tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post201573985464537198..comments2024-03-16T00:21:43.240+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: skiving, bunking, playing hookylynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-49938918249207334112019-05-27T10:53:02.649+01:002019-05-27T10:53:02.649+01:00BrE. Scot, mid 60s. As kids, we would plunk school...BrE. Scot, mid 60s. As kids, we would plunk school, and the truant officer was the “plunky man”. This was confusing and a bit perturbing. For very young children, “ to plunk” was used more often than “to poo”.Shy-replyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01891566073375322808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-69911843861437209242017-08-02T02:54:36.601+01:002017-08-02T02:54:36.601+01:00Ex military personnel that I know (Both Brits and ...Ex military personnel that I know (Both Brits and Yanks) often use AWOL (Absent Without Leave) when they have not turned up for work but as you said earlier skived is usually sneaking off early without permission. I have often heard the phrase "skipped off early" which although not identical to skived of early its fairly close,Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04170012091488722437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-19557731058118697352017-03-06T18:02:08.943+00:002017-03-06T18:02:08.943+00:00It can also mean "brave" in British Engl...It can also mean "brave" in British English, as in the Christian chorus "Be bold! Be Strong! For the Lord your God is with you."Mrs Redboots (Annabel Smyth)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11270027663691257254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-47391051427946939972017-03-05T21:57:27.244+00:002017-03-05T21:57:27.244+00:00In my childhood in Ireland "mitch" was u...In my childhood in Ireland "mitch" was used too!Ian Mac Eochagáinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08807587737403861042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-65558126328604131042017-03-05T21:56:02.184+00:002017-03-05T21:56:02.184+00:00That is a translation of the Irish (Gaelic) word &...That is a translation of the Irish (Gaelic) word "dána" and that usage of "bold" is unique to Irish English, as far as I know. British people would say "naughty" and reserve "bold" for "forthright, cheeky".Ian Mac Eochagáinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08807587737403861042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-64898373626962432982017-02-25T02:24:23.881+00:002017-02-25T02:24:23.881+00:00Hey, I know this is year too late, but there IS a ...Hey, I know this is year too late, but there IS a perfect American equivalent to skive, but it is no longer in use. That word is slough. I think it's heyday was the 1800s. Nowadays we use bail.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12351133324949225183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-78879606015522031592012-08-26T19:33:05.297+01:002012-08-26T19:33:05.297+01:00You here too, Broughton Lass?
Yes, 'sagging...You here too, Broughton Lass? <br /><br />Yes, 'sagging' in Liverpool, and 'twagging' actoss the country in Hull, where it was in use both by the children at the school where I taught (but I'm much better now thank you) and by my colleagues at the printing company where I cut my computer teeth.<br />enitharmonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17829757748223670291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-23293160688830888232011-11-24T06:53:24.642+00:002011-11-24T06:53:24.642+00:00(25-year-old Californian)
I would say playing hoo...(25-year-old Californian)<br /><br />I would say playing hooky can definitely be for work and is a decent analogue for skiving. A Google search shows over 250,000 hits for "playing hooky from work" (but sans quotes). Then appr. 650,000 for "playing hooky from school". Similar searches for 'skiving' show a stronger correlation for work than school, but I still say it's a good AmE alternative! I would also use ditching. Cutting or skipping definitely refer to school rather than work.<br /><br />Also, I'd never heard of shirtsleeves. I don't know if that's my youth or my rarely-need-a-sweater home speaking. ;)Jessicahttp://nisababepraised.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-29993834597075854072011-07-04T18:14:46.852+01:002011-07-04T18:14:46.852+01:00"I love that you can do it ..."
