Bang out of order

Posted by TheFallen on October 13, 2003

In Reply to: Bang out of order posted by R. Berg on October 13, 2003

: : What is the meaning of 'she's bang out of order'?
: : Thank you.

: If "she" refers to an engine or some other machine, the meaning is that it definitely is not working. If "she" refers to a woman, the meaning is either that she is behaving wrongly for her circumstances or that she has taken the wrong place in some sequence, such as a line of people waiting to be served. Either way, "bang" is an intensifier.

"Bang out of order" is very common contemporary British slang, and is applied to both situations or people's behaviour. It's invariably used figuratively, and means "unacceptable to such a degree that it causes outrage, offence or shock."