Phrases in TV and movies that British seldom say (middle-class, buying)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
All those phrases probably would probably have been common among middle-class southern English people in the 1930s/40s, but you'd be lucky to hear them now. Putting 'what what what?' on the end of the sentence was apparently an annoying habit of King George III, so is 200 years out of date.
I agree with Ben, I think all those phrases are simply old fashioned - people don't really use them today but probably once did so if the setting and time period of a movie or TV show are right (whether it's just an old movie or whether it's a modern one set in a historical time period), the usage of them might be accurate.
People think Brits say stuff like "Cheerio" and "I say my good fellow".
I have yet to hear either of these in real life.
I have heard a few of these expressions but then again I live in the Cotswolds and quite a few people in Oxfordshire and Gloucerstershire are like a Colonel out of an Agatha Christie novel in certain circles, especially the "horsey set" .
I go to Polo games in summer and both "Cheerio" and "I say my good fellow" seem if not commonly used as such in reasonably "normal" usage. I find it quite funny and sweet at the same time.
I have used quite a few PG Wodehouse-ish expressions in jest before and been surprised that some people seem to use it as the norm. I suppose it is quite cute. A lot of "Rather" and "Jolly Good" in my neck of the woods.
Some Oxford "Young Fogeys" seem to love to use some of those words, like "spiffing" and " what ho ! " . It is an affectation for most but I certainly prefer it to swear words I must admit.
Actually my Mother and Father still say Cheerio and by jove- BUT not with a public school/estuary English accent as they're from the North East.
You do hear older people using these phrases quite frequently, but maybe you guys aren't mixing with those sorts
'Cheerio' exists widely across the social scale, its not limited to the posh.
Well, not in the north. I have been in Manchester for 5 years now and never, not once, have I ever heard someone say "cheerio" unless it was directly followed by an "S" while buying the cereal: Cheerios / Our brands - Nestle Cereals
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.