Where di...<i>"I love that you can do it ..."</i><br />Where did that construction originate?Little Black Sambohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16699227938165106710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-11740026463732595542011-05-26T02:46:43.954+01:002011-05-26T02:46:43.954+01:00I have it on good authority that in Canada taking ...I have it on good authority that in Canada taking the day off work for no good reason is called 'f***ing the dog'.Ignacionoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-27096460378141597702011-05-17T15:28:17.687+01:002011-05-17T15:28:17.687+01:00An Austrailian colleague used the phrase "chu...An Austrailian colleague used the phrase "chuck a sickie", which described a healthy person calling in sick in order to take the day off. I've never heard that in any other dialect, but would love to have is cross borders.Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07392387702558686400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-23637982715742161502011-05-11T20:05:24.657+01:002011-05-11T20:05:24.657+01:00I don't take sickies, I throw them (as in &quo...I don't take sickies, I throw them (as in "I threw a sickie"). I think that might be Liverpudlian.<br /><br />(Broughton Lass - did you by any chance go to Broughton Hall in the 70s? So did I.)Tillyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01971370513808010385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-22646782761429425862011-05-11T16:52:48.884+01:002011-05-11T16:52:48.884+01:00Hello all! I've been away so long- I'm ter...Hello all! I've been away so long- I'm terribly behind, but thought I'd chip in quickly on this one.<br /><br />You'll be pleased to know that both bunking and bunking off are alive and well in this Essex comprehensive system [AmE <b>public school?</b>] and was prolific during my time there in the late 90s/early 00s.<br /><br />Here's another one for you- you don't hear it terribly often, but I hgave encountered it all over South/East England 'Early swerve' as in:<br /><br />"Have you seen Mike?"<br />"No, he took an early swerve."<br /><br />To mean leaving one's place of work before one's contracted hours have expired.Solonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-34984809971842061742011-04-17T02:40:45.646+01:002011-04-17T02:40:45.646+01:00"Wag"/"wagging" has always int..."Wag"/"wagging" has always interested me. As an Australian I've used it all my life to mean truancy, thinking it was a unique Australian slang expression. Then I read 'Dombey and Son' by Charles Dickens which includes the following exchange:<br /><br />"... My misfortunes all began in wagging, Sir; but what could I do, exceptin' wag?'<br /><br />'Excepting what?' said Mr Carker.<br /><br />'Wag, Sir. Wagging from school.'<br /><br />'Do you mean pretending to go there, and not going?' said Mr Carker.<br /><br />'Yes, Sir, that's wagging, Sir,' returned the quondam Grinder, much affected. 'I was chivied through the streets, Sir, when I went there, and pounded when I got there. So I wagged, and hid myself, and that began it.' "<br /><br />This was written in 1846-48 so I assume the slang was transported to Australia with the convicts.Angienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-36351014511863872512011-04-16T23:59:40.998+01:002011-04-16T23:59:40.998+01:00@Dru, a mental health day is slightly different th...@Dru, a mental health day is slightly different than a sickie. You take a day off for preventative maintenance of your mental health, though, yeah, as a practical matter, you call in sick when you aren't.Leslie Loftis (AHLondon)https://www.blogger.com/profile/06020350324457740919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-79795673004273046722011-04-15T12:54:26.318+01:002011-04-15T12:54:26.318+01:00Over 40 years ago, as a student, I had a job in a ...Over 40 years ago, as a student, I had a job in a leather factory, and was put one day on a machine which shaved a camber on half-soles so that they could be attached to the shoe. This was known as 'skiving'. The verb is in the full OED. I wondered at the time whether this was where the more familiar meaning came from, as it was a fairly easy job, a cushy billet.<br /><br />Ditch used intransitively still to me means to land a 'plane 'in the drink', so that using it in some other way is quite normal but remains a metaphor with a resonance of that meaning.<br /><br />I've not heard 'mental health day'. Is that the same as a 'sickie'. The two essentials of a sickie are that you are claiming to be ill enough not to go to work, but aren't.Drunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-10564484899042575922011-04-14T01:05:55.658+01:002011-04-14T01:05:55.658+01:00I put in the bit about jumpers/sweaters because if...I put in the bit about jumpers/sweaters because if someone who wasn't familiar with the phrase read the definition with just 'without a jacket', they could have imagined 'something else instead of jacket'. Or, at least, that was my reasoning...lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-18759766156532715492011-04-14T01:03:25.666+01:002011-04-14T01:03:25.666+01:00Lynne
