by Kate Fox
gardening 315
girl-watching 469–71, 483
gossip 65–8, 76
marrying-up 472–3
mates 376
mobile phones 118, 120
personal ads 96, 97
pub-arguments 42, 144–7
racing 158–9
round-buying 372–4, 375, 376
sexual techniques 478
shopping 340–1
sports and games 352–3
squaddie-talk 169–75, 181
table manners 440
television 317
three-emotions rule 68, 358
Men Behaving Badly 321
Mercedes test 259–61, 294
meritocracy 295–6
middle class
bogside reading 330
cars 258–61, 262–4
children 500, 504
Christmas presents 530–1
class denial 112–15, 116
dress 403–6, 408–9, 412, 413, 415
drinks 377–8
food and table manners 429–38, 440, 443, 445, 446
homes and gardens 189–93, 194, 196, 200–1, 208–9
introductions and greetings 50, 51, 54, 58–9
leisure activities 315–16
marrying up 473
money-talk 292
newspapers 332, 334
pets 350, 351
racing 151
rites of passage 540–2, 543, 544
shopping 344–6
soaps 320–1
television 317
terminology 105–12
trade prejudice 294, 554
Middleton, Carole 106
Middleton, Kate 472, 499–501, 540
Mikes, George 185–6
advertising 285–6
food 418
queuing 132, 245, 251, 252
sex 481
table manners 418, 439
understatement 91–2
weather 40
Miller, Daniel 338, 341, 441
Miller, Geoffrey 57
‘Mine’s Better Than Yours’ game 70–3, 118
Mitford, Nancy 105, 113
moaning 356, 553–4
Christmas 528–30
food 424–9
house-talk 195–6, 197–8, 199, 214
patients 244
patriotism 85
public transport 221–5
racing-talk 159–61, 167, 168
shopping 342
smokers 231
squaddie-talk 174, 181
students 507–8
weather-speak 43, 48
work 276, 301–4, 311–12
see also Eeyorishness
moat-and-drawbridge rule 185–7, 213
mobile phones 117–22
body-language and timed frostiness 125–6
and Englishness 127–8
formality rule 124
numbers rule 124
public transport 225–6
teenage exception 124–5
three-degrees rule 122–4
mockery 171–2, 173–4
moderation 551–2, 560
and fair play 555–6
patriotism 85, 87
rites of passage 544
weather-speak 44, 48
work 296–9
modesty 30, 94, 296, 557–8, 560
house-talk 195, 214
kid-talk 496–9
racing-talk 154–5, 166–7, 168
rites of passage 544–5, 546
self-deprecation 94–5
squaddie-talk 173–4, 181
work 284–6, 310–11
Monday-morning moan 301–2
Mondeo test 258–9, 294
money-talk taboo 165, 559
Christmas presents 530
homes 190, 196–8, 199–200
pubs 137–8, 139
racing 162–5, 167
shopping 341–2
table manners 439–40
weddings 513–14
work 276, 288–96, 311
Monty Python 323
Moore, Dudley 74
Mosley, Oswald 333
motorcyclists 7, 175–80, 182, 367, 369, 533
Mount, Harry 212, 386, 455, 562
muddle rules 275–8, 309–10
Multicultural London English (MLE) 104–5
Mum 111
Murdock, George Peter 18
music 397–9
muttering 248–9
naff 110
Nalbandian, David 362–4
names
introductions 52–3, 76
pub-talk 140–1
regular-speak 150
napkins 107, 445–6
nativity plays 527–8
negative politeness 233, 271, 465–6
New Year’s Eve 522, 526–7, 531, 546
New York Review of Books 96–7
newspapers 328, 331–5
and class 413–14
and privacy 62–3
nicknames 140–1, 150
nightmare rule 195–6
Noon, Mike 56
Northern Ireland 28
‘nostalgia isn’t what it used to be’ rule 266–7
nouveaux-riches 260, 499–501
cars 265
dress 409
homes 189, 191–2, 193, 196
NSPCG rule 207–8, 215
Nye, Simon 321
Obama, President 80
Office, The 321, 322, 323
office parties 307–9, 312
‘Oh, come off it!’ rule 88–9, 100
Oliver, Jamie 420
Olympics 82, 355–6
opening ceremony 83–4
one-downmanship 557
DIY 214
female bonding 69, 70
kid-talk 496–9, 544
Orwell, George
1984 333
class 22, 139, 295
courtesy 236
dress 387
humour 481
lists 328
national identity 7
privacy 57
religion 485
ostriches 225–6, 265–6
Oxford English 103–4
page three 480–2, 483
paint 190
pantomime rule 133–5, 140, 149
paranoid 246–7, 252
pantomimes 528
Parachute Regiment 171, 172–3
pardon 105–6
participant observation 8–12, 565
parties 458–9
office parties 307–9
partings 73–5, 77
