Heck, yeah! Boy oh boy, that Jack Straw - such a groovy fellow, so in with the lingo. I beg of you, elaborate.
His description of Campbell's handling of the Iraqi dossier! To quote the trendy dude: "To put it in the vernacular, it was a complete horlicks." Talk about surfing the wave of zeitgeist speak! Perhaps more Bertie Wooster than Tim Westwood, but there you go. Anyway, you said this was leading somewhere?
Yes. Happy as we are to see our politicians "putting it in the vernacular", we are rather distressed at this blaspheming of our favourite drink. Quite. Why should a "tasty and nutritional malt drink" be synonymous with the dark forces of spin?
Exactly. And whereas one is meant to aid sleep, the other gives us nightmares about his satanic scowl. And whereas one is full of malt the other is full of . . .
Yes, enough of that. Whatever would James and William Horlick say? There are original Horlick folk?
Indeed. William and James Horlick of Gloucestershire founded the company in 1873, and what a British success it has been. So why has the name become synonymous with making a right ol' mess o' things
We couldn't possibly comment. Horlicks is now a big and scary company and our cowering lawyers have advised us not to cast too many sarky aspersions its way. OK, then, let's try another way - is it really "the vernacular"?
According to a very scientific poll conducted by telephone, four of our friends have never heard of the phrase, one had but didn't know what it meant and the sixth had her answer machine on. Says more about your friends than Jack Straw, in my opinion
Not to be confused with: Spin, William Hague's baseball cap, Nicola Horlick.
