For those of us in the UK of a certain vintage, Bamboozle is inextricably linked to the Teletext game of that name that we played using our TV remote controls! It is definitely more commonly associated with the second meaning for us, I would venture.
Two little bits of information struck me in this one:
1) I was once told that the eight bits of a dollar were at one time literally broken-up Spanish "dolares." That was how people made change. Each dolar was worth eight "reales." (From royal.) Imagine a pocketful of little pointy silver pieces. (Which makes me wonder if it's true.) The Spanish dollar was popular in the American colonies because the English government forbade the minting of money out where they couldn't keep an eye on it.
2) Fiction writers as well as actors think in terms of "beats" within scenes, but I'll bet it came from the theatre.
For those of us in the UK of a certain vintage, Bamboozle is inextricably linked to the Teletext game of that name that we played using our TV remote controls! It is definitely more commonly associated with the second meaning for us, I would venture.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboozle!
Love this post, Nancy!
If it's any comfort, I am annoyed, then confused, then humbled most days. Often more than once.
I always thought “bits and bobs” was common to both Britain and the states, but then I read a lot of British writers…
The first thing that comes to mind with bit by itself is “Shave and a haircut, 2 bits”…
“Bits and bobs” is BrE. The AmE equivalent is “bits and pieces.”
Two little bits of information struck me in this one:
1) I was once told that the eight bits of a dollar were at one time literally broken-up Spanish "dolares." That was how people made change. Each dolar was worth eight "reales." (From royal.) Imagine a pocketful of little pointy silver pieces. (Which makes me wonder if it's true.) The Spanish dollar was popular in the American colonies because the English government forbade the minting of money out where they couldn't keep an eye on it.
2) Fiction writers as well as actors think in terms of "beats" within scenes, but I'll bet it came from the theatre.
The "beats" concept comes also from music. The beat is the basic unit of time, as in a 4-beat measure, or as rhythm.
The "beat" in acting isn't related to musical beats, though -- it has nothing to do with tempo. It's a mispronunciation of "bit."
I suspect Michael is right about beats in fiction: they probably came theatrical usage, maybe via screenwriting.
"Wetter than a cod's wetsuit" is funny, but can it be deployed in a non-vaginal context?
TMI? in GDoS? Well, I’ll go to the foot of our stairs! My surprise is that I have but a single use. Maybe it doesn’t qualify as slang?