Can you lend me a few bob?

[mr_hippo]

Anyone not understand the question? Some who were born after decimilisation understand it! A few bob has entered out language to mean a small amount of money but no one ever corrects me when I use it. Why do some of you get all worked up with the use of road tax? Shillings and road tax are no more but we still use a few bob and road tax to mean their modern counterparts.

 

[classic33]

The piece on "road tax" hasn't carried over in the same manner as "a few bob". Many still believe that they are paying "road tax" as opposed to spending/lending/earning "a few bob".

 

[junglegusset]

Anyone not understand the question? Some who were born after decimilisation understand it! A few bob has entered out language to mean a small amount of money but no one ever corrects me when I use it. Why do some of you get all worked up with the use of road tax? Shillings and road tax are no more but we still use a few bob and road tax to mean their modern counterparts.

I think the reason that people are 'worked up about it' is not just through some stubborn pedantry over the outmoded language. I think it is because the outmoded 'Road Tax' or 'Road Fund Tax' term suggests that the tax is used for funding roads. It seems it it is not set aside for roads at all but is part of a larger general taxation pot. So many people believe that they are paying for roads whereas cyclists are not, which can create bad feeling towards the cyclists who are seen as free loaders. The continued use of the term perpetuates this. The other thing people seem to forget is that it is not just cyclists who do not have to pay VED, there are loads of cars and other vehicles which are exempt as well. Motorists are taxed at every turn, high tax on fuel, VED increases seemingly every year. It's no wonder they can be a bit uptight when they see people who can travel pretty much tax free.

 

[vernon]

A few bob is on its way out. Youngsters don't use it.

 

[Dan B]

[QUOTE 1612298"]
Bob who?
[/quote]

Your uncle

 

[Ajay]

Your uncle

Married to Fanny..

 

[numbnuts]

I had a uncle Bob

 

[darth vadar]

Somebody asked me the other day whether I supported having a full metric system.

I replied "Oh, yes, every inch of the way"

 

[ohnovino]

Well according to McDonalds a bob is one pound: link

 

[Mozzy]

I find myself at times still converting back to 10 bob or similar. Pound notes is the one I find a bit odd that still gets asked. "Ow much fer pand notes then son?"

Mozzy

 

[XmisterIS]

I've never used "a few bob" ... I'm not even sure I know what a bob is!

As for "road tax" ... it's a myth that is perpetuated by the anti-cyclist idiots who need to justify their myopic view of teh world in which they have entitlements, because they're so special and much more important than anyone else.

 

[junglegusset]

I am not sure whether the wording makes much difference, it's the perception that the tax they have to pay to drive a particular type of vehicle is paying for something used by others some of whom do not have to pay that tax. Personally I've never heard anyone say it to me on the roads. I have always thought it was a bit stupid for car users to pick fights with cyclists what with cyclists not having any numberplate and being highly manoeuvrable, difficult trace etc

 

[junglegusset]

Just realised that what I just said might sound a bit confrontational, I was writing as a car driver, (I ride a lot and cycle a lot but not enough). As a car diver I would be extremely wary of goobing off at cyclists because I know they could very easily damage your vehicle, or worse damage you, and then dissapear forever. It always surprises me when I hear reports of motorists doing such a silly thing.

 

[Stephen wilby]

Everyone around my neck of the woods uses 10 bob instead of 50p. Even the young uns.

 

[Davidc]

I've never used "a few bob" ... I'm not even sure I know what a bob is!

As for "road tax" ... it's a myth that is perpetuated by the anti-cyclist idiots who need to justify their myopic view of teh world in which they have entitlements, because they're so special and much more important than anyone else.

If you really don't know -

A bob was a shilling

A tanner was 6d (pence) now 2.5p

A shilling is 5 pence (since 1971)

McDonalds is American and Americans never did understand British pre-decimal currency.


(Ice cream vans and the like used interesting counting coventions before 1971 with tourists...

Change was always counted up in days before electronic tills.

The pennies up to the next shilling (always called a bob to confuse them even more) ... 8, 9, [next] bob. Then if possible the next shilling was tanner, ninepence, [next] bob. Then, if the original total was over 10s accept going up to £1 as 20s, if less than 10/- count up to the 10, and call it a [decimalised?] pound (always a quid or nicker to obscure matters).

It was blatant fraud and needed careful targetting but was done by all the street traders. I helped several times on a friend's dad's ice cream van at a London tourist site in the late 1960s and saw it in action. The scale of the fraud was huge and the proceeds, much more than the pay, were shared out at the end of the day. Needless to say I, being scrupulously honest, never joined in with these despicable, discriminatory and illegal practices.

Some Europeans spotted it - particularly the Italians and French - but I don't recall American or Japanese tourists complaining.

I never heard of any prosecutions by Weights and Measures, but there certainly should have been.

The other game, which may still go on, was to let the Americans pay in dollars, which appealed to their conceit about their 'world' currency (a supply of US change was kept in a separate till drawer). The exchange rate was mind-boggling at about a dollar to the bob instead of about 4US$=£1! They were delighted and nearly always thanked the seller for being ripped off for not having to cope with the difficult English money.)