Not to put too fine a point on it, I think he probably meant 'que' in Castilian, notwithstanding the well known popularity of Portuguese in the best informed parts of Watford.

This is because, as you doubtlessly know, 'que?' means 'what?' (sometimes rendered as 'uh?' or 'wa?' in less educationally favoured English circles), whereas 'que', in Portuguese, is an integrant particle. So, if you say 'the girl - who had very pleasant manners - etc', it would translate in Portuguese as 'A gaija, que era uma grande cabra, etc.'

When Portuguese people want to express doubts on something, they usually say «o quê?». However, this is rather rude. A preferable expression would be, roughly translated 'I didn't quite get your meaning; would you care to elaborate further'.

However, since there is so marked an interest for this sensitive issue, honesty forces us to concede that, in the less educated circles, the question is put more succinctly: 'ã?'. In the Northern parts of the country, this is usually phrased in a more colourful way: 'fuâda-se, o quêa, carailho?'

I hope this has somewhat cleared this thorny and indeed important issue.

Yours ever,

Professor Ulrich von Bohr.