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old hand
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Certainly it is a deviation from the normal behaviour. Here I disagree: In the expression "Off we go" the idea of a start is clearly reflected. Also in talking about an explosive charge, going off describes the fulfillment of its normal purposeI suppose that's also true. But I meant that most of the time, the alarm was NOT ringing...Implicitly defining "normal behaviour" == "what the thing spends most of the time doing" (as opposed to what it was designed to do). Therefore I both agree and disagree with you, wseiber. 
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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but more common, it seems in the UK is knickThere's the Noo Yorker in you coming out again, helen. I am almost certain that you ill find that poms spell "nick" the way we do, not the way the NY Knicks do.
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Carpal Tunnel
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I wasn't thinking of "Knickerbocker" Washington Irving's name for old New Yorkers--(and the source of the teams name) but i did think the word for theiving came from "knick-knack" --as in a small thing or trifle.. (on the idea that one nicks a lipstick-- not a car.)
Most likely because on my mothers "knick-knack shelf" there were several small brass items and a miniture copper kettle-- all dutifully polished by me (not a chore-- I actually like polishing brass, but i digress) with Brass-o-- as in the street song
"Shine your buttons with Brass-o, its only tu'pence a tin,
You can buy it it or nick it from woolworths...."
So-- knick-knacks get polished with Brass-o, and Brass-o get knicked from Woolworths's does that make sense?
(Beware if it does-- my weird thought process is infecting your mind! My way of thinking is meme like!)
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Carpal Tunnel
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(on the idea that one nicks a lipstick-- not a car.)
At a rough, totally unscientific guesstimate, the word "nick" is used here in Zild at least as often as "steal" probably significantly more often. You are right that is is most often used in connexion with petty theft, but by no means exclusively so. It has always struck me as ironic that it is famous for being used by police officers when apprehending criminals, "you're nicked".
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addict
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addict
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being used by police officers when apprehending criminals, "you're nicked".
I heard over the weekend that the term "nick" for prison (and presumably thence to "nick"= "arrest") is derived from St. Nicholas being the patron saint of prisons. Not sure I believe it yet.
With multiple meanings for nick/knick you could get: "Nick (of the NY Knicks) was nicked for nicking knickers worth half a knicker and ended up in nick". Stretching the elastic a little further, the knickers might have been damaged by a knife and hence been "nicked" in another sense.
"buy it or nick it from Woolworths"
always sung that as "Woolies". No one in UK calls it "Woolworths".
Rod
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Carpal Tunnel
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In reply to:
the NY favorite--"It fell off the truck"
similar to the English "It fell off the back of a lorry".
Bingley
Bingley
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old hand
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and the twelve slobbering dobermans.
Do you take them out at Christmas time so that they can march in the parade with the Salivation Army?
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Carpal Tunnel
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the NY favorite--"It fell off the truck"
similar to the English "It fell off the back of a lorry".Once again, Zild displays its evenhandedness - we use "it fell off the back of a truck"
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Carpal Tunnel
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Once again, Zild displays its evenhandedness - we use "it fell off the back of a truck"Quite right. I saw it fall ... 
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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