Originally Posted by
youreadyfreddie
Brilliant. May I please use this line, Sir or Madam?
Of course you may. I first came across the line when I started university in Middlesbrough many moons ago. 'Us Northerners' were quite horrified at the customs of 'Them Southerners' in and around the student union bar.
As we were guzzling pints of beer and eating chips between lectures, it was often noted that people who had travelled north of the Watford Gap (in may cases for the first time) would do unthinkable things such as order lattes and salads. A shandy was considered to be quite a strong drink by many of them.
Looking back, the culture shock may have been more acute for them, but at the time it was a handy little phrase to have on the tip of your tongue.
If you've never been to Middlesbrough, it made the news in 2007 when Channel 4 named it the worst place to live in the UK. The Mayor of Middlesbrough made a complaint to OFCOM about misrepresentation.
OFCOM, just recently, didn't uphold it.
