# Norwegian: Fra spøk til revolver



## Grefsen

I just came across the Norwegian expression *"Fra spøk til revolver" *yesterday and am wondering what the origin of this expression is.  The literal translation is something like "from joke to pistol," but I believe it means something closer to "from joking to seriousness." 

Here is the paragraph that I first saw this expression used in:

_*Fra spøk til revolver,*_ hold deg til 'hund' i de fleste situasjoner. Den eneste situasjonen hvor det blir litt feil å bruke 'hund' fremfor 'bikkje' er når du kjefter på hunden din. "Fillebikkje!"


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## Pteppic

Yes, the meaning is "from joking to seriousness". The original expression is "fra spøk til alvor" (which can also be used), but at some point someone replaced "a*lv*o*r*" with the graphically similar "revo*lv*e*r*", to be funny, and the phrase caught on.


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## oskhen

Pteppic said:


> Yes, the meaning is "from joking to seriousness". The original expression is "fra spøk til alvor" (which can also be used), but at some point someone replaced "a*lv*o*r*" with the graphically similar "revo*lv*e*r*", to be funny, and the phrase caught on.


 
I would say that "fra spøk til alvor" is much more common. 

I wonder if I haven't also heard something like "fra spøk til Halvor"?


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## Grefsen

oskhen said:


> I would say that "fra spøk til alvor" is much more common.
> 
> I wonder if I haven't also heard something like "fra spøk til Halvor"?


*Tusen takk Pteppic og oskhen for svar.*
*
I realize that this isn't scientific, but I just did a Google searche on "fra spøk til Halvor"* and ended up with just 210 results.  In comparison, a search on *"fra spøk til alvor"* yielded 511,000 results.   

And finally, a search on the orginal thread topic *"Fra spøk til revolver**" *had a total of 3,490.  Interestingly enough, the #1 Google result at the very top of the page was the link to this thread.


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## oskhen

Grefsen said:


> *Tusen takk Pteppic og oskhen for svar.*
> 
> *I realize that this isn't scientific, but I just did a Google searche on "fra spøk til Halvor"* and ended up with just 210 results. In comparison, a search on *"fra spøk til alvor"* yielded 511,000 results.
> 
> And finally, a search on the orginal thread topic *"Fra spøk til revolver**" *had a total of 3,490. Interestingly enough, the #1 Google result at the very top of the page was the link to this thread.


 
The numbers doesn't surpirse me. "Fra spøk til alvor" is the standard expression and the other two are both derived from it and meant humorously. But that was perhaps clear from this thread.

Okay: 511,000 was really much, I agree.


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## SweetCherry

"Fra spøk til Halvor" can be an "internal joke" (alvor-Halvor), Halvor is a male name. 
But it can also be a word play (Halvor-halv alvor), used when you are "partly joking", so it would be something like "from joke to half joke".


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## oskhen

SweetCherry said:


> But it can also be a word play (Halvor-halv alvor), used when you are "partly joking", so it would be something like "from joke to half joke".


 
Do you have that from somewhere? I've never heard that explanation before.


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## SweetCherry

I got this explanation from my better half (ekte norsk). 
It has the third meaning too, and that is "from joke to joke". 
(You make the face which is saying "come on now, seriously", you say "men nå..., fra spøk til Halvor", and you continue joking.)


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## basslop

As a native Norwegian speaker, I know all the variations of the expression from daily speaking. 

Do anyone know when or from where the varities ' ...revolver' and ' ... Halvor' arrived?


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## Grefsen

*Tusen takk alle sammen!* 

I really appreciate all of the good contributions everyone has made to this thread. 



SweetCherry said:


> I got this explanation from my better half (ekte norsk).
> It has the third meaning too, and that is "from joke to joke".
> (You make the face which is saying "come on now, seriously", you say "men nå..., fra spøk til Halvor", and you continue joking.)


*Velkommen til nordisk språkforumet SweetCherry! * 

You have made a lot of interesting and very valuable posts during the short time that you have been a member of this forum.  Keep up the good work!  




basslop said:


> As a native Norwegian speaker, I know all the variations of the expression from daily speaking.
> 
> Do*es* anyone know when or from where the varities ' ...revolver' and ' ... Halvor' arrived?


I'd also like to know the answer to this question as well.


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## SweetCherry

Grefsen said:


> *Velkommen til nordisk språkforumet SweetCherry! *
> 
> You have made a lot of interesting and very valuable posts during the short time that you have been a member of this forum. Keep up the good work!


 
Tusen takk, Grefsen! 
Always glad if I can help. And I hope you will continue asking questions, because I learn that way too!


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