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One of Xoti's comments (when clicked)


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Eh, I am guessing a little bit of esoteric knowledge led to them going with an American South dialect:

 

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20180207-how-americans-preserved-british-english

“How do you 'accidentally' kill a nobleman in his own mansion?"

"With a knife in the chest. Or, rather, a pair of knives in the chest...”

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Personally I found it in keeping with Xoti's horny teenager act (as in, it's obviously tongue-in-cheek and it sounds like the kind of silly joke a person like Xoti would make.)

Edited by AndreaColombo
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It's kind of like, when people are bothering you a bit... you just say 'What can I do for you?' It's ALMOST sarcastic.

 

 

But that's not what she says. She says, "What can I do you for?"

 

I misread.

 

But yeah we do say 'What can I do you for?' as kind of a casual greeting.

 

I'm from Yorkshire, not sure if they say it the rest of the UK? Maybe it's just a poor English accent saying.

nowt

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To "do someone" prior to having a sexual connotation, meant to swindle or con someone. You might be more familiar with "do someone in" which usually means to mug or kill someone, but prior it was to take someone for all they were worth.

 

What can I do you for? taken literally is almost a threat or warning to not get taken advantage of. But it's being said in jest. What it's actually doing is setting up a formal transaction where the onus is on the asker to convince the person to borrow their time. "What can I do you for? is an invitation to hear out a proposition with no promise of help. Eventually it's became a friendly way of putting up a barrier. Now that it's seen as friendly I think most people assume it's merely a grammatical inversion of "What can I do for you?" solely for the sake of saying something with flair.

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To "do someone" prior to having a sexual connotation, meant to swindle or con someone. You might be more familiar with "do someone in" which usually means to mug or kill someone, but prior it was to take someone for all they were worth.

 

Yeah, sure. The point is that there's a discrepancy between the phrase itself and the way Xoti phrases it. Thus, it doesn't suggest the meanings you mention. But it doesn't suggest anything else, either.

 

I believe you may be correct in the sense that Xoti just wants to say something with a bit of flair.

Edited by xzar_monty
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To "do someone" prior to having a sexual connotation, meant to swindle or con someone. You might be more familiar with "do someone in" which usually means to mug or kill someone, but prior it was to take someone for all they were worth.

 

almost there, but i think ur off by a gnats wing, at least wrt where i live.

 

"what can i do u for" is closer to:

 

"what can i arrest u for",

"what can i punish u for",

"what can i charge u with"

or "what can i grass u for".

 

Its jokingly threatening someone via *authority*, not criminality.

 

basically:

 

"do you in" = direct threat of harm.

 

"do you for" = threat of arrest or similar. eg. "do you for theft." "do you for muder" "do you for assault"

 

like part of the reason i say it all the time is bcs im a security guard. the phrase is almost never received as an actual threat, just a common joke.

 

u could argue that its flirtatious in some situations bcs it implies the addressee's been 'naughty' (oo er missus) but that meanings only there if the addressee wants to pick it up and run with it. u can get away with using it generally and not worry about sounding fresh.

 

Edit: the flirtatious aspect is certainly congruent with Xoti's attention-seeking horndog act.

Edited by Triple - A Foxy Lad
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Wait what? I hear it as straight up polite.

 

I gather from this thread that's its mainly a southern USA and european thing, but the 'greeting' is fairly common here and there. We literally have the same greeting in my country. It's just a common greeting with no salacious meanings. Xoti is just being nice.

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This thread seems like it's over-analyzing an otherwise innocuous companion bark. :p

 

I don't get sexual overtones at all.

 

Yes- "What can I do you for?" is something working ladies/gents use towards Johns and it's not just a Southen USA/Europe thing, it's used in Canada as well.

 

It's similar to "Is there something I can help you with tonight?" wink-wink-nudge-nudge.

 

However, you wouldn't assume it's salacious unless the person saying it is dressed like a prostitute, and you're in a red-light district.

 

Buuuut- if some guy knocks on my door at night, I'm going to respond with "Is there something I can help you with tonight?"- which doesn't mean I'm trying to solicit a John, I'm literally asking (politely) what the hell the guy is doing at my door. 

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Lol i did say the meaning was only there if the addressee wants to pick it up and run with it.

 

Also worth pointing out ive spent most of my working life wearing a security uniform and/or doormans badge so 'ooooh are u gonna frisk me' etc is occasional response.

 

Anyhoo we're brits, we can turn anything into a double-entendre. Matron etc. Theres no such a thing as an innocent phrase here.

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Maybe, in Eora, it's an Eothasian thing. They go visit every house and farm asking people that. Gaun followers will offer to reap something. And those who value the rebirth aspect will ask with a different connotation...

 

I KNEW IT! Every Gaunite is basically a prostitute offering you a "little death".

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