# “Streets ahead” from Community in the wild used for real! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** ai\ **Created:** [September 23, 2023, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566 "2023-09-23T00:12:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2023, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/41 "2023-09-23T19:51:28Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > and would react similar to how I did to hearing used as established idiom in speech, with a double take assuming it had spread out from its use in the show. You really Britta’d this thread! ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2023, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/42 "2023-09-23T20:30:48Z")
Interesting thread. I’ve only watched a couple of seasons of _Community_ so I missed this particular episode. But I’ve never heard the expression “streets ahead” IRL or in any books or articles or in movies or TV. I’m a USian. Is it really that common? I don’t care if Harmon was being self deprecating or being meta. That’s boring. ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2023, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/43 "2023-09-23T20:40:42Z")
I a Usaian who was stationed in the UK for 1.5 years. I never heard it until I saw the Community episode. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t common in the UK, just that it wasn’t common in my little piece of the UK. ---
**Author:** ![teelabrown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teelabrown/32/8412_2.png) [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2023, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/44 "2023-09-23T20:44:45Z")
American here. I don’t know what “Community” is, but I’ve heard the phrase under discussion. It was in the movie _Help_. The scientist pursuing Ringo’s ring has an assistant, an actor we see in other Richard Lester movies. He produces a time-slowing-down gadget, and announces it’s from America, and that it’s “streets ahead of anything we’ve got.” (Paraphrasing.) I had never heard the phrase before, but I grasped its meaning right away. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2023, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/45 "2023-09-23T20:49:53Z")
> [@teelabrown](#): > > I don’t know what “Community” is, I don’t see how it would be possible for someone to have read this thread and not figured out what _Community_ is. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2023, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/46 "2023-09-23T21:40:45Z")
I’ve never heard of _Community_ before this thread but from the thread context it’s evidently some TV show. I’ve known “streets ahead” as a standard Britishism for about 30 years now. I first learned of it within a couple weeks of starting to read _The Economist_, which is my main window into all things UK. I doubt I’ve ever used it myself. I suspect (but do not know) it’s now considered a bit old fashioned, so the usage may be dying out or becoming more high-register over in the UK than it was 30 or 50 or whatever years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2023, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/47 "2023-09-23T23:17:45Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’ve never heard of _Community_ There’s no crime in that. (As the FBI tip line keeps telling me.) ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2023, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/48 "2023-09-23T23:24:45Z")
But there SHOULD be. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/49 "2023-09-24T00:39:38Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > I find it hard to believe that a prime-time show would be produced and aired without someone involved in the show knowing, or learning that a common British idiom (if it is indeed common, I don’t know) was in the script unknowingly, nor telling the show runner about it. You really shouldn’t find it that hard to believe because stuff like that happens with regularity. A modern coffee cup showed up on Game of Thrones, an episode of Parks and Recreation featured a Model UN gathering that placed England on the UN Security Council. Even a show with a paid historical advisor, like Downton Abbey, will fuck up with anachronistic or non-local expressions making it into the dialog. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/50 "2023-09-24T01:10:23Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I first learned of it within a couple weeks of starting to read _The Economist_, Which brings this around to the original OP: _Babbage_ is an _Economist_ podcast. It was an interesting ep btw, especially the section in which the guest was discussing the AI science application that is streets ahead of what’s been to date … But a poll! Do you know the phrase and did you think it was coined in the show? _Poll ([view on site](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/50))_ ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2023, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/51 "2023-09-24T01:20:32Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Today I learned… > > [“Streets Ahead”](https://notoneoffbritishisms.com/2012/02/01/streets-ahead/) Never heard of the expression before 5 minutes ago, either. USA, SE Louisiana. Completely unknown here. ---
**Author:** ![mattgg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ccd318/32.png) [@mattgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mattgg)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/52 "2023-09-25T15:44:14Z")
I learned of it from the show and thought they coined it but then my wife, who is from Ireland, said it in normal conversation. When I commented on her quoting _Community_ she explained that it was an existing expression before it was used on _Community_. When she watched the show she thought that the joke was on the other characters, not on Pierce. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/53 "2023-09-25T15:51:20Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Now I’m wondering if _wubba lubba dub dub_ is like, French or something. _And that’s the waaaay…the new’s goes_. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/54 "2023-09-25T16:57:31Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Here’s the scene from _Community_: > > [https://youtu.be/gCktKQKXNWg?si=5kfkHtCa\_1kj4F5e&t=30](https://youtu.be/gCktKQKXNWg?si=5kfkHtCa_1kj4F5e&t=30) > > > “Your social skills aren’t exactly streets ahead.” > > I’m confused about the writers’ intent in the show. Apparently nobody else around the table has heard the expression before, they think Chevy is trying to invent a new expression. But the way Chevy uses the expression is not correct, for two reasons. > (a) The British idiom “streets ahead” is never used as an attribute, it is invariably comparative - X is streets ahead of Y. > (b) It would not really make sense to negate it, the point is to emphasize that X is _far_ ahead of Y. > > We might say “Your social skills are streets ahead of Britta’s.” > > Presumably the idea is that Chevy (as an older guy) has heard the expression, but is trying to pass it off as his own invention? So is the fact that he doesn’t know how to use it an intentional part of the writing, or do the writers not know how to use it? I would like to take time out of my busy day to appreciate the strides the British have made is using the very nature of competition to insult people. Minging is a adjective, it means bad, foul-smelling or unpleasant, often used to describe a woman. My favorite English insult is to say someone is, ‘Minging For England’. So this person has taken looking awful to a next level and is not only a professional, but representing England in the world competition for Minging. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2023, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/55 "2023-09-25T17:37:08Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > representing England in the world competition for Minging The winner: [![](https://i.postimg.cc/vZX1RkPQ/NoMercy.jpg) ](https://i.postimg.cc/vZX1RkPQ/NoMercy.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/56 "2023-09-26T06:04:24Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Minging is a adjective, it means bad, foul-smelling or unpleasant, often used to describe a woman That’s possibly because (although not etymologically related or sounding the same) it’s probably somewhat associated with the word _minge_ and so became gendered? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/57 "2023-09-26T18:02:48Z")
Chevy Chase is streets behind. > **[Chevy Chase Disses ‘Community’ as ‘Not Funny’ or ‘Hard-Hitting Enough for...](https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/chevy-chase-slams-community-not-funny-hard-hitting-1235735378/amp/)** > > Chevy Chase said he preferred to work alone than "around the table" with his "Community" co-stars. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/58 "2023-09-26T18:06:44Z")
So it sounds like his character on the show is just a less unpleasant version of him in real life. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/59 "2023-09-26T21:47:37Z")
Somehow successful humorists tend to turn into old curmudgeons or worse. Not sure whether it’s money, or fame, or just old age and we all expect them to retain youthful irreverence long after that’s simply unrealistic for the actual human behind the clownish stage persona. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2023, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566/60 "2023-09-26T21:54:03Z")
I mean, old curmudgeon? Hasn’t he always been known as a big asshole, or maybe it’s me taking things I’ve read about him over the last ten-twenty years and putting it on him back then. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streets-ahead-from-community-in-the-wild-used-for-real/990566.md?page=4)