American cultural references you heard as a kid...

[gilbertharding]

(90% sure this was the point you were making, but there's no harm in ramming it home, is there?)

Interesting... the picture of members of Buller has disappeared, but the link is still in the html code for the post.

[gilbertharding]

Going back a bit, the US equivalent of a P45 is a pink slip. No idea if it's actually pink.

What we refer to as car logbooks are also known as 'pink slips' on the other side of the pond. Citation: Two Lane Blacktop (1971)

[Beagle 2]

Bloody hell! Is that what Nigel Planer's character meant in Fistfull Of Travellers Cheques when he asked if they had any Mandies? I honestly have always thought he was talking about the girls' comic 'Mandy'.

Consider my hat fucked from nearly 40 years ago.

I've also always wondered what "anyone got any Mandies?" meant at the start of 'We're Not Supposed To" by Supergrass. It did always sound like drugs but it seems a bit retro for the Oxford Britpop scene.

[JesusAndYourBush]

Interesting... the picture of members of Buller has disappeared, but the link is still in the html code for the post.

For me it does nothing in Chrome (blank white page), Firefox gives a blank black page with a message at the top saying image cannot be displayed because it contains errors.

[Mr Banlon]

I've also always wondered what "anyone got any Mandies?" meant at the start of 'We're Not Supposed To" by Supergrass. It did always sound like drugs but it seems a bit retro for the Oxford Britpop scene.

Mutton chop sidies and riding around on Raleigh Choppers is a bit retro.
The fact that Paul in FFoCC was asking for 'mandies' in 1983 was retro in itself (Paul being one of those addled 60s drug-casualties that were still knocking about in the early-80s) So Supergrass were being double-retro.

[Beagle 2]

Mutton chop sidies and riding around on Raleigh Choppers is a bit retro.

He's got me there lads.

[Average Comedy Enjoyer]

Cars; On TV Americans put their left hand up and under what should be the headlight stalk, yank it, causing a dial on the central reservation to change, and then either reverse or head out.

I understand it now but only after half a century of pointless curiosity

[Queen Peach]

they say "call out" to work a lot, the morons.

also, "I forgot my lunch at home" when they've left their lunch at home.

[McChesney Duntz]

- "He speaks to truth". How can you talk to a concept? Typical yank BS

This is not an expression. "He speaks the truth," yes. "He speaks truth to power," also yes. I suppose "power" is a concept as well. But it makes slightly more sense than the one you misheard/made up.

[JesusAndYourBush]

Cars; On TV Americans put their left hand up and under what should be the headlight stalk, yank it, causing a dial on the central reservation to change, and then either reverse or head out.

I understand it now but only after half a century of pointless curiosity

I can't even picture what you're describing. Not sure if the gif is helpful or not.

As far as I can make out... you thought that pressing something on the dashboard caused something in the street to change.

[Average Comedy Enjoyer]

A gear stick mounted to the steering column.

I suspect it was mostly used so audiences could see what the character was doing, which would be harder with a central floor stick.

Similar to how no cars on TV have headrests.

[jamiefairlie]

A gear stick mounted to the steering column.

I suspect it was mostly used so audiences could see what the character was doing, which would be harder with a central floor stick.

Similar to how no cars on TV have headrests.

They were very common in American cars

[kalowski]

They were very common in American cars

Hence "do you drive stick?"

[jamiefairlie]

Hence "do you drive stick?"

Yeah, not a question to a person called Stick as you may reasonably assume give the propensity to stupid names they have there.

[JesusAndYourBush]

A gear stick mounted to the steering column.

I suspect it was mostly used so audiences could see what the character was doing, which would be harder with a central floor stick.

Similar to how no cars on TV have headrests.

Ah. I presume central reservation was some weird autocorrect then.

[Clatty McCutcheon]

They were very common in American cars

The lack of a gear lever on the floor also conveniently allowed the giant American cars (and some older Euro/British cars too) to have those big bench seats at the front where three people could sit abreast, as commonly seen in yer American movie films.

[famethrowa]

This is not an expression. "He speaks the truth," yes. "He speaks truth to power," also yes. I suppose "power" is a concept as well. But it makes slightly more sense than the one you misheard/made up.

Hey, I'm not the one on trial here buddy, it's the American vernacular

[Average Comedy Enjoyer]

Ah. I presume central reservation was some weird autocorrect then.

Ah whoops. More autopilot than autocorrect. Central console is what I meant but I lazily checked out halfway through the motoring collocation.