Why do people say...?

[bronze]

What can I do you for rather than what can I do for you?
To me do you for sounds like you're going to tell them off.

(Excuses for any mistakes- I'm not a pedant and I'm typing one handed)

I always thought it was like saying aMiNals instead of animals
just messing around iyswim

'What can I do you for' sounds like a police officer considering the charge. Driving without due care and attention v. recklessness, for instance.

Yes, it is a play on words to sound amusing. A bit like 'Two for the price of three'.

....I think people only say 'What can I do you for?' if they are fans of Mr Tommy Handley.

'Can I do you now Sir?'

...god only knows why people laughed at this stuff. I guess 40s humour was more, er, innocent.....

Sorry to hijack can anyone clarify this one:

Cutting your nose off _ your face

I thought it was "to spite" but I saw on another forum someone saying despite?!

Definitely "to spite".
Was it netmums?

Hahaha no nannyjob

"What can I do you for"

"What can I do you for"

hehehehe

(you don't have to be mad to work here.........but it HELPS)!
HILARIOUS!

Thing is people to say it as part of serious conversations now so I never even thought it could be a joke.

I thought "do you" meant kind of "rip you off" so it is intnded as a hilarious joke.

It's one of those things that started as a cheesy joke and just got absorbed into normal life and loads of people use it.

On a side note a very posh and educated-seeming woman used "pacifically" to me the other day meaning "specifically" and pedantic steam came out of my ears... (she was being very nice to me so I couldn't say anything)

"intnded" there was obviously my obligatory pedants' corner token error