Bolisha Beacon

[Vics128]

My husbands mum used to say to him as a kid... 'Your as red as a bolisha beacon'

Please could you tell me what a bolisha beacon is?

[casaespana]

www.answers.com/topic/belisha-beacon

[shaneystar2]

A Belisha Beacon is a flashing orange globe atop a tall black and white pole. They appear on either side of the road at zebra crossings in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in the former British crown colonies of Singapore and Hong Kong. They are named after Leslie Hore-Belisha (1895-1957), the Minister of Transport who introduced them in 1934.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belisha_beacon

[Narolines]

What Wikipedia doesn't say is that that originally they didn't flash - they were just illuminated at night. I remember the first flashing ones, and I would have been quite a small child when the change was made, so I guess it would have been the early 50s.

[Vics128]

thankyou all very much!! I thought she had just made it up.. cos she used to say things like... 'ears are red, time for bed!'

[NITA EDWARDS]

When i was about 14 I wrote to a newspaper suggesting that the orange globes flashed, not long after flashing globes were introduced!!! My family and I were firmly convinced it was my idea but unfortunately no money was forthcoming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!