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"Argy bargy" and the British? (1 Viewer)

Jay H

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Anybody from England care to tell me if this is some kind of English phrase. I have no idea how to properly spell it but Paul Sherwin, who is a cycling commentator on OLN, uses it a lot and it just cracks me up. It refers to the banging of elbows and arms during bunch sprints at the end of a cycling race... Like "There is a lot of argy bargy going on between the cyclists". I believe Paul Sherwin is British and I'm wondering if this is a British phrase?

Makes me laugh though. :)

Jay
 

BrianB

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Yes, it's a British expression, and refers to minor arguments/scrapes between people.
 

Jason_Els

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This is bizarre. For the past 2 days I've been using this phrase having no clue what it means though I heard it a while back. I've been wondering what it meant and now I open this thread and here it is.

Amazing stuff synchronicity is.

P.S. - Oddly enough I'm also a Baird......
 

andrew markworthy

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Not quite - it refers rather more to deliberate physical jostling caused by people who are arguing with each other or competing for something.
 

Jay H

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Sounds very appropriate for a bunch sprint in cycling then! :)

If you ever get a chance, watching Phil and Paul, both of which are British comment on cycling with Bob Roll (a southern, texas kind of American) is really a card. They all got their idiosyncracies and it's really fun to watch.

Paul comes up with these really weird (to an American at least) phrases and stuff. Every other word is "superb"!

Jay
 

Kevin Hewell

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Isn't "argy" a not so nice British nickname for someone from Argentina? I remember hearing it during the Falklands War.
 

andrew markworthy

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Yes, though the phrase 'argy bargy' predates this and isn't connected. It's probably short for 'arguing and barging' whilst 'Argy' is of course an abbreviation of 'Argentinian'.
 

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