A coy query asking if a customer wanted to buy a condom.
A coy query asking if a customer wanted to buy a condom.
This expression is supposed to be a euphemistic code used by British barbers, to avoid asking directly if a man wanted to buy condoms. The expression was widely used in the UK in the second half of the 20th century, although how often it was actually used by barbers, or if it did actually originate in barber’s shops, is unknown. It is first cited in the Wonderful World of Sounds in Monty Python’s Previous Record, 1972:
“A herd of zebras visiting the same chemist to ask for something for the weekend.”
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