.
Shorten this to mick, make it flow smothly it becomes mickey.
Hence Take the p!$$ becomes take the mickey.
Americans know more about The Simpsons TV show than the US Constitution's First Amendment, an opinion poll says. Only one in four could name more than one of the five freedoms it upholds but more than half could name at least two members of the cartoon family. About one in five thought the right to own a pet was one of the freedoms.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4761294.stm
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Anonymous
Hi Lakeview,
Going back to your comment, that you daren't ask the origin of the above expression.
It was explained in detail where it originated in a BBC2 TV programme called Coast. The series of programmes toured around the coast of the British Isles, starting in Dover, going across the bottom, up the left hand side, over to Northern Ireland, back to Scotland, across the top and down the right hand side. I found it a fascinating programme. The area of coast in question was somewhere between Berwick-on-Tweed, and the Wash.
Tonight at 9.00 p.m. UKTV History channel is repeating the first leg of the Berwick-on-Tweed section, and tomorrow night at 9.00 p.m., it is showing the section of coast from Robin Hood's Bay to Kings Lynn. If my memory serves me right (and it is getting worse), one of these two programmes gives the explanation for the above expression.
If you don't manage to watch either of them, basically the expression dates back, I think, to Roman times. Along the section of coast mentioned there were the remains of an ancient alum mine. Alum is used in the dying trade (as in adding colour to materials, rather than undertaking). It is a mordant, which means that it is used to make dyes 'take' better to the cloth being dyed, and don't wash out.
The purification process of alum involved boiling the ?ore in urine. As I mentioned earlier, the mine was in a part of Britain that was sparsely populated. On the other hand London produced gallons of the stuff. It was taken by boat from London to the area of the mine. As you can imagine, it was not a very prestigious cargo, and the crews of the boats would try to so pass themselves off as having a much better load. I think it may have been the smell that let them down, and the other cargo boats would somehow say to the crew - Oh no you're not, you're taking the piss.
If you can watch either of the programmes I mention above, I think they will give you the more definitive explanation, but the above is what I remember.
Also, I think Adam Hart-Davidson gave a similar explanation in his 'What the Romans did for us' series.
valmarg
Going back to your comment, that you daren't ask the origin of the above expression.
It was explained in detail where it originated in a BBC2 TV programme called Coast. The series of programmes toured around the coast of the British Isles, starting in Dover, going across the bottom, up the left hand side, over to Northern Ireland, back to Scotland, across the top and down the right hand side. I found it a fascinating programme. The area of coast in question was somewhere between Berwick-on-Tweed, and the Wash.
Tonight at 9.00 p.m. UKTV History channel is repeating the first leg of the Berwick-on-Tweed section, and tomorrow night at 9.00 p.m., it is showing the section of coast from Robin Hood's Bay to Kings Lynn. If my memory serves me right (and it is getting worse), one of these two programmes gives the explanation for the above expression.
If you don't manage to watch either of them, basically the expression dates back, I think, to Roman times. Along the section of coast mentioned there were the remains of an ancient alum mine. Alum is used in the dying trade (as in adding colour to materials, rather than undertaking). It is a mordant, which means that it is used to make dyes 'take' better to the cloth being dyed, and don't wash out.
The purification process of alum involved boiling the ?ore in urine. As I mentioned earlier, the mine was in a part of Britain that was sparsely populated. On the other hand London produced gallons of the stuff. It was taken by boat from London to the area of the mine. As you can imagine, it was not a very prestigious cargo, and the crews of the boats would try to so pass themselves off as having a much better load. I think it may have been the smell that let them down, and the other cargo boats would somehow say to the crew - Oh no you're not, you're taking the piss.
If you can watch either of the programmes I mention above, I think they will give you the more definitive explanation, but the above is what I remember.
Also, I think Adam Hart-Davidson gave a similar explanation in his 'What the Romans did for us' series.
valmarg
Sorry, I didn't see the program (is that one m or two plus an e?) as I was out all evening at a meeting. Even asked to take minutes as the secretary was unavailable!
Anyway, thanks for the explanation. Now there's a story! My English OH uses the phrase all the time, but doesn't know its origin.
(I like the dollar signs!)
Anyway, thanks for the explanation. Now there's a story! My English OH uses the phrase all the time, but doesn't know its origin.
(I like the dollar signs!)
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Anonymous
Unfortunately, I didn't see tonight's programme either. Well, I suppose I tried to - through my eyelids.
I think it may be tomorrow's programme that covers the subject.
Are you inadvertently trying to fuel the English, English versus American English fire? Programme is the English spelling in the UK for anything other than to do with computers. There the American program seems acceptable (to most)!
I suppose the dollar sign is infinitely preferable to the euro! Long live the £!
valmarg
I think it may be tomorrow's programme that covers the subject.
