"Put together on a friday"

[slinkycat]

Heard this expression for the first time today, I'm guessing it means that its a thing that is done quickly and shoddily because the workers want to clock off for the weekend?

[Buenchico]

You seem to have answered your own question, Slinkycat!

Yes, "put together on a Friday" is similar to "designed by Microsoft" ;-)

[shoota]

It especially used to refer to the cars made by British Leyland as 1 in 5 was fit for the knackers yard before it left the factory, in a good week!

[MarkRae]

Correct, shoota, as in the expression "a Friday afternoon car" and "a Monday morning car".

[slinkycat]

As I guessed then, just that I'd never heard it before until the vet used it to describe Geoff! One undescended testicle, wonky legs ( which we knew about) and a backwards tooth, which we hadn't noticed, bless him!

[Buenchico]

Well that's enough information about your husband, Slinkycat. What's your pet like?
;-)

[VHG]

I can remember the expression "Monday Car" and "Friday Car" in the 1970s when British Leyland were at their height.

For younger people (who are used to todays well made high quality cars) it may be hard to realise that many many cars made back in the 1970s were rubbish.

Many were an ugly design, low quality, unreliable, they rusted after a few years, and they lacked many features we take for granted today (many had no radios, heaters etc).

If you were "lucky enough to get a good car you felt it was a "Monday car", when the workers had got back to work and were enthusiastic.

But if you got a bad car it was a "Friday car", when the workers were looking forward to the weekend and perhaps had been to the pub at luchtime.

I remember one car featured in the paper at the time that had a badge on one side of the car saying "1300 engine" and the badge on the other side of the car said "1600 engine".

Thats the sort of thing we had to put up with at the time.

[heathfield]

Not just British Leyland. When the rear axle of a Dagenham-built Ford Cortina fell off on the M1, it too was described in the media as a 'Friday car'!

[FredPuli43]

Examples of Friday British cars were legion. Typically, Triumph Stags (British Leyland's "rival" to the Mercedes SLK sports car) must have been made, and designed, on Friday! These examples were all new 'Friday cars': They all overheated, one I had had had the wrong size wheel brace for the wheel nuts, so you couldn't change a wheel, one had the brake warning light wired to the oil pressure gauge and vice versa so when the car ran out of oil(because the gasket leaked ) the wrong warning light lit, one cut out because the crash sensor 'thought' the car had crashed, but started again when the bonnet was slammed, and most had defective ignition...Oh, and this 'drop head' car, had a metal roof, like the Merc's, but it didn't fold away like the Merc's. Two people had to remove and store it in the garage if the driver wanted 'open air' driving !
You young people don't know what real British motoring is!

[JonnyBoy12]

I did not know that most 70s cars were rubbish. Perhaps I am too young to recall this. Can you name us some poor makes and models to those of us who think that "there is no such thing as a bad car"?

[slinkycat]

Only just popped back on here and saw your answer Chris, got the giggles now :)