Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

You are right Spitty, weighty subjects are inclined to bog one down, move on I say.

In an old film I watched last night.
A man is pointing a gun at two bank tellers and demanding money, one of the tellers says to his colleague “You’d better give him the money Steve, he’s got the upper hand”

Not an unusual scene in a gangster film, but it left me wondering where that expression “having the upper hand” came from, Pug would know the answer to that one, he was great at that sort of thing.

I know I’m in rambling mood here, but when you think about it people do use some very odd expressions without realising the words they are using, it must be tough on someone learning the language, these words sort of come automatically with us humans and are used by the most logical of people, like you can’t get anyone more logical than bank staff where every single penny has to be accounted for at the end of the day, well that was the way it used to be when there were banks everywhere.
Wouldn’t it be using less words and more correct to say “he’s got the advantage”?

There are those who would say that in some marriages the wife always has the upper hand, others say upper hands are tough people and are usually men.

A foreign person not fluent in English might reasonably ask
“Which hand is the upper hand, left or right?”

To which his native friend might logically assume
“If you hold down your right hand then lift the left hand, the left is the upper hand and vice versa.

Then they both would ponder in puzzlement.
“What advantage is it to you to have one hand higher than the other?”

Actually I knew a fella whose left arm was about six inches shorter than his right arm (remember the thalidomide babies, terrible thing that) so one hand was always higher than the other, he would joke that he always had the upper hand and that he was great at shorthand typing, a very jolly fella who enjoyed life to the full.

Heavy handed everyone can understand, that explains itself.

I can find nothing that explains the origins of it on the net, my guess is that it could be something to do with the use of swords, holding a sword high in the hand (upper) as if to strike someone down, just as in the men wearing their swords on the left of the body leaving the right hand free to draw it without hinderance in an emergency, also a lady would link his arm on the left side to keep his right hand free.
They were the times when robbers were thick on the ground, men lived by the sword and felt naked without one, I think that still goes on today in some countries, only with guns and not swords, you never argue with a gun in your face.

The woman on the left of the man, a practice that still went on during my courting days, my missus was always on my left side, even in bed, she doesn’t feel comfortable on the right, strange creatures of habit we humans.

I forgot to add that the bank robber told the tellers not to make any “false moves”, I haven’t a clue what a false move is and I’m not going into it now, either one moves or one doesn’t move, there’s nothing false about moving unless you have two wooden legs.

Time for cocoa and me little green pill now.

Plenty of moving going on here.

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

I’m curious. I always meant to ask Bruce this question.
Was Australian PM, Scotty from Marketing a fan of Starship Enterprise’s Scotty from packaging and dispatch in the transporter room?, maybe he’s a closeted “Trekie”

Since this third lockdown started over three months ago I’ve been eating an awful lot of chocolate, oh yes I’m as guilty as sin, no Guinness you see as I’ve stopped buying the canned stuff, just got tired of it and it goes too flat after you pour it, you can’t beat the real pint of draught Guinness they serve in the pub and its been well over a year since I’ve had one.

Kit Kat bars, Rolo, Fruit&Nut, whipped cream whirls, Flakes, Aero, you name it and I’ve eaten it, and over the Easter you can add several Easter eggs, a box of Ferrero Rocher, and a box of Black Magic, not to mention all the Magnum choc ices.
Honestly, if it were not for the smokes I’d have eaten a lot more chocolate junk.

And yes I have put on a few pounds, 4 to be exact, I was 10 and a half stone now I’m just 3 pounds short of 11 stone, never been that heavy before in my entire life, beer never made me put on weight and by God I’ve downed plenty of it in me hayday.

So that’s it, me mind is made up, no more chocolate for me!

I’m getting me second jab of Pfizer (the good stuff ) two weeks from today and there’ll be no stopping me going out for long walks with the dog, as it is we only go around to the shops and back again.

Chocolate in my opinion is highly addictive and should carry a warning on each bar and box, there is no doubt about it, it definitely makes you fat, you don’t need an expert to to tell you that.

“The Vanishing Chocolate Box”
A mystery in 6 lines.

I had a box of chocolates, I left them on the table
I was going to finish them off, as soon as I was able
You see my belly was full, and I needed a little snooze
So I thought I’d have them later, with a glass of lager booze.
But the wife got there first, and scoffed off the box
So I’m doing chocolate cold Turkey, and chewing on my socks.

The withdrawals are horrendous, don’t become addicted! give it up now!

I hate hot chocolate, but this lot I like.

