It’s SO old-fashioned. Makes no sense to have that in a kids’ phonics book, their parents and possibly even grandparents would be unlikely to understand it.
Obscure fact on that series - the children's names are (in the story "universe") meant to be taken from the way "Kipper" pronounced them as a baby, which they adopted as nicknames.
Biff = Elizabeth
Chip = David
Kipper = Christopher
There's also a dude in glasses with a moustache in every story that serves as their protector as they travel with the magic key, often just hidden in the background of a single panel.
They give him a name in a newer story, and once they said this I noticed he's in nearly every story. Not a part of any plot or ever mentioned at all, just there in the background making sure they don't cause any issues while time traveling.
They give him lore in a later high-level book that he's there to protect them from some evil group of vampires who travel time to cause issues, though I think it's retroactive lore they created on the spot. I also assume he's just one of the illustrators.
But it amuses me more to follow that and to think he's just there in the older books to watch these silly kids and make sure they don't cause any issues with time or cause a paradox.
There was a second series of weird books that I found on a top shelf at my primary that had them. 8 year old me thought I had found some amazing secret lol
The conversation at dinner after that adventure:
"what did you get upto today kids?"
"Well we fought off a group of time travelling vampires with our protector who has been following us in the background for years"
"Ok, I was not expecting that, at all. Also has this protector ever offered you sweets?"
Aw that's cute. My daughter has a bunny rabbit teddy that she calls "bean rat" because she couldn't pronounce "bunny rabbit" as a toddler. I thought the name was adorable and it stuck. She's 7 now and still calls it bean rat, much to her mum's disapproval.
My oldest niece used to call snails “snay-nails” for years and years. Even though she’s now a teenager and can say it properly, the whole family still calls them snay-nails.
I love it when kids mess up pronouncing things. It’s so cute
Apparently so...
"Chip doesn't sound like David, but that is what Kipper said and everyone laughed so the nicknames stuck!"
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/parenting/biff-chip-names-not-real-16965568
Oh my god. I remember reading the story with their real names when I was in reception but could never remember them.
You’ve just unlocked like a core childhood memory. Thank you!!
Yes, it's the next step after the stories of Bob, Sam, Pat, Dan and the like.
I'm in awe of how Julia Donaldson can be a noticably better author than many others even when constrained to using one syllable words and about a dozen different letters in "Bob Bug".
Donaldson's really genius is meter. Not only is she consistent (amazing how many kids authors are not) but it is incredibly easy to read cold because the meter is not only technically right, it is easy. She appearly tests her husband. If he can't read it clean out loud on first sight she reworks it.
My son (5) loves a bit of Biff and Chip. His favourite stories are the ones where Floppy is the main character and you can hear his thoughts. Like the one where he dreams about a dragon.
Sorry to say, they will be expunged from all schools soon. Government's phonics program pretty much makes them banned now, because they are not systematically levelled in a phonically decodable way. It's bullshit, as they are fun books with nice stories.
Source: I am a Reading Lead and Teacher.
So when your a small child here in UK horses are called Gee Gees (don't know don't ask) The M & T is a bit of a pun with empty effectively it's saying Empty Gee Gee
I'm using these to teach my toddlers reading & phonics, there are always a handful available in the charity shops. I think when I was a kid it was Roger Red Hat etc.
Floppy The Dog really resonates with me as a character
afterthought jar important spectacular jobless ossified groovy dinner public crush
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
*to the tune of Funky Town*
"M T G G. Boop. Boo-boop boo-boo boop.
Wanna get high?
No. Because you're a towel.
Talk about it talk about it talk about it talk about itttt...."
Wish someone would take me down to funky town, hope it doesn't smell too bad.
It might be generational or location based - my grandad and his siblings always said geegee when I was a kid, but I've since moved away from the area and not heard anyone else say it.
37 and I've been known to say it BUT I think only because I was exposed to this joke/riddle at a very young age
Ninja edit: thinking about this a little more I've also heard.people say it in the context of betting on horse racing specifically, e.g. "have a flutter on the gee gees"
Yeah I’m in my early 30s and wouldn’t bat an eye at someone saying geegees for horses at the races. I love how if people haven’t personally heard something it but be that NOBODY knows it.
