[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference thebay::joyoflex

Title:The Joy of Lex
Notice:A Notes File even your grammar could love
Moderator:THEBAY::SYSTEM
Created:Fri Feb 28 1986
Last Modified:Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1192
Total number of notes:42769

792.0. "Taking the Mickey?" by VINO::MCGLINCHEY (Sancho! My Armor! My TECO Macros!) Tue May 01 1990 17:35

    	Can any of our friends in the UK enlighten me as to the
    	origin of the expression 'taking the mickey'? 
    
    	I believe it means 'to satirize'. 
    
    	-- Glinch
    	
    
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
792.1must be related to 'pulling(or taking) the pi$$MACNAS::DKEATING_DUNDALK_ 1 - 0 _U.S.S.R._Tue May 01 1990 19:021
    
792.2KAOFS::S_BROOKHere today and here again tomorrowTue May 01 1990 21:353
From a Mickey Finn (although I'm afraid I dunno the connection)

and it means to poke fun at someone in a not particularly nice way.
792.3From whence cometh Mickey Finn anyway?ULYSSE::WADETue May 01 1990 22:4310

	Very posh people phrase it "extracting the Michael".

	I have no idea of its provenance.

	Jim.



792.4hic whoah wheres the floo.......zzzzzzzzzzzUILA::WHORLOWD R A B C = action planWed May 02 1990 07:1013
    G'day,
    
    
    A Mickey Finn is a drugged drink. 
    
    
    Taking the Mickey presumably means being duped but has become to mean a
    positive action about someone else.
    
    
    
    derek
    
792.5KAOFS::S_BROOKHere today and here again tomorrowWed May 02 1990 16:5313
>    
>    A Mickey Finn is a drugged drink. 
>    
Of course ... or a spiked drink as in the alcoholic "Non-alcoholic fruit punch"
>    
>    Taking the Mickey presumably means being duped but has become to mean a
>    positive action about someone else.
>    

Right ... there's the connection ... strictly, taking the Mickey is often
insulting someone's intelligence without their actually realising it.

Stuart
792.6MARVIN::KNOWLESintentionally Rive GaucheWed May 02 1990 17:143
    .1 is right, but the relationship is parental rather than filial.
    
    b