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Discussion Groups / British English / May 2005Boiled as an (old) owl
My dearly departed maternal grandfather was oft heard to utter the above on the rare hot summer days we have in this country. I never did get around to asking him the origin of the phrase; my grandmother surmised that it was something he picked up when he was in the RAF during the war (or, subsequently, in the Arnheim PoW camp after he was shot down in '42 or '43), but I'm not sure I buy into that. I don't know much about his origins, I'm not even sure where he was born (though I reckon it was Kingston-upon-Thames). The thing is, the only meaning I know of for the phrase (without the old) is as a euphemism for 'pissed as a newt'. Has anyone else come across it being used in this context (i.e. to mean 'extremely hot')? Having said that, I'm not sure why it should be a euphemism for 'drunk' either... Thanks for any enlightenment. Sarah  SignatureIn memory of MS MVP Alex Nichol: http://www.dts-l.org/ >My dearly departed maternal grandfather was oft heard to utter the above on >the rare hot summer days we have in this country. I never did get around to [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > >Thanks for any enlightenment. I haven't noticed the expression. Partridge gives "Drunk as a boiled owl" (early 1880s). The origin's uncertain but he quotes a suggestion that it may be from "As drunk as Abel Boyle" (Who he?) I wonder if two images have become confused - owl and fowl. An old fowl would need a lot of boiling to edible - hence the "hot" meaning. OTOH a boiled owl might just be a nice image of being daft - they're scrawny little things under all those fluffy feathers. There are so many bizarre expressions for drunkenness (including comparisons to animals) that I wonder if they're deliberately made up to be impenetrable. SignaturePhil C. > I wonder if two images have become confused - owl and fowl. An old > fowl would need a lot of boiling to edible Any connection to the Scottish 'fou' meaning drunk, or could it be a spoonerism for 'oiled bowel'? Paul Burke > > I wonder if two images have become confused - owl and fowl. An old > > fowl would need a lot of boiling to edible > > Any connection to the Scottish 'fou' meaning drunk, or could it be a > spoonerism for 'oiled bowel'? I believe the Scots word is "fu'" (sc. "full"), although the apostrophe is sometimes omitted. SignatureOdysseus > >My dearly departed maternal grandfather was oft heard to utter the above on > >the rare hot summer days we have in this country. I never did get around to [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > comparisons to animals) that I wonder if they're deliberately made up > to be impenetrable. Related to the ''boiled" expression is "stewed" or "stewed to the gills", which gets out of stewed chicken and into another kind of animal. >> My dearly departed maternal grandfather was oft heard to utter the >> above on the rare hot summer days we have in this country. I never [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > comparisons to animals) that I wonder if they're deliberately made up > to be impenetrable. Perhaps they're made up by people too drunk to know what they're saying? OED contributes: "boiled: c. Intoxicated. slang. Also phr. as drunk as a boiled owl. [1885 Referee 31 May 3/3 Twiss+had just the boiled-owlish appearance that is gained by working all night in a printing-office.] 1886 J. A. Porter Sks. Yale Life 156 There is a balm for a headache caused by last night's debauch to have it said you were 'slightly cheered' or 'slewed' or 'boiled'. 1892 Daily Tel. 12 Dec. 5/4 The expression, 'Intoxicated as a boiled owl', is a gross libel upon a highly respectable teetotal bird. 1922 Joyce Ulysses 300 He brought him home as drunk as a boiled owl. 1928 Amer. Speech IV. 102 Expressions synonymous with or circumlocutory for 'drunk'+blotto, boiled. 1940 'H. Pentecost' 24th Horse (1951) v. 45 He's boiled to the ears." SignatureJohn Dean Oxford >>> My dearly departed maternal grandfather was oft heard to utter the >>> above on the rare hot summer days we have in this country. I never [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > [1885 Referee 31 May 3/3 Twiss+had just the boiled-owlish > appearance that is gained by working all night in a printing-office.] > 1886 J. A. Porter Sks. Yale Life 156 There is a balm for a headache > caused by last night's debauch to have it said you were 'slightly > cheered' or 'slewed' or 'boiled'. 1892 Daily Tel. 12 Dec. 5/4 The > expression, 'Intoxicated as a boiled owl', is a gross libel upon a > highly respectable teetotal bird. 1922 Joyce Ulysses 300 He brought > him home as drunk as a boiled owl. 1928 Amer. Speech IV. 102 > Expressions synonymous with or circumlocutory for 'drunk'+blotto, > boiled. 