pilked-down p***e

[Chicken Sandwich]

I’ll get you, you pilked-down p***e.

This is a quote from Fawlty Towers, S02E02. What does "pilked-down" mean? I have searched everyhwere, but I can't find the meaning of "pilked-down" or "pilk". I suspect that it's a play on words, but I can't figure it out.

Thank you in advance.

PS. I have censored one of the words in the quote becuase I don't know whether or not it's considered offensive.

 

[bhaisahab]

This is a quote from Fawlty Towers, S02E02. What does "pilked-down" mean? I have searched everyhwere, but I can't find the meaning of "pilked-down" or "pilk". I suspect that it's a play on words, but I can't figure it out.

Thank you in advance.

PS. I have censored one of the words in the quote becuase I don't know whether or not it's considered offensive.

More context is needed. I can't imagine what the word you have censored is. Can you post a link to it?

 

[Chicken Sandwich]

More context is needed. I can't imagine what the word you have censored is. Can you post a link to it?

There is a link in the quote. Longman says it's a "taboo" word so I thought that it wouldn't be good idea to post it without sensoring it.

 

[bhaisahab]

There is a link in the quote. Longman says it's a "taboo" word so I thought that it wouldn't be good idea to post it without sensoring it.

Could "piltdown" be what you are looking for? Piltdown Man - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Chicken Sandwich]

Could "piltdown" be what you are looking for? Piltdown Man - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thank you very much! That makes absolute sense. I should have known better than to rely on the English subtitles .

 

[JMurray]

Just to summarize.
Although the Piltdown hoax was revealed in 1953, the name "Piltdown" has remained associated with the idea of a "missing link" or "caveman".
The term "ponce" now usually means a man who is affected and perhaps effeminate in dress and/or manner and is intended to be derogatory. However it's not so strong that it needs to be disguised in a post.
So, "Piltdown ponce" is Basil Fawlty's way of saying that his target is ignorant and uncivilized, while also being effete and unmanly.

not a teacher

 

[emsr2d2]

Ah, thank you. Ponce! I was failing dismally to work out what p***e could be! I couldn't think of a word that fitted which would need asterisks. In my opinion, it doesn't need asterisks. It's not the kind of the thing you would call someone in polite company but I wouldn't class it as swearing.

I had worked out that it should have been "Piltdown" but someone else had already posted that.

 

[abaka]

When I see the *s, I always want to say: please spell out such words as "ponce" when discussing them. That the word "ponce" was suitable for television tells you something about its acceptability. But in any case the self-censorship cannot be helpful.

 

[Chicken Sandwich]

That the word "ponce" was suitable for television tells you something about its acceptability.

Fawlty Towers is, generally speaking, a family friendly show. They have, however, used the n-word in one episode. I don't think that it's acceptable to write n****r without the asterisks on UsingEnglish, even if it's in quotes.

I wasn't familiar with the word "ponce" so I didn't know whether it was considered offensive or not, so I thought, better be safe than sorry. But now I know that it's not classed as swearing. Thank you for that.

 

[emsr2d2]

Fawlty Towers is, generally speaking, a family friendly show. They have, however, used the n-word in one episode. I don't think that it's acceptable to write n****r without the asterisks on UsingEnglish.

I don't remember that episode! Mind you, when it was actually being shown for the first time in the UK, very few people had a problem with that word so I probably didn't bat an eyelid at it. It would, no doubt, be bleeped out (or dubbed over with a different word) if the episode were shown on TV these days.

 

[abaka]

I believe that in a linguistic forum all words should be spelled out if they are being discussed, even the derogatory epithet for a black-skinned person. But it's probably best to defer to the moderators.

 

[Chicken Sandwich]

I don't remember that episode! Mind you, when it was actually being shown for the first time in the UK, very few people had a problem with that word so I probably didn't bat an eyelid at it. It would, no doubt, be bleeped out (or dubbed over with a different word) if the episode were shown on TV these days.

I have found an interesting article on this episode.

Forget the war Basil, just don’t mention Indian cricketers | UK News | Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express

The joke is clearly at the expense of the xenophobic Fawlty and Major *Gowen, played by Ballard Berkerley, *using terms that were outdated if not unacceptable even 30 years ago.

It still leaves the Beeb with a problem, however, when it comes to screening the episode because of the risque dialogue – at least in Britain.
For several years the episode has remained in the can in the BBC vaults while still being broadcast in its original form around the world, as recently as two weeks ago in New Zealand.

 

[5jj]

I believe that in a linguistic forum all words should be spelled out if they are being discussed, even the derogatory epithet for a black-skinned person. But it's probably best to defer to the moderators.

I would agree with you if we were discussing the etymology, semantics, connotations, etc of these words in the Linguistics forum. (I seem to recall that I put forward a similar thought in my early days in the forum.)

However, this forum is intended to help learners and teachers of English of all ages and beliefs from all over the world. To very many people, certain words are very unpleasant. The sight of them in print is shocking beyond belief. Whatever some people might think privately of this, people who feel like this should not be deterred from visiting a forum on language for fear of being shocked. There are limits, of course - if they are shocked by the sight of such alternatives as 'the F-word' or 'f*ck' when there is genuine discussion of the use of such words, then that's just bad luck. I think it's worth putting up with an asterisk or two to keep the forum as accessible to as many people as possible.

ps. If you want to discuss this further, then this forum is not the place. If you are prepared to tolerate the asterisks, Then the General Language Discussions is is probably the best forum. If the asterisks offend you, then I suppose the Linguistics forum is the place for it. To start a discussion, please open the thread with a title such as 'Discussion of taboo words' to give a warning to those who might be offended - they can simply keep out.

 

[Barb_D]

I'm in favor of the asterisks. I'm not shocked beyond belief, but I find some words HIGHLY offensive and don't want to see them in the titles. I can't help but see them in the titles. I think the title should use the *** and if necessary the word can be spelled out in the post, which I can then avoid. I'm far more okay with the "f-word" than the "n-word" or one that starts with "c."

But as 5jj rightly points out, this is not the thread for it.