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Lancashire prose!!
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Why would a true Lancashire lad (or lass), in a term of surprise say 'Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs' ?
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�Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs' is probably a euphemism for a much stronger expression of surprise, just as �Cor blimey!' is an acceptable version of �God blind me!'
The word �foot' was probably chosen to chime with the 'f' of a strong swear-word, with the �of our stairs' just tagged on to make sense...it had to be the foot of something, after all. The whole thing is, in other words, very likely just a polite version of "Well, I'll go to f*&@!"
Of course, it was used in total innocence by many people - including charming old grannies! - in the same way as they probably said "What the heck!" little realising that that was just a polite way of saying "What the hell!"
"I'll go to the foot of our stairs!" was used as a catchphrase by entertainers such as Tommy Handley and George Formby on radio shows in the 1940s, but there appears to be no evidence that either actually coined it. Accordingly, the naughty explanation is just as likely as the innocent one.
The word �foot' was probably chosen to chime with the 'f' of a strong swear-word, with the �of our stairs' just tagged on to make sense...it had to be the foot of something, after all. The whole thing is, in other words, very likely just a polite version of "Well, I'll go to f*&@!"
Of course, it was used in total innocence by many people - including charming old grannies! - in the same way as they probably said "What the heck!" little realising that that was just a polite way of saying "What the hell!"
"I'll go to the foot of our stairs!" was used as a catchphrase by entertainers such as Tommy Handley and George Formby on radio shows in the 1940s, but there appears to be no evidence that either actually coined it. Accordingly, the naughty explanation is just as likely as the innocent one.
As a matter of interest, the following is an extract from his entry in Worldwidewords on "big girl's blouse" by Michael Quinion...
"I�ve been vaguely dreading somebody asking this question, because it is one of a set of Northern idioms that are quite impenetrable in their origins. Others are the exclamation of surprise, �well, I�ll go to the foot of our stairs!� and the dismissive �all mouth and trousers�.
As you can see, this well-known etymologist is happy to admit that the origin is, quote, "impenetrable", so - given that any answer here is a guess - anyone's guess is as good as the next person's.
"I�ve been vaguely dreading somebody asking this question, because it is one of a set of Northern idioms that are quite impenetrable in their origins. Others are the exclamation of surprise, �well, I�ll go to the foot of our stairs!� and the dismissive �all mouth and trousers�.
As you can see, this well-known etymologist is happy to admit that the origin is, quote, "impenetrable", so - given that any answer here is a guess - anyone's guess is as good as the next person's.
What I agreed with was his comment on 'I'll go to the foot of our stairs', that being the phrase under discussion here. The other was mentioned simply because it was part of Quinion's quote.
However, as I suggested, one may come to whatever intuitive explanation one wills, but that doesn't make it correct. Perhaps loudmouthed chauvinism might be claimed if the words were spoken by a woman, but is there any evidence that only women ever said it...particularly given that it comes from land of the suppposedly hard Northerner?
Nah, as QM I'll stick with MQ! And I'll leave it at that.
However, as I suggested, one may come to whatever intuitive explanation one wills, but that doesn't make it correct. Perhaps loudmouthed chauvinism might be claimed if the words were spoken by a woman, but is there any evidence that only women ever said it...particularly given that it comes from land of the suppposedly hard Northerner?
Nah, as QM I'll stick with MQ! And I'll leave it at that.
Sorry, Qmonster, but I can't.
'I'll go to the foot of our stairs', is indeed the phrase under discussion here, but you say your MQ quote is about "big girl's blouse". That is of course perfectly in order, as it does say that "big girl's blouse" is one of a set of Northern idioms that are quite impenetrable in their origins, and include the exclamation of surprise, �well, I�ll go to the foot of our stairs!� and the dismissive �all mouth and trousers�.
You say this well-known etymologist is happy to admit that the origin is, quote, "impenetrable", but you don't say the origin of what, and the immediate antecedent is "big girl's blouse and its pals.
You signal your agreement to the assertion of impenetrability by saying "given that any answer here is a guess - anyone's guess is as good as the next person's."
So I pointed out that it was a bit wet of MQ not even to hazard a guess, and accepted your invitation to hazard my own.
'I'll go to the foot of our stairs', is indeed the phrase under discussion here, but you say your MQ quote is about "big girl's blouse". That is of course perfectly in order, as it does say that "big girl's blouse" is one of a set of Northern idioms that are quite impenetrable in their origins, and include the exclamation of surprise, �well, I�ll go to the foot of our stairs!� and the dismissive �all mouth and trousers�.
You say this well-known etymologist is happy to admit that the origin is, quote, "impenetrable", but you don't say the origin of what, and the immediate antecedent is "big girl's blouse and its pals.
You signal your agreement to the assertion of impenetrability by saying "given that any answer here is a guess - anyone's guess is as good as the next person's."
So I pointed out that it was a bit wet of MQ not even to hazard a guess, and accepted your invitation to hazard my own.
Accordingly, Qmonster, I now hazard the guess that it was a proto-protocolization (sic, btw) of male chauvinism dating from pre-PC times when the modern concept wasn't even invented, or at any rate widely known, and that it is therefore quite likely that it was not only said mostly by women, but first said by a woman. It is absurd to expect any evidence that it was ONLY, or even mostly, said by women, but the evidence I would adduce for �mostly� and my even more provocative suggestion that it was in all likelihood first said by a woman, is that the native wit of woman has been quite capable of such insights from time immemorial, and certainly before fancy words were invented and promoted for them in the context of explicitations of PC in general.
But feminine intuition, like the speculative statistic-sifting you are appealing to, is irrelevant to the question of anyone's guesses: men have typically always been willing and able partners in the machismo stakes. They know it when they see it, and they know when it's empty bluster. THAT would on the whole be when men would use it of men! ESPECIALLY �the supposedly hard Northerner�!
But feminine intuition, like the speculative statistic-sifting you are appealing to, is irrelevant to the question of anyone's guesses: men have typically always been willing and able partners in the machismo stakes. They know it when they see it, and they know when it's empty bluster. THAT would on the whole be when men would use it of men! ESPECIALLY �the supposedly hard Northerner�!
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