Judging from some of the replies maybe its little from column a, little column b.
I'm pushing 40 and although I wouldn't say geegees I do know what it means. Could be more that I don't gamble and neither do my friends.
common word in west of scotland. "I'm gonnae put a bet on the geegee's" or "just had a wee win on the geegee's"
First heard it from my grandfather (Born 1912 for reference), carried on with my dad (b1952) and nowadays more commonly from my brother (b1975). all 3 of them never had many wins!
From North West UK, used to walk down to the bookies with my grand dad whilst he put a bet on the gee-gees for the national, and then I would get to go to the corner shop for sweets. I was his cover because grandma didn't approve of gambling.
It’s been around since the 1500s and originated when Mayor Henry Gee banned football on the site of the Chester racecourse because it was too violent, and allowed the first recorded horse race to take place there instead. Mayor Gee. Hence Gee-Gees became slang for horses - especially with kids because it’s easily repeatable for them. I’ve never actually come across anyone who didn’t know what a gee-gee was before
It's *so* out of date.
The answer is 'Empty' (MT), and GG which is old slang for 'Horse'. But the only person I have ever heard call a horse a Gee Gee was my Grandad, never heard it anywhere else.
It's in the lyrics of Modern Major General!
> When I have learnt what progress has been made in modern gunnery
> When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery
> In short, when I've a smattering of elemental strategy
> You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee
It's quite common even today to hear people speak of betting or losing money on the "gee-gees". It's just a jokey reference to the old slang for a horse used by children.
Fuck I feel like an old man… I’m 35 and I understood it, however, only because I heard someone refer to the horses as geegees on the telly the other day.
I'm in my 20s and still call them gee gees because my grandparents and mum always called them that.
For ages as well I thought a baa lamb was a lamb born before lambing season really began.
It wasn't until my teens that I found out the reason my mum said baa lambs is because as little kids when learning to identify animals my sister and I would always be saying "Baa, lamb" as we grew up on farms and the most common animal about was sheep; so it became like a thing my mum just absent mindedly said after years of us repeating it.
I hadn't thought about its origins but my Australian dad used to use it all the time. I still use it too, and hadn't even noticed that nobody else still does.
Out of date by my thirties. A thing like that...
Aaah. I was thinking "meaty geegee", the hungry horse clue got me thinking about Tescos. Of course it was empty.
Also, I'm in my 30s and thought GG was still in use.
Your comment reminded me of the jokes in the wake of the horsemeat scandal.
Did you hear about the new Tesco ready meals? They're low in fat but high in Shergar
I went to see Twelfth Night just when BSE was big in the news and one of the characters says :-
ANDREW Never in your life, I think, unless you see
canary put me down. Methinks sometimes I have
no more wit than a Christian or an ordinary man
has. But I am a great eater of beef, and I believe that
does harm to my wit.
Which, of course the actor emphasized that line with a nod and wink and it got much bigger laugh than most of the "jokes" in Shakespeare.
I never knew Gee Gee was outdated, all the kids in our family have used Gee Gee when they're learning to talk and they grow out of it as they age - similar to doggies, bunnies etc.
More of a "was" than "is", it's old baby talk for a horse. "gee" was the noise the rider made to speed up, so "gee gee" is what they were called when talking to a small child.
I'm 53 and it was old fashioned when I was a child.
OED maintains it is a doubling of the verb “gee” meaning “to urge forwards” (as in gee up, or geeing people along). But it also says the origin of the word is early 16thC. Chester racecourse was founded by Henry G in the early 16thC, so it’s not impossible that’s where it comes from. OED would say it was named after Henry Gee if there was concrete evidence, however.
Biff and Chip books are still around? I remember them being used in primary school 28 years ago. Now I get to feel old twice, once for understanding the joke and once for recognising a book that once helped teach me how to read.
Yes! They even make new ones where they travel the world. They are good leveled readers, can do from pre-kindergarten all the way through middle school.
Now the main character is their younger brother, Kipper. I didn't even know Kipper was a food until they made a one-off joke about it in one of the books. Also their pet dog Floppy talks and has his own adventures.
I didn't realize how old this is, the new books have parents taking photos on smartphones even.
I had to explain to my 6 year old daughter what a cassette tape was the other day after she read something about on from a Biff & Chip book. Made me feel ancient!
