and a happy Christmas from a chilly South of England too

Indeed what Guff I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy and a tramites papeleo free New Year

I hope that everyone who applies for One gets a Cedulah

And that the Catalan government sees their way through the economic crisis

Mockers Now I can't for the life of me think why Bigyin would think that I would like to thwart someone else's hopes and aspirations!!
Meaning

To thwart someone's efforts or cause them to have bad luck. Also, to have the mockers on - to be cursed with bad luck.

Origin

Clearly the derivation of this phrase is determined by what mockers means. Put all thoughts of mocha coffee out of your mind - the weight of evidence is that it mockers an early 20th century Australian slang term meaning jinx or bad luck. The word is variously spelled - in virtually any combination of letters that sounds like mockers - mochas, moccas, mockas, mokkas, mokkers. The phrase appears to derive from an earlier Australian variant put a mock on, and if that's the case then mockers would be the correct spelling. There are also suggestions that mocker may have either Yiddish or Romany origins. Whilst the word sounds right for either of those languages, the documentary evidence points to an Australian origin.

To put a (or the) mock on, which hasn't travelled outside Australia, means hinder/put a stop to/put a jinx on. The earliest citations both come from Australian writers:

- Edward Dyson, in Benno and Some of the Push (a collection of short stories, originally printed in the Sydney Bulletin in 1911):

"All toms is erlike t’ me," he said, tweaking his lapels with a birdlike jauntiness of demeanor, "but, all the same, it’s up t' me t' put a mock on that tripester et the 'ay-an'-corn."