pat and charlie

chuckwhut

chuckwhut

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2005
Location
Concord, NC
well my brother who is a paramedic is working the local fair tonight. i asked him if they were taking the 4wheelers or just walking around and he said "just pat and charlie"

he picked up on my puzzled look and responded by lifting one leg, then the other, "pat------and charlie"

so obviously i responded with "what the hell kinda sense does that make?" he didn't know where it came from, said it was something they always said when they couldn't get a ride home from downtown when he went to ECU.

as best he could recall his friend dave started it (at least amongst his group of friends). dave is from emerald isle, by the way.

so i immediately go to google, and turn up very little, other than it's basically some regional slang, see here but i can't figure out the origins of the phrase and my curiousty is killing me. anyone have any clues?
 
Ive found some that might be it...

Pat Boone had a song called "Walking the Floor With you". His original name was Charles (or Charlie)

Thing is, the slang is only local to the eastern NC area as far as I can tell, so the story behind it must be something that isnt widely known
 
I remember my granddad saying, "I'm going to get a ride from pat and charlie" when I was a kid we lived in morehead city, nc at the time. he is from Duplin co. area of the state. I remember my mom telling me that pat and charlie could take me to the store... lol in other words I've heard it all my life... hope that helps
 
badog said:
I remember my granddad saying, "I'm going to get a ride from pat and charlie" when I was a kid we lived in morehead city, nc at the time. he is from Duplin co. area of the state. I remember my mom telling me that pat and charlie could take me to the store... lol in other words I've heard it all my life... hope that helps
Click to expand...


haha well it confirms that it is a saying, but not where it came from. :confused: thanks though
 
Postman Pat and Charlie Chalk maybe?

probably not. its a stop motion animation from britain about a postman, who walks, and a Clown (famous for his funny walk).

my guess is if you dig into that, you may find the roots of your phrase somewhere across the pond.
 
killed my theory. the dictionary of american regional english places this phrase as being in use in 1966-1967.

LOL, PAT AND CHARLIE: to go on shank's mare. just leads you to another obscure phrase.
 
BigRedB2 said:
Postman Pat and Charlie Chalk maybe?
probably not. its a stop motion animation from britain about a postman, who walks, and a Clown (famous for his funny walk).
my guess is if you dig into that, you may find the roots of your phrase somewhere across the pond.
Click to expand...

I looked at that one, but figured that that probably wasnt it...
 
When I was in the ARMY our boots were called LPC's... Leather Personel Carriers.
PC was taken to Pat and Charlie. That's where I thought it came from...

Phonetic Alpha would have said Peru and Charlie, but Pat and Charlie works better as "American" names.

Just like a Cluster F**K - CF -is reffered to as a Charlie Foxtrot.
 
360 Spyder said:
When I was in the ARMY our boots were called LPC's... Leather Personel Carriers.
PC was taken to Pat and Charlie. That's where I thought it came from...
Phonetic Alpha would have said Peru and Charlie, but Pat and Charlie works better as "American" names.
Just like a Cluster F**K - CF -is reffered to as a Charlie Foxtrot.
Click to expand...

hmmm best theory yet
 
My uncle used to say ''Pat and Turner'' When I asked him what that meant he said'' ''Patting soles and Turning corners''
 
I've always used/heard Pancho and Lefty....



I got nothing.
 
Always heard/used pat and charlie in the LaGrange/Jenny Lind/Emerald Isle areas growing up...

No idea where it came from though
 
CAS22 said:
i had to read chuck's original post a second time to realize that his brother was referring to his legs, not his cajones.
Click to expand...

haha. yeah really the whole point of the thread is to try to figure out the origin of the phrase. a play off of a military term is the best "theory" so far, especially since there are bases towards the east of the state, where most folks are chiming in...

im starting to feel like a real anthroplogist here haha
 
My grandfather used this when I was a kid. All the grand kids know this phrase!!

He is a WWII veteran and that is where he said he picked it up.
 
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