Thread: one more phrase from BBC

Hi!
I was watching the BBC World channel when catched such a phrase:

(It can help) when you can't remember where you were a night before a morning after.

I understood the phrase well, but would you tell me have I missed something or not. Does it have a sense when being writen like I did?

Thank you!

Originally Posted by Leof

Hi!
I was watching the BBC World channel when catched such a phrase:

(It can help) when you can't remember where you were a night before a morning after.

I understood the phrase well, but would you tell me have I missed something or not. Does it have a sense when being writen like I did?

Thank you!

I understand the phrase as written, but why did you put (It can help) in parentheses?

Also, I would think this is a little clearer:

It helps when you can't remember where you were the night before a morning after.

For anyone that doesn't know..."a morning after" for English speakers, gives us an image of a 'hangover', feeling miserable after a night of heavy drinking.

It helps, or It can help have slightly different meanings... but it depends on the story or joke being told by the writer, or the situation.

But both can be correct.

Thank you Dobry!

I simply did not remember for sure the first part of the phrase, that's why I wrote it in the parentheses.

edited with help of the local celebrity - kalinka_vinnie
Thank you!

Originally Posted by Leof

Thank you Dobry!

I simply did not remember for sure the first part of the phrase, that's why I wrote it in the parentheses.

Originally Posted by Leof

Hi!
I was watching the BBC World channel when catched such a phrase:

(It can help) when you can't remember where you were a night before a morning after.

I understood the phrase well, but would you tell me have I missed something or not. Does it have a sense when being writen like I did?

Thank you!

Still, the whole composition of that phrase does not look right...

Originally Posted by charlestonian

Originally Posted by Leof

Hi!
I was watching the BBC World channel when catched such a phrase:

(It can help) when you can't remember where you were a night before a morning after.

I understood the phrase well, but would you tell me have I missed something or not. Does it have a sense when being writen like I did?

Thank you!

Still, the whole composition of that phrase does not look right...

It's British or Irish, and I think it was a part of a humorous quip, or funny story... in the normal British/Irish style of humor. I've heard this phrase before, in British English.

Composition of the phrase will change if it moves from fact to humor, or quip. Shakespeare, Mark Twain, and Winston Churchill, were masters at this, "playing with English". Look at my adjustment in my reply.

This is why I think it was the ending sentence ('punchline') of a funny story or quip, from BBC.

I understand the sentence perfectly... as probably an end sentence to a humorous story, or news-story, in British style.

Originally Posted by Dobry

Originally Posted by charlestonian

Originally Posted by Leof

Hi!
I was watching the BBC World channel when catched such a phrase:

(It can help) when you can't remember where you were a night before a morning after.

I understood the phrase well, but would you tell me have I missed something or not. Does it have a sense when being writen like I did?

Thank you!

Still, the whole composition of that phrase does not look right...

It's British or Irish, and I think it was a part of a humorous quip, or funny story... in the normal British/Irish style of humor. I've heard this phrase before, in British English.

Composition of the phrase will change if it moves from fact to humor, or quip. Shakespeare, Mark Twain, and Winston Churchill, were masters at this, "playing with English". Look at my adjustment in my reply.

This is why I think it was the ending sentence ('punchline') of a funny story or quip, from BBC.

I understand the sentence perfectly... as probably an end sentence to a humorous story, or news-story, in British style.

Gotcha. British or Irish... Shonuff 'taint 'merkin

Sorry, bit late replying.

I think it should be ... the night before the morning after. This is definitely what I would be familiar with in Scotland, England and Wales.

I suspect it is also used in the same way in German, hence Heinz Rudolf Kunze's brilliant song Dies wird der Abend vor dem Morgen danach.

Hope this helps

Белка.

Thank you too belka!