Proper English

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I've included photos in this entry from the day that Chris came to London and I took him out.

I'm so sorry I have been so slow at this, but I have so many pictures for you, so keep an eye out because I will be posting them soon. I have Pictures from La Rochelle, Canterbury, Dover, and just from around London (ha, just) But I thought I would devote this entry to some British slang I have learned. I'm sure some of these may be 'personal expressions' as some people are weird and say their own thing and I can hardly apply it to the entire British population. There are some words that are distinctly London slang, others that are Irish (that I get from my theatre teacher), others that are from areas I have visited, and others from pamphlets and papers my flatmates have received from their English teacher (who is from Leeds?). Each county in England is like it's own country, as to the way people speak, behave, and live. Chris may not agree with all of these, I'm sure I'll hear it later, but he's not meant to be reading this any ways so I don't care. Keep in mind that a lot of these I had to learn the hard way. Here goes, in what looks like alphabetical order but it has taken me several days to do this list and I got lazy so not really:

Ace - brilliant

Aggro - trouble, comes from aggravation

All Right? - This took me a while to get used to, when you greet someone they may say "All right?" as in "hello, how are you" to which the proper answer is also "all right"

Anti-clockwise - counter-clockwise

Any Road - I heard that up north people say this in place of "any ways"

Arse - my new favourite alternative to ass

Arse over Elbow - similar to head over heals or ass over tea kettle

Arse over Tit - see above

Arseholed - can refer to being drunk (the English seem to have lots of words for this)

Baccy - Tobacco that you use to roll your own cigarettes, which is a popular London pastime

Bang - Not the front bit of your hair, refers to sexual endeavours.

Barmy - crazy, insane, or mad

Beastly - nasty

Belt up - shut up

Bender - A rude word for a gay man, or slang for a pub crawl, or heavy drinking session.

Bespoke - Custom, for example you may order a bespoke wedding cake.

Best of British - An expression they like to give to Americans at pubs, a sort of good luck

Biggie - not they largest meal size at Wendy's, this is a childish term for a poo.

Bladdered - Another way of saying you are drunk

Blast - Damn

Bleeding - I like to hear people say this, such as 'bleeding hell' or 'not bleeding likely'

Blimey - an expression of surprise, comes from 'God blind me'

Blinding - fantastic, 'the party was a blinding success.'

Blinkered - narrow-minded

Bloody - we all know this stereo-typical British statement, but it is still funny to hear people seriously use it

Blooming - a more polite version of Bloody

Blow off - to fart

Bob's your Uncle - you would use when giving someone directions 'turn left... and then Bob's your uncle' as in you have arrived at a conclusion

Bodge - to mess up

Bogey - Bugger

Bollocks - a swear word that literally means testicles, but when used in the statement 'that was the dog's bollocks' it means it was really great!

Bomb - If something costs a bomb, it means it is expensive. Or if something goes like a bomb it goes really well, or really fast.

Bottle - courage, ' you have a lot of bottle'

Box your ears - to get slapped

Brassed off - pissed off or fed up

Brill - I heard someone use this as short for Brilliant

Budge up - if you ask someone to do this, you are asking them to move over or make some space.

Bugger - used in expressions like 'bugger it' of 'lucky bugger'

Bum - popularly used as an alternative to butt

Bung - to throw or toss (could also be a bribe)

Butchers - This one is confusing, to have butchers at something means to have a look. This comes from cockney rhyming slang, short for butcher's hook.

Camp - effeminate or gay

Chat up lines - pick up lines

Cheeky - We all know what this means, but I feel it really isn't used in the states all that much.

Cheerio - Bye!

Cheers - I've talked about this one before, used mostly to say thanks or goodbye, or both.

Chinese Whispers - like the game of telephone, only applied to real life. This refers to how a story can get changed when passed from one person to another, like gossiping.

Chivvy along - hurry up

Chuffed - Chris taught me this one a long time ago, it means really pleased.

Clear off - go away

Cobblers - cockney rhyming slang 'what a load of cobblers'

Cock up - to make a mistake

Codswallop - nonsense

Cor - another expression of surprise, somehow this stems from Blimey?

Cracking - if something is cracking it means it is great or the best

Crusty Dragon - booger!

Daft - stupid

Dekko - to look

Dear - expensive

Dicky- to feel sick

Diddle - to rip off or con

Dishy - attractive or good-looking

Doddle - something that is a doddle is an cinch

Dog's dinner - used to describe something that is a mess

Donkey's years - 'I haven't seen my family or friends in Donkey's years.

