Friday 13 December 2013

THE THINKING GIRL'S CRUMPET


The word crumpet keeps popping up whenever there is an article on Benedict Cumberbatch, the British thespian best known for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on the eponymous BBC series.  He has been likened to a thinking woman's/girl's crumpet. I guess that this is a big compliment for Cumberbatch.  But the question is what on earth is a crumpet and why the association with him?
A quick check with Professor Internet reveals that a crumpet is a griddle cake made from flour and yeast. It is eaten mainly in the United Kingdom.  I lived in England for two whole years but can't recall having any. Ahhh ... I must've missed out on something delicious.
Now here is where the association of Benedict Cumberbatch and crumpets came to be.
In British English, the term the thinking woman's/man's crumpet is a way of describing a man or a woman who is popular with the opposite sex primarily because of their intelligence but also due to their physical attractiveness. It derives from the slang use of the term "crumpet" to refer to a woman who is regarded as an object of sexual desire.
Actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Colin Firth have been repeatedly called by the press as "the thinking woman's crumpet.
I like to consider myself as a thinking woman but do I consider Mr Cumberbatch as my crumpet.  Talented and telegenic he may be but he really isn't my cup of English tea.

A crumpet




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