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seahorse
Senior Member
USA
1075 Posts |
 Posted - 27 October 2002 : 21:55:58
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HI all,
Here's a question for those of you from the UK. What is a prat? I was having a discussion with two colleagues visiting Japan from the UK the other day and they were talking about schools and prats. I have no idea what a prat is, but I gather it's not good. If anyone could enlighten me I'd appreciate it.
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Ken
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Worldwide Partner Group
Microsoft |
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Deleted
deleted
4116 Posts |
Posted - 27 October 2002 : 22:05:16
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| I just looked up. Is is slang and I found two meanings: "bottom" and "stupid"... There may be other nice meanings, because "school and prat" does not make any sense to me. |
 Stop the WAR! |
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Gremlin
General Help Moderator
New Zealand
7528 Posts |
Posted - 27 October 2002 : 22:11:42
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| Yeah basically a prat is someone you thinks a bit of an idiot or to throw some more slang at you "a tosser" |
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seahorse
Senior Member
USA
1075 Posts |
Posted - 28 October 2002 : 00:00:01
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quote:
Originally posted by seahorse
HI all,
Here's a question for those of you from the UK. What is a prat? I was having a discussion with two colleagues visiting Japan from the UK the other day and they were talking about schools and prats. I have no idea what a prat is, but I gather it's not good. If anyone could enlighten me I'd appreciate it.
The discussion with my colleagues was about private and public schools in the UK. I thought prat was some kind of derogatory term for a private school student.
By private school I mean private in the US sense. I'm told that in the UK 'private' schools are publicly funded and that 'public' schools are what would be called private schools in the US. That makes no sense at all, but then again I'm not from the UK.
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Ken
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Worldwide Partner Group
Microsoft |
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Gremlin
General Help Moderator
New Zealand
7528 Posts |
Posted - 28 October 2002 : 02:58:19
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| Well if its public school people throwing slang at private school attendees then I'm suprised something as "light" as prat was used ;) |
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HuwR
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
20595 Posts |
Posted - 28 October 2002 : 03:54:17
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quote:
By private school I mean private in the US sense. I'm told that in the UK 'private' schools are publicly funded and that 'public' schools are what would be called private schools in the US. That makes no sense at all, but then again I'm not from the UK.
Not strictly correct, yes public schools are 'private' but normal schools are called 'state' schools not 'private'. What are now termed as 'private' are what used to be called grammar schools, which are basically a mix of state and public, half the pupils pay, and the other half get stae sponsorship by sitting some kind of scholarship exam (used to be called the 11+).
A prat is basically someone who you wouldn't want to be seen in public with, they are generaly very irritating and prone to very stupid behaviour.
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Tsunami
New Member
United Kingdom
66 Posts |
Posted - 28 October 2002 : 04:09:57
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quote:
Originally posted by Gremlin
to throw some more slang at you "a tosser"
LOL.
One of my favourite terms of endearment!
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~I'm just an ordinary guy with nothing to lose~ Lester Burnham.
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seahorse
Senior Member
USA
1075 Posts |
Posted - 28 October 2002 : 04:28:31
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quote:
Originally posted by HuwR
quote:
By private school I mean private in the US sense. I'm told that in the UK 'private' schools are publicly funded and that 'public' schools are what would be called private schools in the US. That makes no sense at all, but then again I'm not from the UK.
Not strictly correct, yes public schools are 'private' but normal schools are called 'state' schools not 'private'. What are now termed as 'private' are what used to be called grammar schools, which are basically a mix of state and public, half the pupils pay, and the other half get stae sponsorship by sitting some kind of scholarship exam (used to be called the 11+).
It was a confusing conversation even without the short public/private school explanation they gave me. All sorts of stuff about 'A levels', universities, how you apply to a UK University, etc. I was lost almost from the beginning.
I also got a odd twinge when I hear Maths, Advnaced Maths instead of Math, Algebra, Adv. Algebra, Pre-Calculus, etc. as used in the States. 
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Ken
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Worldwide Partner Group
Microsoft |
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HuwR
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
20595 Posts |
Posted - 28 October 2002 : 06:33:17
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Yes, it can be confusing.
When I was at school I took 9 'O' levels and 1 'AO' level (which you take age 16ish)
The Maths consisted of 'O' Level maths and the 'AO' level Maths
followed by 4 'A' Levels (taken at 18ish)
The Maths consisted of, Mathematics (Pure and Applied) and Further Mathematics (Pure and Applied) and I also took an 'S' level Maths paper (which was just very hard).
I didn't go to University after that, I'd had enough , although should have been doing Maths & Computing at UMIST (Manchester).
They now do something called 'AS' level, absolutely no idea what that is suppoesed to equate to. |
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Azaniah
Senior Member
United Kingdom
1004 Posts |
Posted - 28 October 2002 : 06:38:07
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I always thought a pratt was a pregnant fish...
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Eagles fly!, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. |
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pdrg
Support Moderator
United Kingdom
2897 Posts |
Posted - 28 October 2002 : 07:07:43
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Why are 'public' schools called so? Figure a couple of hundred years ago when there was no access to mass education, the first schools open to anybody who could afford the fees were the first 'public schools' (as opposed to private tutors). Later the state started offering free education for everybody, but the 'public school' name stuck.
What I love most about this language and country, with all it's ideosyncracities, is that we have such history built into our everyday lives, and once we dig, we can learn so much about our past. For instance I work near Moorgate in London (just outside the area known as 'city' or 'the square mile'). Moor Gate was a gate in the City Wall of London. The Moor only existed because of the wall stopping free drainage from the fields into the Thames. There's lots of xGate places in London (where x= Moor etc - look em up). Amazing. Real history. Also there's Knightsbridge (Harrods is in Knightsbridge) - wow - the bridge the Knights used to use?/live by?/whatever. Baker Street, Poultry, London Wall, Kings Cross, all these places with real histories kept in the name and our language. We are so, so lucky! |
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Azaniah
Senior Member
United Kingdom
1004 Posts |
Posted - 28 October 2002 : 07:20:11
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| ooo Moorgate reminds me of clients [:|] |
Eagles fly!, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. |
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pdrg
Support Moderator
United Kingdom
2897 Posts |
Posted - 28 October 2002 : 07:39:34
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| Try to imagine your clients scraping their cow-hides and growing barley outside the city wall - gets em in perspective ;) |
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Azaniah
Senior Member
United Kingdom
1004 Posts |
Posted - 28 October 2002 : 09:11:30
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Ahhh a lovely thought  ... thanks |
Eagles fly!, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines. |
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