A butter substitute made of vegetal oils and frequently used as a spread. Sometimes its name is used as a humorous/sarcastic reference to a sub-par substitute to something.
<Eats a piece of toast>
- Just a moment, is it butter?
- No, it is "I can't believe it's not butter!"
- Well, *I* can believe it is not butter.
phrase (var. I do not believe it!)
an expression of utter disbelief at a truly unfathomable circumstance. Popularised by the grumpy old man Victor Meldrew (Richard Wilson) from the popular BBC television situation comedy series, One Foot in the Grave, written by David Renwick. Although "I don't believe it" is the catchphrase of the show, the first time Victor said it was in the last few minutes of "The Return of the Speckled Band" - the final episode of the first series. Profanities such as ‘bloody’ and the rather taboo ‘fucking’ are commonly inserted by the proletariat to create a heightened sense of shock but are rarely uttered by the more refined classes of middle England.
From the sitcom;
On discovering a lamppost had crashed through his bedroom window 'Victor Meldrew' exclaimed "I don't believe it!"
Colloquial use;
Dave: Look Barbara, malt loaf is on 'buy one get one free'
Barbara: I don't believe it!
British slang for a scientist or technical expert, esp . when the speaker is not certain of the expert’s specific field of study. Not necessarily derogatory, but typically used by persons without a technical background. In the US, the equivalent would be “egghead”, “squint”, or “geek.”
Origin of the word is unknown. Started sometime in World War 2. Given the typical evolution of British slang, could easily have started because what these experts did was confusing or “baffling” to the common person.
According to the boffins downstairs, the murdererused a serrated blade.
When you have to pee in a movie but don’t want to miss anything, and must do the following mental equation: will the amount I have to pee cause enough discomfort to diminish my attention capacity for the remainder of the movie to an extent which is greater than the amount of the movie I would miss by making a mad dash to the restroom.
I saw Satantango last night, wonderful film but by the 5th hour I had to start doing peecalculus.