Push bike

Steve Hayes wrote:

On Sun, 10 May 2009 23:06:03 GMT, "Django Cat"
wrote:

the Omrud wrote:

wrote:
John Kane wrote:

A push bike typically refers to bicycle (human powered). I was
talking to a sport shop owner the other day and said that I
was in the shop to look at the push bikes not the motorbikes.

It's not an expression that I see or hear used frequently and I
was wondering if anyone has an idea of the origins of the
phrase?
Push bike is a terribly British affectation.

"terribly"? "affectation"? Are the English not permitted a
dialect of, er, English?


I am seriously beginning to think the answer is 'no'.

I'm wondering whether to stop being Mr Nice Guy... er ... Bloke ...
about this crap, as I have been throughout PTD's recent xenophobic
rants. Nobody these days wants to claim our variety of English sets
a world standard, but I'm fed up with US-default posters suggesting
it's some quaint f***ing curiosity.

Every dialect (including US ones) seems quaint and curious to those
who don't speak it.


Somebody told me today that many people in the US had said pigs would
fly before a black president was ever elected.

Then swine flu.

DC
--

James Hogg wrote:

On Mon, 11 May 2009 06:49:35 -0700 (PDT), Mike Mooney
wrote:

On 11 May, 12:38, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)"
wrote:
On Mon, 11 May 2009 11:55:18 +0100, Nick Spalding
wrote:





the Omrud wrote, in
on Mon, 11 May
2009 08:05:10 GMT:

Django Cat wrote:
Jerry Friedman wrote:

Speaking of
stickiness, though, may I venture to remind you of the Tar
Baby?

Ah. *Could be before my time...

BrE folk (apparently including DC) are not in general familiar
with Brer Rabbit and his friends, unless perhaps they are fans
of "Sons of the South". *Dad had a book of Brer Rabbit stories
which I suspect he may have got from Warwickshire-based
American soldiers during the war (he also laid his hands on a
number of now rare 78s), so I grew up knowing all about the Tar
Baby, although it didn't make an awful lot of sense to me in
the English Midlands in the late 50s.

Brer Rabbit was part of my childhood reading in the 1940s and I
am sure it didn't come to me via an American source.

Ditto (1940s/50s).


Ditto (1950s/60s)

Same here, same time.

I feel I've missed out, big time.

DC

--

Django Cat wrote:
James Hogg wrote:

On Mon, 11 May 2009 06:49:35 -0700 (PDT), Mike Mooney
wrote:

On 11 May, 12:38, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)"
wrote:
On Mon, 11 May 2009 11:55:18 +0100, Nick Spalding
wrote:





the Omrud wrote, in
on Mon, 11
May 2009 08:05:10 GMT:

Django Cat wrote:
Jerry Friedman wrote:

Speaking of
stickiness, though, may I venture to remind you of the Tar
Baby?

Ah. Could be before my time...

BrE folk (apparently including DC) are not in general familiar
with Brer Rabbit and his friends, unless perhaps they are
fans of "Sons of the South". Dad had a book of Brer Rabbit
stories which I suspect he may have got from
Warwickshire-based American soldiers during the war (he also
laid his hands on a number of now rare 78s), so I grew up knowing
all about the Tar Baby, although it didn't make an awful lot
of sense to me in the English Midlands in the late 50s.

Brer Rabbit was part of my childhood reading in the 1940s and I
am sure it didn't come to me via an American source.

Ditto (1940s/50s).


Ditto (1950s/60s)

Same here, same time.

I feel I've missed out, big time.

DC

So will generations, who will not learn of the Tar Baby nor of Little
Black Sambo. Is that a good thing?

"Song of the South", in my 78-RPM experience. Available on DVD.

--
Frank ess
Zip-a-dee-doo-da-ing

Frank ess wrote:



Django Cat wrote:
James Hogg wrote:

On Mon, 11 May 2009 06:49:35 -0700 (PDT), Mike Mooney
wrote:

On 11 May, 12:38, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)"
wrote:
On Mon, 11 May 2009 11:55:18 +0100, Nick Spalding
wrote:





the Omrud wrote, in
on Mon, 11
May 2009 08:05:10 GMT:

Django Cat wrote:
Jerry Friedman wrote:

Speaking of
stickiness, though, may I venture to remind you of
the Tar Baby?

Ah. Could be before my time...

BrE folk (apparently including DC) are not in general
familiar
with Brer Rabbit and his friends, unless perhaps they are
fans of "Sons of the South". Dad had a book of Brer Rabbit
stories which I suspect he may have got from
Warwickshire-based American soldiers during the war (he also
laid his hands on a number of now rare 78s), so I grew up knowing
all about the Tar Baby, although it didn't make an awful lot
of sense to me in the English Midlands in the late 50s.

Brer Rabbit was part of my childhood reading in the 1940s
and I
am sure it didn't come to me via an American source.

Ditto (1940s/50s).


Ditto (1950s/60s)

Same here, same time.

I feel I've missed out, big time.

DC

So will generations, who will not learn of the Tar Baby nor of Little
Black Sambo. Is that a good thing?

In the case of LBS, almost certainly 'yes'.

DC
--

Nick wrote:

the Omrud writes:

Django Cat wrote:
Jerry Friedman wrote:

Speaking of
stickiness, though, may I venture to remind you of the Tar Baby?

Ah. Could be before my time...