What was slightly confusing in your first d...Lynne<br /><br />What was slightly confusing in your first definition of in her shirtsleeves was the tag 'or (BrE) jumper/(AmE) sweater'.<br /><br />For me, it just means 'without a jacket' or 'without a blazer', and the tenor of some of the replies suggests that many Brits also associate it with shirtsleeve order in its army sense. Smart, but a step down in formality. If what you've removed is a jumper/sweater/woolly/cardigan/tracksuit top, then you haven't changed the formality of dress at all. <br /><br />If you hadn't used the expression dragged herself around I'd be tempted to picture young Grover striding purposefully about, compensating for lost effect — having discarded the power-shouldered top half of her little business suit.<br /><br />Of course, it works the other way. The old stereotype of the working man at the seaside with a knotted handkerchief of his head and in his shirtsleeves was also a contrast of formality — He was dressed too formally for the beach.<br /><br />With cloth caps rather than knotted handkerchiefs, that how most of Madness were dressed for most of the video in your <a href="http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2011/02/in-middle-of-our-streetblock.html" rel="nofollow">in the middle of our street/block</a> thread. Some wore short-sleeved pullovers, but the absence of jackets made it count as <i>in their shirtsleeves</i>. Part of the humour was that they were overdressed for the pool and the squash court and way too informally dressed for the board room.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-90126488361556254292011-04-14T00:43:23.153+01:002011-04-14T00:43:23.153+01:00This comment has been removed by the author.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-92038835620365151932011-04-13T20:46:04.694+01:002011-04-13T20:46:04.694+01:00@Ruth--just to be clear: there's only one pers...@Ruth--just to be clear: there's only one person here who seems to have thought it mean 'short sleeves'. I don't think that's a widespread meaning. I just used it to mean 'no jacket, just sleeves'. If I'd meant short sleeves, I'd've said that.lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-11287418483333604882011-04-13T17:25:03.427+01:002011-04-13T17:25:03.427+01:00Chiming in just to say that, like Sir Watkin, I as...Chiming in just to say that, like Sir Watkin, I associate shirtsleeves with 'Shirtsleeve order' at school - both boys and girls wore long sleeved shirts, ties and blazers, and only on extremely hot days would the order go out.<br /><br />It was blissful coolness: remove the blazer, remove the tie, roll up the sleeves above the elbow. No half-measures or non-compliance allowed!<br /><br />Should probably note as well that this was only about ten years ago for me, so it's not an ancient usage (though the school was a bit devoted to its traditions).<br /><br />It really confused me in this post - I had no idea that it could mean 'short sleeves' until I read the comments, and was wondering why a small child would be wearing a shirt and tie.Ruthnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-86434035151419574452011-04-13T11:00:13.626+01:002011-04-13T11:00:13.626+01:00As an American living here I find 'skive' ...As an American living here I find 'skive' a very useful word. I think I would have once said 'skip work'. My family members who work in the US prison system use 'bang in' for calling in sick when you aren't really, i.e. skiving.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-67576727135483608522011-04-13T10:32:37.579+01:002011-04-13T10:32:37.579+01:00Thanks, Lynne. A nice trip down memory lane, think...Thanks, Lynne. A nice trip down memory lane, thinking about the school days.<br /><br />In 70s/80s Kent it was known as "to bunk off", "doing a bunk", "bunked-off", "bunking-off", "to skive", "skiving", "skiver". I didn't miss a day of school so cannot say I partook in any of these.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13667139464173662523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-75313002997435818532011-04-13T10:13:36.640+01:002011-04-13T10:13:36.640+01:00A bit late, but I just want to support David Crosb...A bit late, but I just want to support David Crosbie's differentiation of 'skive' and 'skive off'...lynneguisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-85264564413703879642011-04-13T08:58:18.366+01:002011-04-13T08:58:18.366+01:00Re: shirtsleeves, the usual image I associate with...Re: shirtsleeves, the usual image I associate with this is the man who has taken off his jacket and rolled up his shirtsleeves as a signal that he is really getting down to work.Miriamhttp://www.xenophilia.netnoreply@blogger.com