1940 'H. Pentecost' 24th Horse (1951) v. 45 He's boiled to > the ears." And somewhere in _Stalky_ Kipling gives us "as screwed as an owl". I wonder why owls, in a competitive strand of somethingography so wise, are also incapable? As it were: "Dash it, Pongo, you owl! That was my bally foot!" SignatureMike. >And somewhere in _Stalky_ Kipling gives us "as screwed as an owl". I >wonder why owls, in a competitive strand of somethingography so wise, >are also incapable? As it were: "Dash it, Pongo, you owl! That was my >bally foot!" I expect the Fat Owl of the Remove had something to do with it. Owls were considered wise because the Little Owl nested in the temple of Athene, goddess of wisdom. (I'm never sure whether to write Little Owl or little owl for the species. Neither seems satisfactory.) Owls aren't actually very bright as birds go. SignaturePhil C. Phil C. spake thusly: > >And somewhere in _Stalky_ Kipling gives us "as screwed as an owl". I > >wonder why owls, in a competitive strand of somethingography so wise, [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Owl or little owl for the species. Neither seems satisfactory.) Owls > aren't actually very bright as birds go. Well, dur. Owl couldn't even master the simple notice, such as: PLES RING IF AN RNSER IS REQIRD PLEZ CNOKE IF AN RNSR IS NOT REQID which had to be written out by Christopher Robin. Owl could only manage "Wol". SignatureDavid ===== replace usenet with the > Phil C. spake thusly: > [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > which had to be written out by Christopher Robin. Owl could only > manage "Wol". A canard. Bthuthdy. CDB CDB spake thusly: > > Phil C. spake thusly: > > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > A canard. Bthuthdy. CDB Ducks aside, you're right of course. It's mine next week. SignatureDavid ===== replace usenet with the > CDB spake thusly: > [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > > Ducks aside, you're right of course. It's mine next week. No need to duck. Congratulations, and best wishes for many hipy papy returns of the day. CDB At 20:19:49 on Thu, 19 May 2005, the Omrud <usenet.omrud@gmail.com> wrote in <MPG.1cf705b5895899539899f8@news.ntlworld.com>: >Well, dur. Owl couldn't even master the simple notice, such as: > >PLES RING IF AN RNSER IS REQIRD >PLEZ CNOKE IF AN RNSR IS NOT REQID Extraordinary, really. Any Nigerian scammer can cope with English to that standard. SignatureMolly Mockford They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety - Benjamin Franklin (My Reply-To address *is* valid, though may not remain so for ever.) >> And somewhere in _Stalky_ Kipling gives us "as screwed as an owl". I >> wonder why owls, in a competitive strand of somethingography so wise, >> are also incapable? As it were: "Dash it, Pongo, you owl! That was my >> bally foot!" > > I expect the Fat Owl of the Remove had something to do with it. I think it must predate Billy B, who's a 20C character. But Partridge's earliest meaning is "prostitute", and he doesn't give the "silly clot" meaning. [...] SignatureMike. >>> And somewhere in _Stalky_ Kipling gives us "as screwed as an owl". I >>> wonder why owls, in a competitive strand of somethingography so [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > "silly clot" meaning. > [...] Thanks for the discussion. Not quite the replies I was expecting (I got the 'drunk' bit answered, but I still don't know why it came to mean 'extremely hot' as I can find no usage of the expression in that context). Another one of his little mysteries that he's taken to the grave... Thanks all, Sarah P.S. Mine was last Sunday (15th). ;o) SignatureIn memory of MS MVP Alex Nichol: http://www.dts-l.org/ On Thursday, in article <3f4asqF5u73aU2@individual.net> > I think it must predate Billy B, who's a 20C character. But > Partridge's earliest meaning is "prostitute", and he doesn't give the > "silly clot" meaning. IME, Partridge's earliest meaning for practically /everything/ is "prostitute" :-) [Hmm: "world's oldest slang".] SignatureBrian {Hamilton Kelly} bhk@dsl.co.uk "Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte." Blaise Pascal, /Lettres Provinciales/, 1657 >On Thursday, in article <3f4asqF5u73aU2@individual.net> > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >[Hmm: "world's oldest slang".] Be fair. There are a few words in English that have never meant prostitute, male genitalia, female genitalia, copulation or anything to do with executions. Mighty few, though, mighty few. SignaturePhil C. |
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