One for the Urban Dictionary

Stumbling across VH1’s “50 Funniest Moments in Music”, I saw Sir Mix-A-Lot (still dining out on “I Like Big Butts”) talking about Caddyshack; specifically, why the gopher was his favourite character in the movie. “That gopher was the pimp, man,” he laughed. “The gopher was the pimp; he was the thing that wouldn’t die.”

Is that really a working definition of “pimp”?

Lord Lucas of Carry On

On 12 July 2000, they’re discussing the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Bill. Lord Phillips of Sudbury has come up with a scenario starring two fictional people, Steve and Willie:

Lord Phillips of Sudbury: Let us say that Steve sends an encrypted message to Willie and he decrypts it. He reads it and notes its contents. He does not keep it perhaps because it contains information which is too sensitive to keep. Two days later a legally entitled entity who has intercepted the message comes to Willie with a Section 47 notice and requests to be provided with the plain text. Willie cannot comply, however willing. He says, “Supply me with a copy of the protected information and I shall be happy to oblige”. If, for whatever reason, the legally entitled authority does not then supply the protected information, poor Willie is in a serious situation, which we would not want. This innocent amendment is designed to put Willie in the clear in these unhappy circumstances.

Why should you care? Because the next day, here comes Lord Lucas!

Lord Lucas: My Lords, the truth of it is that the Government’s present position leaves Willie exposed.