british terms & expressions

Yarns – long rambling stories

Scuttlebutt – rumor/gossip

An empty shirt of a man

“Spent the evening gassing hard and swapping lies”

“It was the devil crossing the stream”.

Wheeler returned to camp by 330pm after a “glorious glissade down perfect snow, the first I’ve had in this country, about 1000 ft of it.  The porters “funked” at the opportunity. They had never seen someone ski down a mountain on his boots.

Wheeler said “the raw cold cuts one to the marrow”.

Mallory describes dinner party to Ruth as a “swagger” affair  (guest list embossed invitations – servants in red livery w gold and silver braid…)

1922:

1922 expedition came together in Darjeeling and as everyone got together and “in that peculiar British way… We attempted to elucidate the details of one another’s upbringing and background without asking direct questions.” (Morris). Morris brought on as transport officer “treated at first like slightly superior servants”

Morshead said about Finch “I don’t know where all these yarns about him originated last year.”. And “we are a very happy party, absolutely no jarring elements…”

Finch insulting Wakefield in his journal: “Wakefield has come up w us. I don’t know what good he expects to do. He can barely crawl along, is always fussing and making a nuisance of himself. Generally speaking he is a busy old woman and good for nothing.”

Noel said “may the Genie of the Steel Bottle aid them!”

1924 (and 1923)

1923:  Mallory in USA disgusted by Americans table manners – describing a mans vulgar habit: he “often forks things of his wife’s plate”. NYC seemed larger than life w skyscrapers – shallow and “of a splendid gesture against a backdrop of emptiness”

Poppycock

“conchie”

“I hereby agitate against him!” (Mallory referring to the person who wouldn’t let graham join party)

Somervell too threatened to resign over the “caddish treatment”

Irvine; “feel very fit tonight. I wish I was in the first party instead of a bloody reserve.”.

Mallory wrote: “all sound plans are now abandoned for two consecutive dashes without gas” he was pissed.

They were all bundled like “golluwogs”. Absurd in appearance but at least ready for the wind.

Irvine said “I hope they’ve got to the top… But by god I’d like to have a whack at it myself”.

Norton woke “a blind crock”

Bullock was “cooked” but would have continued if Mallory had

Finch describing Dzatrul Rinpoche: he was “an impressive bit of humbug w a huge face”.