"msg" wrote in message
...
Arfa Daily wrote:
snip
My son has got a job as a relief manager for a chain of bookies,...

Please do tell, what is a "chain of bookies"; across the pond the
term has a rather distinctive and unsavory meaning ;-)

Michael

Ah. I seem to remember another American saying something similar to me ...
The term "Bookie" is an abbreviation for "Bookmaker" i.e. a person who
'makes a book' on a horse race or a dog race or a boxing match for instance.
These days, it's pretty much on any sporting event, or in fact, on anything
that you want to place a bet on. I'm pretty sure that this is the same your
side of the pond so far ?

OK. Well bookies here, have shops where the punters can go to place their
bets, watch the race, and pick up their winnings - if there are any. The
shops have direct satellite links to race TV operators, and tend to have a
number of TV sets in the shops. A bit like the sports book area in a Vegas
casino, but much much smaller. It is a totally legal business here, covered
by strict gaming laws and taxation regimes.

In years gone by, bookies' shops (or betting shops) were generally
less-than-salubrious, tending to be little back-street places, frequented by
people with a coat collar pulled up around their face. It was a legal
requirement for the shop windows to be completely opaque. They were often
family owned and passed from father to son. Bookies also operate "on
course", and often, these will be single people, standing on a small podium,
a bit like a carnival barker. They will make a book 'on the fly', and lay
off bets with other bookies around the course, if their own position becomes
too exposed. They communicate with each other via a very old and 'secret'
system of hand and finger gestures over their heads, called Tic Tac. On the
other hand, in the shops, the odds are all determined by computer these
days, and the bets are electronically recorded.

Most bookies' shops here now belong to large chains of operators like
Ladbrokes and BetFred and Coral, and their image has been cleaned up
considerably. They are no longer looked upon as somewhere that you don't
want to be seen going into. Many are bright, modern places on town high
streets, or located in shopping malls or entertainment centres. A 'day at
the races' is now promoted as a family fun occasion, although children are
not allowed in betting shops. They are open from 9:30 in the morning until
9:30 at night. Night-time used to be the preserve of dog racing, but
nowadays, horse racing tracks have floodlit night time meetings as well.

So, basically, he's just a relief manager for a chain of shops that sell
betting services rather than some other commodity. Is it a lot different
there ? In what way is the meaning "distinctive and unsavoury" ? Seems this
is another good example of two nations separated by a common language ...

Arfa