patriotism 84–8, 273
chips 448–9, 450
humour 78, 89–90
sports and games 355–6
weather-speak 44–6, 48
Paxman, Jeremy
clubs 365–6
dress 386–7, 389
historic homes and gardens 315
home 211–12
‘I know my rights’ 88
moaning rituals 43
politeness 139
privacy 57
race relations 215
reading 328
sex 479, 480
sports and games 353
weather-speak 36, 37, 39, 44, 46
pea-eating 442–3
Pediatric Pulmonology 282–3
personal ads 96–7
pets 347–52
Pevsner, Nikolaus 187, 319, 322
Phillips, Zara 103, 404
Pitt, William 212–13
place saving 254
play 313
anti-social pursuits and pastimes 313, 378–83
and Englishness 383–4
private and domestic pursuits 313–52
public/social activities 313, 352–78
please see Ps and Qs
‘Pleased to meet you’ problem 53–4, 76
Poems on the Underground 229
Poland 13–14
polite egalitarianism 296, 311, 482, 532, 555, 557
‘And One for Yourself?’ rule 137–40, 149
/>
house-talk 196
public transport 239–40
shopping 342
work 306, 307
polite procrastination rule 286–7, 311
politeness see courtesy
port 447–8
posh 110
post-mortem rules 161–2, 167
Pride and Prejudice 55
Priestley, J. B. 91, 282
privacy 30, 546
cars 265
gossip 57–64, 76
homes 185, 186–7, 212–13
private and domestic pursuits 313–52
pubs 132
and soaps 319–20
Proms 252–3, 254
primary schools 502–3
secondary schools 510–12, 545
pronunciation 101–5
props and facilitators 182, 213, 272, 312
bikers and horse riders 177, 178–9
chips 449
public/social activities 313, 352–78
pubs 130–2, 149
racing 153, 165–6, 168
weather-speak 48
Ps and Qs public transport 238–41
pubs 135–6, 149
pub-arguments 42, 144–7, 150
pub-talk
after-work drinks 305–7
‘And One for Yourself?’ rule 137–40
and Englishness 149–50
invisible-queue rule 132–3
pantomime rule 133–5
Ps and Qs 135–6
regular-speak 140–9
sociability 130–2, 152
puberty 501–3, 545
public transport 217
denial rule 152, 218–20
denial rule exceptions 220–6
emerging contact-avoidance rules 228–30
passive disapproval rules 117, 227–8
Ps and Qs 238–41
smoker solidarity exception 230–2
pubs 129–30, 369–71, 384
and flirting 456–7
round-buying 371–6
sports and games 353–4, 356–8
see also pub-talk
pudding 109
Quest-Ritson, Charles 208–9
queuing 30, 132–3, 245, 566
ambiguity rule 247–8
body language and muttering rules 248–9
Diana’s death 255–6
drama 254–5
fair-play rule 250–2
festive queuing 252–4
indirectness rule 245–6
paranoid pantomime rule 246–7
pubs 132–3, 140, 149
silent fury rule 252
unseen choreographer rule 249–50
race 23–7, 215
racing-talk 151–2
courtesy 155–9
and Englishness 165–8
festivals 533
and flirting 461
introductions 152–3
moaning 159–61
modesty 154–5
money-talk taboo 162–5
post-mortems 161–2
underdogs 365
Rain Later, Good 46, 48
reading 328
bogside 329–30
newspapers 331–5
realism 319
reality TV 64, 324–8
reciprocity
gossip 61–2
weather-speak 37–8, 48
regionalism 21, 29
accents 104
regulars 140, 150, 369
coded talk 141–4
free-association 147–9
greetings 140–1
pub-arguments 144–7
religion 315, 484, 559
benign indifference 487–91
default 484–7
school nativity plays 527–8
Renier, G. J. 17
reserve 30, 182, 214, 233, 549, 556, 559
Rhodes, Gary 422
Richardson, Paul 418, 427
rider-talk 175–80, 182, 194, 351, 533
rites of passage 484, 491–2
benign-indifference rule 487–91
calendrical rites and other transitions 522–39
and class 539–44
default-religion rule 484–7
and Englishness 544–6
hatchings, matchings and dispatchings 491–521
road rage 266–7, 273
road rules 217
cars 256–70
courtesy 232–45
and Englishness 270–3
public transport 217–32
queuing 245–56
Roseanne 322
round-buying 135, 371–6
Royal Family
Audis 261
events 85–6
speech 103
Royal Green Jackets 172–3
Royle Family, The 322, 323
rules 7, 13, 14–16, 19, 31–2
St George’s Day 84, 85
satellite dishes 193
satire 88–9
school leavers 509–12
schools
flirting 460
