Early Doors?

[Panic Button]

What is the origin of the phrase Early Doors

[moppettshow]

It was an expression coined by Ron Atkinson, football pundit and racist.

[Panic Button]

Thanks.

Not convinced he is racist though,despite his use of a racist word. I can understand his claim that it was a foolish use of the word as a term of endearment.

Look at his record of bringing coloured players through, almost breaking the mould at West Brom with Laurie Cunningham, Cyrille Regis, Brendan Batson and Remi Moses at a time when this was almost unheard of.

By the way which door was he referring to, the dressing room?

[makemesmile]

You have to remember that words/phrases we now consider racist, were widely used and not meant to offend. I recall a great aunt (quite elderly) wanting a '****** brown' cardigan, much to our horror! But that's what she was brought up calling that particular shade of brown, and meant no insult to black people at all.

[makemesmile]

You don't have to get so uptight and angry you know. I wasn't personally attacking you

[Panic Button]

A bit baffled by this.
A second short comment appeared from you, but now I log on again it has now disappeared (censored?)

I didn't do anything, so where you get the idea I was uptight and angry from I have no idea

[jno]

Panic Button, it was my answer that was removed, because it quoted Atkinson's phrase - fair enough (though I'd asterisked it all); I was sceptical of makemesmile's comment as well, which wasn't intended to be offensive either, and sorry if I seemed rude, makemesmile.

Anyway, the unobjectionable bit (I hope) of my answer was as follows:

As for early doors, I think it's a mangling of 'early days', which sounds sort of wartime-ish... we're only in the early days of the fighting so far, no knowing how it will end.

[chimney]

It comes from when pubs by the Fish markets and such like would open at 5 or 6 in the morning for the traders

DOORS open EARLY