Balderdash and Piffle

[mathare]

Anyone who has been watching this on the BBC will no doubt share my view that this has been an excellent series so far. Plus Victoria Coren is hot :icon_tong

Anyway - they were bloody brave tonight I thought. When tackling the origins of words beginning with 'c' they did indeed tackle the 'c' word, the one remaining taboo word that causes a shock when used. They did it rather well too I thought.

[tophatter]

they did indeed tackle the 'c' word, the one remaining taboo word that causes a shock when used.

Celtic:doh

[mathare]

Celtic:doh:laugh

[bigcumba]

Very Good TH! And yes it was a great programme, very interesting. If you like this sort of thing you should get a hold of one of Bill Bryson's (the travel writer) books on the English language - as always he adds his humour to what could be a very dull subject.

[mathare]

I've read a lot of Bill Bryson stuff and I agree, he's very good.

Tim Moore has written some interesting Bryson-esque books that are worth reading too. French Revolutions (about the author cycling round France) and Do Not Pass Go (I think that's the title, about the history of London on the Monopoloy board) are both great reads

[bigcumba]

I read one called Frost On My Moustache - that was very Bryson-like. It's his travels around the Arctic - very funny! I must check out the othersyou recommended!

[vegyjones]

Bil Bryson... I loved him in that Channel 4 comedy set in the book shop! :)

[John]

Inform me about this, will ya? :) Cause, well, I've been meaning to watch it. Really very much so. And haven't. I wanted to watch it tonight too but I totally forgot and am now kicking myself. ;fire

I've got Eats, Shoots and Leaves and have read some of that, it's a very good book.

I love the English language, how words are formed and put together, used, the things you can do with words, etc...

So what's Balderdash and Piffle all about?

[MarcusMel]

Challenge the nation to find the earilist written use of a word and if possible the roots of the word.

'Cool' what was the origin of the use of this word in the contexts of smooth confident person.

[markwales]

A really interesting show. It amazes me sometimes how easy it is to pre-date what the OED have found as the first use of a word. Saying that, they have well over 500,000 words to look at (probably double that but I don't listen :D), and so by concentrating on just one, it must be easier.

Last nights show was brave in the least, the 'C' word was a very interesting segment of the programme. It amused me when they showed how Shakespeare had written the word in one of his plays. And of course Germaine Greer asking old biddies on the street do they like the word C**t :laugh :laugh

[tovarich]

It could only be Germaine Greer who could handle saying the "C" word on television and interesting how many people in the street didn't like it and wouldn't use it and yet at one time, apparently, it was in daily usage.

And I wonder why and when it became a more or less no-no word?

[Merlin]

Its the 4th Joint most used word in my house :yikes: