# Faking accents in England **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 2, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566 "2003-08-02T17:04:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566/101 "2003-08-08T09:44:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by aaaaaarrgg \* > \*\*i saw it. and one might think that living in france would make him good at faking the accent… \*\* If you don’t have a gift for mimicry you aren’t going to be able to fake an accent no matter how long you’ve lived around it. I speak from experience here. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566/102 "2003-08-08T10:05:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Joel \* > Speaking of slang and phrases and so on, is it an untrue American stereotype, or did at any time British people use words like “Pip-pip”, “Tally-ho”, and “Cheerio” and that sort of thing? In my lifetime I’ve only heard _cheerio_ said occasionally by Scots, but that includes very recent examples, so I’d say it’s genuine but not south of the border. _Pip-pip_ has probably never existed outside the world of P. G. Wodehouse and similar authors writing parodies of the aristocracy/upper middle class. _Tally-ho_ is supposed to be a cry used by people hunting foxes on horseback (which are about as common where I am as rodeo riders are in New England). Even that may be obsolete AFAIK. People might use either expression for comic effect, but not for everyday purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566/103 "2003-08-08T11:17:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > \*\* > > Another girl I dated, from St. Louis, said I had a “surfer” accent. (Which I definitely don’t.)\*\* If you are from the west coast, you have a “surfer accent” to everyone else. There is a sound to the west coast accent that is in kin with surfer. 🙂 I didn’t notice it at first (being from the west coast myself) until I moved out of the urban areas and lived on the Oregon coast for a few years -where people mostly speak with a lazy half county twang. All my old friends from Washington who used to sound normal sounded more like Jeff Spicoli (Hey bud,. heh heh, let’s party) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566/104 "2003-08-08T12:38:33Z")
The other day I heard a snippet on Radio 4 from a play currently on at the Edinburgh Festival on the life of Saul Bellow. Judging from the excerpt I heard, the actor playing Bellow apparently studied at the Monty Python School of American Accents. Dreadful. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566/105 "2003-08-08T18:09:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > **In my lifetime I’ve only heard _cheerio_ said occasionally by Scots, but that includes very recent examples, so I’d say it’s genuine but not south of the border.** You obviously were never in a pub in England anytime Germany were knocked out of a major football competition. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2003, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566/106 "2003-08-08T18:51:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Speaking of slang and phrases and so on, is it an untrue American stereotype, or did at any time British people use words like “Pip-pip”, “Tally-ho”, and “Cheerio” and that sort of thing? I’m no expert on this, but Belle and Sebastian used the term “cheerio” on their song Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie. ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566/107 "2003-08-10T18:43:42Z")
“cheerio” was coommonn enough when I was young, but seems to have gone out now. I being Scottish, that might prove the point made by other posters. Oh, and it meant “goodbye” NOT some bizarre breakfast cereal! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566/108 "2003-08-10T18:46:40Z")
eeek - meant “common” - bad old eyesight typing into the sun here. Oops. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![big\_alex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e56c9b/32.png) [@big\_alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/big_alex)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566/109 "2003-08-10T19:59:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > \*\*In my lifetime I’ve only heard _cheerio_ said occasionally by Scots, but that includes very recent examples, so I’d say it’s genuine but not south of the border. I’m sure postman Pat used to say it! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2003, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566/110 "2003-08-10T20:45:19Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by garius_ > in The Musketeer he didn’t even bother trying. Hell, in _The Musketeer_, the moppet they had playing D’Artagnan _couldn’t even pronounce D’Artagnan!_ He kept sayin “Dartin”. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566/111 "2003-08-11T10:14:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ruadh \* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by everton \* > > In my lifetime I’ve only heard cheerio said occasionally by Scots, but that includes very recent examples, so I’d say it’s genuine but not south of the border. > > You obviously were never in a pub in England anytime Germany were knocked out of a major football competition. Well I certainly have been (surprise surprise), but c’mon, chant lyrics don’t count. You wouldn’t expect to hear it in everyday conversation down here. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by big alex \* > I’m sure postman Pat used to say it! Probably true. Animated postal workers whose best friends are cats don’t count either. What decade is it in Greendale anyhow? > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by rogzilla_ > I’m no expert on this, but Belle and Sebastian used the term “cheerio” on their song Le Pastie De La Bourgeoisie. [http://www.letssingit.com/belle-and-sebastian-le-pastie-de-la-bourgeoisie-f1j9cm5.html](http://www.letssingit.com/?%5Burl)"]Correct. Scottish band of course. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Celyn_ > “cheerio” was common enough when I was young, but seems to have gone out now. I being Scottish, that might prove the point made by other posters. I’ve got one mate who says it all the time. He’s in his early thirties so It’ll be amusing to gauge his response when I tell him how out of date he is ;). ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566/112 "2003-08-11T10:17:27Z")
[Fixed link to lyrics](http://www.letssingit.com/belle-and-sebastian-le-pastie-de-la-bourgeoisie-f1j9cm5.html). ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566/113 "2003-08-11T11:28:48Z")
As a 29 year old Warwickshire boy who uses “Cheerio”, I am somewhat confused by the direction this thread has taken. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566/114 "2003-08-11T11:43:37Z")
I too use the “cheerio” word occasionally. I’m 35. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2003, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566/115 "2003-08-11T12:11:00Z")
I use “Cheerio” too, but only to refer to a single piece of a particular type of breakfast food, as in, “Oops, I dropped a Cheerio; careful where you step.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faking-accents-in-england/192566.md?page=5)