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I've been trying to find examples or proofs that this expression actually exists but I just can't find any. I've heard it somewhere some time ago and it stuck in my head, and now I'm worried if it's even an expression people use.

Example: "A: Woah, did you see that Lambo?? B: Yes mate, great car that is!" With the stress/emphasis on the "that".

It is of course supposed to mean "that is a great car", but the slang would be to reverse the two parts of the sentence

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    It does exist. It's not slang though.
    – user96060
    May 26, 2019 at 21:07
  • Sounds a bit Welsh.
    – Michael Harvey
    May 26, 2019 at 22:11
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    Nice car, that is; fat man, he is; big fool, you are. Welsh regional.
    – Michael Harvey
    May 26, 2019 at 22:33
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    Yes, the British do throw in "that is" for emphasis. It is spoken rather than written but it is not slang.
    – Lambie
    May 26, 2019 at 22:38
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    A nice man, he is. She's a bright lass, she is. A nice car, that is. Same idea. The only difference is that the noun is used instead of the pronoun. I believe it's spoken and marked as non-U.
    – Lambie
    May 26, 2019 at 22:45

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I believe Michael Harvey has found the answer: adding "that is" in spoken English is indeed still used mostly in Wales.

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  • It is not an addition. Nice hotel that is. is an inversion of: That is a nice hotel.
    – Lambie
    Nov 1, 2020 at 15:31
  • Perhaps sometimes it is an inversion, but the form "That's a nice hotel, that is" is also found, which can't be understood as an inversion.
    – rjpond
    Mar 4, 2021 at 8:27

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