BrE folk (apparently including DC) are not in general familiar with
Brer Rabbit and his friends, unless perhaps they are fans of "Sons
of the South". Dad had a book of Brer Rabbit stories which I
suspect he may have got from Warwickshire-based American soldiers
during the war (he also laid his hands on a number of now rare
78s), so I grew up knowing all about the Tar Baby, although it
didn't make an awful lot of sense to me in the English Midlands in
the late 50s.

Whatever you do, don't make me read Uncle Remus. Please don't make me
read Uncle Remus.

Here you are, then, Nick:

http://tinyurl.com/osdcwj

I can't understand a word of it.

DC
--

Django Cat wrote:

Nick wrote:

the Omrud writes:

Django Cat wrote:
Jerry Friedman wrote:

Speaking of
stickiness, though, may I venture to remind you of the Tar Baby?

Ah. Could be before my time...

BrE folk (apparently including DC) are not in general familiar
with Brer Rabbit and his friends, unless perhaps they are fans of
"Sons of the South". Dad had a book of Brer Rabbit stories which
I suspect he may have got from Warwickshire-based American
soldiers during the war (he also laid his hands on a number of
now rare 78s), so I grew up knowing all about the Tar Baby,
although it didn't make an awful lot of sense to me in the
English Midlands in the late 50s.

Whatever you do, don't make me read Uncle Remus. Please don't make
me read Uncle Remus.

Here you are, then, Nick:

http://tinyurl.com/osdcwj

I can't understand a word of it.

DC

PS. And I think if I'd been asked to read this stuff in infants school
I'd have wept long and bitter tears.

--

the Omrud wrote:
Don Phillipson wrote:
wrote in message
...
Push bike is a terribly British affectation.

Nick Spalding wrote:

Nothing affected about it, it is just what it is called (or named).

In that case, what does the Englisman visualize when the term
"bicycle" is used?

Nothing special, viz. the universal name for any two-wheeler from an
Olympic racing bike to a plastic toy for infants. I think that JB's
material points we
1. Push bike is standard 20th century British speech (used by
all social classes.)
2. Those non-Brits who use traditional British vernacular are
often censured by others as pretentions.

Really? It seemed to me that he was marking *Brits* who use
traditional British vernacular as pretentious.

Yes, and he didn't deny it when he had the opportunity. Maybe the
bloke's channelling Riggs.

--
Mike.

Django Cat wrote:
Nick wrote:

the Omrud writes:

Django Cat wrote:
Jerry Friedman wrote:

Speaking of
stickiness, though, may I venture to remind you of the Tar Baby?
Ah. Could be before my time...
BrE folk (apparently including DC) are not in general familiar with
Brer Rabbit and his friends, unless perhaps they are fans of "Sons
of the South". Dad had a book of Brer Rabbit stories which I
suspect he may have got from Warwickshire-based American soldiers
during the war (he also laid his hands on a number of now rare
78s), so I grew up knowing all about the Tar Baby, although it
didn't make an awful lot of sense to me in the English Midlands in
the late 50s.
Whatever you do, don't make me read Uncle Remus. Please don't make me
read Uncle Remus.

Here you are, then, Nick:

http://tinyurl.com/osdcwj

I can't understand a word of it.

Gosh, is that where they got the Initial Teaching Alphabet spit?

--
David
in a Hilton

James Hogg wrote:

"Skitt" wrote:
James Hogg wrote:
"Skitt" wrote:
[...]
The common name for a bicycle in Latvia is "ritenis" -- that
translates to "wheel".

And there's German "Rad" with the same meanings.

In my experience, it was usually "Fahrrad". I don't recall
ever hearing just "Rad".

It's common enough, and the verb is "radeln":
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fahrrad

Skitt, when you lived in Germany (Bavaria), did you never hear the
standard Bavarian word for "bicycle," _Ràdl_? (à as in "but").
That's literally "little bicycle" and "little wheel" but is not a
diminutive. I bet you just forgot.

~~~ Reinhold {Rey} Aman ~~~
http://www.sonic.net/maledicta/

Django Cat wrote:
Frank ess wrote:



Django Cat wrote:
James Hogg wrote:

On Mon, 11 May 2009 06:49:35 -0700 (PDT), Mike Mooney
wrote:

On 11 May, 12:38, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)"
wrote:
On Mon, 11 May 2009 11:55:18 +0100, Nick Spalding
wrote:





the Omrud wrote, in
on Mon, 11
May 2009 08:05:10 GMT:

Django Cat wrote:
Jerry Friedman wrote:

Speaking of
stickiness, though, may I venture to remind you of
the Tar Baby?

Ah. Could be before my time...

BrE folk (apparently including DC) are not in general
familiar
with Brer Rabbit and his friends, unless perhaps they are
fans of "Sons of the South". Dad had a book of Brer Rabbit
stories which I suspect he may have got from
Warwickshire-based American soldiers during the war (he also
laid his hands on a number of now rare 78s), so I grew up knowing
all about the Tar Baby, although it didn't make an awful lot
of sense to me in the English Midlands in the late 50s.

Brer Rabbit was part of my childhood reading in the 1940s
and I
am sure it didn't come to me via an American source.

Ditto (1940s/50s).


Ditto (1950s/60s)

Same here, same time.

I feel I've missed out, big time.

DC

So will generations, who will not learn of the Tar Baby nor of Little
Black Sambo. Is that a good thing?

In the case of LBS, almost certainly 'yes'.

Yes, though he /is/ the hero, which lends a faint colour of doubt to
one's decision-making. Uncle Remus, though, is a great loss.

--
Mike.