While Mr Hill is essentially correct that the name refers to the Corporation’s matron-like attitude, its exact origin is in the sobriquet Auntie Beeb, used with mock-affection by the comic broadcaster Kenny Everett, likening the BBC’s censorious attitudes to those of a repressed maiden aunt.

Is the English Channel called the Beeb?

Known colloquially to the English as the Narrow Sea, until the 18th century, the English Channel had no fixed name either in English or in French. … Later, it has also been known as the British Channel or the British Sea. It was called Oceanus Britannicus by the 2nd-century geographer Ptolemy.

What is the meaning of Beeb?

British Broadcasting Corporation British, informal. : the British Broadcasting Corporation We didn’t come to London from the provinces encumbered with [Monty] Python and knowing no one at the Beeb.

What do Brits call the BBC?

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is the national broadcaster of the United Kingdom.

Can you swim across the channel?

The shortest route to swim across it is 21 miles long, but that can change depending on the current. The Channel is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, with 600 tankers and 200 ferries passing through it every day! So you can’t simply jump in and swim across.

How long is the Chunnel?

31mi Channel Tunnel / Length It is 50.5km long and comprises an undersea section of 38km, still the longest in the world. They are used by Eurotunnel Passenger and truck Shuttles, high-speed passenger Eurostar trains and rail freight trains.

How long does it take to sail across the English Channel?

How long does it take to cross the Channel by Ferry? The wide number of ferry routes that we offer across the Channel means that there is not one specific sail time, especially as they can widely vary from anywhere between 35 minutes to 11 hours.

What’s the meaning of reliquary?

: a container or shrine in which sacred relics are kept.

Why is bloody a swear word?

Origin. Use of the adjective bloody as a profane intensifier predates the 18th century. Its ultimate origin is unclear, and several hypotheses have been suggested. … The Oxford English Dictionary prefers the theory that it arose from aristocratic rowdies known as bloods, hence bloody drunk means drunk as a blood.

Is bloody a curse word in Britain?

Bloody is no longer Britain’s most commonly used swear word, while the number of uttered expletives has dropped by more than a quarter in 20 years, a study has found. … In 1994, it was the most commonly spoken swear word, accounting for around 650 of every million words said in the UK 0.064 per cent.

What does bloody mean in Britain?

In British slang, bloody means something like very. That’s bloody brilliant! Things that are literally bloody have blood on them or are made of blood. … To bloody something is to cover it in blood: I will bloody your nose if you say that again! It comes from the Old English blodig, from blod, or blood.

Why do Channel swimmers grease?

Ocean Grease will minimise chafing, and most importantly reduce any time out of the water due to chafing. Being practically insoluble in water, Ocean Grease gives open water swimmers the added protection of a barrier between the skin and the water.

Can you see England from France?

On a clear day, it is possible to see the opposite coastline of England from France and vice versa with the naked eye, with the most famous and obvious sight being the White Cliffs of Dover from the French coastline and shoreline buildings on both coastlines, as well as lights on either coastline at night, as in …

Are there sharks in the English Channel?

Are there sharks in the English Channel? The short answer is NO there are no sharksbut there are jelly fish.

Is there a bridge from England to France?

It is the only fixed link between the island of Great Britain and the European mainland. … Channel Tunnel.

Overview
Start Folkestone, Kent, England, United Kingdom (51.0971N 1.1558E)
End Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France, France (50.9228N 1.7804E)
Operation

Is there a tunnel between France and England?

The Channel Tunnel (often called the ‘Chunnel’ for short) is an undersea tunnel linking southern England and northern France. It is operated by the company Getlink, who also run a railway shuttle (Le Shuttle) between Folkestone and Calais, carrying passengers in cars, vans and other vehicles.

Can you drive through the Chunnel?

Can I drive my car through the Channel Tunnel? It is not possible to drive a car or motorcycle through the Channel Tunnel. Instead, motorists must drive onto the Eurotunnel Le Shuttle train, which boards at the Channel Tunnel terminals in Folkestone and Calais.

How many people have swam the English Channel?

A Look at English Channel Crossing Speed Progressions The English Channel is the standard test for traditional marathon swimmers. As of the end of 2020, 2,157 individuals had completed the swim, compared to 5,788 who had summited Mount Everest.

How big of a sailboat do you need to cross the Atlantic?

For crossing the Atlantic Ocean, you should aim for a boat that is at least 30-40 feet long. An experienced sailor can do with less. The smallest sailboat to cross the Atlantic Ocean was just over 5 feet long.

How long did it take to cross the Atlantic in 1492?

On October 12, 1492, after 36 days of sailing westward across the Atlantic, Columbus and several crewmen set foot on an island in the present-day Bahamas, claiming it for Spain.