Tuesday 20 September 2011

explicit archers



I was listening to The Archers the other day, like I can't seem to stop myself doing. Caroline had gone to visit Elizabeth, or it might have been the other way round, and they went into whoever's office it was. I can't remember the next line word for word, but it was near enough to, 'Sorry about the state of my office - it's a bit of a glory hole in here.' I re-wound and checked.

Well. Either someone writing The Archers has heard the expression 'glory hole' and thinks they know what it means, or someone involved in The Archers was having a little fun and trying to slip something through the net, assuming everyone who read it would either like the joke or just take it to mean 'mess'. Maybe loads of Archers listeners will pick up the phrase.*

* What happens when you think you know better than other people, but you don't? Posts like this, that's what. Read the comments.

4 comments:

John Finnemore said...

Er... is this a meta-joke I am too dim to get, or have you genuinely never heard a hoarder's den described as a glory hole?

OED:

GLORY-HOLE dial. A receptacle (as a drawer, room, etc.) in which things are heaped together without any attempt at order or tidiness.

1825 M. Wilmot Let. 20 Nov. (1935) 227 A sort of play room or glory hole for poor Wilmot to keep his rubbish.

1871 A. D. Whitney We Girls iii. 62 You can bring out your old ribbon-box... It's a charity to clear out your glory-holes once in a while.

Holly said...

I am mostly concerned by the increasing frequency of references to Freddie's love of horse-riding/ hunting & being 'so like his father'.

Robert Hudson said...

Genuinely had not. First few people I mentioned this to also had not. Now I have. Life is learning.

Matthew said...

... and Clarrie was delighted to see Joe's Morning Glory, when she popped round on Sunday to drop off a pork pie. Oh stop it.