Almost every morning, I get to eat breakfast with a Scotsman who's studying here in Melbourne and also staying at University College. Part of our conversation often involves me asking him to explain some phrase he's used that I don't understand. Sometimes it's the accent. Sometimes I just don't get it. Yesterday morning I was talking to him about a colleague who had complained to me about the new building our offices are in. (They are very corporate, I'll post a picture). In response, the Scotsman said, "Oh, ee's a whingeing pom."
"A what?"
"Whinge-ing pom. P-O-M"
"I don't know what that means."
"Hmmm, weill, whingeing - that's liek whining or complaining."
"Ok. But what's a pom?"
"Pris-o-ner a' her Mehjesty" or "Pris-o-ner a' Mether Angland."
I laughed out loud - it's such a suitable phrase for so many academics, whether they are Brits or not. (Turns out it's also the acronym they used to put on convicts' clothes back in the days of the British Empire.)
We continued our conversation about moving and new buildings and how they often have a whole set of new problems, and how the architects ask what you want and then completely ignore it. He was describing how that happened at his work back in Scotland, and then said, "Weill, now I'm a Whingeing Tom." For the life of me I couldn't figure out what acronym TOM could possibly stand for.
"Whingeing Tom?"
"Yeh, yi know, bicause that's my name. Tommie."
"Ah. yes. I did know that."
A self-deprecating Scotsman and a slow, slow, American. This feels like the start of one of those jokes...
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