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trtreeetr t1_j29k4lq wrote

Never heard of the phrase.

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PositiveBubbles t1_j29mj1z wrote

It's used ac fair bit in Aus but mostly by millennials

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DonkeySilver6051 t1_j2e0gnb wrote

Used in South Africa as well. Popular general saying here. Like, its MORE than "fuck all"

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thewalkindude t1_j2b5fid wrote

The only time I have ever heard it used in the US is on an episode of The Simpsons.

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MycologistPutrid7494 t1_j2cloq7 wrote

I didn't know there were cursed words in The Simpsons. I've never heard any. Which episode?

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thewalkindude t1_j2cls8w wrote

A Milhouse Divided. Luanne says the Luanne Van Houten Marge knew is gone, Sweet Fanny Adams Bye Bye!

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Unlucky_Fee3970 t1_j29nbuj wrote

Thanks for the edification. I've said that a few times in my life, and never would have guessed.

It seems like this may have morphed into:What are you up to?

"F**** all"

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twobit78 t1_j2beacc wrote

F*** or F***** im so confused.

I seem to remember it came into Australian parlance during one of the wars, WW2 or nam maybe, due to saying fukc being frowned upon by some uppity officers.

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Boo_Owl t1_j29d51c wrote

That was a interesting read even though I've never heard the phrase before. Thanks for sharing!

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Waffleman75 t1_j2c01u9 wrote

Sweet fuck all?

That's a saying?

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HobgoblinKhanate t1_j2cajjz wrote

In the UK yes

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NorthernerWuwu t1_j2co6y7 wrote

Used to be pretty common in Canada too.

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elzombo t1_j2cpd7d wrote

โ€œFuck allโ€ is used a little in the US

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eternally_feral t1_j2d0ab6 wrote

I feel guilty now because I use โ€œfuck allโ€ quite a bit.

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alcapwnage0007 t1_j2ddy6z wrote

I may just have a weird lexicon, but I use it to mean "absolutely nothing"

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Zombo2000 t1_j29gjeb wrote

I've often used "SFA" as a reply to the question "what are you up to?". I don't think I'll be doing that anymore.

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jamesbyron97 t1_j29kzke wrote

In Irvine Welshโ€™s โ€˜Trainspotting,โ€™ a character describes himself as being up to โ€˜Scottish Football Associationโ€™ - i.e SFA.

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JennaLS t1_j2agbw2 wrote

Well that's awful

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Gladiutterous t1_j2a4xjj wrote

Today I did learn. My grandmother (born 1903) used to say sweet Fanny Adams when appropriate.

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lost_girl_2019 t1_j2bi264 wrote

Is anyone else bothered by her father playing cricket while townspeople were out looking for his missing daughter??

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L_knight316 t1_j2d2adx wrote

Pretty sure it was implied he didn't know up until he was specifically summoned. I doubt a man who's first instinct is to grab his shotgun and kill the man responsible would wave off his daughters kidnapping and murder for cricket if he'd known

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lost_girl_2019 t1_j2d7mi9 wrote

Guess I missed that. I thought he grabbed it after they found her body. Either way, terrible tragedy.

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elzombo t1_j2cpbi8 wrote

Iโ€™m just going by the article but itโ€™s possible he was unaware. It seems to suggest the search occurred in one day but I canโ€™t tell

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GALACTAWIT t1_j2cct3g wrote

Sol: No, it's a moissanite. Bad Boy Lincoln: A what-in-ite? Sol: A moissanite is an artificial diamond, Lincoln. It's Mickey Mouse, mate. Spurious. Not genuine. And it's worth... fuck-all. -Snatch

That's where I heard it.

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PiemarchGeneseed513 t1_j2a01s4 wrote

I've heard ( and used) the..ahem...later version, but never knew the origin. Also the title of a song by glam band the Sweet.

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Guckalienblue t1_j2bzgtn wrote

I really hope her family never heard this phrase. Poor thing.

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Radiobandit t1_j2dzner wrote

>In 1869, tinned mutton was introduced as rations in the British Navy. Far from being a tasty cut of meat, sailors complained their food was so awful they suspected it was the dismembered body of Fanny Adams. Soon the grotesque joke had spread so far that tinned mutton was referred to as a tin of Fanny Adams.

>To this day British sailors are served their rations in what is nicknamed a 'Fanny'. As often happens with language the slang phrase 'Sweet Fanny Adams' soon filtered into wider society where it became a euphemism for anything not worth having or 'nothing'.

Sweet Fanny Adams > Sweet Fuck All

For anyone who is as lazy as me and didn't want to scour the article for the reasoning.

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butterscotchhop t1_j2cpr90 wrote

Jesus Christ on a bicycle this is awful. On a side note, this revelation is not helping me be less of a helicopter parent.

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Verticalarchaeology t1_j2c72u7 wrote

On the Who Live at Leeds album Roger Daltrey adds โ€œsweet f**k allโ€ to the end of Youngman Blues. Great song.

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JejuneEsculenta t1_j2ceso6 wrote

TIL that the phrase 'sweet f*** all" originated...

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