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Usenet Posted 20 years ago
English in UK
To 'beat the rat'?
Hello everyone,
I was watching the film "About a boy" the other day and I distinctly heard Hugh Grant say "I think we beat the rat there, mate." This is obviously an idiom - one on which my dictionaries are suspiciously silent, and so is (1).
A search in Google (UK only, (2)) yields 36 results but almost all of them read 'beat the rat race'. Now, I know what a rat race is, so it seems pretty straight forward what 'to beat the rat race' means - something like 'not taking part in the competition for success etc. any more'. But I can't really figure out what Hugh Grant meant.
Any help greatly appreciated.
TIA and greetings from southern Germany,
Frido
(1) http://tinyurl.com/qdtxp
(2) http://tinyurl.com/p4xq6
I was watching the film "About a boy" the other day and I distinctly heard Hugh Grant say "I think we beat the rat there, mate." This is obviously an idiom - one on which my dictionaries are suspiciously silent, and so is (1).
A search in Google (UK only, (2)) yields 36 results but almost all of them read 'beat the rat race'. Now, I know what a rat race is, so it seems pretty straight forward what 'to beat the rat race' means - something like 'not taking part in the competition for success etc. any more'. But I can't really figure out what Hugh Grant meant.
Any help greatly appreciated.
TIA and greetings from southern Germany,
Frido
(1) http://tinyurl.com/qdtxp
(2) http://tinyurl.com/p4xq6
Top answer
"[/nq] I think you'll find he says `beat the rap'. b. (Email Removed) Enjoy responsibly.
- "[/nq] I think you'll find he says `beat the rap'.
- b.
- (Email Removed) Enjoy responsibly.
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5 Answers
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Frido Schefft (Email Removed):
[nq:1]I was watching the film "About a boy" the other day and I distinctly heard Hugh Grant say "I think we beat the rat there, mate."[/nq]
I think you'll find he says `beat the rap'.
b.
(Email Removed) Enjoy responsibly.
[nq:1]I was watching the film "About a boy" the other day and I distinctly heard Hugh Grant say "I think we beat the rat there, mate."[/nq]
I think you'll find he says `beat the rap'.
b.
(Email Removed) Enjoy responsibly.
00
Am Wed, 9 Aug 2006 17:28:37 +0100 schrieb Ben Shimmin:
[nq:2]I was watching the film "About a boy" the other ... Grant say "I think we beat the rat there, mate."[/nq]
[nq:1] I think you'll find he says `beat the rap'.[/nq]
Oops, well... But I still don't have a clue. What does that mean?
[nq:2]I was watching the film "About a boy" the other ... Grant say "I think we beat the rat there, mate."[/nq]
[nq:1] I think you'll find he says `beat the rap'.[/nq]
Oops, well... But I still don't have a clue. What does that mean?
00
Frido Schefft (Email Removed):
[nq:1]Am Wed, 9 Aug 2006 17:28:37 +0100 schrieb Ben Shimmin:[/nq]
[nq:1]Oops, well... But I still don't have a clue. What does that mean?[/nq]
Oh, sorry, a definition would have been helpful, wouldn't it?
[nq:1]Am Wed, 9 Aug 2006 17:28:37 +0100 schrieb Ben Shimmin:[/nq]
[nq:1]Oops, well... But I still don't have a clue. What does that mean?[/nq]
Oh, sorry, a definition would have been helpful, wouldn't it?
00
Am Wed, 9 Aug 2006 17:43:48 +0100 schrieb Ben Shimmin:
[nq:2]Am Wed, 9 Aug 2006 17:28:37 +0100 schrieb Ben Shimmin: Oops, well... But I still don't have a clue. What does that mean?[/nq]
[nq:1]Oh, sorry, a definition would have been helpful, wouldn't it?
[nq:2]Am Wed, 9 Aug 2006 17:28:37 +0100 schrieb Ben Shimmin: Oops, well... But I still don't have a clue. What does that mean?[/nq]
[nq:1]Oh, sorry, a definition would have been helpful, wouldn't it?
00
[nq:2]I was watching the film "About a boy" the other ... Grant say "I think we beat the rat there, mate."[/nq]
[nq:1] I think you'll find he says `beat the rap'. b.[/nq]
There is a pub game "**** the Rat" where a toy rat is dropped down a drainpipe by the operator, whose hand is screened from view. The aim is to arrest its movement with a single stroke of a stick as it emerges.
Your e
[nq:1] I think you'll find he says `beat the rap'. b.[/nq]
There is a pub game "**** the Rat" where a toy rat is dropped down a drainpipe by the operator, whose hand is screened from view. The aim is to arrest its movement with a single stroke of a stick as it emerges.
Your e
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