# In the King’s English, what’s a “99”? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, wine\ **Created:** [April 30, 2025, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677 "2025-04-30T01:29:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/1 "2025-04-30T01:29:16Z")
In a British sitcom I’ve been watching, a character describes his perfect date to a friend. He takes his beloved to a beach, they take a train so they can pre-game with drinks, they have a picnic, “go for a stroll along the prom[enade] and then a ‘99.” What the heck is a ‘99 in this context? It’s not a wine vintage, as the character died in the 1980s. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/2 "2025-04-30T01:41:17Z")
> **[99 Flake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99_Flake)** > > A 99 Flake, 99 or ninety-nine is an ice cream cone with a Cadbury Flake inserted in the ice cream. The term can also refer to the half-sized Cadbury-produced Flake bar, itself specially made for such ice cream cones, and to a wrapped product marketed by Cadbury “for ice cream and culinary use”. > Created at the Cadbury's factory in Birmingham, England, the flake was originally designed to be a cuboid and to fit into a wafer. By 1930, Cadbury's was selling half-length Flake "99s" specifically for s... ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/3 "2025-04-30T03:39:06Z")
That’s a relief. I thought it might’ve been them knocking back three 33s each. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/4 "2025-04-30T03:57:06Z")
What about this? > **[Toto - 99](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhw-XlTMB5I%2F)** > > Music video by Toto performing 99. (C) 1979 Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainmenthttp://vevo.ly/Go2OH7 ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/5 "2025-04-30T04:03:09Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > What about this? That song was written by the band as a tribute to George Lucas’s first film, _THX 1138_, a dystopian film in which people no longer have names, but “designations” made up of random letters and strings of numbers. In the song, “99” is the “name” of the woman, whom the narrator/singer loves. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/6 "2025-04-30T07:46:01Z")
[![](https://preview.redd.it/41ckl4sell031.jpg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=1a142662aadd502de48888869c6890bb40e1a0b0) ](https://preview.redd.it/41ckl4sell031.jpg?width=1080&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=1a142662aadd502de48888869c6890bb40e1a0b0) Only to be bought from an ice cream van by the seaside. The name is a bit of a mystery, and doesn’t relate to anything like price. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/7 "2025-04-30T09:02:49Z")
A side note: the full size Flake bar will stick in many memories for its TV adverts (much less innocent than a seaside 99): [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/3FcjxpnbHhA/hqdefault.jpg "The best Cadbury Flake TV adverts compilation") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FcjxpnbHhA) ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/8 "2025-04-30T09:17:54Z")
When I sold ice cream from a van in the 1960s, a small cornet was 4d, a large, 7d, and a 99 was 10d. The equivalent today would be 33p, 60p and 82p. In fact they cost £3 for a cornet and £3.50 for a 99. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/9 "2025-04-30T09:47:34Z")
My guess would have been releasing red balloons. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/10 "2025-04-30T09:56:46Z")
Number 66 - are you in difficulties? ---
**Author:** ![Orville\_mogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/aeb1de/32.png) [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/11 "2025-04-30T10:26:28Z")
Oh my dirty mind immediately thought of a sex position. Reclined rear entry? ☺ ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/12 "2025-04-30T11:50:56Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > The name is a bit of a mystery, and doesn’t relate to anything like price. There are various competing stories about the ice cream originating in a shop that was number 99 in its road, as well as other dubious explanations - it’s likely it was just a catchy name like with Heinz and the 57 Varieties thing. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/13 "2025-04-30T11:58:30Z")
I’m glad you explained this. I thought the statement was alluding to having sex. LOL ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/14 "2025-04-30T12:03:19Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > That song was written by the band as a tribute to George Lucas’s first film, _THX 1138_, a dystopian film in which people no longer have names, but “designations” made up of random letters and strings of numbers. > > In the song, “99” is the “name” of the woman, whom the narrator/singer loves. Am I the only one who thought the singer was referring to Barbara Feldon’s character in _Get Smart_? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/15 "2025-04-30T12:32:49Z")
I tried an ice cream cone + Flake at a Canadian ice cream shop once. It was fine, but nothing special. I certainly liked it better than the time I tried dipping French fries in a Wendy’s Frosty (which felt completely pointless). ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/16 "2025-04-30T12:41:22Z")
Nope, she was my first guess as well. > **[99](https://katherinemcconnellclothing.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/99/)** > > Continuing with the theme of TV shows that I draw fashion inspiration from, I want to highlight the wonderful stylings of Agent 99 from Mel Brooks 1965 classic “Get Smart”. Agent 99, pl… ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/17 "2025-04-30T13:22:05Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > Number 66 - are you in difficulties? Not at the moment, but thanks for asking. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/18 "2025-04-30T14:24:08Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I tried an ice cream cone + Flake at a Canadian ice cream shop once. It was fine, but nothing special Not surprised - a 99 is usually that fairly flavourless compressed-air soft serve stuff (it appears that, contrary to legend, that’s one thing we [can’t blame on M_rg_ret Th\*tcher](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/reality-check/2013/apr/17/margaret-thatcher-team-mr-whippy?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other)) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/19 "2025-04-30T16:33:27Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Nope, she was my first guess as well. I have always called Toto’s “99” The Love Theme from Get Smart". ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677/20 "2025-04-30T17:40:19Z")
The Toto song came out when I was in high school; as a kid, I’d watched a lot of reruns of _Get Smart_, and, to be fair, I thought of Barbara Feldon’s character, too, when I originally heard the song. It wasn’t until much later that I learned of the connection to _THX 1138_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-king-s-english-what-s-a-99/1017677.md?page=2)