Beaver

[John Varela]

I paid my $12 to get John Cleese's voice on my TomTom GPS navigator
and now I need help to understand what Cleese means by "beaver". The
old, stock voice never used the word, but Cleese will say something
like "Turn right and then beaver left". By "beaver" he doesn't mean
just "turn" or "bear" because in other situations he uses both of
those words. In fact, when he says "beaver" in general either "turn"
or "bear" would do.

I haven't heard him use the term often enough to be sure, but I
think "beaver right" may mean something like "turn right and then
turn right again".

Can someone elucidate?

--
John Varela

[Dr Nick]

I've heard it on someone's satnav and I thought it was a joke used
instead of "bear" (does he say something like "in 200 yards bear right,
beaver left"?).

[David D S]

No, I think it's related to the use we have in British English of saying
"X was beavering away at his homework" or something similar. I have
always interpreted that sentence to mean that X was working hard
and in a concentrated manner on his homework.

If John Cleese'd voice says "beaver left", I would interpret that to
mean
"turn left smartly (meaning quickly) and in a decisive way". The two
uses
give a slightly different, but related, meaning.

I can only offer up that I have seen and heard the terms used in this
way
by mainly British people reasonably frequently, but not often, in the
past.

--
David D S: UK and PR China. (Native BrEng speaker)
Use Reply-To header for email. This email address will be
valid for at least 2 weeks from 2014/9/13 15:54:13

[Derek Turner]

On Sat, 13 Sep 2014 02:06:16 +0000, John Varela wrote:

> I haven't heard him use the term often enough to be sure, but I think
> "beaver right" may mean something like "turn right and then turn right
> again".
>
> Can someone elucidate?

I have that voice. It's a joke - not a very good one. It always and only
follows bear right. It plays on 'bear' having two meanings as a verb and
as a noun. So that 'bear right' can mean 'turn slightly to the right, keep
to the right where the road forks' it can also mean 'look out! there's a
bear to your right'. There's also a beaver to your left. Ha bloody ha. As
I said, it's not a very funny joke. Slightly funnier is the 'ouch!' after
'sharp left/right'. There's also 'so cough up' after 'congestion charge'
which is quite funny the first few times you hear it. As there are no
bears in the UK and very few beavers I can only assume it's a joke for the
American market so I'm sorry it wooshed you. Some fell on stony ground, as
they say.

[Peter Duncanson [BrE]]

On 13 Sep 2014 07:59:19 GMT, "David D S" <inv...@m-invalid.invalid>
wrote:

>Dr Nick wrote:
>
>> "John Varela" <newl...@verizon.net> writes:
>>
>> > I paid my $12 to get John Cleese's voice on my TomTom GPS navigator
>> > and now I need help to understand what Cleese means by "beaver". The
>> > old, stock voice never used the word, but Cleese will say something
>> > like "Turn right and then beaver left". By "beaver" he doesn't mean
>> > just "turn" or "bear" because in other situations he uses both of
>> > those words. In fact, when he says "beaver" in general either "turn"
>> > or "bear" would do.
>> >
>> > I haven't heard him use the term often enough to be sure, but I
>> > think "beaver right" may mean something like "turn right and then
>> > turn right again".
>> >
>> > Can someone elucidate?
>>
>> I've heard it on someone's satnav and I thought it was a joke used
>> instead of "bear" (does he say something like "in 200 yards bear
>> right, beaver left"?).
>
>No, I think it's related to the use we have in British English of saying
>"X was beavering away at his homework" or something similar. I have
>always interpreted that sentence to mean that X was working hard
>and in a concentrated manner on his homework.
>

There is also the phrase "eager beaver": "a glutton for work; an
over-zealous or officious person; also attrib. and transf. (colloq.,
orig. U.S.)". [OED]

beaver, n.1

1.d. Phr. to work like a beaver : to work hard. orig. U.S.

1741 in H. M. Brooks Days of Spinning-Wheel (1886) II. 31 To be
sold.., the very best negro woman in this town, who..will work
like a beaver.
1835 Col. Crockett's Tour 73 Ingham worked honestly, like a
beaver.
....

The verb is more recent:

beaver, v.

2. [ < beaver n.1] Const. away: to work like a beaver.

1946 Time 22 Apr. 49 He found time to dash off five other books
while beavering away at his vast History.
1966 M. R. D. Foot SOE in France p. xxi, The gaullists beavered
away at their own plans, irrespective of the prospects of putting
them into action.
1967 Spectator 15 Dec. 740/2 The Germans beaver away at their
scheme for ‘entry by stages’.

--
Peter Duncanson, UK
(in alt.usage.english)

[R H Draney]

Derek Turner filted:

Ole was hunting for grizzlies out in da woods when he came to a fork in da trail
with a sign dat said "BEAR LEFT"...so he went home....r


--
Me? Sarcastic?
Yeah, right.

[Steve Hayes]

On Mon, 15 Sep 2014 00:01:10 +0000 (UTC), Lewis
<g.k...@gmail.com.dontsendmecopies> wrote:

>Okay, so one time? In band camp? John Varela <newl...@verizon.net> was all, like:
> --> 13 Sep 2014 02:06:16 GMT <51W5y0sPNk52-pn2-7HvWy81y1CXg@localhost>

>> I paid my $12 to get John Cleese's voice on my TomTom GPS navigator
>> and now I need help to understand what Cleese means by "beaver". The
>> old, stock voice never used the word, but Cleese will say something
>> like "Turn right and then beaver left".
>

>I think it's more like "a quick move" like maybe "jog" in an AmE
>context. "turn left, then jog right" or maybe "turn left, then slight
>turn right."

And then there's "short left".




--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

[John Varela]

On Sat, 13 Sep 2014 08:29:57 UTC, Derek Turner <frd...@cesmail.net>
wrote:

Wife and I took a ride today out to the Shenandoah Valley and heard
"Bear right and beaver left" several times. I'm now convinced that
you are correct and that it's just a weak joke.

As a prime example, there was a place in Fort Valley where the
narrow, unmarked road forked, and Cleese did his thing. After duly
bearing right, we saw that the road went straight ahead for about a
quarter of a mile, so it was clear that "beaver left" had had
nothing to do with giving directions.

I've had Cleese's voice for a couple of months, and only started
hearing the beaver line in the last week or so. I have never heard
the other jokes you mention above. Is there some random variation in
the lines the machine uses?

--
John Varela

[Derek Turner]

On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 00:36:13 +0000, John Varela wrote:

> Is there some random variation in the lines the machine uses?

No, it's quite predictable. Beaver left always follows bear right. Ouch
follows sharp left/right (can't remember which, possibly both?) and
congestion charge (at least in the UK) warns of congestion charging areas
(q.v. if you don't have them) and toll-roads (which I know you have!).

[John Varela]

On Tue, 16 Sep 2014 18:44:54 UTC, Derek Turner <frd...@cesmail.net>
wrote:

No, can't be. The zigzag that incited my original post is one that I
go through often. He never did the beaver thing until the last week
or two.

I've also taken a toll road since getting the Cleese voice and he
didn't make any jokes about that. I've also rejected his directions
to a toll road and taken the parallel freeway. I'm also pretty sure
I've been told to take a sharp turn.

Perhaps these things are introduced periodically to keep the user
from getting bored.

--
John Varela

[Mike L]

I spit myself of toll roads. Did Rebecca riot in vain?

--
Mike.