How to talk like a toff.

Trowse, originally uploaded by Colonel Blink.

This sign seems to be making a derivational link between the village name Trowse and Tree-House. Trowse is pronounced to rhyme with house unless you are one of the upper classes when you will pronounce it trice. In the same way that they call a house - hice and trousers become tryzers. Similarly you will hear garage pronounced gararge (the second syllable pronounced to rhyme with the first syllable of Argentina.

Which reminds me.

In the 1980s a titled bigwig from the board of Debenhams decided to pay a call on it's Norwich branch to rally the troops and check everything was running smoothly. British Telecom had not long been privatised and the store manager proudly showed off the special display of telephones on sale. The window dressers had gone to town and they nestled in a jungle of house plants.

"How much is that fern?" said the bigwig. "There is no price ticket".
"The ferns are not for sale" explained the store manager "They are there for display purposes only which is why they are not marked with a price"
"How much is that fern?" insisted the bigwig in a louder voice.
The store manager felt harrassed now. It is not for sale he explained but if 'Sir' would like it, we can have the plant put in his car as a gift from the Norwich store.
"No. No" said the titled bigwig now quite cross 'I mean how much is that telefern"