Might I Ask of My British Friends . . .

[BobH]

A few nights back, whilst watching BBC America and a show about toys and plasticine with James May (he of Top Gear fame), I heard a toast that I'd never heard before. I might have misheard it (ears of an age tend to lose some of their efficiency); so feel free to correct me.

James was interviewing a descendant of the gentleman who invented plasticine. They were in a pub; and, as James got in the drinks, the prince of plasticine offered, "All of it!" as a toast.

Did I hear it correctly? If so, what is its reference or meaning? (All the best? May you have all of it?) Is it colloquial, or is it heard in all parts of the UK?

I'm afraid my English forebears departed 'Northants' during the Civil War (English, not American) and many new things have transpired in our absence - as well as many of the old ways lost this side of the pond.

[steveh]

Hi Bob

Sorry I have never heard of that one and I have frequented pubs all my life all over the Country for quiz teams, dart teams, pool teams and cribbage teams, as you say, all the best is common, cheers, bottoms up are normal in the South, maybe some of our Nortern corrospondents can chip in with regional variations.

[wasbit]

Hi Bob, you can watch it again if you wish, courtesy of YouTube :

James May Toy Stories Episode 2 Part 1
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dAbG8FR ... re=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

After 5m20s the gent with the orange juice says "All the best" & gets the reply "And you" from James May.

Regards wasbit

Edit: All the best = best wishes ;good heath ;cheers.

[BobH]

Hi Bob, you can watch it again if you wish, courtesy of YouTube :

James May Toy Stories Episode 2 Part 1
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dAbG8FR ... re=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

After 5m20s the gent with the orange juice says "All the best" & gets the reply "And you" from James May.

Regards wasbit

Edit: All the best = best wishes ;good heath ;cheers.

Thank you, wasbit!

I followed your link to YouTube (I would never have thought to look for the episode on YouTube) and watched and replayed the scene several times. My ears are still mis-hearing the gentleman receiving the pint. Perhaps they are more attuned to a Southern (US) drawl or a Texas twang and cannot quite pick up the phrase.

Thank you, very much, for the help. As mentioned, I am of English (and Scottish, and Irish, and Dutch, and ??) ancestry and very much an Anglophile. I enjoy learning the nuances of the mother tongue but was perplexed by what I thought I heard.

Cheers!

[HansV]

A very interesting phenomenon. To my non-English ears, the gentleman clearly says "All the best". But I was of course expecting that (thanks, wasbit!). It's probably a Mondegreen - once you've misheard it, it's almost impossible to change your perception.

[John Gray]

One additional (but rather unlikely) possibility was that he said "Prost".
"Prost", "Prosit" (Germany and Austria) from Latin "prosit" -- "may it be good, i.e., for you".

A more common 'toast' would be "Cheers!" (as both Steve and Bob say, above!)
"Cheers" (Thank you) (United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, and Canada).

(+1 to Hans for introducing mondegreens!)