Posted by Haeleth (leo.wwwcache.ox.ac.uk/163.1.103.121) on November 27, 2002 at 12:38:42
In Response to Re: Doumo, futari tomo. posted by Tetsuo on November 26, 2002 at 16:09:26:
> > > > And isn't American English rather redundant? I mean, when I read something, *everyone* speaks in American English? For you too, no? ;-)
> > >
> > > I think "no" is fairly accurate. :p
> > >
> > > I suppose I could give you Americans a version where he says "I say, this is jolly good, old chap", though...?
> >
> > If it's really supposed to be an English English equivilent, shouldn't it be more like,
> >
> > "Sweet FA! This is the dog's bollocks!"
> >
> > -MO
>
> "Sweet FA"?? You know that means "sweet fuck all", right?
Not really.
OED sv F III. 3. a. has "F.A., = FANNY ADAMS"; sv Fanny Adams,
1. Naut. slang. a. Tinned meat. b. Stew.
1889 BARRÈRE & LELAND Dict. Slang, Fanny Adams (naval), tinned mutton. 1927 Blackw. Mag. Feb. 259/2 ‘Fanny Adams’ (or preserved mutton) brought from the ship. 1962 W. GRANVILLE Dict. Sailors' Slang 46/1 Fanny Adams, general nautical slang for stew or hash.
2. slang. Freq. prec. by sweet: nothing at all. Cf. F.A. (F III. 3).
Sometimes interpreted as a euphemism for ‘sweet fuck all’ in the same sense.
1919 W. H. DOWNING Digger Dial. 22 F.A., ‘Fanny Adams’, or ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’nothing; vacuity. 1930 BROPHY & PARTRIDGE Songs & Slang 1914-18 123 F.A. Sometimes lengthened into Sweet F.A. or bowdlerized into Sweet Fanny Adams. Used to mean ‘nothing’ where something was expected. 1949 J. R. COLE It was so Late 61 What do they do? Sweet Fanny Adams!
So there you go. :D
"Real working-class English English" would have to be something like "Fuck me, that's like fucking awesome," but I'm trying to avoid swearing (what would my dear maiden aunt think?!).