[Linganth] Substitute x for y

[Martin Walsh]

Gabriella,

I can only think of asking for "fish & chips" twice in that way (certainly
not a sausage or other singular noun).  It seems to be widespread working
class (in particular) English.  If you google for "fish and chips twice"
you'll find lots of examples, e.g. jokes along the lines of:

[1] A tourist walked into a fish and chip shop in Ireland. "I'll have fish
and chips twice," he orders. "Sure, I heard you the first time," came the
reply.

or complaints by British expats:

[2]
I seem to be having problems ordering "Fish and Chips Twice".
I've tried:
Fish and chips twice.
Two lots of fish and chips.
Two separate fish and chips.
Fish and chips for two.
...
and various other combinations. Each time I get 2 fish and 1 (minimum)
chips.
Anyone know the right combination of words?
Cheers
Al

or miscellaneous references like the following:

[3] Margate is a sanctioned nowhere, a dumping ground for immigrants,
runaways and inner-city scroungers. Barter is the favoured form of
commercial transaction. Temporary inhabitants, with no stake in society, no
voice in civic debate, forget their native languages and struggle with the
Esperanto of survivalism. Kids learn English by parroting "10 Benson and
Hedges" or "Fish and chips twice, please."

plus the name of an album by a group called Beaucoup Fish:

[4] Fish and chips twice please...

One solution to my troubles may be to ask for "two portions of fish & chips
please".  I'll try that next time.

Martin Walsh


----- Original Message -----
From: "GABRIELLA MODAN" <modan.1 at osu.edu>
To: "Martin Walsh" <kisutu at hotmail.com>
Cc: "linganth-list" <linganth at cc.rochester.edu>; "Ronald Kephart"
<rkephart at unf.edu>
Sent: Monday, January 31, 2005 8:44 PM
Subject: Re: [Linganth] Substitute x for y


> Fish and chips twice -- is that a common British way of asking for 2 of
> something? Are there regions in the US where people say that? I've never
> heard it before.
>
> Galey Modan
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Martin Walsh <kisutu at hotmail.com>
> Date: Monday, January 31, 2005 2:56 pm
> Subject: Re: [Linganth] Substitute x for y
>
>> I sympathise with Ronald's wife because I too get 'substitute'
>> muddled,
>> thinking that I can just substitute it for (with?) 'exchange'.
>> But then I
>> also have trouble making myself understood when I go to our local
>> Chinese
>> take-away and ask for fish and chips twice, I mean fish and chips
>> two times,
>> two fish and chips, two fish and two chips, two of everything, oh
>> yes and a
>> pot of curry sauce, no, only one of those...
>>
>> Martin Walsh
>> Cambridge, England
>>