>>
>>Arfa
> I think the slang terms "Taking the piss" and "He's pissed" are pretty
> funny when I think about how they are used where I live. And I've
> always wondered about "Bloody". How it became a bad word. And what
> happens when someone or something is covered with blood? What do you
> say? I like steak rare. I will order it bloody. In a nice restaurant
> in London I suppose it woule be a faux pas to order a "bloody steak".
> I think I need to look up the etymology of bloody.
> Eric
>
> ---
"He's pissed" can have two meanings, one of which I'm sure we share, and
that is being a bit mad about something. It's abbreviated from "pissed off".
But here, it also means being drunk, and the process of becoming so is
"getting pissed". But getting pissed can of course also mean becoming a bit
angry ... :-)
"Getting hammered" or "He's hammered" are also phrases for drunkenness here.
It can also refer to being under the influence of drugs.
Bloody is a funny one. I've never looked into its origins as a swear word.
It is very mild though, and is often used in conjunction with another word
as an outburst of exasperation or shock as in "Bloody hell!" or "Bloody
Norah" - and no, I've no idea who 'Norah' was ...
Yes, a person covered in blood can be described as bloody, as can a rag or a
handprint or whatever. It's commonly used in that context.
If you asked for a bloody steak in a decent restaurant, they might look at
you a bit sideways, but would understand what you wanted. In anything less
that a decent one, they would probably just not understand you at all, and
would think that you were swearing. Some restaurants won't even serve a
bloody steak, such is the Health and Safety madness here now. All the same
definitions of steak temperature apply here as well as in the U.S. but the
same temperature is normally a little less here, so if you ordered a 'rare'
steak here, it would normally be a bit pinker than you would be used to if
you asked for it rare your side of the pond. If you ask for it very rare, it
will normally be a little bloody in the middle. If you want a piece of meat
that a vet could bring back to life, you can ask for a 'blue' steak. This
has been really quickly flash cooked, and is only about 2 points to the
right of raw through to the core.
Arfa