# Attention All UK citizens! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 31, 2000, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-all-uk-citizens/39053 "2000-10-31T05:26:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea666f/32.png) [@Lor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lor)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-all-uk-citizens/39053/1 "2000-10-31T05:26:38Z")
I was just watching an episode of “Hetty Wainthropp” on public television (it’s a detective series), and you may know that Patricia Routledge of “Keeping Up Appearances” stars as Hetty. Anyway, Hetty made some remark about one of the other characters in the episode, describing her as “a sly how’s-your-father”. Anybody know the exact derivation of this expression? I have an idea of what it means, but it would be interesting to know where it came from and who coined it. I suspect it’s one of those phrases the older generation uses, like my grandparents used to say “23 skiddoo!” when they were young. Any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-all-uk-citizens/39053/2 "2000-10-31T10:44:29Z")
“how’s your father” is a general purpose euphemism to replace a term which may not be considered suitable for a ‘polite’ conversation. So, in your example and given that the character is quite worldly but with a genteel veneer, “a sly how’s-your-father” would be used when she really wanted to say something like “a sly old bastard” - or worse. ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-all-uk-citizens/39053/3 "2000-10-31T11:31:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lor \* > Any thoughts? Yes, and of them, the one I can’t get out of my mind is “why would anyone watch that crap?” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-all-uk-citizens/39053/4 "2000-10-31T12:28:45Z")
a sly how’s-your-father means that the person is a seedy, greasy, kind of guy. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-all-uk-citizens/39053/5 "2000-10-31T13:07:48Z")
Is “how’s-your-father” Cockney rhyming slang? If so, for what, exactly? ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-all-uk-citizens/39053/6 "2000-10-31T13:21:29Z")
Its not cockney Rhyming slang. Seedy, casual sex is sometimes referred to as “a bit of How’s-your-father” ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-all-uk-citizens/39053/7 "2000-10-31T19:17:44Z")
This is a euphamism for sex outside marriage but is really about naughty goings on in general that are not supposed to be discussed by polite people. If you imagine two old biddies gossiping about something or somebody which might be scandalous and then the subject just happens to walk in the room then, to give the impression of normal conversation, one of the old biddies might suddenly speak out loud “…and hows your father” which is also a warning to the other old biddy to chage the subject. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2000, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-all-uk-citizens/39053/8 "2000-10-31T23:44:47Z")
The UK does not have “citizens” as they never had the French revolution. In the UK they are “subjects” of HM. ---
**Author:** ![TomH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/90db22/32.png) [@TomH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TomH)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2000, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-all-uk-citizens/39053/9 "2000-11-01T13:31:58Z")
Here’s some info. on how you can [apply for British citizenship](http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/british_nationality/british_nationality_01.html). Note that it says “citizen”, not “subject”.