Not 'Arf

[brian friend]

Anyone know what *not 'arf* (as sung by John and Paul) during the
"Sheik of Araby", means?? Sounds comical...but the meaning eludes me.

[DaveInMn]

I'm guessing, but I think it means "not half" as in "not half true" or
"not hardly"

[saki]

In article <3185399A...@brooktree.com> brian friend <fri...@brooktree.com> writes:
>Anyone know what *not 'arf* (as sung by John and Paul) during the
>"Sheik of Araby", means?? Sounds comical...but the meaning eludes me.

It's a Britishism, as you rightly guessed.

It's "Not half", with the northern (or nowadays general intrusive-r)
inflection, "Not 'arf".

If you say you like something, like the Daily Mail, or Cadbury bars,
or single-malt whisky, and your companion says "Not 'arf", he (or
she) is agreeing with you vociferously. He (or she) doesn't just halfway
agree, either.

--
"Preachers and poets and scholars don't know it; temples and
statues and steeples won't show it. If you've got the secret
just try not to blow it...."
----------------------------------sa...@evolution.bchs.uh.edu

[Nickey Davies]

> Anyone know what *not 'arf* (as sung by John and Paul) during the
> "Sheik of Araby", means?? Sounds comical...but the meaning eludes me.

Not half. London term. Denotes emphatic agreement.

'So, these Beatles, you think they're quite good, then?'
'Not 'arf!'

'That George H. is a bit tasty, eh?'
'Phwargh! Not 'arf' etc.

As to why the Beatles would use it - Lance Percival, Sid James et al said
it a lot in '50s/'60s Ealing comedy films; I suppose it was something of
a catch-phrase. The pronunciation of it in TSOA is pure Percival.

NickeyXXX
when your bike is broken

[John Hopkin]

sa...@evolution.bchs.uh.edu (saki) wrote:

>In article <3185399A...@brooktree.com> brian friend <fri...@brooktree.com> writes:

>>Anyone know what *not 'arf* (as sung by John and Paul) during the
>>"Sheik of Araby", means?? Sounds comical...but the meaning eludes me.

>It's a Britishism, as you rightly guessed.

>It's "Not half", with the northern (or nowadays general intrusive-r)
>inflection, "Not 'arf".

>If you say you like something, like the Daily Mail, or Cadbury bars,
>or single-malt whisky, and your companion says "Not 'arf", he (or
>she) is agreeing with you vociferously. He (or she) doesn't just halfway
>agree, either.

>--
>"Preachers and poets and scholars don't know it; temples and
>statues and steeples won't show it. If you've got the secret
>just try not to blow it...."
>----------------------------------sa...@evolution.bchs.uh.edu

Now we know how Saki spends her evenings...Curled up
on the sofa with the evening paper, a bottle of whiskey, and
chocolates. BTW, it's a truncated version of "not half bad", which is
a compliment. I've heard New Yorkers using a similar phrase, i.e.
"That ain't half bad."
jhopkin

[Ellen Walther - Sun UK]

Translation = "not half", I don't know the context in the song but this is
normally a sarcastic way of expressing a superlative. Example:
John Lennon was brilliant? Not half! (in other words yesssssssss)

Ellen
Hampshire
England

Ellen....@sun.co.uk
el...@equus.win-uk.net
Web page at http://www.ibmpcug.co.uk/~ellen/ **now with a listing
of upcoming horse shows and other local equine events
in Southern England**

[David J. Hammar]

>> Anyone know what *not 'arf* (as sung by John and Paul) during the
>> "Sheik of Araby", means?? Sounds comical...but the meaning eludes me.

Other than EMI, who decided to put so much meaning into these supposed
"Not 'Arf"s anyway? Listen to it again -- they're just making Camel sounds!

Of course if you play it backwards, they are *clearly* saying "Sign us, or we're
going to make your U.S. subsidiary release 'My Bonnie'."

-- Dave H.