British expression heard on Fawlty Towers

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

My question concerns two expressions used by John Cleese, when annoyed by some guest. There, that really narrows it down, doesn't it?

Any way, at one point he mutters "Clever" to himself at some
remark by Mr. Hutchinson, the spoon salesman with a punch.
Another time he says "Buddha" to himself.

I can look at my FT book when I have a chance and try to give more context, but is there anyone who can say what these expressions mean? In American, 'clever' is not an expression of annoyance and 'Buddha' means only Guatama.

[AWB]

Originally posted by javaman
My question concerns two expressions used by John Cleese, when annoyed by some guest. There, that really narrows it down, doesn't it?

Any way, at one point he mutters "Clever" to himself at some
remark by Mr. Hutchinson, the spoon salesman with a punch.
Another time he says "Buddha" to himself.

I can look at my FT book when I have a chance and try to give more context, but is there anyone who can say what these expressions mean? In American, 'clever' is not an expression of annoyance and 'Buddha' means only Guatama.

I imagine that the "clever" remark was just sarcasm. As to Buddha: was the customer overweight and bald?

[Snooooopy]

One of the finest scenes in television ever:

"I speak English very well! I learned it from a boook!"

[Aglarond]

Originally posted by Snooooopy
"I speak English very well! I learned it from a boook!"

"I didn't realize those Canadians were clever as that."

[Nukeman]

Its not exactly sarcasm AWB, its a bit like 'smart ass' but more resentfull. You gave us the 'buddha' quote out of context, but I dont think he ever says this in the series. I have a feeling though, that you mis heard him : sure he wasnt saying 'bugger'? English expression - same as 'damn' basically. Actually im pretty sure that that is what he was saying as he does say it alot during the series

[Celyn]

U.K. Python fan checking in! No, I don't think you are missing anything: "clever" would only have been sarcasm, and I can only think that "Buddha" was a lame-ish joke about people saying "Christ" when annoyed. I seem to recall that the spoon man was a pompous type who might very well have lectured Basil (at great length) about inappropriate manners/blasphemy.

[sailor]

>> "I speak English very well! I learned it from a boook!"

The guy who plays Manuel "you have to excuse him, he's from Barcelona" is a brilliant actor. Probably second only to John Cleese although I like the Major too (Good evening major)

[BornDodgy]

write the word Brittish Humour 100 times please.
Thank you.
Dont phone as we will phone you

loons
who is even more random than usual when tired and experiencing sever ache in her lungs.

[London_Calling]

I'd tend to go with the misheard theory for Buddha ("bugger" is something I'm pretty sure Cleese uses in the series). As for "clever" I think it needs context. Was he saying it after Sybil took him down a notch or two, I'd guess he'd use it when she outfoxed or belittled him ??


BTW, I still think Cleese climbing out of the broken down mini, walking off camera and then coming back to whack the hell out of the car with some foilage is the funniest thing I've ever, ever seen.

[BornDodgy]

Anybody mind if I have a little nervous breakdown cause I wont see any Faulty Towers till next July?
Why oh why am I caught in Aushitria

*sigh*
.. I found a Black Adder book lately.. but it cost 25 pounds.
What the hell?! They dont even have that series over here! With a lil luck nobody is gonna buy it until they reduce it to 5 pounds.. I ll just have to wait.. like... 2 years?

[Lucky]

No, no, he says "Buddha". I have the whole series on tape. I think I know every episode by heart. Yes, I am a lonely, misguided woman.

What Basil actually says is, "Oh, Buddha", in exactly the same manner one might say, "Oh, Good God" or some such thing.

And I believe that when Basil says, "clever" about the spoon salesman, he says it because he thinks the salesman is trying to pull one over on him. More like clever as in 'tricky'. He says it real sing-songy with a definate pause between the sylables.

[Celyn]

Oh sad BornDodgy! I don't think you will see any "Fawlty Towers" next July either, unless the B.B.C. has the sense to run repeats again.

Oh, and can I just brag that my university (back in 19mumble) had John Cleese as Rector? So, when after a tedious, confusing morning of being new and lost, and filling in forms etc., we little first years had to go (slightly reluctantly) to watch an instructive welcoming film, it was great to find that the film in question starred John Cleese.

[BornDodgy]

So what? I got good connections.. I know ppl who have all the videos :p :p :p

hehe

[Spectre of Pithecanthropus]

At least that's what my copy of The Complete Fawlty Towers, which contains all the scripts, says. I'll check it out tonight and try to give you the context tomorrow.

[Inky-]

On the subject of "Weird British-ism's" as seen on TV...

On Red Dwarf I've heard the phrase "Zimmer" used a few times such as:

"It's gaining on us!"
"The Wandsworth zimmer team's faster than us!"

