David Cameron answers question on whether he is posh by explaining etymology of the word 'posh'
'It’s a funny expression. It can mean lots of different things: it originally meant which side of a ship you were on when you were travelling out to India'
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Your support makes all the difference.David Cameron has deflected a question on whether or not he is “posh” by explaining the etymology of the word and its alleged connection to citizens of the British Empire travelling by ship to India.
The arguably “posh” response to the straight-forward question on ITV’s Robert Peston Show came as the Prime Minister was confronted with the public’s most frequent Google searches about him. Others included: “How much does David Cameron earn?” and “Is David Cameron related to the Queen?”
Mr Cameron, who attended Eton and grew up in leafy Oxfordshire, responded: “Look, I can’t hide my background or upbringing and I never have done so.”
“But is that posh?” asked Mr Peston.
“Well, other people would probably say that. It’s a funny expression. It can mean lots of different things: it originally meant which side of a ship you were on when you were travelling out to India,” the Prime Minister added.
“My parents gave me an amazing start in life, very warm family, great school and the chance to get on and make something with my life. What I want is to do as much as that for other people and that’s actually what the Queen’s speech this week was all about.”
Though, Mr Cameron’s claim that “posh” is an old nautical term – an acronym of ‘Port Out, Starboard Home’ – is likely to raise eyebrows in some nautical circles. According to Fiona McPherson, a senior editor at the Oxford English Dictionary, claims “posh, meaning ‘smart, stylish, splendid, luxurious’ is first recorded in 1914, with the chiefly British strand of meaning, ‘typical of the upper classes; snooty’, following soon after”.
She also adds that “no evidence exists” to back up Mr Cameron’s explanation of the word. “Sadly, posh will just have to remain in the ‘origin unknown’ category”.
Last week Jeremy Corbyn floundered on the programme when asked very simply and directly: “Do you think of yourself as middle class?”
“Oh gawd… I dunno,” Mr Corbyn began, before launching into a convoluted explanation of how his personal circumstances were like those of “every MP… which is, I suppose, more or less, middle class”.
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