# Do British people really say Gov'nor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 10, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-really-say-govnor/187530 "2003-07-10T18:53:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-really-say-govnor/187530/21 "2003-07-12T04:21:20Z")
Historically, the term _governor_ was used both in England and the US to mean a person’s **father** , cited from 1827. It is also cited from 1844 as a form of address, meaning **sir or fellow**. I think it died in the US while still in the 19th century. But continued in England. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-really-say-govnor/187530/22 "2003-07-12T15:29:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by amanset \* > \*\*Well I’m a Brit and it has got me confused. \*\* **ice-cream** _short for_ **ice-cream freezer** _rhymes with_ **geezer** _meaning_, oh never mind… Anyway, only last night my Brummie(!) window-cleaner called be _gov’nor_ and charged me a fiver for waving a dirty rag at my windows. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-really-say-govnor/187530/23 "2003-07-12T16:53:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Great Unwashed \* > \*\ ***ice-cream** _short for_ **ice-cream freezer** _rhymes with_ **geezer** _meaning_, oh never mind… > \*\* Ah, I thought there was a definite meaning behind the slang rather than taking the piss out of the concept. I guess I was having a sense of humour failure at the time, trying to work out how mush was ice cream. I’ve been here too long. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-really-say-govnor/187530/24 "2003-07-12T17:24:24Z")
Also used by Police Constables to address their Chief Inspector. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-really-say-govnor/187530/25 "2003-07-12T17:32:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by amanset \* > \*\*Well I’m a Brit and it has got me confused. \*\* I guess you have to be American to get the joke. I saw Ocean’s 11. Now if you are British and haven’t seen Ocean’s 11 you’ll be really confused. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-really-say-govnor/187530/26 "2003-07-12T17:40:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Biggirl \* > \*\*Now if you are British and haven’t seen Ocean’s 11 you’ll be really confused. \*\* I did, but it was some time ago. I gather it was something that the mockney said? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-really-say-govnor/187530/27 "2003-07-12T18:14:39Z")
Basher Tarr: We’re in Barney Ocean’s 10: Blank stares Basher Tarr: You know. . . Barney Ocean’s 10: More blank stares Basher Tarr: Barney Rubble. . . trouble! P.S. Why is Don Cheadle uncredited? He has a relatively big part. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-really-say-govnor/187530/28 "2003-07-12T18:33:17Z")
I’m afraid to say that Don Cheadle’s awful Dick Van Dyke accent - and the dreadful lines he was given to perform - were the only things in that film that I disliked. It was as bad as Sean Connery in pretty much anything he’s not meant to be Scottish in. If the actor isn’t good at accents and you’re casting a London part, for goodness’ sake get a London actor to do it. Or make the part’s nationality fit the actor if you absolutely want him in that role. As for his non-billing, I guess that’s Hollywood for you. There were so many bigger names that he got shunted. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2003, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-really-say-govnor/187530/29 "2003-07-12T21:05:19Z")
He presumably asked to be uncredited. I don’t think that there’s any circumstances in which an actor can be forced to be uncredited. Usually when an actor is unbilled it’s because they’re a major actor in a small role and they don’t want to fight it out with the other actors about who gets the higher billing. ---
**Author:** ![ChunkyLover53](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c0e974/32.png) [@ChunkyLover53](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChunkyLover53)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-really-say-govnor/187530/30 "2003-07-14T16:40:54Z")
When in London last week our hotel-link driver asked a construction worker if he could take his “hole” - which I found out was his recently vacated parking space. The construction worker told him “There isn’t going to be a hole in a second, guv” and we took off looking for another. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-really-say-govnor/187530/31 "2003-07-14T20:00:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Anyway, only last night my Brummie(!) window-cleaner called be gov’nor and charged me a fiver for waving a dirty rag at my windows. ] A foivah? Foive bleedin’ quid? Roit Bahstad, he is! And it’s _me_ windows, init? 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-people-really-say-govnor/187530.md?page=1)