Just saw the expression 'San fairy Anne ' (sic)

[Claybury]

On another thread. Is this serious or is it a genuine error ?

Yep, pure Nottingham. I've not heard it for years but it was one of dad's favourite phrases.

I've heard this in my childhood too but I think it was used out of context as in ooh look at you, you're dancing like fairy ann.

San Fairy Ann is in a lot of "comedy" type War (and other) films, the ones out of the old Ealing Studios, spring to mind.

Language has always constantly evolved, been changed etc, each generation is entitled to do the same (as they are with Name Spellings etc).

spooky
I am reading a book where this came up

Bookaholic I've never been to Nottingham, or lived anywhere near there, and I don't think ex DP or his family had either. This thing has travelled!

Also spooky when the answer in a crossword puzzle was fillip, just a couple of days after discussing its meaning.

My DH once had a secretary who came up with these stunners (typing from dictation):

The Russian Owl for this decision
If so, fatso

DH had actually said "rationale" and ipso facto.

grovel paaahahaahahaha!!! That has just made me snort water up my nose! Help I'm drowning!

San Fairy Ann is just a polite way of saying Sweet Fuck All.

of topic but what does (sic) mean?
(I know I could google)

My mum says it too, as a deliberate, lighthearted, informal corruption of the proper French (she speaks French fluently). []www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-san1.htm it originated in the First World War]], as someone has already said.

My Grandma used to say it

Look at her 'san fairy ann' - eg woman sat there all dressed up doing nothing.

Not heard it for years.

My nan used to say it to mean 'not giving a shit'.

'She walked in all san fairy ann', for eg.

As a kid i used to think she was saying Sand Fairy, Ann and was very

My grandmother would say it too. (Born in the late 1800s)

I know it from the Eleanor Farjeon story, it's a lovely one. Never had occurred to me that SFA was also Sweet FA!

The one that came up a lot at school was j'en ai marre (I'm fed up/I've had enough) which could be said to sound like Johnny Marr (from the Smiths)

Sweet FA is sweet Fanny Adams whoever she is.

Just googled Sweet Fanny Adams. Sorry can't do a link. She was a young girl brutally murdered in the late 1800's.

When I was a child I heard people saying this but I didn't realise it was a French expression till years later. I don't think it matters that much. But it used to annoy me when antique dealers put 'much sort after' next to an item.

Sweet Fanny Adams was a little girl who got murdered years ago.

Here

Reminds me of my dear old Dad, who also used "billy doo" when referring to a billet doux.

And I worked with an old boy who would say he wanted something done "Tout de suite ... and the tooter the sweeter!".

(Both of them were very well educated and used the phrases tongue-in-cheek.)

J'en ai marre always makes me think of the Smiths too. San Fairy Anne I know mostly from the story about the doll.

I love Russian Owl

I've heard san fairy anne my whole life, always understood it was a deliberate mispronunciation of the french phrase. SFA for sweet fuck all, sweet fanny adams, san fairy anne - all meant the same thing.

Didn't "toot sweet" come from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?

& meant to add - how sad the story of Fanny Adams, and how awful her name has come to mean 'nothing at all'. Poor child.

It was the post 1918 generation's equivalent of "No worries, mate!"
"Ca ne fait rien!"

(can't do a cedilla)