http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/cold-face Just another bbPress community en-US Thu, 23 May 2013 23:03:22 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/search.php http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/cold-face#post-11484 Wed, 07 Mar 2007 18:36:31 +0000 Gertrude Susanne 11484@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Wow Vienna, Mozart! I've never been, but my parents are going next month. I'm Austrian in descent, so one day i'd really like to take a trip there, see what i'm missing out on.</blockquote><br /> <br /> You are AUSTRIAN in descent &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_surprised.gif&quot; title=&quot;:o&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; Wow, what a pleasant surprise! <br /> I hope your parents are having a spendid time in V - should be okay in April, weather-wise that is! And otherwise as well, of course! http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/cold-face#post-11329 Tue, 06 Mar 2007 20:57:16 +0000 trouser material 11329@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Wow Vienna, Mozart! I've never been, but my parents are going next month. I'm Austrian in descent, so one day i'd really like to take a trip there, see what i'm missing out on. http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/cold-face#post-11317 Tue, 06 Mar 2007 20:34:52 +0000 Gertrude Susanne 11317@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Does this mean politicians are constantly chopping away at average Joe Public day in day out with picks and shovels?</blockquote><br /> <br /> if &quot;picks and shovels&quot; is a euphemism for &quot;finding ways to get their hand on our hard-earned money&quot; - I am afraid so &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_eek.gif&quot; title=&quot;8-O&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; (But must not grumble, where I am from originally, about one third of one´s monthly income goes towards taxes et al. &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_sad.gif&quot; title=&quot;:(&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; )</blockquote><br /> <br /> Yes that was what i was metaphoring away at. One third? &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_eek.gif&quot; title=&quot;8-O&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; Where are you from Gerti?</blockquote><br /> <br /> I suspected as much &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_wink.gif&quot; title=&quot;;-)&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; <br /> The place is called Vienna...<br /> But I have to add that people get paid 14 times a year, i.e. in June and December you get double your salary (and don´t look at the deductions unless you want to end up in the looney bin...) http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/cold-face#post-11313 Tue, 06 Mar 2007 20:27:37 +0000 trouser material 11313@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Does this mean politicians are constantly chopping away at average Joe Public day in day out with picks and shovels?</blockquote><br /> <br /> if &quot;picks and shovels&quot; is a euphemism for &quot;finding ways to get their hand on our hard-earned money&quot; - I am afraid so &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_eek.gif&quot; title=&quot;8-O&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; (But must not grumble, where I am from originally, about one third of one´s monthly income goes towards taxes et al. &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_sad.gif&quot; title=&quot;:(&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; )</blockquote><br /> <br /> Yes that was what i was metaphoring away at. One third? &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_eek.gif&quot; title=&quot;8-O&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; Where are you from Gerti? http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/cold-face#post-11306 Tue, 06 Mar 2007 20:22:33 +0000 Gertrude Susanne 11306@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Does this mean politicians are constantly chopping away at average Joe Public day in day out with picks and shovels?</blockquote><br /> <br /> if &quot;picks and shovels&quot; is a euphemism for &quot;finding ways to get their hand on our hard-earned money&quot; - I am afraid so &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_eek.gif&quot; title=&quot;8-O&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; (But must not grumble, where I am from originally, about one third of one´s monthly income goes towards taxes et al. &lt;img src=&quot;http://www.stephenfry.com/bb-content/plugins//bb-smilies/default/icon_sad.gif&quot; title=&quot;:(&quot; class=&quot;bb_smilies&quot; /&gt; ) http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/cold-face#post-11248 Tue, 06 Mar 2007 07:39:31 +0000 trouser material 11248@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Does this mean politicians are constantly chopping away at average Joe Public day in day out with picks and shovels? http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/cold-face#post-11242 Tue, 06 Mar 2007 01:33:53 +0000 chris m 11242@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ Coal face! Yeesh. Well that explains it. A quick perusal with my pal google indicates that the coal face is literally the end of the mine where the coal is, hence, dark and dirty. I think the US equivalent is &quot;in the trenches.&quot; Thanks all! http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/cold-face#post-11187 Mon, 05 Mar 2007 01:23:57 +0000 JVONEARTH 11187@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ No the only words i know to do with British politics are Bullshit and Bollocks.<br /> These words normally crop up just before voteing.<br /> We promise to do the things we were meant to do last time you voted for us (bullshit).<br /> We hope we can rely on your vote (bollocks)<br /> X-D http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/cold-face#post-11168 Sun, 04 Mar 2007 20:54:02 +0000 Fourth Feline 11168@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ The phrase &quot; Coal Face&quot; is usually used in the context of &quot; working at the coal face&quot;. <br /> <br /> This is usually meant to represent any place where all the real hard work is done. <br /> <br /> It is derived from the times when coal had to be laboriously hacked away at manually without aid of machines etc.<br /> <br /> Someone in politics is thus said to be &quot;working at the coal face&quot; when getting out to meet the voters , especially those that may represent an opposing view and therefore be hard to work on.<br /> <br /> F.F. http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/cold-face#post-11167 Sun, 04 Mar 2007 18:49:43 +0000 ClareBear 11167@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ If you mean &quot;coal face&quot; as in &quot;at the coal face&quot; then it's a coalmine....very much an issue in Thatcher's Britain. http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/cold-face#post-11142 Sun, 04 Mar 2007 13:56:24 +0000 boffinbabe12 11142@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ I don't know- I love politics and I have no recollection of hearing that phrase before... that is porbably just me though... sorry! http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/topic/cold-face#post-11124 Sat, 03 Mar 2007 22:35:54 +0000 chris m 11124@http://www.stephenfry.com/forum/ I have a question for you Britishers: what does &quot;cold face&quot; mean in the context of UK politics? I think I first heard this on Absolute Power. Google hasn't been much help. Thanks.