The Origins of "Up Yours Ugly": A Dissertation

[hypnagogue@aol.com (Hypnagogue)]

 Chris Williams wrote:

>>"...A pretty decent example is the episode of "The Young Ones" where
>>Vyvan meets up with his long-lost mother, who is working as a barmaid.
>>Rather than a teary reunion, she's more interested in Vyvian's
>>housemate Mike, and when Vyvian asks her for something she throws a
>>bottle at him and flips him off and says "Up yours, ugly!"
 
>>It loses a lot in the transcription, but Kate found it funny enough to
>>inscribe this line on the lead off grove of one of her records. "
 
Just to be aggravatingly nitpicky, but more importantly to show off my
astounding Young Ones recall ;) , the epithet was actually levelled during
the episode titled "Sick." The first encounter took place in the episode
"Boring," in which the gang, in an attempt to alleviate oppressive tedium,
goes down to the pub. Rick rudely demands service, shouting, "Waiter!
WAITER! You! Woman!", and is flipped off by the barmaid. After said
barmaid is revealed to be Vyv's mother, she says something to the effect
of "Why don't you come over here and tell me what you've been doing all
these years." Vyv begins relaying what has transpired in his life when she
abruptly cuts him off, saying "Not you, zitface! Him!" indicating the
purportedly sexy Mike The Cool Person. In a later episode, the
aforementioned "Sick," Vyv's mum comes to visit a lethally phlegmatic Vyv,
and presents him with a bottle of get-well Vodka. Touched, Vyv sputters an
earnest "Thanks mum!" but then discovers the horrible truth: "The bottle
is empty!" To which the malevolent matriarch replies "ha ha, up yours
ugly!", gives him the backwards peace sign and runs out gleefully.

--Christine :) (hypnagogue@aol.com)