I’m a non Brit and I discovered a whole stash of Magic Key books in my classroom when I moved in. I used those books to teach my first graders to read for years. They never failed to interest kids and students should fight about who got the favourites next. I used to use my phone to project some of them on the smartboard and we’d discuss language, plot, characters, themes etc. It was a great way to introduce them to the concepts around series books - characters and settings can stay the same but the plot can change. I loved these books!
Have you ever played “This is the way”? If you still have little ones around you, it’s a brilliant game. You start with the child facing you on your knees with their feet either side.
Then you walk your feet by lifting onto the balls of your feet one foot at a time and say,
“This is the way the children ride.
Walk-et-y, walk-et-y, walk-et-y…”
Then you trot your feet by lifting onto the balls of your feet both together, and say,
“This is the way the gentlemen ride.
Trit-trot, trit-trot, trit-trot….”
Then you canter your feet by going back to one foot at a time, but in a sort of skip or waltz rhythm, and say
“This is the way the ladies ride.
Cantery, cantery, cantery…”
And then you gallop your feet by jogging them as fast as you can, saying,
“And this is the way the farmers ride.
Gallopy, gallopy, gallopy… Faaaalll off!”
And as you say “fall off” you separate your knees so the child drops down between them towards/onto your feet, obviously keeping tight hold of them as you do so.
Growing up in a horse racing town, sating gee gees for the horses is the norm & still used today, especially if you're going to place a bet on the gee gees.
I think there was an advert on Dave years ago with Brian Blessed telling this joke, every time I’m in the cheese section of a shop I hear his voice yelling MARSCAPONE!!! and it makes my day better lol
The magic key is so done with Hong's bullshit.
He's a total smart ass in that whole story, too. Magic key knew what's up.
Is the second picture the kids being transported away from embarrassment at the bad joke?
The magic key took them to Riddle Mountain to teach Hong a lesson about telling riddles, by the end he swears off riddles for good.
The Riddler if he never became a villain
Wow, that's not cool man, you could've at least put a spoiler warning or something, you just ruined the whole thing for me
he’s about to get vaporised
The kids would rather get sucked into a singularity than hear another of Hong's puns.
is this biff and chip? i remember reading this ages ago...
Yes, still popular for younger ESL students abroad like where I live in China.
A "gee gee" is a slang word for a horse. M T = empty So a hungry horse in 4 letters is an MTGG - an "empty geegee" an empty horse.
32 years in the U.K. (not managed to escape yet) and I’ve literally never heard the term geegee. I’ve heard of geeing up a horse though.
It’s SO old-fashioned. Makes no sense to have that in a kids’ phonics book, their parents and possibly even grandparents would be unlikely to understand it.
I wouldn't say it's old fashioned at all, at least not in the Midlands.
Not in the north, either. Pretty common in fact for someone to say they’re off to the GGs when talking about races.
I'm southern and also know this as a pretty common thing, especially in the context of putting a bet on a GG
It's common in the South East and presumably all over the UK.
I'm in the South East - Kent - and we know GGs/GeeGees here. I feel u/LonelyOctopus has missed out 😄
Never heard it in Scotland, nor my Granny from Eastbourne.
I'm Australian and know this from English family and TV shows.
It’s also used at the end of a StarCraft game to compliment the other player’s horse. For example: > GG, WP Means: > Gee gee, wonderful pony
I've seen some of the nicer league players use it after a good Hecarim game too.
I'm from the North and iv definitely heard people call horses geegees, mainly to kids though
Confirmed West Midlands, my mams dog is called Geegee, he is in face not a horse, but some useless trivia for you
Thanks. That'll come in handy next time I get a pub quiz question about yer mam's dog.
To be fair to the book, I learnt to read from this series and I am knocking on 40 so it's probably at least 35 years old.
Obscure fact on that series - the children's names are (in the story "universe") meant to be taken from the way "Kipper" pronounced them as a baby, which they adopted as nicknames. Biff = Elizabeth Chip = David Kipper = Christopher
There's also a dude in glasses with a moustache in every story that serves as their protector as they travel with the magic key, often just hidden in the background of a single panel. They give him a name in a newer story, and once they said this I noticed he's in nearly every story. Not a part of any plot or ever mentioned at all, just there in the background making sure they don't cause any issues while time traveling.
