Sir Walter Raleigh?

[bieasy]

[FONT=&quot]Hi,

In the following passage about the Beatles Lyrics:[/FONT][FONT=&quot](I'm so tired)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
I'm so tired, I'm feeling so upset
Although I'm so tired I'll have another cigarette
And curse Sir Walter Raleigh
He was such a stupid get.

Firstly, What does the singer have against Sir Walter Raleigh? Secondly, what do they mean by "stupid get"

[/FONT]

 

[heidita]

[FONT=&quot]Hi,[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]In the following passage about the Beatles Lyrics:[/FONT][FONT=&quot](I'm so tired)[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]I'm so tired, I'm feeling so upset[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Although I'm so tired I'll have another cigarette[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]And curse Sir Walter Raleigh[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]He was such a stupid get.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Firstly, What does the singer have against Sir Walter Raleigh? Secondly, what do they mean by "stupid get"[/FONT]

Look at the explanation I have found for get:

"Get" or "git" is a typically Northern insult - its literal meaning is "bastard", and it is a corruption of the verb "to beget".

And this funny bit about Sir Raleigh:

curse sir walter ralegh(1554-1618) he was such a stupid git...sir walter ralegh was courtier who was beheaded on the charge of treason (a catholic plot to replace the english king with the spanish support)....it seems once he was smoking and a servant threw a bucket of water on him to save his life...he was the man who popularized tobacco...no doubt he was such a stupid 'git'...

So, the bit about Cursing Walter Raleigh is a direct reference to why he can't sleep because he needs another cigarrete. He was a stupid git because he introduced smoking into England.

 

[Horsa]

Sir Walter Raleigh is credited with bringing tobacco to Britain and the rest of Europe. The singer is obviously a smoker and he probably wants to give up so is cursing Sir W who he believes to be responsible for his addiction.

The word is git not get and it is a derogotory term for a person.

 

[bieasy]

Look at the explanation I have found for get:

"Get" or "git" is a typically Northern insult - its literal meaning is "bastard", and it is a corruption of the verb "to beget".

And this funny bit about Sir Raleigh:



So, the bit about Cursing Walter Raleigh is a direct reference to why he can't sleep because he needs another cigarrete. He was a stupid git because he introduced smoking into England.

Thank you for enlightening me!

 

[bieasy]

Sir Walter Raleigh is credited with bringing tobacco to Britain and the rest of Europe. The singer is obviously a smoker and he probably wants to give up so is cursing Sir W who he believes to be responsible for his addiction.

The word is git not get and it is a derogotory term for a person.

Interesting. Thank you!

 

[heidita]

Hi again, biasy, I didn't know the word git myself, so I had a look and found all these synonyms:

rotter, dirty dog, rat, skunk, stinker, stinkpot, bum, puke, crumb, lowlife, scum bag, so-and-so, git

I wonder if people use the word the same way all over the place. In Spanish the translation supplied doesn't seem to be that hard. I will ask more natives.

Interesting question, biasy.

 

[heidita]

Hi bieasy again, I finally opened a thread on this topic, you might want to have a look.

https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/...-used-americans-british-alike.html#post262654

 

[bieasy]

Hi bieasy again, I finally opened a thread on this topic, you might want to have a look.

https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/...-used-americans-british-alike.html#post262654

Very interesting! Thank you Heidita! ;-)

 

[heidita]

Very interesting! Thank you Heidita! ;-)

Always very welcome, bieasy. ( I loved your country! Best place: Recife )

 

[bieasy]

Always very welcome, bieasy. ( I loved your country! Best place: Recife )

And I love Tenerife!!;-)

 

[gooshman]

First, it's a Beatles song. John Lennon is singing it.

He's actually singing "...He was such a stupid git!" In the UK, a "git" is a jerk or jackass. And there was a brand of cigarettes named after Sir Walter Raleigh.

I suspect he was chain-smoking at that time.

Though, if you look into Sir Walter Raleigh's bio, he really WAS a git!

 

[bieasy]

First, it's a Beatles song. John Lennon is singing it.

He's actually singing "...He was such a stupid git!" In the UK, a "git" is a jerk or jackass. And there was a brand of cigarettes named after Sir Walter Raleigh.

I suspect he was chain-smoking at that time.

Though, if you look into Sir Walter Raleigh's bio, he really WAS a git!

Thanks Gooshman. So many idioms & Synonyms in English....!