[Scud Wallaby]

Hi Lucy,

Couldn't find anything on Youthanisms.

But thought i'd better post something in case it looked like we were ignoring your request! (Which I suppose is a bit late now as you were doing your performance on Thursday). Hate to see a zero reply to a post. Happened to me once or twice, and it was horrible. Went to Asda for a shopping spree of three bottles of Czech beer and the counter assistant refused to serve me! 'Your that Oik who got a zero post aren't you?' She said it loudly as well and I could hear the nearby gasps of horror as women dragged their children quickly away.

'not me!' I countered. 'Zero post? Don't know what you mean!'

The assistant scowled at me and squinted her eyes accusingly. 'Think I was born yesterday?' she said in a voice reminiscent of a cod. If a cod could talk. 'I can see a zero poster a mile off! Get out!'

Had to abandon my beer, up sticks and move to a place where no-one knew me. It wasn't even as if my zero post was a real zero post - it just hadn't been given long enough to flourish, to be discovered, cherished forever. Other posts forced it down the page and before I knew it I had no hope of it rising again. I find it helps to talk about it. Even now experienced people in this realm of life can sometimes tell that it happened to me and they quickly move away. Others give me a look that simply says 'me too'. I always get a seat on the train.

How did the performance go today?

[Cathy]

Don't worry, it happens to me all the time.

(Talking Cod? Exactly how many beers have you had, Scud?)

Hope it went well Lucy!!

[Scud Wallaby]

Cathy said:

(Talking Cod? Exactly how many beers have you had, Scud?)

Haven't had any! Want to be alert for election night. I always imagine if a cod could talk it would talk like one of Les Dawson's 'over the fence' women.

[Cathy]

Indeed!

(... and waitress, I'll have one of what he's having please...)

[Scud Wallaby]

Indeed!

(And Lucy, you can relax now - this post has at least 5 replies - even if it never did answer your original question!) You can at least enjoy the weekend safe in the knowledge that you can walk the streets, feed the ducks at the pond, watch the helium balloon in the distance from the local fetÈ drift skyward, speculate on the price of hedge trimmings if they ever became marketable, without fear of codlike shop assistants heckling you.

I genuinely think a round of applause is due all round.

[Cathy]

Good Luck for next Thursday! Just think of Scud and his talking cod, and you will be instantly relaxed!

[GeorgeTSLC]

The reason that maudie couldn't find any "youthanisms" by googling that word is that her meaning hadn't been popularized yet. The word more usually occurs as a substitute for "euphemism", and the sense of "quote" or "maxim" is still rare, though not unknown.

You can see http://eggcorns.lasc...106/youthamism/ for more.

But what I want to know is how that sense got started in the first place! Any guidance would be appreciated.