"then" as an insult in the UK?

[Ducati]

What's all this, then?

So you'll be clearing your things out, then?

Trying to pick up on the subtleties of Uk English, it seems like when someone ends a queston/command with "then" they are expressing frustration or anger at you? Am I on the right track?

Any suggestions for proper usage would be quite welcome.

 

[bunbury]

Hi Ducatti,

Semantics! Why do you ask and where are you from?

It's a tag some people add to questions. Sometimes it might be a bit patronising or assertive, mostly it means nothing.

Back when the world was in black & white (as my TV-addict children say), there was Brit TV cop who would assert is authority on the mean streets of suburban Britain with: "Now then, now then: what's going on here then?" Which let the local teenage tearaways know who was boss. In those days the really scarey ones used smoke the occasional fag before their sixteenth birthday, wear brycream and terrorise pensioners by wearing denim trousers. So very strong language was use to control them.

 

[cmguitar]

Its not a insult in North America. Or consided one. I did not think it was one in the U.K. either.Oh well then.

 

[Ducati]

I'm in the US. Just thought I picked up on something watching movies

Hi Ducatti,

Semantics! Why do you ask and where are you from?

It's a tag some people add to questions. Sometimes it might be a bit patronising or assertive, mostly it means nothing.

 

[adrianclark]

It's little more than a punctuation... like an extra indication that there's a "?" at the end. There are plenty of colloquial uses...

"Okay then, what are we going to do now?"

"Now then, mate!" (used as a greeting where I come from)

"What did you get up to last night, then?"

etc...


adrian

 

[Deadman]

Just getting that porn crap off the top of the GD zone!