British humor in "Private Plane"
Merlin
In article <mcnee-26049...@mcnee.cts.com>, John Stannard
<mc...@cts.com> writes
>In the episode "Private Plane" Lt. George makes the statement, "That's a
>bit of a turn up of the plus fours," when they discover that 20 mins. is
>the average 'life expectancy' of new pilots. I know what plus fours are,
>but don't really get the reference. Presumably, turning up plus fours
>would yield shorts...or perhaps he means turned up in the since of
>'arrived'. I don't know.
>
>Also, in the same episode, when Lord Flash is recounting how wonderful he
>is (with Bobbie Parker sitting in his lap), BA says, "It's like "Crufts
>(phonetic) in here." Don't really get this either. A dept. store
>perhaps?
>
>Any help?
>
>js
"A turn up for the books" is a British phrase denoting an unexpected
result. Plus Fours, as you know are shorty trouser-thingies, and some
trousers have "turn-ups". This was a comic mixing of the two concepts.
(I think).
Crufts is a huge Dog Show in London where every year the brain-dead
gather to compete in a "my-dog's-more-inbred-and-has-more-genetic-
defects-than-yours" competition.
Hope this helps
--
Merlin
John Stannard
Mike Bowerbank
I'm not sure about the "plus fours" comment, but Crufts is where there is a
world-famous dog show. Flasheart is reknowned for all his "woof-woof"
comments, which is why Blackadder made that reference.
Mike.
Kevin Moore
Well, js, sorry, I don't know your real name, I think plus fours were a
kind of long short (if that isn't gobble-a-juke as Baldrick would say).
What I can help you with is the cruffs reference. It comes from the fact
that Bob and Flash keep going "WOOF, WOOF!". You see "crufts" is an
annual dog-show. Not a bad quip but I can understand the confusion.
I must admit that "Private Plane" is one of my favourite BA4 episodes
along with "Captain Cook".
Well, I hope that I have been of SOME help. Nice "talking" to you and
keep on watching.
Kevin Moore
SANDARPA
In article <mcnee-26049...@mcnee.cts.com>, mc...@cts.com (John Stannard) says:
>
>In the episode "Private Plane"....... when Lord Flash is recounting how wonderful he
>is (with Bobbie Parker sitting in his lap), BA says, "It's like "Crufts
>(phonetic) in here." Don't really get this either. A dept. store
>perhaps?
Crufts is Britain's national dog show. Work out for yourself what he thinks of
Lord Flash(heart?) and of Parker!
Alex
--
Crufts is an annual dog show type thingy; Blackadder is commenting on Flash's
'Woof!'s...
-------------------------------
Alex Taylor
cee...@cee.hw.ac.uk
Blue Cloud Pictures Video Production
Tel 0402 292597
Ben Payne
Kevin Moore <ke...@seiph.umds.ac.uk> wrote:
>John Stannard wrote:
>>
>> In the episode "Private Plane" Lt. George makes the statement, "That's a
>> bit of a turn up of the plus fours," when they discover that 20 mins. is
>> the average 'life expectancy' of new pilots. I know what plus fours are,
>> but don't really get the reference. Presumably, turning up plus fours
>> would yield shorts...or perhaps he means turned up in the since of
>> 'arrived'. I don't know.
>>
-snip, snip of original "Crufts" section
>>
>> Any help?
>>
>> js
>Well, js, sorry, I don't know your real name, I think plus fours were a
>kind of long short (if that isn't gobble-a-juke as Baldrick would say).
--removal of Crufts reply
>I must admit that "Private Plane" is one of my favourite BA4 episodes
>along with "Captain Cook".
>Well, I hope that I have been of SOME help. Nice "talking" to you and
>keep on watching.
>Kevin Moore
Dear John and Kevin, and anybody else who gives a damn,
My feeling about the Plus Fours reference is this:
A turn up is the length of trouser leg that has to be folded up if
your trousers are too long, as is often seen on kiddies, so that the
trousers can be lengthened easily if they grow taller before they wear
the trousers out. However, some suits, and indeed plus fours have
these cuffs, or turn-ups, as decoration.
Similarly, a common expression for something that happens unexpectedly
is: "Well, there's a turn-up for the books". No, I don't know the
derivation of this one either. So, I think that the expression
refering to the plus fours, is a play-on-words of this latter
expression.
I hope this makes things less and less clear,
cheers,
Ben.