Foiled Again (3.8)

[rubber chicken]

Odd, not knowing the British slang word "knob" I at first guessed the writers thought they were saying something else. But I looked up some British slang definitions for knob:

link:
1. The penis.
2. An idiot, an objectionable person.

link:
5. (British, slang) The penis.
6. (slang) (pejorative) A contemptible person.

So if he was saying "knob" William Troubshaw could have been calling Higgins a contemptible or more likely an objectionable person. I'm doubting that he meant penis, especially since his wife was right there and she was actually in between William and Higgins. He might have been a jerk to Higgins, but I don't think he was the kind of man to hurl a simple penis insult over his wife's head.



But there's also nob:
- noun Chiefly British Slang.
a person of wealth or social importance.

He could have used this facetiously, meaning Higgins was below their social standing or class. Or since they went to school together, William Troubshaw could have been highlighting the fact that Higgins had not quite risen to the elite social or economic standing that William had. Or he simply could have used nob correctly, as they both attended "one of the most prestigious public schools in all of England" and saved his insult for his next line: "You're looking well. Well-fed that is."

But then there's also this definition for nob:
an elegantly dressed man (often with affected manners)
A person in a superior position in life; a nobleman. [Slang]
I had to look up "affected manners" ... "Intended to impress others (esp in the phrases give oneself airs, put on airs)." Higgins could be accused of this by an unfriendly person.

So I'm thinking it was the word nob he used, not knob. The subtitles can be wrong sometimes, but nob is what they choose to use here.

[lutherhgillis]

Wow, I never thought about it. I just assumed knob was a word that meant 'bone head' or 'dunce' or something similar.

Willie was a jerk of jerks, that's for sure.

This one caught me by surprise the first time I watched. I suspected the wife and then the son but never the sugarcane plant foreman. Oh well, I was a little young and naive when I saw this one it the 80s...

[Jay-Firestorm]

We can now all take degrees on the meaning of the word "(k)nob"


It does have those meanings, but if I was walking down the street here in the UK and said "How you doing you knob", I'd probably get a black eye!!

[J.J. Walters]

That's very interesting that the subtitles have "nob", not "knob"!

To make things even more interesting (or confusing, whatever the case may be), it appears that the (British) slang pronunciation for both "knob" and "nob" is the same! I would have thought "nob" would have been pronounced "noh-buh" (like the Old Testament "Job").

Seems like that would make for some tricky conversations! "No, no, I meant nob, not knob!"

[Tom_Magnum]

This was a fairly good episode, especially at the end when Magnum figures out that the son or the wife didn't commit the murder. I don't remember their names.

[jno]

As an English teacher (and a Brit), I was certain when I watched this that the meaning of the word is definitely "nob" and not "knob" i.e. nob is a slang expression referring to person of wealth or high social position. Admittedly, this is an old-fashioned expression and does feature in other period dramas set in the mid 20th century.

It is only when I read this forum, I felt the need to reply to this. I think the original poster who believes it to be "knob" is probably not so familiar with the old fashioned British public schoolboy speak of yesteryear. It is definitely "nob" and not "knob".

If you look at many British TV shows of that time, the cruder "knob" isn't heard anywhere and this derogatory expression was not commonplace in everyday British English (I would guess and as I remember) until the late 1980s, early 1990s when alternative comedy became more prominent in the UK.

[golfmobile]

FWIW, found this:

'nob' is a mid-18 C. locution derived from 'nobleman', giving rise also to 'nobbish' and 'nobbily' (i.e. aristocratically). 'Nob' is pretty much a synonym for 'toff', and even today some working-class Londoners and others refer disparagingly to 'the nobs' or 'the toffs' who attend socially prestigious events such as Royal Ascot (horse racing) or Henley Regatta (a series of boat races).

This was always my understanding of the use in this MPI context.

golf

[Sam]

I watched this episode last night and found a dialogue flub.
When Troubshaw enters for the tournament he says "I hear you asked for the left position" to Higgins.
Later on the beach when TM and Rick are playing liars poker.Rick says "A lot of people heard Higgins ask for the right side,why?"

[MACattack]

Maybe Rick wasn't paying attention. He makes mistakes now and then.

[robspace54]

Saw this episode yesterday and liked it. They never properly explained how such a large current got into the foil (that is WHO plugged it into 220V) and why no one noticed.

But it was another side of the Magnum / Higgins friendship and was nice to see that develop.

Rob

[All About the Stache]

I liked this one, mostly because it heavily involved Higgins, and his relationship with Magnum was explored further in this episode. I love the chemistry between these two and this episode had some great scenes with them, both funny and serious.

[nha trang]

I watched this episode last night, and I can hardly even remember anything to review...Again, maybe I get confused because I watch the syndication on TV sometimes as well as going episode by episode on my DVD, but the fact that it has the wrong "Carol" somehow also screws things up for me. Also, the wife of Higgin's alleged rival/victim was also in an earlier episode as the famous actress...

[MaiTaiMan]

This is a very good "Higgins episode"! His interesting past with Velma Troubshaw (Dana Wynter) was a "juicy" piece of his past to learn, and I thought John Hillerman and Dana Wynter gave awesome performances.

However, Dana Wynter must have liked playing women who make poor choices for husbands when guest starring on "Magnum"...as she was the actress who actually did kill her jerky husband in an earlier episode "Double Jeopardy", from 2nd season. To me it was too soon for wynter to guest star again...as it kind of made me laugh . I kept thinking...first Magnum wanted her, now Higgins does!

Also, the character of D.A. Carol Baldwin makes her first appearance...except, it's not Kathleen Lloyd! This blonde actress (Patty McCormack) was okay--but Lloyd really captured this character later on, and to me is the real Carol.

Anyway, good plot twists, and the idea of Higgins being accused of murder and Magnum has to prove his innocence was original and entertaining!

[AmandaByNight]

I also like this episode quite a bit. I love the guest stars, especially Nicholas Hammond who plays the son because he was Doug Simpson in the infamous "Ow, my nose," episode of the Brady Bunch!

I like Higgens-centric episodes because Hillerman is just untouchable as an actor. While I love the entire cast, there is something so... I'm not sure there are words for it... he's just amazing and I love when he gets a lot of screen time.

[MaiTaiMan]

I also like this episode quite a bit. I love the guest stars, especially Nicholas Hammond who plays the son because he was Doug Simpson in the infamous "Ow, my nose," episode of the Brady Bunch!

I like Higgens-centric episodes because Hillerman is just untouchable as an actor. While I love the entire cast, there is something so... I'm not sure there are words for it... he's just amazing and I love when he gets a lot of screen time.

Yeah, I like Nicholas Hammond...interesting actor! He also was one of the VonTrap children (Friedrich) in "Sound of Music" and a lot don't remember that he was the original Spider Man--in the 1977-79 "Amazing Spider Man" TV-series!