On 23/01/2011, at 10:03 PM, THDW wrote:
On 22 Jan 2011, at 20:55, Geoffrey Heard wrote:
Recent you mean? Link? (Counldn't find anything recent on the BBC site.)
snipped
There's a scene in American Gangster where Russell Crowe, playing a hard nosed NY cop, starts duffing somebody up and calls his victim 'mate'. Sure that wasn't in the script.
Russell Crowe is a New Zealander, but being a rugby league person calls everyone 'mate'.
To me, a 'mate' is a person, male, with whom you are great friends and who would support you forever, but others treat the word as being just a general form of address, certainly not his victim. Very Sydney.
On the other hand, I doubt if Mr. Crowe, being a New Zealander, would appreciate being said to 'duff up' anyone.
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Regards from brianF
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