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'Squeaky Bum Time' has officia...

WTF?

'Squeaky Bum Time' has officially been added to the Oxford English Dictionary

Jonathan Duane
Jonathan Duane

11:23 5 Oct 2022


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"Squeaky bum time"- apparently invented by Alex Ferguson, has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.

The former Manchester United manager has been honoured with a mention after being credited with coining the term in 2003 when speaking about his team's Premier League title race with Arsenal.

The official definition for "squeaky bum time" reads as a particularly tense period of time, especially leading up to the climax of a competition or event.

And in case you were in any doubt of the phrase's origins:

The now 80-year old first used the term in a 2003 interview when describing a Premier League battle between his Man United side and Arsenal

"It's getting tickly now - squeaky bum time, I call it. It's going to be an interesting few weeks." he said.

A spokesperson for the Oxford English Dictionary said:

"The term was coined by Sir Alex Ferguson, then manager of the Association Football club Manchester United, with reference to his team challenging for the title in the closing stages of the English Premier League."

"The phrase has been explained as a reference to the sound of someone shifting restlessly on plastic seating during tense closing stages of a contest."


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