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

I eat treats in batches, not just ones in boxes
Quality Street, and Roses... Custard Creams and Foxes
Get on the Scales each day, too spot the extra Kilos
When the figures registered its back to three square mealo's

Spitty ©2021 ish

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

A man walks down the street
He says, "Why am I short of attention?
Got a short little span of attention
And, whoa, my nights are so long
Where's my wife and family?
What if I die here?

Good poetry!

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

I'm interested in the origins of words and sayings and can spout word trivia at you until your ears bleed.

Afore organs were invented, churches sometimes had a minstrels' gallery at the back. When it was time to sing, the congregation were asked to, "turn and face the music".

When a village girl was to be wed, the locals would have a whip round and buy a barrel of beer. This would then be sold at a profit and the proceeds used to buy a posh frock for the bride to be.
The beer was called "Bride-Ale" and the posh frock was called the "Bride-Ale Gown."

Musicians would sometimes be pulled around the village on a cart so they could play celebratory music to everyone local. This was called the "Band-Wagon." Someone who wanted to get from one part of the village to the other but didn't want to walk would sometimes climb aboard. This was known as jumping on the "band-wagon".
Sometimes people who had consumed too much "bride-ale" would slip off the cart, so they were said to have, "fallen off the wagon".

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

When I was a blood platelet donor, I was allowed to donate every four weeks so I used to go in of afternoon on a day when I was working an evening shift. Sadly I am no longer able to give due to the bucketful of meds I have to take, but when I did, the staff did an iron check of my blood before every session. The problem was, the more I donated, the lower went my iron levels to the point where I had to stop and let it build up again.
One of the suggestions was to drink iron rich stout, so for a couple of years I became a Guinness drinker. It was not my favourite tipple, but drinking beer to help others was a sacrifice I was willing to make.

I have drunk Guinness at the hallowed place in Dublin where it is crafted, I have drunk it on draught, from bottles and tins, but most of the stuff came from the London brewery. It is true, you can tell the difference and the stuff from St James's Gate is far superior to the rest.

I must confess however that the best Irish stout I ever tasted was a pint of Smithwicks in a most excellent pub, the name of which escapes me, but was in the village of Enniskerry, Co Wicklow.
The best stout overall I have ever tasted was Courage's Glucose stout, but sadly it is no longer produced.

Whilst working in the US of A I used to frequent a bar near my hotel where they had a strange device; some sort of vibrating table to shake cans of Guinness such that when it was poured, it came out akin to the draught version.
The staff were told that under no circumstances should it ever be used on anything other than tins of Guinness.
Chatting with the bar chappy one evening he told me they had ignored it and tried it with American beer.
... It took them two hours to clean the bar after they opened the tinny!

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

Never been a Guinness fan (on its own) always found it had a bitter after taste, I know Jem will call this sacrilege but, I used to enjoy a couple of Guinness's and Barley Wines in equal measure.

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

Jem is close to Forum God
Strikes just when thoughts start to Grob
In the absence of a young Bob
Stabs you with a cattle Prod.

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

No © here, who gives a shite who uses it.

Re: Leisurely Scribbles (part 5)

Quote Fruitcake: “One of the suggestions was to drink iron rich stout, so for a couple of years I became a Guinness drinker. It was not my favourite tipple, but drinking beer to help others was a sacrifice I was willing to make.”

Oh I know Fruity, terrible isn’t it, me heart bleeds for you, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

My wife was anaemic when she was a young girl and the doctor recommended she take a half pint bottle of Guinness twice a week, God’s truth, she’s marvellous now for her age and has graduated to pints of the stuff when she’s in the pub, she knows what’s good for her does my missus, she’s 76 now, flighty as a bird and jumps like a fawn, and not a grey hair in her head, God bless her she’s a wonder to behold.

You hit the nail on the head there when you mentioned Smithwicks, I seldom drink ale or lager but when the weather is very hot I love a pint of Smithwicks, it's your only man, the best ale ever produced over here in my opinion.
*********

Sat on a steel tack today, went right through my pants
Got no pity for all my rants
So I got me a few swigs of old Jamaica Rum
And It soon fixed that awful pain in me bum.

Now I feel great.

It’s April again, and now,

I’m waiting for the sunshine to roll again
I’m waiting for the raindrops to stall.
I’m waiting for the hugs and the kisses to start
And I’m waiting for my baby to caw-a-all.

(To be tap danced atop the kitchen table and sung in the style of Al Jolson)

Here’s the man himself, he was a real game changer on the music scene back then, this is still a popular tune to this day, no mean feat…allowed in our house, slippers. socks, or shoes must be worn at all times, don’t want folks covid germs getting on the floor.