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I'm ESL and have some questions on some of the phrases used in 'Dive Olly Dive!' "Hide and Seaweed" episode. Hope you can help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yst45J7SFCI

  1. "...it's back to SURF with you" at the very beginning (at 0:46).
    Is it intended like "it's (time to go) back to SCHOOL with you"? (SURF is Olly's research/training facility) But if this is the case, isn't it more common to say "it's back to school FOR you," No? OR am I interpreting this wrong?

  2. Into about 2:20, Olly says "Fishticks!" according to the script.
    I am guessing this is one of those malapropisms to avoid swearing for kids. But what is fishtick and what does "Fishticks!" mean? If it's "fish sticks!" I heard some kids saying in the sense of Gosh, Darn it, etc.

  3. This may be a bit off the topic, but the big octopus character is said to be "GLAKEN" in this animation. His name is "GLAKEN" and Olly even says "Sea monster? (epiphany) You're the GLAKEN!" But I thought the monster is Kraken in Norwegian, Swedish, and also in English. What's the writer's intention for chosing to use GLAKEN instead of Kraken do you think?

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  • Fishsticks I have heard of. Note the extra s in there.
    – GEdgar
    Nov 29, 2018 at 1:02
  • "Fish sticks" I suspect, is an aquatic play on words to replace the equally inoffensive fiddlesticks Nov 29, 2018 at 2:05
  • Rizzy, remember it's not real, fish don't actually talk, so it's permissible for the writers to invent words for their fishy kids world. If you listen carefully you can hear it's "fish-sticks" but that's an invented expression, same as "back to surf". And yes, your question about "Glaken" is off-topic (and probably unanswerable). Nov 29, 2018 at 2:12
  • @Chappo - fish sticks are only “made up” in the sense that they are removed from the freezer and heated before being served for dinner.
    – Jim
    Nov 29, 2018 at 2:19
  • “Glaken” sounds like a pun that Olly very proudly thought of, but I don’t know the show well enough to “get it”
    – Jim
    Nov 29, 2018 at 2:22

1 Answer 1

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  1. "Back to school with you" is an acceptable variant of:

    off with you! in American English
    go away! depart!

  2. "Fishsticks" is an invented exclamation suitable in a fantasy featuring chatty denizens of the deep. For a 1954 example, consider Bill Everett's Sub-Mariner, with fishy exclamations like:

    Sufferin' Shad! What a way to die!

    "Fishsticks" is not a malapropism, and is not meant as oblivious unintentional humor.

  3. Reasons for an author preferring Glaken to Kraken might include a penchant for sillier sounding less threatening names, and avoiding any possibility of litigation from from some jealous rival production.

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