Sod that for a laugh

[Poiuju]

Hi all,

What is meaning for saying 'Sod that for a laugh'?

[BobK]

= "I'm certainly not going to do that." It's quite strong. In polite society it's common to say "Blow that for a laugh".

'He told me he wanted the report on his desk by mid-day. Blow that for a laugh - maybe I can get it done by last thing today.'

b

[pedant]

Wow..."blow that..." The last time anyone said that must be around 1950's or so...which may explain why so many other answers on this website are so archaic. I don't know what 'polite' society BobK inhabits but it certainly isn't a current one in England.

"Sod" is a very common term which is probably about 3 steps more polite that "F**k".

"Sod" came into common usage in the 1980's, possibly due to it being a term of endearment frequently used by Baldrick (Tony Robinson) in the "Blackadder" series starring Rowan Atkinson, where "Sod Off" was the standard reply to any request made by Baldrick to Blackadder. A particularly funny scene from the show was when Baldrick was asked for his name:

What's your name? "Baldrick."
What's your first name? "What do you mean, I'm Baldrick,"
Well what other names do people call you? "Sod off Baldrick?".

This is slightly similar to the Australian version "Rack Off" which seems to be uniquely used in Australian Soaps, where what would normally be "F***" is translated to "Rack" in order not to cause offence!

Other common uses depend on intonation, some are

"SOD OFF!!!" meaning "please go away, NOW!",

"Sod Off..." meaning "I don't believe you, you are an idiot!"

"That was a sod of a question." meaning that the question was particularly difficult.

"Sod you!" meaning, "I don't care about you or what you think".

"Sod that for a game of soldiers!". meaning, if you think your approach to this problem is going to solve it, forget it!

In other words, "Sod" can be substituted anywhere that "F**k" might be used.