Etymology of 'fannydangle', anyone?

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

Alright, which one of you was responsible for this work of linguistic genius? I've just dropped it into everyday conversation to much confusion (it was while discussing Cristiano Ronaldo, incidentally).

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 26 September 2003 13:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Tim claims much of the credit for reintroducting it, but I am sure my Dad used it when I was a youngster. It completely describes the way the England team played in the mid eighties.

― Pete (Pete), Friday, 26 September 2003 14:00 (twenty-two years ago)

It's an old insult. I could havard a guess as to its meaning, but I'm too polite and have an image to maintain.

― jel -- (jel), Friday, 26 September 2003 15:19 (twenty-two years ago)

I recall being a mere nipper at me mum's knee, and hearing her describe some ballroom dancing as fannydangling.

― Matt (Matt), Friday, 26 September 2003 15:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Tim uses it in reference to a Dave Bassett quote I think, was it Dave Bassett?

Also in the same conversation was Alan Ball's "if you want entertainment, GO AND WATCH CLOWNS!"

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 26 September 2003 15:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I mean hazard not havard. I wouldn't have to go to Harvad to hazard a guess.

― jel -- (jel), Friday, 26 September 2003 15:29 (twenty-two years ago)

I understand from Tim that Harry Bassett was interviewed after the game whilst at Sheffield United and asked why they lost and said 'Well it's simple - we done too much fannydangle.'

Fannydangle is a word I have always understood to mean tippy-tappy nonsense, playing the ball about, especially at the back, when any fule no that a bit hoof is what is required. I think it a conjunction of fanny *as is fannying around with the ball) and Dangling (as in a limbo state, neither attacking nor defending, having possession of the ball but to little effect).

― Dave B (daveb), Friday, 26 September 2003 15:36 (twenty-two years ago)

There's a good part in the Ruud Gullit Chelsea book where I think Joe Kinnear says of Le Bouef; "we quickly identified him as one of those foreigners who fannys about on the ball".

― Ronan (Ronan), Friday, 26 September 2003 15:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I think it is actually from Harry's Watford days; a google search shows links to 3 pages, of which two are for Blind Stupid and Desperate, the online Watford fanzine (a jolly good bunch to boot).

― Dave B (daveb), Friday, 26 September 2003 15:39 (twenty-two years ago)

STOP PRESS - a google for 'Fanny Dangle' gives us this which asserts Harry Bassett, but says Sheffield United. Hopkins to thread!

― Dave B (daveb), Friday, 26 September 2003 15:42 (twenty-two years ago)

i remember the term 'fanny merchants' used by Warren Mitchell's manager character in that ITV drama partially based on the career of Gary Lineker years ago...

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 26 September 2003 15:43 (twenty-two years ago)

shit, not Warren Mitchell (that was Alf Garnett right?) - i'm thinking of the guy out of Dalziel & Pascoe

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 26 September 2003 15:44 (twenty-two years ago)

NOT ENOUGH FANNYDANGLE

― David. (Cozen), Friday, 26 September 2003 15:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Stevem presumably means Warren Clarke?

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Friday, 26 September 2003 17:33 (twenty-two years ago)

correct

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 26 September 2003 17:45 (twenty-two years ago)

one month passes...

He done too much fannydangle

How to take the ball off Christiano Ronaldo:

http://placidtiger.myby.co.uk/ronaldo.gif

― Dave B (daveb), Thursday, 13 November 2003 15:01 (twenty-two years ago)

haha! just wondering: is there any rigorous statistical approach to analysing footy?

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 13 November 2003 15:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Charles Hughes is yer man...he analysed hundreds of games and found that most goals are scored with 5 or fewer passes before the goal; he therefore surmised that fannydangle was a waste of space and you should get the ball forward quickly and into the box quickly. It wasn't strictly route-one football, but morphed into it over time.

― Dave B (daveb), Thursday, 13 November 2003 15:13 (twenty-two years ago)

It's a shame Ronaldo didn't play on Sunday - we were very much looking forward to showing our American friends the epitome of fannydangle.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 13 November 2003 15:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Joe Cole came on for Chelsea, and I thought he might have a crack at the title, but he was actually rather effective.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Thursday, 13 November 2003 18:38 (twenty-two years ago)

thanks Dave B! I will grill Nordicskillz about Charles Hughes.

― gygax! (gygax!), Thursday, 13 November 2003 18:39 (twenty-two years ago)

yeh but as proved by Graham Taylor you don't win owt by hoofing the ball into the box as quickly as possible. actually it did work for Joe Kinnear's Wimbledon a few times, and Egil Olsen...

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 13 November 2003 19:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey, but it was worth it for the moment Cole came on coupled with the shouts of "hey, look Tim! Fannydangle!"

(Okay, it may have been me doing the shouting, but hey...)

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 13 November 2003 21:17 (twenty-two years ago)

two years pass...

Pls explain 3rd hit

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 18 August 2006 08:42 (nineteen years ago)

Or indeed the 6th!

http://www.progarchives.com/forum/progarchives-logo.gif

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Friday, 18 August 2006 08:52 (nineteen years ago)

Oh, this is a treat.

― Alba (Alba), Friday, 18 August 2006 08:53 (nineteen years ago)

I believe I was offering my considered opinion on the architecture of London's railway stations.

I have no idea what the German Big Brother thing is about.

The fact that there's a poster called Fanny Dangle on a prog rock forum gives me a warm glow all over.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 18 August 2006 09:06 (nineteen years ago)

Fanny Dangl is probably the name of the lead singer in some Austrian soft rock group

― Dadaismus (a rattly old puffin who remembers ILX in the days when...) (Dada), Friday, 18 August 2006 09:08 (nineteen years ago)

From the Dave Bassett interview in the Guardian's Ask The Expert feature this week http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1851624,00.html:

I'm a Sheffield Utd fan and you once said that managers wanted results but fans wanted "fanny dangle"? What is "fanny dangle"? would you ever come back to manage at Bramall Lane?
Marian Simpson Sheffield

Fanny dangle is aesthetic fantasy football which looks lovely but isn't always possible with the resources you're working with. I loved my time at Sheffield United and would have gone back - in fact they offered me the job 24 hours after I had agreed to manage Barnsley in 1999, but I kept my word. Given my age and their success - I certainly wouldn't say that it's a foregone conclusion that they'll go down - it won't happen now.

― Daniel Giraffe (Daniel Giraffe), Friday, 18 August 2006 12:20 (nineteen years ago)

fan·dan·go (făn-dăng'gō)
n.

1.
1. An animated Spanish or Spanish-American dance in triple time.
2. A piece of music for this dance.
2. Informal. Nonsense; tomfoolery.

― elmo argonaut (allocryptic), Friday, 18 August 2006 12:47 (nineteen years ago)

Jeri: V-I-C-T-O-R-Y WIN!

Coach: Jerri, what does V-I-C-T-O-R-Y spell?

Jeri: Fandango? Hobo...hobocamp?

― Sir Dr. Rev. PappaWheelie Jr. II of The Third Kind (PappaWheelie 2), Friday, 18 August 2006 18:07 (nineteen years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.