Timing isn't my strong suit

[Dready]

Can you please explain the meaning of this saying? Does it mean that the person that says it very often comes late. Thank you.

 

[probus]

It does not mean someone is often late.

A strong suit is something you are good at. Timing is the art of saying or doing things at the right moment.

So if timing isn't his strong suit, he tends to do or say things at the wrong moment.

 

[montfan]

*not a teacher

It means the person saying it does SOMETHING at the WRONG TIME. It does not have to be that he arrives late, he could arrive too early.

"timing" is not always about being late or early, it could just be at an unfortunate time.

If you are very busy working in the kitchen, and I come over to play baseball, then I had bad timing.

If that happens to me a lot, then "timing is not my strong suit".

 

[Dready]

I heard it in the movie King's speech. George VI was asked to tell a joke by his speech therapist, and he said, "Timing isn't my strong suit".

 

[BobK]

In this case he wasn't talking about timing in the sense of being tactful - knowing when to be quiet. He was commenting on 'comic timing' - knowing how long to pause for the best comic effect. In his case, if the punchline began with a p (one of his big stumbling blocks - do you remember when the friend is coaching him at the end, and advises him to take a 'run-up' and say 'my er-people') it might be several seconds in coming!

b

 

[montfan]

That is a common use of the word timing, in reference to jokes and comedy.

The ability to make people laugh with a joke has a lot to do with the "delivery", how long you wait before you tell the punchline of the joke, and any pauses or speed changes when telling the joke which help the comedic value.

This is called "timing".

 

[Dready]

It's totally clear now. Stammering made it hard for him to pause and stress where necessary when telling a joke.
P.S. I really want to see this movie again. It contains so many good phrases and expressions. And after movies like that you really start digging the British accent.

 

[Rover_KE]

I heard it in the movie King's speech. George VI was asked to tell a joke by his speech therapist, and he said, "Timing isn't my strong suit".

This is context that we are always asking you for, Dready.

If you'd mentioned this in your first post you'd have got your answer sooner and saved people's time.

Rover

 

[Dready]

This is context that we are always asking you for, Dready.

If you'd mentioned this in your first post you'd have got your answer sooner and saved people's time.

Rover

Alright, next time I will bear it in mind. But thanks to those answers above I got a fuller understanding of what timing really is. Not just in the context of the movie. ;-)