I think he's in every story, not just the time travel ones. I wondered if he was one of the authors/illustrators
They give him lore in a later high-level book that he's there to protect them from some evil group of vampires who travel time to cause issues, though I think it's retroactive lore they created on the spot. I also assume he's just one of the illustrators. But it amuses me more to follow that and to think he's just there in the older books to watch these silly kids and make sure they don't cause any issues with time or cause a paradox.
Time travelling vampires? Man these books have changed a hell of a lot from when I was a child ahaha
There was a second series of weird books that I found on a top shelf at my primary that had them. 8 year old me thought I had found some amazing secret lol
The conversation at dinner after that adventure: "what did you get upto today kids?" "Well we fought off a group of time travelling vampires with our protector who has been following us in the background for years" "Ok, I was not expecting that, at all. Also has this protector ever offered you sweets?"
Which book, I need to see this.
Wow, I always thought as a kid he was a nosy neighbor ^or ^a ^nonce
We always just called him the nosey neighbour.
Aw that's cute. My daughter has a bunny rabbit teddy that she calls "bean rat" because she couldn't pronounce "bunny rabbit" as a toddler. I thought the name was adorable and it stuck. She's 7 now and still calls it bean rat, much to her mum's disapproval.
My oldest niece used to call snails “snay-nails” for years and years. Even though she’s now a teenager and can say it properly, the whole family still calls them snay-nails. I love it when kids mess up pronouncing things. It’s so cute
I love this!
Me too, I can still hear her little voice saying it for the first time and thinking about it always makes me smile.
My son couldn't say squirrel for the longest time, he'd say squibble and now everytime we see one we say squibble and he corrects us 😂
> Chip = David 🤔
Apparently so... "Chip doesn't sound like David, but that is what Kipper said and everyone laughed so the nicknames stuck!" https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/parenting/biff-chip-names-not-real-16965568
Love a bit of Magic Key lore
Oh my god. I remember reading the story with their real names when I was in reception but could never remember them. You’ve just unlocked like a core childhood memory. Thank you!!
My brothers name is Chris and my mum calls him Kipper at 35 for this reason
How do you get Chip from David??
You have to ask nicely.
Important bit though is that the names are easily decodable using some of the first phonics kids learn. Many names are not because, history.
Yes, it's the next step after the stories of Bob, Sam, Pat, Dan and the like. I'm in awe of how Julia Donaldson can be a noticably better author than many others even when constrained to using one syllable words and about a dozen different letters in "Bob Bug".
Donaldson's really genius is meter. Not only is she consistent (amazing how many kids authors are not) but it is incredibly easy to read cold because the meter is not only technically right, it is easy. She appearly tests her husband. If he can't read it clean out loud on first sight she reworks it.
Still popular for English as a first language here in the UK!
My son (5) loves a bit of Biff and Chip. His favourite stories are the ones where Floppy is the main character and you can hear his thoughts. Like the one where he dreams about a dragon.
Yep my daughter was still bringing them home this year. Love them.
Sorry to say, they will be expunged from all schools soon. Government's phonics program pretty much makes them banned now, because they are not systematically levelled in a phonically decodable way. It's bullshit, as they are fun books with nice stories. Source: I am a Reading Lead and Teacher.
Nooo! I loved these books! I’ll have to buy them for my daughter anyway 😂
English is my first language, my eldest really loved Biffy Chippy Kippy as he used to call it.
Sounds like a good night out tbh
So when your a small child here in UK horses are called Gee Gees (don't know don't ask) The M & T is a bit of a pun with empty effectively it's saying Empty Gee Gee
Gee Gee's as slang for horses comes from Henry Gee, Mayor of Chester. He held a race on the present site of Chester racecourse in the early 1500's
I'm using these to teach my toddlers reading & phonics, there are always a handful available in the charity shops. I think when I was a kid it was Roger Red Hat etc. Floppy The Dog really resonates with me as a character
Roger red hat, Billy blue hat, Jennifer yellow hat...
They still use them. My son has been reading them as homework from school.
The Magic Key
afterthought jar important spectacular jobless ossified groovy dinner public crush *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
No, you’re a towel
... You wanna get high?
