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Shouting cum bye

English translation: "come by" ("cum bye" is trying to represent a Northern English accent)

18:23 Jul 7, 2003
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary
English term or phrase: Shouting cum bye
Ronnie Corbett on a talk show:

I was a lift boy and a dumb waiter. I was, I was a lumberjack in a mushroom farm. ***Shouting cum bye.***
I have run out of them now. You'll be pleased to hear.

(possible typo, taken from a script)
Radek Podolski
Local time: 08:36
Selected answer:"come by" ("cum bye" is trying to represent a Northern English accent)
Explanation:
is one of the instructions which shepherds shout to their sheepdogs when they are herding sheep - the phrase became well-known because of the popularity of the TV series "One Man and his Dog", which showed "Sheepdog Trials" (a competition to find the best shepherd/sheepdog combination)
I don't see how it fits in with the "lumberjack" reference, unless there's something missing - but nobody who knows Ronnie Corbett could ever imagine him doing or saying anything obscene!!
Selected response from:

John Bowden
Local time: 16:36
Grading comment
thanks!!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +6"come by" ("cum bye" is trying to represent a Northern English accent)
John Bowden
3 +4kumbaya
jerrie
4 +2Could it be "Come by"
Empty Whiskey Glass
2 +2"Come, buy!" he shouted.
jccantrell


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


9 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
kumbaya


Explanation:
Could it be Kumbaya?

Shouting Kumbaya, instead of 'Timber' as the mushrooms came toppling down!?

We used to sing this old gospel song in school.

Ronnie Corbett's 'stories' don't usually make a lot of sense (lots of 'I diversifies', and 'where was I's').

The joke obviously is 'lumberjack in a mushroom farm'....because he is so short...ho, ho!

jerrie
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:36
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 773

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Catherine Norton: Henry Belafonte used to sing Kumbaya. This explanation makes sense to me.
10 mins
  -> Thanks! The trouble is...does it need to make sense?! A bit 'open to interpretation' this one!
agree  Refugio: This came immediately to my mind as well. I picture the "mushroom lumbejack" slaving away and asking the Lord to "come by here" and save him. There are many spellings.
4 hrs
agree  J. Leo (X): for Catherine, I believe it was Harry Belafonte.
4 hrs
agree  uparis: Yeah - Someone's sleeping, Lord, tum tee tum...
12 hrs
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10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +2
"Come, buy!" he shouted.


Explanation:
That is how I would interpret this.

Kind of a take off on the shout of the lumberjack, "Timberrrrrr!"

But I do not see the connection.

Perhaps you had to be there.....

Sigh.....

jccantrell
United States
Local time: 08:36
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 856

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  DGK T-I: I'd go for this one because of the next line,' I have run out of them now. You'll be pleased to hear.' which sounds like a double joke - he's run out of mushrooms as well as jokes,maybe. But Jerrie & Svetozar also fit just as well - a joke on all three?
25 mins
agree  verbis
2 hrs
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26 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
Could it be "Come by"


Explanation:
Could it be "Come by"

come by: to make a visit
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

Empty Whiskey Glass
Local time: 18:36
Native speaker of: Native in BulgarianBulgarian
PRO pts in pair: 61

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Patricia Fierro, M. Sc.
1 hr
agree  verbis
2 hrs
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42 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
"come by" ("cum bye" is trying to represent a Northern English accent)


Explanation:
is one of the instructions which shepherds shout to their sheepdogs when they are herding sheep - the phrase became well-known because of the popularity of the TV series "One Man and his Dog", which showed "Sheepdog Trials" (a competition to find the best shepherd/sheepdog combination)
I don't see how it fits in with the "lumberjack" reference, unless there's something missing - but nobody who knows Ronnie Corbett could ever imagine him doing or saying anything obscene!!

John Bowden
Local time: 16:36
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 140
Grading comment
thanks!!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  DGK T-I: forgotten about that one - very true too. I guess the question could be raised how far this joke calls for a literal or a literary translation, given it's evident madness ?
16 mins
agree  Сергей Лузан: Very likely.
42 mins
agree  verbis
2 hrs
agree  asusisu (X): definitely the correct answer
3 hrs
agree  erudite (X): definitely, I come from Lancashire. Cum bye is a command given to the sheepdog. I suspect this is a joke because you can't round up mushrooms.
15 hrs
  -> Thanks everybody (Down, Shep!)
agree  Peter Linton (X): Ronnie Corbett is very short who often jokes about it, so the right size to being a lumberjack and chopping down mushrooms.
18 hrs
  -> Probably so - there wouldn't be "mushroom" for taller people...:-)
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