nativity plays 527–8
proms 502–3, 510–12, 545
Scots 21, 24, 28, 29, 84
self-deception 116, 139, 167, 354–5, 384
self-deprecation 94–7, 100, 557–8
DIY 198–9
female bonding 69
as insult 499–501
racing 154–5, 166
serviettes 107, 445–6
settee 108–9
see also sofas
7/7 bombings 80–3, 304, 437
sex 421, 474–5, 477–8
Big Brother 324–5
and class 471–4
and Englishness 482–3
flirting 453–68
humour 451–3, 479–80
page three 480–2
talk 475–7, 479
textbook sex imbalance 478
working-class potency 473–4
sex differences
bonding-talk 68–73, 76–7
dress 385
gossip 65–8, 76
shopping 340–1
sports and games 357–8
Shameless 322
Shaw, George Bernard 101
Shipping Forecast 46–9
shopping 338–9
apologies and moans 342
bling 343
charity shops 410–11
Christmas 528–9
and class 343–6
M&S 411–12
as saving 341–2
sex differences 340–1
singles’ events 461–2
sit-coms 321–4
sitting room 109
smart 110
smokers
flirting 460
passive disapproval 227–8
solidarity exception 230–2
snow 44
soaps 318–21
sociability
chips 449
pubs 130–2, 144, 149
racing 166
summer 534–5
social availability 204
social bonding see bonding
social capital 22, 128
social class see class
Social Desirability Bias (SDB) 86, 457–8
social dis-ease 182, 381–2, 548–9, 560
causes 560–4
dress 417
homes and gardens 213, 215
introductions 76
moaning and complaining 424–6, 449
mobile phones 117, 127
play 313, 383–4
rites of passage 494, 545–6
sex 474, 482, 483
stoicism 244–5
ways of dealing with 181, 213, 272, 312, 313, 515
work 311, 312
social grooming 36, 57
see also grooming-talk
Social Issues Research Centre (SIRC) 164, 274, 277–8
DIY 187–8, 315
drinking-places 129
gossip 65
weather-speak 35, 45
work 297–8
social microclimates 130,
151, 152, 306
sofas 108
in front gardens 204–5, 215
soldiers 169, 170–3
solidarity
festive queues 253
moaning 43, 160, 167
smokers 230–2
sorry 126
bumping experiments 6, 234–7
complaining 425–6
drivers 269
as question prefix 221, 237–8
Spanish 283
speech see linguistic class codes
sponge methodology 204
sports and games 86, 352
closet patriotism and effervescent exceptions 355–6
etiquette 356–7
fair play 358–61
flirting 460–1
props and facilitators 353–4
self-delusion 354–5
sex differences 357–8
testosterone 352–3
underdogs 361–5
squaddie-talk 169, 170–5, 181
stereotypes 29–31
stoicism 48, 244–5
grumpy 304, 312, 428
Street, Sean 47
students 545
exams and graduation 507–9
flirting 460
Freshers’ Week 505–7
gap year 503–5
summer holidays 382, 522, 534–6
Sun 332, 480
supermarkets 344–5
supper 107–8, 434
SUVs 261, 265
sweet 109–10
Sweet Sixteen parties 503
table manners 418, 439–45, 450
tabloids 331–5
taxi drivers 241–2
house numbers 186–7
Ps and Qs 239–40
tea (drink) 436–7
and DIY 187, 188
tea (meal) 108, 434
tears 256, 517–19
Tebbit, Norman 27, 361–2
teenagers
bumping experiments 235
dress 391
flirting 460, 467
internet 337–8
mobile phones 124–5, 127–8
rites of passage 501–3
sex 452
see also children
television 190, 314, 316–18
food programmes 421–2
and privacy 63–4
reality TV 324–8
sit-coms 321–4
soaps 318–21
territorial marking 188–9
texting 120
thank you see Ps and Qs
Thatcher, Margaret 114, 408, 520–1
Thick of It, The 322
This Life 321
Thomas, Elizabeth Marshall 8
three-degrees rule 122–4
three-emotions rule 68, 358
time-moan 302
Times, The 331, 332
toast 437–8
toilets 106–7
bogside reading 329–30
colour 191
tolerance 30, 90, 126, 215
totems 39
trade prejudice 260, 293–6
transport see road rules
tribalism 20–1
dress 396–7, 399–403
music 397–9
Turner, Victor 355, 492
Twitter 64
2 Broke Girls 322
‘Typical!’ 88, 304, 312, 427–9, 449–50, 554
U and Non-U 105, 113
underdogs 361–5
Underground 229, 232–3
understatement 91–4, 100, 281–3
universals 17–18
alcohol and drinking-places 305–6
cars 256–7
dress 385
unmanliness 68
universities see students