What a tosser! What a plonker! I agree with the other answer - What a salad! probably is a version of What a tosser! (you toss salads). I should add that the meaning of a tosser is actually much ruder! Tossing means masturbation. So a tosser is a.... man who... (well, I'll leave it to your imagination). To return to the scenario... there is this man, wearing monogrammed velvet slippers, and a silky housecoat (how strange - it should be a smoking jacket!). This man seems to be what we would describe as an upper-class twit. The classic outfit would be: slippers, smoking jacket, smoking cap (probably in matching velvet), and a monocle. I actually went to a Cambridge dinner where the gentlemen, after dinner, donned smoking jackets and caps and went to sit on the college steps to smoke cigars (no smoking IN the buildings, you see). One gentleman indeed wore a monocle. Most of us fell about laughing, but they seemed oblivious to our derision. Monocles are rare these day, but the occasional aristocrat, or would-be aristo, does sport such eye-ware. Smoking jackets are also out-of-fashion, but are seen sometimes in certain venues. Perhaps this only happens in certain circles in England? Anyone in the US of A sporting monocles these days? What about you Aussies? Ever wear a smoking jacket?

Hi there! I think 'what a salad' actually means 'what a tosser'. Salad --> salad tosser --> tosser. ('Tosser' is British slang that refers to a guy you have a low opinion of, someone usually quite obnoxious.)