Q for Brits on British vernacular

[Odelay]

Just heard a line from a movie where a male character refers to a female character and says... "she thicks men's blood with coal."

Or, at least that's how I heard it. He was referring to a woman who was a ball buster. Is this a real saying in England or was this a screenwriter making shit up?

[Ibrar]

I am no authority on the english language, but thats the first I have heard of that!

Though if it mentions coal, may be a more regional saying, perhaps one attahced to a region where coal mines were once located.

[TheRealIrishBoy]

Im from ireland, definitely not british!, but close enough and know a lot of english and i never heard that before. also it appears to be illogical so you might have heard it wrong!

[fitfred]

never heard that one before. maybe coal miners were supposed to be tougher- - coal in their blood or something, but i don't see how you can thicken their blood with coal - they're either already a miner or they're not - so it sounds all wrong to me

[MerriCait]

if you've seen the guy richie films and heard how they speak, dont be supprised at anything english people say. i dont think the even speak their own language anymore lol

[iloveshemales77]

if you've seen the guy richie films and heard how they speak, dont be supprised at anything english people say. i dont think the even speak their own language anymore lol
:lol: :lol: :lol:
nope, never heard that expression before and I'm originally from Scotland.Must have misheard.

[flabbybody]

first time I go out out with an English co-worker for some drinks he excuses himself by saying he's gotta go outside to blow a fag

that's how I found out we have some major language differences

[iloveshemales77]

if you've seen the guy richie films and heard how they speak, dont be supprised at anything english people say. i dont think the even speak their own language anymore lol

actually, they're not much good at playing any of the games they invented either (soccer, cricket). Mind you, the Scots aren't that great at professional Golf either. :-(

[Svejk]

Yeah, thats probably made up northern. And I'm guessing the blow a fag thing was meant as a joke.

[The Piper]

blow a fag

That's - smoke a cigarette.

It's just different uses.Like in England if you heard a woman say kiss my fanny,she would mean her vagina.But in the U.S i think it means her ass.

I've never heard the quote in the OP 'tho.

[GroobySteven]

I'm from Newcastle which is the coal mining area ... and I've never heard that saying - which movie was it from?

It could have been Welsh of course and not English ... which would explain everything.

Don't think they talk like that in Guy Richie movies, even cheeky Cockney chappies don't do that.

Flabby - it's unlikely someone would say "blow" a fag unless they were joking with a Septic. They may say, "smoke a fag" or have a "puff on a fag".

seanchai

[Prospero]

I am english and live in London and have been all over the country and i have NEVER heard that expression before. Could be youth slang but i doubt it.

[muttley]

Im new to UK myself and the other day, I had a customer come in and ask if we sell faggots. I had no Idea what he was referring to. I thought maybe he was old fashioned and wanted something for his BBQ. Afterwards the manager showed me what a faggot was. Its apparently some kind of meatball.

[Odelay]

I'm from Newcastle which is the coal mining area ... and I've never heard that saying - which movie was it from?

It was a chick flick that a friend insisted I watch called "Possession" from a few years back. Gwyneth Paltrow and all that. Anyway Aaron Eckhardt is trying to get the skinny on Paltrow's character from a British guy who uses that phrase to describe her as a ball buster.

I, of course, could have misheard it, but I went back and listened to it a couple of times and the guy's enunciation was pretty clear.

Again, probably some clever turn of phrase that the screenwriter thought would be witty.

[emmettray]

I agree with Seanchai. I'm from Liverpool and we definitely have our own accent and vernacular as do many regions in England and I have travelled coast to coast North, South, East and West but I've never heard that expression any time or anywhere.

MerriCait Please don't think that people actually speak like they do in guy ritchie shite drivel. This affected, exaggerated vernacular is referred to over here as 'Mockney' and I think is mostly for the purposes of entertaining overseas viewers. If someone actually spoke to me like that I'd consider it an insult and would be inclined to land a 'Right-hander' on them.

[TT BOY]

i'm from the north of england, where we have
loads of local sayings and that's a new one on me.

[mattavs1]

Maybe you misheard it. "She makes men's blood run cold" sounds more likely. On the topic of mishearing there was an article about mishearing song lyrics. Eg in Purple Haze "Scuse me while I kiss this guy" was how some people heard "Scuse me while I kiss the sky"

[Tomfurbs]

^^ That's true, but when Hendrix cottoned on to the fact that people were hearing 'kiss this guy', he started singing it to take the piss. On some live recordings it is really clear.

[Belgie]

The script for Possession can be found online here:

http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/p/possession-script-transcript-neil-labute.html

I checked it, and the lines were :
- Yes, but I'd be careful.
- Why? What's she like?
- She thicks men's blood with cold.
- Great.

[Belgie]

The line comes from Samuel Taylor Coleridges epic poem, "The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner"

The relevant verse was:

Her lips were red, her looks were free,
Her locks were yellow as gold:
Her skin was as white as leprosy,
The Night-mare LIFE-IN-DEATH was she,
Who thicks man's blood with cold.

It's not Shakespeare, but it would be well known amongst, shall we say, certain classes in England. People who've had a classical education, Oxford graduates, etc...

[Hara_Juku Tgirl]

Im new to UK myself and the other day, I had a customer come in and ask if we sell faggots. I had no Idea what he was referring to. I thought maybe he was old fashioned and wanted something for his BBQ. Afterwards the manager showed me what a faggot was. Its apparently some kind of meatball.

I would have just totally lost composure and LMAO upon hearing it! :lol:

;)

~Kisses.

HTG

[Belgie]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e1/Mr-Brains-Faggots-Pack.jpg/711px-Mr-Brains-Faggots-Pack.jpg

[Odelay]

Hey thanks Belgie, for the background on it. I never thought to search around to see if there was a scripts. And Coleridge... hmmm. I'll have to try it out on my next gf if she starts getting snippy. 8)

[voy4her]

i lived in england for 15 years, never heard that expression.

[voy4her]

lol i remember the Brains' faggots commercial.

[jamesb121]

hell, ive been in the US now 7 months and i still dont know what the hell most people tell me! suppose in Scottish as well which doesnt help.......