Belled Her on the Mobby
It occurred to me that I should include an explanation for the titular phrase, which appeared in my last post. Those of you unfamiliar with British slang probably found it opaque and those familiar with British slang probably thought I misspelled it
“Belled” in this context means “made use of a telephonic device” - i.e., caused the bell to ring. “Mobby” is a diminutive for “mobile,” as in “mobile phone,” or what we would call on this side of the pond a “cellular telephone” or, colloquially, a “cell phone.” So “belled her on the mobby” = “called her on my cell.”
Most instances of usage I’ve been able to find on the net spell it “moby” rather than “mobby.” I picked the phrase up from an Irvine Welsh book, and that’s how he spells it. Admittedly, “moby,” with its long o makes more sense as a diminutive of “mobile” than “mobby” with its implied short o, but I stay stubbornly true to my initial source.
My raincoat was still wet this morning, by the way.
(And be advised this is not the official post of the day, just an addendum to yesterday’s – I’ll be back with something else in late afternoon or evening Pacific time.)
“Belled” in this context means “made use of a telephonic device” - i.e., caused the bell to ring. “Mobby” is a diminutive for “mobile,” as in “mobile phone,” or what we would call on this side of the pond a “cellular telephone” or, colloquially, a “cell phone.” So “belled her on the mobby” = “called her on my cell.”
Most instances of usage I’ve been able to find on the net spell it “moby” rather than “mobby.” I picked the phrase up from an Irvine Welsh book, and that’s how he spells it. Admittedly, “moby,” with its long o makes more sense as a diminutive of “mobile” than “mobby” with its implied short o, but I stay stubbornly true to my initial source.
My raincoat was still wet this morning, by the way.
(And be advised this is not the official post of the day, just an addendum to yesterday’s – I’ll be back with something else in late afternoon or evening Pacific time.)
posted by PapaDogDuvalier | 10:09 AM
2 Comments:
Plus, "bell her on the moby" sounds like you're talking into the ass end of a large sea mammal!
Love,
Mama Dog
Or perhaps that of a bald alterna-rocking Melville descendant.
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