I recognise that one despite coming from Kent – I guess it comes from working with a 70-year old Brummie engineer for many years. He had almost gone metric, replacing "a couple of thou" with "a gnat's cock" and referred to any machine that broke down often as "up and down like Collins's cocks" which I took to be a reference to the famous galloper.

Brian

Although born in Worcestershire I consider myself a Brummie having lived and worked in and around Brum all my life. The on the scunt expression is from the Black Country along with many other shall we say "choice" expressions.

I originally came from the Black Country and have never heard that expression before. If it were a common word, I certainly would have!

Andrew.

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English dialect can be very confusing to some not from a particular area or country.

e.g. the expression "The dogs bo11ocks"

"You have made a right dogs bo11ocks of that" generally means you have made a mess of it.

But said with a different tone of voice, expression and smile "That's the dogs bo11oks mate" would mean that it was very good and a compliment was being paid.

Same expression but different delivery means two totally different things. Perhaps it's just a north west / Warrington thing.!

This is why internet forums, text messages and places like facebook a reader can get the wrong impression of what the poster meant as there is no tone of voice, facial expression and regional differences often taken into account.

Nick

"smaller than the hair on a gnat's a$$h^le" was one common expression in shops I worked in.

"smaller than a gnat's eyelash" was another more polite one.

Some more precise definition of dimensions seems necessary here !

It would appear that the only published measurement is that the common adult gnat is (quote) "~6-7mm” in length.

If we (very) generously assumed that the male’s member was 10% of its body length then the unit of a “gnat’s cock” is a rather coarse 0.6mm or 0.026 inch. So perhaps not very demanding in terms of precision working after all?

However, the diameter of a single hair on that appendage is unlikely to represent more than say 1/100^th of the appendage’s o/a length. Here then we encounter a much tighter standard of precision working i.e. 0.00026 inch.

Even given the gross estimates in the above derivations, I rather think engineering to a GCH, rather than to units of GCs represents a much better standard of workmanship.

This is reminding me of a story told by a colleague who was in the far East during the war. The close up pictures of mosquitoes in the film show given before shipping out had nothing to indicate scale. As a result he and his comrades just brushed 'gnats' aside whilst on the lookout for mosquitoes the size of dragonflies.

Brian

As a North Midlander I recognise the "skunt" as a term for skewness but I also have come across those from Rose country who might refer to "Not wreck t' th ay"
In terms of scale, which is the greater, a gnats cock or a smidgin?
Can anyone elaborate on the difference between a Timper and a Spelcher?
I know that if it only a smidgeon out you can put it right with a Timper but big ones need a Spelcher to shift them
In the more refined Enginnering Shops the faulty part might be known as a cobble or clanger and finish up being "chucked on the shawd ruck" along with any other dingers.
Up and down the country there are many different dialects and workshops within each. They pick up words that associate with the particular industry or craft of the area and are meaningful there.
Its what makes the English language so colourful. Long may it last!

Bob D

I can't work to the precision achieved by some of our members. I only work to the nearest RCH…

Another one is "snape". Where I did my apprenticeship, on the Isle of Wight, I learn't that a "snape" was a chamfer at something other than 45 degrees, for instance 30 degrees.

Some years ago, in Australia, I put snape with dimensions on a drawing. When the drawing hit the workshop, the laughter could be heard back in the DO. Has anyone else heard of "snape", or was I sold a typical wind up the apprentice line??

cheers

Bill

The inspection department wish to know which species of gnat ?

Martin