Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: We are all twatcocks now (updated with prizes!)

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  • Geoff Lealand,

    Currently showing in your local cinema, Easy A includes twat as a joke which works. A surprisingly funny and clever teen movie, even though I suspect most teens won't get the clever-dick historical and cultural references.

    Can we use TC as the short version for bad drivers and stupid politicians?

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to Geoff Lealand,

    Easy A includes twat as a joke which works

    How do they pronounce it?

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Andre,

    It's just a shame that PA readers chose an abusive term for the WOTY. Its interesting but not that important whereas roflnui (as they tweet apparently) was maybe a bit more important because it mixed languages. Roflnui is rather PC - Kilgallon should use it more often.
    Findlay McDonald (SST) and Matt McCarten (Granny H) are the best Sunday columnists but I enjoy laughing at Michael Laws even though our politics are opposite to each others'. Bernard Hickey is now almost the only business commentator I agree with - the rest are a cheerleading team for baby boomers worried they won't get to rip off those younger than themselves. Stunningly Fran O'Sullivan the hard-right Herald columnist has chosen to join Hickey's year-long crusade about inter-generational theft - but she's still dire: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/fran-osullivan-on-business/news/article.cfm?c_id=1502864&objectid=10693466. "But until then, they'll keep on bribing us with our children's money."

    New Zealand • Since May 2009 • 371 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso,

    I'm sorry to intrude on the whole pronunciation thing, but if you don't pronounce twat like twat and cock like cock, doesn't the word instantly stop making sense?

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • ange wither, in reply to Sacha,

    In Easy A they pronounce it 'twot'

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 54 posts Report

  • Russell Brown, in reply to ange wither,

    In Easy A they pronounce it ‘twot’

    I do believe this to be the original pronunciation.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

  • giovanni tiso,

    Well, fock me.

    Wellington • Since Jun 2007 • 7473 posts Report

  • Jackie Clark,

    I had no idea we had so many wowsers on board. Colour me shocked.

    Mt Eden, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 3136 posts Report

  • recordari, in reply to Jackie Clark,

    wowsers

    ...a giant golf ball?

    AUCKLAND • Since Dec 2009 • 2607 posts Report

  • Geoff Lealand,

    I had no idea we had so many wowsers on board. Colour me shocked.

    Well, I am married to a woman with a really foul mouth and I love her for it.

    Can't imagine you shocked, Jackie--let alone coloured-in.

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report

  • Andre Alessi,

    I like the cadence and syllabic repetition of the phrase "What a twatcock!"

    I guess this makes me an effete pointy-headed liberal after all.

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report

  • Tom Beard,

    I do believe this to be the original pronunciation.

    Robert Browning rhymed it with "bat". Then again, he thought it meant a piece of nun's clothing, so he may not be the best source.

    Wiktionary suggest a "bat" sound for UK English and a "swat" sound for Australasia, but then it also associated the UK slang with the "contemptible and stupid person" meaning rather than the vulval one. That accords with my experience that NZers generally only use the "twot" version to refer to female genitalia, and that fairly rarely: they're more likely to either use something milder or go all the way and say "cunt". I've only ever heard the insult form pronounced with a "hat" sound, and that's probably from people who have either spent a lot of time in the UK or (like me) watched too much Red Dwarf and Men Behaving Badly.

    Bonus puerility points: Hit the audio file on the Wiktionary page repeatedly. Especially when the boss is walking past.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1040 posts Report

  • Joe Wylie,

    Monosyllabic words are more easily nuanced. For example, you can be simply a prick, or be upgraded to arch-prick, which suggests some kind of phallic bishop's mitre. But arch-twatcock? Not really.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report

  • Jolisa, in reply to Geoff Lealand,

    Can we use TC as the short version for bad drivers and stupid politicians?

    That would of course be TC gone mad.

    Auckland, NZ • Since Nov 2006 • 1472 posts Report

  • Jackie Clark, in reply to Joe Wylie,

    I would suggest uber twatcock or massive twatcock. And Geoff? How very dare you.

    Mt Eden, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 3136 posts Report

  • DexterX, in reply to Bruce Thorpe,

    Hardly the word of the year in my universe.

    Welcome to the new world horizon.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1224 posts Report

  • DexterX,

    Developed further having regard to gender relevance and overall "F"fort - "Twatcock" and Sarah Palin a perfect match, Bob Jones is a "Cocktwat", whereas say Micheal Laws would be a "Twatcock".

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1224 posts Report

  • Geoff Lealand,

    But Technically Correct ;-)

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report

  • Kyle Matthews,

    *But* there was no discussion for the voting form itself because it seemed superfluous, given that we already had one. We’ll change things a bit once Matt has some time, but for now it might be worth looking at the home of the site once a day.

    I think I've looked at the public address home page about 4 times in the past four years, and I know I'm not the only one. It doesn't serve any purpose for me as pretty much everything can be reached from the system page. Might be worth keeping that in mind Russell in terms of reaching all of us (I don't think I ever saw the email, but that might be gmail's fault).

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Tom Beard,

    I would suggest uber twatcock or massive twatcock

    I quite like the sound of "steaming great twatcock" and "egregious twatcockery".

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 1040 posts Report

  • Jackie Clark, in reply to Tom Beard,

    egregious twatcockery? that, my love, is fabulous

    Mt Eden, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 3136 posts Report

  • Heather Gaye, in reply to DexterX,

    ...whereas say Micheal Laws would be a "Twatcock".

    ..you mean "Twhatcock"

    Morningside • Since Nov 2006 • 533 posts Report

  • Isabel Hitchings,

    "Total twatcock" alliterates nicely.

    Christchurch • Since Jul 2007 • 719 posts Report

  • BenWilson, in reply to giovanni tiso,

    I'm certainly never going to pronounce the word like I'm from the UK. That's just final.

    Edit: I don't know how this post ended up being in reply to Gio. Not intended.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report

  • Che Tibby,

    ok... i'll play.

    the plural of twatcock?

    a "fold".i.e. "in that room is a fold of twatcocks".

    the back of an envelope • Since Nov 2006 • 2042 posts Report

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