Are you inadvertently trying to fuel the English, English versus American English fire? Programme is the English spelling in the UK for anything other than to do with computers. There the American program seems acceptable (to most)!
I suppose the dollar sign is infinitely preferable to the euro! Long live the £!
valmarg
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peter
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Despite the programmable computer being invented in England the overwhelming early usage was American, Military and NASA (?), so the origin of a computer program is American english.
Before the Yanks pile in to claim the invention I would refer everyone to the code-breaking work done at Bletchley Park during World War II, Alan Turings theoretical work (and practical at Bletchley) and the post war work done at Manchester University.
One of Churchills worst decisions was when the war finished to destroy the equipment used at Bletchley
. The GPO research department contributed incredibly to the work done there and the kit was built on standard GPO 19" racks, which is where the current "server rack" originates from. The paper tapes used were running five to ten times faster than stuff being used in the late fifties commerically. 
Still in the early days even IBM thought that they might sell a few tens of computers worldwide if they were lucky
Yes I do work in IT, there, I've admitted it
, now where do I go for therapy.
Before the Yanks pile in to claim the invention I would refer everyone to the code-breaking work done at Bletchley Park during World War II, Alan Turings theoretical work (and practical at Bletchley) and the post war work done at Manchester University.
One of Churchills worst decisions was when the war finished to destroy the equipment used at Bletchley
. The GPO research department contributed incredibly to the work done there and the kit was built on standard GPO 19" racks, which is where the current "server rack" originates from. The paper tapes used were running five to ten times faster than stuff being used in the late fifties commerically.
Still in the early days even IBM thought that they might sell a few tens of computers worldwide if they were lucky
Yes I do work in IT, there, I've admitted it
, now where do I go for therapy.-
Mr Potato Head
There must be something about gardening that attracts IT people (or is it the vice versa?...) perhaps someone should run a poll!
For some reason, I like that I watch a TV programme, but program a computer... perhaps someone who is pro-gram is part of the drive towards worldwide metrification?
For some reason, I like that I watch a TV programme, but program a computer... perhaps someone who is pro-gram is part of the drive towards worldwide metrification?
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Anonymous
I've been gardening for many more years than there have been 'IT' departments.
Sorry, but you made a bit of a silly generalisation. Having worked in one of the top 20 FTSE companies as a secretary/PA from 1975 to 1990, it was not until 1984 that I was provided with a 'word processor'. I will admit that before that the company had a bit of a 'computer department'.
I think you might find that gardening has been going on for far longer than IT, and it attracts a far broader spectrum of the population.
valmarg
Sorry, but you made a bit of a silly generalisation. Having worked in one of the top 20 FTSE companies as a secretary/PA from 1975 to 1990, it was not until 1984 that I was provided with a 'word processor'. I will admit that before that the company had a bit of a 'computer department'.
I think you might find that gardening has been going on for far longer than IT, and it attracts a far broader spectrum of the population.
valmarg
There is well researched evidence that it actually comes to us from the practice of doing just what it says. In the frozen north it was difficult to brew beer most of the year and the intoxicant of choice was the fly agaric mushroom (your archetypal red and white toadstool). The psychoactive ingredient, muscarine (an alkaloid similar to that you get in green potatoes) passes into the urine unchanged. You can drink the urine and get the same 'high' you would from the fly agaric, but rather more safely as the mushroom contains other toxins that can cause eg vomiting. So 'taking the p*ss' would have involved hallucinating, resulting in (to the sober observer) bizarre and amusing behaviour. Hence also 'getting p*issed'. I know it sounds odd and I won't go into other ways of absorbing the hallucinogen, but check out 'Edible Mushrooms', Harding, Lyon and Tomblin, published by Collins to see I am not taking the p*iss.
There is evidence that the practise goes back thousands of years, and some languages even describe getting drunk as 'taking the mushroom' or 'getting mushroomed'. Weird.
And yes no grammar, no tables, although in our school we did do mental arithmatic, it was absolute torture, more so than usual because we hadn't learnt our tables
There is evidence that the practise goes back thousands of years, and some languages even describe getting drunk as 'taking the mushroom' or 'getting mushroomed'. Weird.
And yes no grammar, no tables, although in our school we did do mental arithmatic, it was absolute torture, more so than usual because we hadn't learnt our tables
Is it just coincidence, electronics and gardening have been my life. I alway found maths easy and when my electronics career ended my gardening became my occupation but the computing side is very important.
In a completely different sphere, many church professionals are keen on steam trains
e.g.W.Awdrey of Thomas the Tank Engine etc.
In a completely different sphere, many church professionals are keen on steam trains
e.g.W.Awdrey of Thomas the Tank Engine etc.