I'll get my coat

[pne]

I've realised that while I, very occasionally, use the phrase "I'll get my coat", that I'm not entirely certain what it means or when it's used—possibly because I don't know the original reference but simply picked it up from cultural clues (mostly on the London.pm mailing list).

It seems to be a British thing, and to mean something along the lines of "I just said something that's embarrassing (or that may be potentially embarrassing and/or wrong), so I'll get my coat and leave"; is that about right? How would you explain when this phrase is used? Can anyone tell me its origin? I'm guessing a radio show or something.

Comments

[pthalo]

I would only use this expression if I actually had a coat to get and I were about to leave and put it on because it's cold outside.

but I'm not british.

[kamara.livejournal.com]

It's from The Fast Show, BBC comedy.

Guy is on a date with a girl, and says something really wrong, embarrassing or crude and the woman just stares at him. To which he replies "I'll get me coat"

sound clip (http://www.less-than-three.org/posts/getcoat.wav).

[opal1159.livejournal.com]

oh O.o
sounds harmless to us uninformed Americans :P

[(Anonymous)]

It's more like a group of people engaged in animated conversation, and the guy (played by Mark Williams), who has up to this moment been silent, interjects with a comment resulting in an awkward silence, which he breaks by getting up to leave, as he utters the immortal line...

Running gag in 'The Fast Show', a BBC series.

[angharad.livejournal.com]

Well, I know of a newsgroup wherein folks tend to append it right after they make a pun. I sort of assumed the same definition you've put here.