"Translation of Conrad Kinch saying, please" Topic

Hello,
While reading "Send three and fourpence" in the premiere issue of MWwBG, I ran across this string of words in Mr. Kinch's advice column/piece: "Ya-boo-sucks-with-knobs-on."

I laughed because I understood the general point. However, I'm not sure what this string of six words means. Is there an American English equivalent?

Thanks.
Chris

I'm not sure of the US verbal equivalent – I think in practice a physical guesture involving turning 180, dropping one's pants and keks and waving one's posterior at the general landscape one is departing from, from the ramp of the aircraft is the American way.

A clumsy literal translation might be:

I'm jolly pleased to have beaten you, the victory was added extra spice by the miserable and generally shabby nature of your …..(country/state/club/personality)

Perhaps, if I may practice my now rather rusty Americanese, one might say:

'So long, Losers!'

But as I say I am dreadfully out of date in what is a very dynamic language….

And the "with knobs on": link

From childhood memory I always thought the saying was;

Ya-boo-sucks TO YOU

i.e. that is a gesture and stand alone comment in it's own rights.

It is then reinforced by saying 'with knobs on'.

Ya-boo-sucks to you says 'I don't care what you think'. It carries a tone of victory by the sayer and is a 'put down'. Could be used in situation when something has backfired on the other and they have been caught out or as a bit of a check or slap to put another in their place if they have tried their hand, or have tried to be rude or smart to you and you are batting them off. It is to chastise but as a reaction rather than an instigation. (interesting to see it used recently in the description of Ya-Boo politics)

With knobs on – is just a generalised escalator that can be used in several situations, so if you said to me 'up yours', i might retort 'same to you with knobs on' which means I have returned your rude comment back to you and enhanced it's strength at the same time by sort of giving me the last word and knocking back your challenge. It means 'to better', so it allows me to return your comment while bettering it at the same time.

Both sentences however have a sort of Enid Blyton type tone (i.e. a sort of twee language of the 30's to 50's perhaps), so is generally seen as none offensive, old fashioned and perhaps a bit old public school (language of the toffs) rather than common street language. fairly rare to hear it these days I would say.

A modern day equivalent might be "In your face", though personally I prefer to go with "Ner-ner-ner-ner-ner", delivered in a sing-song tone while hopping from foot to foot and thumbing my nose.

Ahh . . . . Thanks to all for the clarification.

Guessed as much, but wanted to make sure.

Linguistically challenged (at least in this particular case),

Chris

Everything I read on the slang sites indicated that it was not of the level of "in your face", but that it was an obscenity. "It's a milder form of insult than using the obscenity itself but everyone in England knows exactly what it means."

link

Interesting. Either the editor did not catch it, or the phrase does not quite have the edge that it used to.

I remember when "sucks" used to be mildly obscene…

Cassell's Dictionary of Slang: exclaimation, 1910+ (usually teen), a disdainful, dismissive exclamation (possibly a euphemism for ).

But in every context I've heard it, it's the verbal equivalent of blowing a raspberry, a childlike, playful and mock-petulant retort given in a sing-song rhythm.

Henry

Send three and fourpence

Glad to see that the title of the column doesn't confuse anyone oversees (or under the age of 40 in the UK !)