A tale in were I do my best/worst for the British/French relations
A night out earlier this year with a rather attractive french girl went for a burton when we met up with two friends of mine and headed to a bar.

We enter the bar, order the drinks and all is going swimmingly to the point of I might not be going home on my own tonight (I was right I didn't, I shared a taxi with a mate who'd forgotten his keys) so it's suggested we go and grab a table which we do.
Sitting round the table it's pointed out that my two friends and I are sat on three normal sized chairs while my date for the night was sat on a stool which made her considerably higher up than the rest of us. It was suggested we get her another chair so she might not feel self conscious to which she replied "Noh I am vine like zis thank you"* and for some reason my brain thought it would be a good idea for me to say "She's French, she's used to looking down on the British"

I think you can guess who I didn't see again after that night.

*Check me out, I can type in French.
(Official Sarc, Fri 4 Nov 2011, 11:34, 3 replies)

I dread to ask
but what's "going for a burton"?
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Fri 4 Nov 2011, 11:40, closed)

it means it went wrong. Nothing sordid about it I'm afraid.
(Official Sarc, Fri 4 Nov 2011, 11:52, closed)

I have been told
that it's roughly the old British forces equivalent of "bought the farm" - he's gone to buy a suit from a civvie street retailer, i.e he's been invalided out (or more likely dead). May be lies. Seems plausible though.
(richardm, Fri 4 Nov 2011, 12:25, closed)

Perhaps
Burton was the supplier of choice to the undertaking trade for customers who didn't own a suit?
( wakeupandsmellthebacon, Fri 4 Nov 2011, 12:37, closed)

sounds about right, I was brought up with it meaning something going wrong but if it does actually mean dying then I guess that it can also be applied to the date dying it's arse.

Does anyone want to hear how I upset a Lady Gaga fan?
(Official Sarc, Fri 4 Nov 2011, 13:43, closed)

yeah
why not
(andythepieman Is surfing the waves of indifference on, Fri 4 Nov 2011, 16:45, closed)

For the life of me
I can't see why she took the huff.


Seems like a good line to me.
(El Fandango carved a big EF onto his nemesis' doublet on .., Fri 4 Nov 2011, 22:52, closed)