And in the "Rimmer Song" there is a phrase:

"he'll never need a zimmer.."

Anyone?

And on The Young Ones they frequently referred to a "Gyro" (jiro, giro. Sounds like j-EYE-ro).

[yojimbo]

A Zimmer is a Zimmerframe which is a four legged walking aid for old/infirmed people.

A gyro is a social welfare check. Money from the state.

[glee]

It's spelt giro.
There used to be a Girobank, which was run by the Post Office. They paid many of the state benefits (e.g. unemployment pay), so that's probably how the slang arose. (Just going down the bank to get my giro..) Dunno if the bank's still going.

Gyro implies a self balancing spinning whatsit.

BornDodgy, write the word British 100 times please ;)

[DRY]

Originally posted by London_Calling
BTW, I still think Cleese climbing out of the broken down mini, walking off camera and then coming back to whack the hell out of the car with some foilage is the funniest thing I've ever, ever seen.

Seconded. :D

Re the OP..I have all the episodes on tape, and have seen them multiple times. I don't recall the "Buddha" comment at all (though I'm sure it did happen).

[Mammie]

I guess everyone has noticed how the Fawlty Towers sign sometimes reads something other than Fawlty Towers. I remember two of them... Farty Towels and Flowery Twats. Any others you can remember? :)

[Coldfire]

Click here (http://suzann.com/tv/fawlty.htm), Mammie. All of 'em ;)

[Phobos]

Originally posted by Lucky
What Basil actually says is, "Oh, Buddha", in exactly the same manner one might say, "Oh, Good God" or some such thing.

And I believe that when Basil says, "clever" about the spoon salesman, he says it because he thinks the salesman is trying to pull one over on him. More like clever as in 'tricky'. He says it real sing-songy with a definate pause between the sylables.

This is how I interpreted it too.

[Aglarond]

No FT until July? That sucks. It's on BBC America all the time. Not that I'm rubbing it in or anything. :D

[TomH]

The guy who plays Manuel "you have to excuse him, he's from Barcelona" is a brilliant actor.

Andrew Sachs. He's also been in a lot of serious stuff--he starred in an excellent mini-series about the Warsaw Ghetto a few years ago (he is originally from Germany; his family fled the Nazis when he was a small child).

He does a lot of documentary narration, but you obviously wouldn't recognise his normal voice from seeing him as Manuel. It's worth checking the credits on BBC documentaries. It's pretty much stitched up between him, Robert Lindsay and Sean Pertwee.

AS for the OP, I agree with the "Bhudda" = Christ explanation.

[Nukeman]

Borndodgy : what do you mean by 'write the word Brittish (sic) Humour 100 times please. ' mean?

If you didnt mis hear it, then I agree with the christ explanation.

[Mammie]

Thanks, Coldfire. You've made my day. :)

[BornDodgy]

Dont kill me for my missspellingg.. it is not me... it is bad souls telling me to do it..

Whatever,.. I haeouve to use Coldfires link nöw..

[glee]

Nukeman,

I think Borndodgy is trying to draw attention to the way you American chaps spell 'humour' as 'humor'.

I was trying to draw attention to his misspelled signature...

(you say 'tomato', but I say 'tomato' - let's call the whole thing off!).

[Pushkin]

Originally posted by London_Calling
"BTW, I still think Cleese climbing out of the broken down mini, walking off camera and then coming back to whack the hell out of the car with some foilage is the funniest thing I've ever, ever seen."
No not a Mini, its an Austin 1100 estate, a standing testimony to why our car industry is mostly run by foreigners.
I don't think the word "bugger" would have benn shown on TV pre-watershed on BBC either.

[Nukeman]

glee, im from England too!

[TomH]

No not a Mini, its an Austin 1100 estate

I think the Fawlty Towers scene gets confused with a very similar scene in Clockwise (IMHO, the funniest British film of the last 20 years), which did involve a Mini.

[glee]

Nukeman,

ooops! :o

so that should have read 'I think Borndodgy is trying to draw attention to the way American chaps spell 'humour' as 'humor'

Were you living there when they made the film?

[Nukeman]

Yes I was - I saw Hugh Grant on the set. They had enormous lights up which were taller than the houses on the street (4 storeys) and they spent ages scrubbing the pavements and stuff. The blue door exists as well but that flat isnt behind it. The garden they filmed it in is across the street from me ( I hate that end bit with all the tai chi and frolicking children - that so never happens.) [as an aside, the book he is reading to her on that bench is Captain Correlli's mandolin which is a briliant book]

Notting hill was crap though, nowhere near as good as four weddings.

[fierra]

When you said living there when they made the film, I assumed that you meant clockwise for some reason. Thye filmed part of it at the boys school next to mine & John Cleese could be seen striding up and down our drive with a gaggle (giggle?) of adoring sixth form girls behind...