Boys shouldn't squander....

Posted by Shae on February 04, 2003

In Reply to: Boys shouldn't squander.... posted by Bookworm on February 04, 2003

: : Does anyone know what these phrases / sentences mean ? I found them in a novel set in Northern Ireland.
: : "Don't be such a slitherum dick"
: : "you're a big man but a wee coat fits you"
: : "there is nothing to it since Vatican Two"
: : "boys shouldn't squander their meagre resources by hazarding them on the comparative velocities of canine or equine quadrupeds" (supposed to be a joke)
: : "the boys sang Republican songs"
: : Cheers
: : Allie

: I don't know about the others, but this one just sounds like a highbrow way of saying boys shouldn't waste their money betting it on horse or dog races. I have to admit, I don't see the joke in that, but the wording is amusing.

I suspect 'slitherum dick' is a derrogatory term meaning idiot or gobsh*te. I'll try to find out.

'Big man . . . etc.' Something like 'Even though you are physically large, your mentality is small.'

Vatican Two is the Second Vatican Council (Roman Catholic) which, among other things, demoted St. Patrick to a secondary saint. I'd need some more context to provide a better explanation.

Republicans (Nationalists) and Loyalists (Unionists) each have songs that extol the virtues of their individual cause or viewpoint. Examples are 'A Nation Once Again' (Republican) and 'The Sash Me Father Wore' (Loyalist). 'The boys' could refer just to men at a social gathering but it and 'The Lads' often mean members of the IRA.