and the phrase is
"Are you having a Giraffe?"
Now there may be some of you that are confused about the question above. I would imagine (perhaps wrongly) that if you are not a native of the shores of the green and pleasant land we call Great Britain, it is a bizarre question. If you are not familiar with it, you may presume this is a rude query to pose to a pregnant lady "Excuse me are you having a giraffe?" Thankfully its not...
In reality the phrase is a selection of Cockney Rhyming Slang, and although such colloquialism is concentrated in London it would seem some of these phrases have escaped and are in general use 'up north' It is not unusual, in my circle of friends to use the the phrase "Are you having a giraffe?" meaning "Are you having a Laugh?"
Now I am hoping to educate those of you to whom this is a new turn of phrase, my hope being, if I ever bump into you in the land you call home, I will hear you using this new question.
How to use. Please note for best effect this is meant to be used with a hint of sarcasm. So for example asking a comedian, a clown or a group of laughing friends "are you having a laugh?" doesn't make any use of the question.
In its truest context - when your boss asks if you want to work 3 hours late with no extra pay you can reply with - "Are you having a laugh ?"
When your kids ask for money for an expensive branded item of clothing, when the local bargain shop sell one just as suitable, you can now ask "Are you having a laugh?"
If you get pulled over for speeding and the officer tells you that a ticket is the only option, you can ask "Are you having a laugh?"
Now I do have to say two of the above examples will get you in a lot of trouble (you can figure out which two) but they do serve to illustrate the context.
Finally just between you and I, if because of me this catches on in a big way, there is a counter question that can be used as in this next example.
You tell your child they cant have a new games consul and they reply "Are you having a laugh?" to which your answer should be....
"Am I wearing a red nose ??"
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