Phrases/words that set your teeth on edge.

[Richard Tarleton]

"From the get-go" - think Jessica Hynes's character in W1A. Kirsty Young has further abbreviated that to "From the get". That was as far as I, er, got with Desert Island Discs, on my way back from doing the shopping.

[Pabmusic]

"From the get-go" - think Jessica Hynes's character in W1A. Kirsty Young has further abbreviated that to "From the get". That was as far as I, er, got with Desert Island Discs, on my way back from doing the shopping.

[ahinton]

"Europe", uttered by people in / from UK when what they are actually referring to is "the rest of Europe", the implication being that UK is one area whereas "Europe" is "somewhere else"; I'm not talking EU here or indeed any political issue but quite simply that, geographically, UK is part of the European continent, notwithstanding its island nation status (in which it is in any case not alone in Europe).

[Richard Tarleton]

"Europe", uttered by people in / from UK when what they are actually referring to is "the rest of Europe", the implication being that UK is one area whereas "Europe" is "somewhere else"; I'm not talking EU here or indeed any political issue but quite simply that, geographically, UK is part of the European continent, notwithstanding its island nation status (in which it is in any case not alone in Europe).

Indeed, 8000 years or so ago the North Sea and English Channel were dry land. If we go back a bit further.....

[jean]

...geographically, UK is part of the European continent...

Julius Caesar didn't think so!

He's always going back in continentem when he's had enough of campaigning in Britain for the time being.

[Beef Oven!]

"Europe", uttered by people in / from UK when what they are actually referring to is "the rest of Europe", the implication being that UK is one area whereas "Europe" is "somewhere else"; I'm not talking EU here or indeed any political issue but quite simply that, geographically, UK is part of the European continent, notwithstanding its island nation status (in which it is in any case not alone in Europe).

Ok, put your money where your mouth is - betcha £100 you can't walk to Europe.

[ahinton]

Ok, put your money where your mouth is - betcha £100 you can't walk to Europe.

From where? I'm already in it, so there'd be nowhere to walk! That was my point. At least that will save you some money!

[ahinton]

Julius Caesar didn't think so!

He's always going back in continentem when he's had enough of campaigning in Britain for the time being.

But the thread title of Phrases/words that set your teeth on edge is (to me, at least) suggestive of utterances that one might hear today; I had no teeth in Julius Cæsar's time, let alone 8,000 years ago or more...

[jean]

I wouldn't dream of questioning the condition of your teeth - I'm just pointing out that the statement you offer as incontrovertible (that the UK is part of the continent of Europe) is open to question on historical if not palaeogeogrphical grounds!

[Beef Oven!]

From where? I'm already in it, so there'd be nowhere to walk! That was my point. At least that will save you some money!

I'm assuming that you have insufficient faith in your own country and you have come to live here. No postal orders please, Amazon vouchers at a stretch.

[ahinton]

I wouldn't dream of questioning the condition of your teeth - I'm just pointing out that the statement you offer as incontrovertible (that the UK is part of the continent of Europe) is open to question on historical if not palaeogeogrphical grounds!

The point of my statement was provided by the word "is"? I'm not saying that this has always been so; I'm merely talking about the way that it is now and the way some people refer to it now (and, of course, there's been a land link to mainland Europe ever since the Channel Tunnel opened, although this would presumably not have been sufficient motivation for the Shaker of Stratford to amend his text to "this sceptr'd promontory" even if only because it wouldn't then scan)...

[ahinton]

I'm assuming that you have insufficient faith in your own country and you have come to live here.

Then the crucial part of your assumption is not correct; the reason I came to England (to which I did not in any case refer above) had nothing to do with insufficient faith in Scotland and, given that both countries are in any case currently part of UK which is part of Europe, I regret that I do not understand what you infer here.

[Beef Oven!]

Then the crucial part of your assumption is not correct; the reason I came to England (to which I did not in any case refer above) had nothing to do with insufficient faith in Scotland and, given that both countries are in any case currently part of UK which is part of Europe, I regret that I do not understand what you infer here.

The UK is part of the British Isles, not Europe. Now pack it in.

[ahinton]

The UK is part of the British Isles, not Europe. Now pack it in.

The UK is indeed part of the British Isles, which is part of Europe. Malta is an island nation as well; do you believe that it is not in Europe just because it's not attached to mainland Europe?

In what would you like me to pack UK and where would you like me to send it?

[mangerton]

So who started the annoying habit of starting a sentence - especially an answer - with "so", and why?

Apologies if this has already been raised. Searching for "so" is a thankless task.