Drop a clanger - is to make a faux pas

Duck - some old people will call you this rather than dear or sweetheart

Duff - useless, junk

Duffer - a person that is duff

Engaged - I love it when people say 'the line was engaged' when they receive a busy tone.

Faff - to dither or procrastinate

Fagged - bothered, such as 'I can't be fagged'

Fancy - when you like or desire something

Fanny - not your bum, but a woman's nether regions. Fanny packs now make more sense huh? But here they call them bum bags?

Fanny around - to faff 😊 procrastinate

Filch - to steal

Flog - not only means beat with a stick, but also to sell.

Flutter - to bet

Fortnight - two weeks, short for fourteen nights.

Fruity - frisky

Full monty - the whole shebang

Full of Beans - refers to full of energy rather than full of crap.

Gagging - desperate

Gallivanting - fooling or messing around

Gen - information, not sure why

Gen up - to research or get information

Get stuffed! - go away

'Give us a bell/ring' - give me a call

Gobsmacked - amazed

Goolies - silly word for man's parts

Gormless - clueless

Grem - to spit, or the spit itself

Hard lines - bad luck

Hash - the pound sign on a phone

Hiya - a popular expression of greeting

Honking - throwing up

'Horses for courses' - to each his own

Jammy - if something or someone is lucky or flukey

Jimmy - a piddle, cockney rhyming slang 'jimmy riddle'

John Thomas - another word for man's parts

'Keep your Pecker up' - keep your chin up

Khazi - bathroom

Kip - a nap or snooze

Knackered - tired, worn out

Knock off - to steal

Knock up - much different than the US! to wake someone up, or to throw something together last minute.

Leg it - run

Left, right, and centre - all over, such as 'I have been looking left, right, and centre, and I still can't find it.'

Love bite - hickies

Lurgy - the flu

Mate - friend

Mug - someone who is gullible

Naff - uncool

Nancy boy - gay man

Nark - grumpy

Nesh - wimpy or pathetic

Nosh - food

Off your trolley - crazy

Pants - Underwear, so as you can imagine I got weird looks on the tube when I was talking about how my pants were soaked. It is also used in slang to describe something that is total crap.

Parky - can be used to describe cold weather, like nippy

Pavement Pizza - hahaha this is vomit

Peanuts - If something costs peanuts it is cheap

Pear Shaped - If something has gone pear shaped it is a disaster

Pinch - to steal

Pip pip - a way to say goodbye, not really used anymore

Pissed - not only angry or upset but also drunk

Porkies - lies

Posh - high class or fancy

Potty - crazy

Prat - rude name for someone

Puff - fart

Pukka - super!

Pull - to pick up (ladies)

Quid - slang for pound, like a buck is to the dollar

Rat arsed - another word for drunk

Read - If someone asks what you read at university, they mean what did you major in

Redundancy - If you are made redundant you are laid off at work

Reverse the charges - to call collect

Right - used in place of very, 'I'm right knackered'

Ring - call on the telephone

Row - an argument or fight

Rubbish - garbage

Shag - we all know this one thanks to Austin Powers

Shirty - bad tempered... ' don't get shirty with me'


Sixes and sevens - a mess

Skew-whiff - crooked

Slag - bad mouth, or used instead of slut

Slapper - another word for slut or tramp

Slash - pee

Sloshed - drunk

Smarmy - smooth, someone who has a way with the ladies

Smart - sharp, dressed up

Snog - make out

Speciality - where we would just say specialty

Spend a penny - to go to the bathroom

Splash out - spend too much money

Squidgy - soft

Stonking - huge

Suss - figure it out

Swotting - studdying hard or cramming

Ta - thanks

Taking the biscuit - take the cake

Taking the mickey - or taking the mick means taking a pee

Tara - good bye

Throw a spanner in the works - to wreck something

Tickety-boo - all is well

Totty - girl

Two finger salute - like a backwards peace sign, similar to giving someone the bird

Uni - university

Waffle - ramble

Watcha - a term of greeting

Whinge - to whine

Wobbler - tantrum

Wonky - shaky or unstable

Yonks - ages, 'I haven't seen you for yonks'

Zed - how you pronounce the letter Z

Zonked - exhausted

Anorak - nerd

Barmaid/barman - bar tender

Barrister - attorney

Beefeater - the guards at the tower of London

Berk - a fool

Big girl's blouse - a whimp

Bint - woman

Bird - woman 'your girl'