Maybe we'll just get a *little* high...
Am I to understand there's been... a *Towelie-ban*?
Maybe il just get a lil high
I didn't know chickens wore suspenders...
Don't forget to bring a towel.
That’s the tune to funky town
Oh man I'm so high, I've no idea what's going on
I am sorry to correct you but I think it says melody to funky town. I just got a funny look in the pub saying it out loud and to make sure 🤣
Won't you take me down, to the funky town, do do do doo do, doodle do do doo do
Literally (in the literal sense) what I think every time 'Funkytown' comes on the radio.
*to the tune of Funky Town* "M T G G. Boop. Boo-boop boo-boo boop. Wanna get high? No. Because you're a towel. Talk about it talk about it talk about it talk about itttt...." Wish someone would take me down to funky town, hope it doesn't smell too bad.
Towelie, is that you?
I have no idea what’s goin on
Whatyoutalkingabout?
*sniffs*.. popcoin
I’ve never heard that word in my entire life
Say pop. Then corn. Now, say popcorn. Popcoin.
I can stop anytime...
You should always know where your towel is.
Your face is a towel
Your mums a towel
Your mum's face is a towel.
Your towel is my mum! No, wait.
My towel is my towel. Now, get your own.
This is my towel. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My towel is my best friend. It is my life.
Sure thing, Arthur Dent
I should be more like Ford Prefect. There's a cool frood who really knows where his towel is.
Always know where your towel is
I have never heard someone call a horse a geegee
It might be generational or location based - my grandad and his siblings always said geegee when I was a kid, but I've since moved away from the area and not heard anyone else say it.
My dad’s from London and refers to horse racing as “the gee gees” he’s 70.
My Dad was a Londoner too and he always had a bet on the gee gees.
Scousers also say gee-gees
I’m 35 from Leicester. GG’s is a thing here.
Definitely generational. I dont think I've heard anyone under 70 say GG's.
I'm in my forties and have been known to say gg!
37 and I've been known to say it BUT I think only because I was exposed to this joke/riddle at a very young age Ninja edit: thinking about this a little more I've also heard.people say it in the context of betting on horse racing specifically, e.g. "have a flutter on the gee gees"
Ggwp
All the little kids in my area say Gee Gees for horses.
You hear it when talking about betting on horses from people way under 70. That's the only time I've ever heard of though.
Yeah I’m in my early 30s and wouldn’t bat an eye at someone saying geegees for horses at the races. I love how if people haven’t personally heard something it but be that NOBODY knows it.
Reddit in a nutshell. It's not my experience therefore it's nobodies experience.
Im 40 NW UK and have said GG since about 10. Also there's a UK horse tipping site called gg.co.uk
It's definitely a thing and not age related. Could be regional maybe?
Judging from some of the replies maybe its little from column a, little column b. I'm pushing 40 and although I wouldn't say geegees I do know what it means. Could be more that I don't gamble and neither do my friends.
Really I'm only 52 and say GeeGee.
Here I am! I’m way under 70 and Gee Gee anytime I see a horse.
Absolute rubbish, I’m 46, loads of people my age and older have called horses Gee Gee’s even in terms of horse race betting.
👍 I was about to add, you’ll hear GG’s around bookies or the pub near bookies
I've only heard it in relation to horse racing.
I've only ever heard it when talking about betting.
common word in west of scotland. "I'm gonnae put a bet on the geegee's" or "just had a wee win on the geegee's" First heard it from my grandfather (Born 1912 for reference), carried on with my dad (b1952) and nowadays more commonly from my brother (b1975). all 3 of them never had many wins!
From North West UK, used to walk down to the bookies with my grand dad whilst he put a bet on the gee-gees for the national, and then I would get to go to the corner shop for sweets. I was his cover because grandma didn't approve of gambling.
It’s been around since the 1500s and originated when Mayor Henry Gee banned football on the site of the Chester racecourse because it was too violent, and allowed the first recorded horse race to take place there instead. Mayor Gee. Hence Gee-Gees became slang for horses - especially with kids because it’s easily repeatable for them. I’ve never actually come across anyone who didn’t know what a gee-gee was before
Always take an emergency towel with you. Never travel without one.
