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Re: BRITISH WORDS, interiors and steering wheels

To: british-cars@autox.team.net, DJP@alpha.sunquest.com
Subject: Re: BRITISH WORDS, interiors and steering wheels
From: Mike Causer <mike@setanta.demon.co.uk>
Date: Thu, 10 Mar 94 11:34:36 GMT
 dan parslow suggested:

> > From context, I have concluded it means "reconnoiter" or, if you insist,
> > "reconnoitre."
> 
> An even better Briticism with (I think) approximately the same
> meaning is "shufty."  As in "have a shufty at <something>."  Its
> use is primarily northern England and Scotland.  No guesses as to
> the etymology of this one.

Shufti would be appropriate for a look at _one_ thing, but not for
a drawn-out series such as recce'ing a rally route.  It's from
Arabic `saffa'  "try to see"  (Oxford Concise).  I would also use `dekko'
as an alternative to `shufti' as in "Have a dekko at this." (from Hindi
`dekho' imperative of `dekhna' "look").

Mike "I like the language _and_ the cars" Causer

Mike Causer           Setanta Technology        mike@setanta.demon.co.uk
                         Cambridge UK
                          Utrecht NL


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