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Weekender: Calling Time On Calling Time

This document discusses the English expression 'to call time on something' which means to stop or cancel something. It explores the origins of this expression in British pub culture, where pubs had set opening and closing times. A new licensing law has now been introduced that extends pub opening hours, with the aim of reducing 'binge drinking' when pubs close.

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Lina Najjar
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38 views4 pages

Weekender: Calling Time On Calling Time

This document discusses the English expression 'to call time on something' which means to stop or cancel something. It explores the origins of this expression in British pub culture, where pubs had set opening and closing times. A new licensing law has now been introduced that extends pub opening hours, with the aim of reducing 'binge drinking' when pubs close.

Uploaded by

Lina Najjar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Weekender

Calling time on calling time


BBC Learning English - Weekender
November 25, 2005

Callum: Hello I'm Callum Robertson and this is Weekender.

There is an expression in English, 'to call time on something' which means to


stop doing something, to cancel something, bring it to an end. For example

"The Government has decided to call time on the no-tax experiment!"

"The Government has decided to call time on the no-tax experiment!"

Which means that the government has decided to cancel or stop a no-tax
experiment.

To call time on something is one of thousands in the English language that is


associated with Britain's drinking culture.

Alcohol has played a part in British life for hundreds of years and the English
language is filled with words and expressions related to drinking and getting
drunk – drinking too much.

So what about the expression 'to call time on something', what's its connection
with drinking?

Well, the place most commonly connected with drinking in Britain is the pub.
Pub is an abbreviation of Public House and there are about 60,000 in the UK.
Pubs are buildings where people go to buy and drink mainly alcoholic drinks
such as beer, lager, wines and spirits.

Anyway, back to out expression 'to call time on something. '

Weekender © BBC Learning English


November 25, 2005 Page 2 of 4
bbclearningenglish.com
All pubs have to have a licence to sell alcohol and the licence only allows the
pub to open at particular times of day. When I first started going to pubs – my
first job in fact was working in a pub – pubs could open at lunchtime from 11.00
until 2.30 in the afternoon, then they had to close until 6.00 in the evening. They
could then stay open until 10.30 on a weekday or 11.00 on Friday and Saturday
nights.

This was what we were all used to – it seemed quite normal, but when I started
teaching and meeting people from other countries and travelling to other
countries it seemed to be very strange. Although in many countries there aren't
pubs like we have in Britain, there are bars and they seemed to be open
throughout the whole day and very late at night too.

Things began to change in Britain in the 1990's when pubs were allowed to stay
open all day – well, not all day. They still had to close at 11.00 in the evening
but they didn't have to close in the afternoon any more.

When it was time for a pub to close the owner of the pub or one of the bar staff
would shout "Time Please" This was known as calling time. It let people know
that they couldn’t buy any more drinks, the pub was now closed. This is the
origin of the expression we heard at the start of the programme. This week the
government has called time on calling time. A new licensing law has come into
effect which finally will allows pubs to stay open for much longer, even all day.

One of the reasons for this is to try and stop problems caused by 'binge drinking'.
Binge drinking is when people drink a lot of alcohol very quickly because the
pub is going to close. I sent our reporter Will out to a pub to find out what
people thought of the new law and if they believe it will make a difference.

Weekender © BBC Learning English


November 25, 2005 Page 3 of 4
bbclearningenglish.com
WILL & PEOPLE IN A PUB
Will: Hello Callum I'm standing in the Wellington pub on the Strand. And I've come
here not to drink but to ask some of the patrons what they think of the change
to the licensing laws.
Man 1: I think it's a good idea because I think it will cease the binge drinking because if
you know you can drink longer you'll drinl slower over a longer period.
Man 2: I think it's really good. I'm from Australia and all the pubs are open until 1 or 2
o'clock whereas over here they all shut normally at like, what is it, 11 o'clock or
something. I think it's a good thing,
Will: How about you?
Woman 1: I don't like it because I work in a pub and I don't want to work longer.
Will: But do you think it'll help with the problem of binge drinking? Do you think
they'll be less?
Woman 2: No they'll just drink more and get more drunk!
Will: Thanks for that, cheers.

Callum: Some mixed opinion there. One thought it would stop binge drinking and
another thought it wouldn't make a difference as people would drink for longer
and get drunker anyway.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what effecte this new law will have.

That's all from this edition of Weekender. Goodbye.

Weekender © BBC Learning English


November 25, 2005 Page 4 of 4
bbclearningenglish.com

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