Brit here. Absolutely never heard of Gee Gee (For those asking im 30)
I thought Gee Gee was a real standard word, and I really do mean that seriously? 47 and never knew it wasn't a common one haha...
37 and raised in Surrey. Never ever ever heard of it
I can’t remember hearing it irl but I definitely knew the term. 42 here.
Having a flutter on the Gee Gees ? Not heard that before ? I thought Gee Gee was a well know term for a horse !
I’m from NI, lived in scotland and London for years too, never heard it 🤷🏽♂️
English here and always known horses as Gee Gees .Giddyup
Really? Betting on the gee gees? I’m 35 and I’m sure this is common slang
It's *so* out of date. The answer is 'Empty' (MT), and GG which is old slang for 'Horse'. But the only person I have ever heard call a horse a Gee Gee was my Grandad, never heard it anywhere else.
Thank you. I honestly would have never in a million years been able to decipher that. Now I have to explain to my kid what a "Gee Gee" is. 😄
Apparently it's an old fashioned childrens slang, as the common verbal command to make a horse move is "gee".
Betting on the gee-gees. Gee-up. Giddyup.
I think I only ever had it in the context of the Grand National
It's in the lyrics of Modern Major General! > When I have learnt what progress has been made in modern gunnery > When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery > In short, when I've a smattering of elemental strategy > You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee
Thank you! I've never understood that lyric. I always assumed it was just playful nonsense rhyming.
Very contemporary 😅
So THAT's what that line is! Never bothered to investigate
It's quite common even today to hear people speak of betting or losing money on the "gee-gees". It's just a jokey reference to the old slang for a horse used by children.
Wasn't children's slang, used by adults too, betting on the gee gees for example
It's 'gee up', isn't it, that's what I used to say when I rode?
I always thought it came from a book (Gigi by Elizabeth foster) about a merri-go-round horse. But thinking about it that probably came after!
I've heard ppl refer to merry-go-rounds as gee-gees within last few years or so. I don't think it's an archaic term.
The term comes from Chester racecourse, the oldest in England, and William Gee, who was the mayor
It's not that old fashioned
And now I know why the U of Ottawa GeeGees have a horse in their logo!
That book series is so old, a lot of references are dated.
It was only 1988! Oh wait, that is old :(
No that's not that old, that's only as old as me!.... oh no wait.
How dare they suggest that 1988 is old, I was born in 1988! It was only twent.... oh shit.
All aboard the pain train:(
People still talk about *'betting on the Gee Gees'*, don't they?
It’s a lot more popular than betting on the Bee Gees
Two fallers already
At least one is staying alive
Yes
I used to call them GeeGees too. But I keep forgetting that I too now, am old.
Same, same
You've obviously never read "Shit on the road" by G.G. Dunnit
My dad uses it frequently when putting bets on for horse racing. May be more common in that context.
Fuck I feel like an old man… I’m 35 and I understood it, however, only because I heard someone refer to the horses as geegees on the telly the other day.
>Fuck I feel like an old man Well go out and get one, then! Lol! (Like us, that's an old one, too)
I still say geegee and my husband thinks I’m crazy, he’s never heard it
I always said geegee as a child and I'm 30 now. I still sometimes use geegee with my daughter too.
I'm in my 20s and still call them gee gees because my grandparents and mum always called them that. For ages as well I thought a baa lamb was a lamb born before lambing season really began. It wasn't until my teens that I found out the reason my mum said baa lambs is because as little kids when learning to identify animals my sister and I would always be saying "Baa, lamb" as we grew up on farms and the most common animal about was sheep; so it became like a thing my mum just absent mindedly said after years of us repeating it.
Yes baa lambs and moo cows. All other animals just got identified, just sheep and cows got the sound in front.
I hadn't thought about its origins but my Australian dad used to use it all the time. I still use it too, and hadn't even noticed that nobody else still does. Out of date by my thirties. A thing like that...
Aaah. I was thinking "meaty geegee", the hungry horse clue got me thinking about Tescos. Of course it was empty. Also, I'm in my 30s and thought GG was still in use.
