How about “the Order of the Golden Toecap” or “buckets of sunshine”?
I’ve blogged before the constant evolution of the English language (see “Brainiacs, dwarf planets, podcasts and tweets in Kyiv”).
For another take on this, setting out the contribution made by the British Royal Navy with what is known as “Jackspeak” to expressions as diverse as “between the devil and the deep blue sea” and “helioproctosis”, check out this excellent piece on the BBC website.
It all goes to show that (a) a language never stops changing and (b) Navy personnel have a macabre sense of humour.
Leigh Turner has been the British Ambassador to Ukraine since June 2008. You can read all his blog entries at blogs.fco.gov.uk/roller/turnerenglish (in English) or blogs.fco.gov.uk/roller/turner/ (Ukrainian)
