English-English for Yanks

It can indicate any degree of a threat, ranging from a quick word to an arranged assination (UK soaps ). Just take note of the tone/events that triggered it and go from there

 

IM guessing that just means kick his ass. Teach him a lesson.

 

"...For today is the day when they sort it out, sort it out,
'cos they disagree on a gangland boundary.
Yes, they disagree on a gangland boundary."

The band Genesis, "The Battle of Epping Forest" from the killer album: "Selling England by the Pound".

Yeah, beat another up.

RickBass, the bass playing on the above tune is so good. You gotta listen!

 

It means the same thing as "I am gonna straighten him out."

Or as Dubya would say "He needs a whoopin."


My personal favorite is one that I heard over in Ireland a few months ago:

"We are gonna have a boot-party and he's gonna be the guest of honor."

(It was a joke directed at some poor sap in a pub)

 

What did you think he was gonna do? Maybe do up his buttons and straighten his tie?

 

Awesome!!!

 

Funny you should mention this as a similar thing has come into the English language only recently that always 'jars' with me!

So - there was a big thing in the Acid House era about being "sorted" - which meant you had adequate supplies of illegal drugs - ecstacy or whatever.

This moved into popular youth culture - as in "yoof"!! And even made it into songs like "Sorted for Es and wizz" (sp.?)

So all these kids were going - "sorted" to their parents - and laughing behind their backs!

But eventually the parents who wanted to appear hip and trendy with the kidz started saying "sorted!" as well - to mean that they had dealt with the problem or whatever!!

So - now you hear these middle-aged but keen management types who say this, to indicate that they are still young and it really grates on me.

So you are in a meeting and the boss says - we need to get catering for this conference next month and one of the keen types will pipe up with "sorted"!! Aarggghh!!

I insist on never saying this - so I always make a point of saying something like - oh, you mean you will sort this out for us, then?

 

...word.

"...and Harold Demure
Who's still not quite sure
Fires acorns from out of his sling

Here come the calvary"




Man, I WORE OUT two copies of "Selling" when I was a tadpole. Somehow, I've managed to not get that on CD yet, something that needs to be addressed post-haste.

"And then Mr. Lewis -
'Isn't it time that he was out on his own?'"

Indeed it is, and soon now.



Having spent some time in the UK as a kid, I kinda got used to the whole "two cultures seperated by a common language" experience. You think Brit-English is confusing Rick, try Scot-English!

 

One should hone not only thier language skills, but their instincts as well.

 

I can pick up on english accents pretty easily...its not too hard ime. I plan/hope to spend a semester at a uni somewhere in England actually.


I have trouble with those people with extremely thick Welsh accents

 

Its one o'clock and time for lunch,
hum tee tum tee tum
When the sun beats down and I lie on the bench,
I can always hear them talk.


Me, I'm just a lawnmower.
You can tell me by the way I walk.

OK, P. Aaron, rickbass, and Gard...I was up all night looking for that LP. I found it on cassette and slept with it running on auto flip over and over in my head until the batteries ran out.

 

FFS do you yanks know anything about the rest of the planet? He was gonna kick his arse. It's not an English expression only. We use it in Australia too.

 

The one that confused me the most was variations on the word 'piss.'

We have a noun- urine, a verb- to urinate, an other verb- to anger, and every usage I have heard here was based on one of these.

What does an Englishman mean when he says he was 'taking the piss?' An American would mean he was peeing.

What does an Englishman mean when he says he 'got really pissed at the pub last night?' An American means he was really angry.

There are three or four usages I have heard but I can't think how to ask about them.

 

He got drunk!