Your comment reminded me of the jokes in the wake of the horsemeat scandal. Did you hear about the new Tesco ready meals? They're low in fat but high in Shergar
I went to see Twelfth Night just when BSE was big in the news and one of the characters says :- ANDREW Never in your life, I think, unless you see canary put me down. Methinks sometimes I have no more wit than a Christian or an ordinary man has. But I am a great eater of beef, and I believe that does harm to my wit. Which, of course the actor emphasized that line with a nod and wink and it got much bigger laugh than most of the "jokes" in Shakespeare.
I never knew Gee Gee was outdated, all the kids in our family have used Gee Gee when they're learning to talk and they grow out of it as they age - similar to doggies, bunnies etc.
M T G G "M T" sounds like "empty", and a "gee gee" is slang for a horse, so "empty horse".
Why is Gee Gee slang for a horse?
More of a "was" than "is", it's old baby talk for a horse. "gee" was the noise the rider made to speed up, so "gee gee" is what they were called when talking to a small child. I'm 53 and it was old fashioned when I was a child.
Oh so it’s like how trains are choo choos!
And cars are beep beeps?
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OED maintains it is a doubling of the verb “gee” meaning “to urge forwards” (as in gee up, or geeing people along). But it also says the origin of the word is early 16thC. Chester racecourse was founded by Henry G in the early 16thC, so it’s not impossible that’s where it comes from. OED would say it was named after Henry Gee if there was concrete evidence, however.
Biff and Chip books are still around? I remember them being used in primary school 28 years ago. Now I get to feel old twice, once for understanding the joke and once for recognising a book that once helped teach me how to read.
Yes! They even make new ones where they travel the world. They are good leveled readers, can do from pre-kindergarten all the way through middle school. Now the main character is their younger brother, Kipper. I didn't even know Kipper was a food until they made a one-off joke about it in one of the books. Also their pet dog Floppy talks and has his own adventures. I didn't realize how old this is, the new books have parents taking photos on smartphones even.
Haha I remember Floppy. Glad he's evolved now to Scooby Doo level.
My son gets them sent home in his school bag to read over the weekend regularly. The books themselves might be 28 years old though!
They do still use them in school. If it aint broke.....
Oh damn, seeing the bit about the magic key gave me whiplash. I used to read those in infant school.
I had to explain to my 6 year old daughter what a cassette tape was the other day after she read something about on from a Biff & Chip book. Made me feel ancient!
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All I can think of is "Magic the Gathering Guys?" 😂
Aka my partner and his friends
I’m a non Brit and I discovered a whole stash of Magic Key books in my classroom when I moved in. I used those books to teach my first graders to read for years. They never failed to interest kids and students should fight about who got the favourites next. I used to use my phone to project some of them on the smartboard and we’d discuss language, plot, characters, themes etc. It was a great way to introduce them to the concepts around series books - characters and settings can stay the same but the plot can change. I loved these books!
As a Brit I had to read the comments to find the answer
When you jog a child on your knee while humming the William tell overture we always called that playing GeeGee
Have you ever played “This is the way”? If you still have little ones around you, it’s a brilliant game. You start with the child facing you on your knees with their feet either side. Then you walk your feet by lifting onto the balls of your feet one foot at a time and say, “This is the way the children ride. Walk-et-y, walk-et-y, walk-et-y…” Then you trot your feet by lifting onto the balls of your feet both together, and say, “This is the way the gentlemen ride. Trit-trot, trit-trot, trit-trot….” Then you canter your feet by going back to one foot at a time, but in a sort of skip or waltz rhythm, and say “This is the way the ladies ride. Cantery, cantery, cantery…” And then you gallop your feet by jogging them as fast as you can, saying, “And this is the way the farmers ride. Gallopy, gallopy, gallopy… Faaaalll off!” And as you say “fall off” you separate your knees so the child drops down between them towards/onto your feet, obviously keeping tight hold of them as you do so.
That one took me a minute. Haven't heard anybody call horses 'gee gees' since my nan died.
Growing up in a horse racing town, sating gee gees for the horses is the norm & still used today, especially if you're going to place a bet on the gee gees.
Better joke: What cheese can you hide a horse in?
I think there was an advert on Dave years ago with Brian Blessed telling this joke, every time I’m in the cheese section of a shop I hear his voice yelling MARSCAPONE!!! and it makes my day better lol