Nudge, Nudge, You Know What I Mean (Monty Python)

English people are well-known for their eccentricity, and this trait does not seem to change much with time. This Monty Python sketch was made a few decades ago, but in my 6.5 years in the UK I've seen, or been involved in, a similar "nudge" scene quite a few times. It did not always take place in the pub, but it still happens in almost the same detail, as in this video. "I bet it does, I bet it does", to paraphrase what you're about to hear.


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Speaking about "what I mean" or better "you know what I mean". Both phrases are very widely used in exactly the same style. I love hearing it on the bus, usually from a woman who is on her way home from shopping, so she speaks to her friend on the phone:

"I went to that shop where we were last week, you know what I mean, and I finally got myself that pair of boots, you know, the ones that were brown, you remember, over the knee, 'cos they'll go well with my black dress 'cos they're high boots as well, you know what I mean".

But sometimes it's an English Premier League footballer who has to explain the team's loss, so he goes:

"Well, when you go in the game, you know, you always try to do the best, you know, and sometimes it doesn't happen straight away, you know what I mean, well, we've taken off some players, and, erm, brought in others, you know, but sometimes it's still not enough, if you know what I mean".

Whoever is listening, usually nods - even if they haven't got a clue. But you know what I mean, anyway.