As Patrick mentions above, it’s probably something like Poundland (or, more generically and in my opinion, likely, ‘Poundshop’). This being not just cheap but derogatory. Eg “Farage is just a poundshop Trump”.
Not sure about the Nickel and Dime equivalent.
If I’m talking to someone smart, I’ll say, “Penny for your thoughts?”
If I’m talking to someone not quite lighting up the marquee, it’s more like, “Farthing for whatever’s rattling around in there.”
I don’t like to overpay.
Funny how you have to pay one penny for someone else’s thoughts, but you have to pay two cents to give your own.
That’s a very good question, and one I’m struggling to answer. The best I have so far is “to keep the meter running” (as in a taxi) but that’s not common and t doesn’t fit every situation.
Ryanair have a reputation for that sort of thing, but I see no evidence of it (them?) being used as a verb. There is this joke though.
Michael O’Leary (Ryanair CEO) goes into a Dublin Pub
O’Leary: A pint of Guiness, please.
Barman (who recognizes him): That’ll be one Euro.
O’Leary: One Euro? That’s very reasonable.
Barman: Now, will you be wanting a glass with that…?
j
Maybe that’s why it gives me an Old West feeling. I also get an Old West vibe from the word mosey.
A very old phrase over here is “candle-end economies” (imaging someone sticking together used ends of candles to make a useable one), but perhaps that’s not quite the same thing.
I too was thinking of Ryanair’s business model
It was like a close-fitting elasticated fabric inner layer (similar to a cycling garment) with a baggy, bright-coloured, thin ‘shell’ layer attached mostly at the borders of the garment.
I really hope that’s true. It’s what i’d do.
Shell suits were all the rage for about 5 minutes. Actually it was probably more like a year or two in the late 80s, early 90s. My Italia 90 World Cup England squad shell suit was my pride and joy when I was about 9 years old.
You encounter the term “shell” or “soft shell” in US outdoor clothing. Brands like Patagonia and Columbia as well as hunting clothes. They’re light, somewhat water resistant, outer layers that are usually designed to be part of a layering system so they can provide warmth but it’s not the main goal.
And a good example in The Guardian today…
Reform a ‘racist and far-right’ party, says teaching union after Farage attack – UK politics live Reform a ‘racist and far-right’ party, says teaching union after Farage attack – UK politics live | Politics | The Guardian
For once, the Daily Mail is not wrong.
Some people thinking understanding the difference between British and American terms is hard…
But it’s not arugula science.
[joke stolen from Reddit]
I’d never heard of a “shell suit.” I guessed maybe it was like an unstructured jacket. No, it is a brightly colored polyester track suit.
(I’d be wary of confusing a poundshop with a knocking shop)
When finally Googling “Steeleye Span/Steely Dan” the Britishism “naff” appears in the results. I’ve heard it before, but there’s always an eventual tipping point when one stops assuming from context and bothers to look up an unfamiliar word.
“Naff” implies a lack of style or good taste, often suggesting something is cheap, low-quality, or unstylish
The phrase ‘naff off’ was also used in 1970s BBC prison sitcom Porridge to keep the dialogue nice and family friendly, in lieu of, well, you can probably guess that.
Is it similar to the American “Tacky”?
There’s no consensus, but there’s a good case that the word comes from Polari, a clandestine gay slang from the middle years of the last century (when homosexuality was a crime, and so talking in Polari could be a useful way of concealing meaning). The supposed etymology (an acronym - Not Available For - uh - Fun, meaning “straight” and therefore no good) is probably not true. But here’s an example of the word being used in Polari: Julian and Sandy, two outrageously camp characters on Round The Horne (which was a national institution of radio in the 1960s - remarkable given the legal status of homosexuality).
Naff is used at about 1.58 and 3.44 (“Irish” = Irish jig = wig). Most of the Polari in this episode is after the 4.30 mark (“wasp” simply refers to the rugby team Wasps, so far as I can tell).
j
That’s my understanding of “Wasp”.
Also in that clip
“Big saggy 'Arris” could, in the context of old clothes, mean Harris tweed; but, as the audience clearly understands, it can also be another piece of rhyming slang:
Arris (short for) Aristotle (rhymes with) bottle + glass (rhymes with):
Arse
Some other examples from the clip, showing the mixture of original slangs (though none of these were in common use then, let alone now):
eek: from ecaf (backslang for face)
omi: from theatrical/carnival Italian “uomo” for man
(Though where lallies - for legs - come from, no idea, unless it’s the scriptwriters’ invention)