Just A Minute

Robert,

Am I right in thinking you're American? I'm sure I've read posts from
you in the past where you have alluded to this fact. Plus, the
inclusion of the "L" in your name would suggest this is so (Americans
do like to include their middle initial far more than Brits - I'd be
even more delighted if your username was Robert L. Torres III)

Anyway, the phrase "Hoist by your own petard" still passes as
conversational currency in these Isles, and generally gets trotted
out when some instance of sheer hypocrisy or chicanery is exposed...
the word "petard" comes from the French, and is one of those handful
of Gallic words which entered the English language centuries ago and
somehow stuck... don't ask me what it means, but I suspect it has
naval connotations.

--- In just-a-minute@ yahoogroups. com, "Robert L. Torres"
<bobbyshaddoe3004@ ...> wrote:
>
> I'd like to take a moment and discuss the frequent use of this,
quite
> frankly, ridiculous phrase in Just a Minute.... that such and such
a
> person was 'hoist with his or her own petard'. What the hell is a
> petard anyway?
>
> This has been used so often throughout the show's history, and I
> think it was started by Kenneth Williams whenever someone that
> challenged another person so smugly or dared to challenge him so
> smugly, he would retaliate by saying that they had been 'hoist with
> their own petard', very much reveling in his behavior of an overly
> petulant five year old.
>
> it's not the sort of thing that's even used nowadays, in fact the
> only person that would say that phrase is Nicholas, and frankly the
> fact that it's been used so often much like the phrase 'benefit of
> the doubt', it's lost all meaning, frankly I'm glad they don't use
> that phrase anymore, as it has no place in the series the way it is
> now.
>
> i'm curious as to what people think about this particular phrase
> whether they liked it or not or if anyone can recall any instances
> where something humourous has emerged surrounding this particular
> phrase.
>

---

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