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Re: Brit Words

To: wfme@mc.net
Subject: Re: Brit Words
From: britcars@juno.com
Date: Thu, 02 Jan 1997 13:27:42 EST
On Wed, 01 Jan 1997 09:02:28 -0600 Paul Hammarstedt <wfme@mc.net> writes:
>Could someone explain to me what the word "Noddy" means?  It is used
>repeatedly in the latest issue of "Thoroghbred and Classic Cars".  
>There
>is a pretty funny article about a guy with a Messerschmitt (SP?) but I
>need to now this word to complete my chuckles.
>
>Thanx,
>CU
>
In the late 50s/early 60s there was a children's program on the BBC that
starred a naughty little boy named Noddy. (I can't remember if he was an
animated drawing or just like a series of pictures from a book; TV was
still pretty primitive back then!) At about the same time, some city
policemen were asked to patrol on Velocette LE  motorcycles, a fully
faired, water-cooled , cross between a scooter and a real bike.
Of course, the real bikers thought they looked pretty daft, so they soon
earned the nickname of "Noddy bikes", and the term Noddy came into wider
use as a fairly derogatory term.  (Not to be confused with "Neddy",
another derogatory term for a foolish person, which originated on the
Goon Show. Ah, the days of real broadcast humor!)

Lawrie Alexander

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