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Old 18th Feb 2018, 9:30 pm   #1
saddlestone-man
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Default Doing a foreigner

Hello All

In my first job after leaving University in 1973 at Plessey Telecoms in Edge Lane, Liverpool, we used to call work done on the company's time on a home project "doing a foreigner". If I remember rightly, in those days the most popular projects amongst the younger engineers were transistor stereo amps, digital clocks and FM tuners, sometimes using "bits" we could liberate from the stores of course.

I wonder if this expression was used across the industry at the time, or did you have your own word for such a home project.

The danger was that you got caught by a manager, in which case you usually got a ticking off, and hopefully you didn't get caught by the same manager twice.

best regards ... Stef
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Old 18th Feb 2018, 9:58 pm   #2
kalee20
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

First time I came across the practice, it was called a "homer!"
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Old 18th Feb 2018, 10:00 pm   #3
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

At Plessey Ilford in 1969, these were called "Home Office" jobs.

As the Chief Engineer pointed out in our induction lecture, the work product of our lab was a set of drawings that Production could use to make stuff that could be sold at a profit. Thus the lab prototypes that were made in the course of development were only means to an end and were scrap when a project finished. Unwanted stuff too big to go in a briefcase could be bought legitimately for a few pence (plus VAT!). As there were great changes taking place at the time, with new semiconductor devices constantly becoming available, new parts were always specified for new projects, so there was always plenty of obsolescent stuff about for Home Office projects.
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Old 18th Feb 2018, 10:06 pm   #4
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

Foreigner was in common use in Australia.
Foreign Order also.
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Old 18th Feb 2018, 10:08 pm   #5
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

In the North East it was known as a "Guvvy" Government Job.

John.
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Old 18th Feb 2018, 10:58 pm   #6
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

I worked for a defence contractor unfortunately. We were searched on the way in and out so such things never happened. The only thing you could work on was in your head. This was called Dobbsing (I assume derived from church of the Subgenius / Slack / Bob Dobbs)

However once a month they put the "E waste" skip outside, so everyone would bail out early and lift as much stuff as they could from it. This was late 1990s so there was a fair bit of analogue Tek kit just chucked in there. Unfortunately being on the other side of the building by the time the alert reached me, it was all gone.
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Old 18th Feb 2018, 11:16 pm   #7
M0FYA Andy
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

'Doing a foreigner' is certainly the phrase I'm familiar with.
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Old 18th Feb 2018, 11:53 pm   #8
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

My mother always used to refer to tradespeople like gas fitters doing unofficial jobs as 'doing a foreigner'. I've no idea where the phrase comes from.
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 12:04 am   #9
winston_1
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

Where I worked it was known as a pee jay (PJ) as in private job.
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 12:28 am   #10
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

Same here in South Yorkshire, as the North East, ‘Government job’ of course prioty, ...
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 12:43 am   #11
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

Yep, used to get asked to do business for others on company time, called it a foreigner.

One of the biggest foreingers ever was a complete installation of mains sockets in particular locations for the purpose of wi-fi for the Royal Air Force in the messes and accommodation blocks, then being the on-site guy to reset the wi-fi's if ever there was a problem, paid per reset!

Taking my own things in to work was known as a homer.
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 1:34 am   #12
JohnBG8JMB
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

In the Diplomatic Wireless Service, now gchq, they were 'Swiss Navy' jobs

JohnB
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 2:41 am   #13
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

I most certainly identify with the whole idea and phrase of 'Doing a Foreigner'... I thought it was universal. Every place I've ever worked in has used the phrase and everyone I have ever spoken to about a 'Foreigner' has understood the term.
Draw your own conclusions folks

Steve.
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 4:14 am   #14
Graham G3ZVT
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

It's clearly a regional thing. When I worked in the TV repair trade everyone in the North West would know what a "foreigner" was.

Go down South on a training course, and possibly no one would know what it means.

Here's another one.
When I was a young TV repairman working in Middleton (Midway between Manchester & Rochdale) parents would refer to tradesmen to their children as "The Master".
For example they might say, "If you don't stop touching that Master's tools, he'll take you away with him".
This was in the early 1970s and I got called Master a lot, but only in Middleton.
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 7:01 am   #15
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

When I joined Plessey Avionics and Communication at West Leigh (Hampshire) in 1975 they were known by the term Foreigner or Homer both terms were understood. They couldn't be referred to as Government jobs because that was our normal work!

Cheers

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Old 19th Feb 2018, 7:42 am   #16
mole42uk
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

They were Foreigners in Nottingham. 1976
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 8:07 am   #17
Boater Sam
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

Master came about as the tradesman was a Master if he was also an employer, eg. master mason, master plumber.
Jack of all trades, Master of none.
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 8:25 am   #18
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

When I worked for Heathkit in Gloucester in the 70s, "foreigner" was standard and regular parlance. ;-)
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 9:02 am   #19
vinrads
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

When I first started work it was always doing a "foreigner" but years later it became , a seven across ,strange you may think ! this stems from a cross word we sometimes did at lunch time , when seven across was fiddle, and it stuck . Happy days Mick.
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Old 19th Feb 2018, 10:55 am   #20
lesmw0sec
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Default Re: Doing a foreigner

Quote:
Originally Posted by kalee20 View Post
First time I came across the practice, it was called a "homer!"
Me too in the UKAEA. It was almost accepted practice. I recall one evening the supervisor asking if anyone wanted anything signed out of stores for their 'homers' before he left in the afternoon!
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