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Where Does It Come From? Origins Of Phrases & Expressions

Where I live, many children are taught to say 'Ta'. I wasn't having that, or any baby-talk, so my kids said 'Thank you'.
 
escargot said:
Where I live, many children are taught to say 'Ta'. I wasn't having that, or any baby-talk, so my kids said 'Thank you'.
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Northernism, rather than 'baby-talk', I'd argue - similar to the definite article reduction t' for the.

Another theory is that it comes from the Gaelic, tapadh leibh/leit - but that seems pushing it to me.

Although a common claim, I don't really buy that it's a hangover from baby talk; I mean, there are plenty of examples of such linguistic simplification in the teaching of infants, so what would it be that would make this one stick in particular? It's so close to tak, takk, tack (Danish. Norwegian, Swedish) - especially with the harder 'a' sound used where I was brought up - that, if it is just a hangover from speech development, it's also a remarkable coincidence.
 
I'm a bit puzzled here ... what's either Northern or baby talk about saying 'ta' for 'thankyou'? Or 'ta muchly' instead of 'thank you very much'? :)
 
Sollywos said:
I'm a bit puzzled here ... what's either Northern or baby talk about saying 'ta' for 'thankyou'? Or 'ta muchly' instead of 'thank you very much'? :)
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Actually, although I've always assumed it was something that spread outwards from the North - thinking about it, I realise now that this is just an assumption; I have a vague idea it is more universal in certain regions, but can't really substantiate that.

I know it's pretty common in Wales. Oddly, though - given that I've having spent an awful lot of time living and working in Scotland the last two decades - I cannot for the life of me auralise (I don't know if there is such a word...whatever the ear-based version of 'visualise' is) how often I hear this there; I wonder if it's a case of a word being so familiar that it no longer registers.

Stormkhan said:
In some regions, especially Nottingham, someone who declares it "a bit parky" is met with "don't be so nesh!"
'Nesh' is, as far as I'm aware, being sensitive to cold.
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Same up in the Peak District when I was growing up - doesn't seem so common now.

It's old and venerable usage, and I had a vague recall from my uni days that it appears somewhere in Chaucer, which Wiki appears to confirm.
 
To be honest, baby talk or not, at least they have the manners to say thank you in one form or another.
Besides, some might consider using emojis as 'babytalk'.
 
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Floyd1 said:
Werrit -to worry excessively.

I think a Stoke/Potteries phrase, or that's where I first and only heard it anyway.
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Yup, as kids we'd be told 'Dinna' werrit'. As in, What you are worrying about is not important.

Here's one of my favourites - chopsin'. Always with the missing 'g', never 'chopsing'.

When I was late picking someone up a couple of years ago he accused me of chopsin'. That's talking with others in a friendly relaxed way, which you might enjoy so much you lose track of time. :chuckle:
 
Sid said:
I found this one mention though . . .
https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/553754/how-did-the-phrase-back-at-square-one-originate
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Good find! That article seems to have the earliest reference in literature to returning to square one (1946), but the Radio Times' use way back in 1927 of the numbered visual key for radio commentary of football matches, where square 1 was back in one goal area, is also quite compelling. Are we sure that Shakespeare never employed the term?
 
escargot said:
Yup, as kids we'd be told 'Dinna' werrit'. As in, What you are worrying about is not important.

Here's one of my favourites - chopsin'. Always with the missing 'g', never 'chopsing'.

When I was late picking someone up a couple of years ago he accused me of chopsin'. That's talking with others in a friendly relaxed way, which you might enjoy so much you lose track of time. :chuckle:
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Yes and a 'chops' as in a chat.
 
Spookdaddy said:
Northernism, rather than 'baby-talk', I'd argue - similar to the definite article reduction t' for the.

Another theory is that it comes from the Gaelic, tapadh leibh/leit - but that seems pushing it to me.

Although a common claim, I don't really buy that it's a hangover from baby talk; I mean, there are plenty of examples of such linguistic simplification in the teaching of infants, so what would it be that would make this one stick in particular? It's so close to tak, takk, tack (Danish. Norwegian, Swedish) - especially with the harder 'a' sound used where I was brought up - that, if it is just a hangover from speech development, it's also a remarkable coincidence.
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Im a Cockney and everyone said Ta round my way
 
blessmycottonsocks said:
Good find! That article seems to have the earliest reference in literature to returning to square one (1946), but the Radio Times' use way back in 1927 of the numbered visual key for radio commentary of football matches, where square 1 was back in one goal area, is also quite compelling. Are we sure that Shakespeare never employed the term?
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That theory has been dismissed if you look at the link.
 
escargot said:
We can 'ave a brew an' a chops.
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'chopping' and 'chapping' were trading. As in a 'chapman' was a peddler, carrying goods around for sale, and round here we have Chop Gate (pronounced 'Chop Yat') which is presumed to have been a market.

I seem to remember that 'chopping' for selling or swapping goods came from the Romany term. Although I might be mistaken on that one, it was a long time ago.....
 
catseye said:
'chopping' and 'chapping' were trading. As in a 'chapman' was a peddler, carrying goods around for sale, and round here we have Chop Gate (pronounced 'Chop Yat') which is presumed to have been a market.

I seem to remember that 'chopping' for selling or swapping goods came from the Romany term. Although I might be mistaken on that one, it was a long time ago.....
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I was chopsing. It's what you do with your chops.
 
I'd love to know the origin of the Irish term 'banjaxed'.
 
catseye said:
Do the words have the same origin? Exchanging talk is very similar to exchanging goods.
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Your chops is your mouth, though the word is more usually associated with animals such as dogs and wolves.
It's used jokingly about humans. Animals don't chops.
 
escargot said:
Your chops is your mouth, though the word is more usually associated with animals such as dogs and wolves.
It's used jokingly about humans. Animals don't chops.
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How does one 'earn their chops'?
 
Yup. Your 'chops' was your mouth/jaw region. You've also got the old 'experience' meaning such as "He earned his acting chops while working for ..."
Perhaps the meaning of 'chops' means tested under stress?
 
escargot said:
Where I live, many children are taught to say 'Ta'. I wasn't having that, or any baby-talk, so my kids said 'Thank you'.
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Down here in the deepest darkest south west, 'Ta' is often taught as the first baby version of 'thank you' alongside Ma-Ma and Da-Da and similar first words.

We do expect them to have mastered "thank'ee me loverr, gurt lovely" and "where's me bleddy tractor an' trailer to?" by age 4 though. We're not Philistines.
 
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