Bloke - guy

Bobby - police man

Boffin - nerd

Bonce - your head

Brummy - a person from Bermingham apparently

Burk - another term for fool

Busker - street entertainer

Cack-handed - clumsy

Chap - guy

Christian name - sometimes your first name

Chum - friend

Clever clogs - wise guy

Clot - a dim wit

Cloth ears - deaf

Codger - old timer

Dapper - well dressed, like George Clooney's dapper Dan

Divvy - stupid

Dog's body - a gofer, not the animal but someone who does everything for you

Don - professor

Duffer - an old person

Dustman - garbage collector

Father Christmas - Santa Claus

Fire Brigade - fire department

Flat mate - room mate

Fresher - freshman

Git - jerk

Gob - mouth

Gooseberry - the third wheel, like going out with a couple

Grockles - tourists

Gumby - an insult

Hooray Henry! - an expression similar to hurrah or yay

Hooter - your nose

Konk - nose

Lad - a young boy

Ladette - A young lady, one who is usually not very lady-like

loaf - head or brain, such as in 'use your loaf!'

Lollipop man - Children's crossing guard, called so because of the round sign he holds on a stick

Long sighted - far sighted

Lug holes - ears

Minger - ugly

Mum - rather than Mom

Namby Pamby - being a wimp

Nobby no-mates - a name for someone that has no friends

Nutter - a person who is crazy

on your tod - on your own

Pikey - someone who is cheap

Pillock - a mild insult

Plod - the police

Plonker - man parts

Po-faced - straight faced

Ponce - pimp, or to scrounge

Poofter - gay man

Posty - short for postman or mailman

Prefect - a school monitor

Punter - customer

Red Indians - a kind of out dated and rude term for American indians, they have a different kind of indian here.

Scatty - whacky

School leaver - college graduate, college being before university

Scouse - language used by liverpudlians, or people from Liverpool

Scrubber - a name for a tramp

Septic - cockney rhyming slang for yank (septic tank) which are Americans

Short sighted - near sighted

Sideboards - sometimes used insted of sideburns, but they say both

Skiver - someone who evades something, like class

Solicitor - another word for attorney

Sponger - moocher

Spotty youth - what older people call teenagers

Sprog - a baby

Toff - a person who is upper class

Trainspotter - nerd

Tramp - homeless person

Up the duff - pregnant

AA - their version of AAA

Aerial - antenna

Amber light - yellow light, here lights turn yellow before they turn green, rather than the other way around. This seems to me like a way to jump the gun.

Lorry - a truck

Bonnet - the hood of the car

Boot - the trunk

Coach - bus

Diversion - a detour

Dual carriageway - divided highway

Flyover - overpass

Gallon - their gallons equal 1.25 of american gallons

Jam Sandwich - police car

Juggernaut - 18-wheeler

Lay-by - rest area

Magic roundabout - a roundabout where traffic travels in both directions

Motorway - freeway

Number plate - license plate

Petrol - gas

Slip road - exit ramp, or on ramp

Spanner - a wrench

Subway - an underpass

Tailback - bumper to bumper

Ton - 100 mph

Traffic wardens - highway patrol

Windscreen - windshield

Wing - fender

Zebra crossing - cross walk for pedestrians

Balaclava - ski mask

Boob tube - tube top, haha

Braces - suspenders

Bum bag - fanny pack

Cozzy/ swimming costume - bathing suit

Dressing gown - robe

Dungarees - overalls

Frock - dress

Jumper -sweater

Knickers - panties

Mac/macintosh - raincoat. Beatles: 'the banker never wears a mac, in the pouring rain, very strange'

Nappy - diaper

Pinny - apron

Polo neck - turtle neck

Suspenders - garters

Trainers - sneakers

Trousers - pants

Wellies - boots or galoshes

Answer phone - answering machine

Rubbish bin - trash can

Bin bag - garbage bag

bin lorry - garbage truck

Bog - vulgar word for toilet

Box - television

Brolly - umbrella

Budgie - parakeet

Duvet - comforter

Flat - appartment

Garden - yard, not just a place you grow vegetables

Hob - burner on the stove

Kitchen roll - paper towels

Loft - attic

Lounge - living room

Loo - bathroom

Paraffin - kerosene

power point - electric socket, not just something made my microsoft

Telly - TV

to let - to rent

Toilet - bathroom

Wardrobe - closet, walk in closets dont really exist in Europe, the wardrobe is a piece of furniture rather than another room

White goods - appliances

Afters - dessert

Aubergine - eggplant

Banger - sausage

Bap - bun

Beer mat - coaster

Best - ale

Bevvy - short for beverage, usually refers to beer

Biscuit - cookie, the closest thing you can get to a biscuit here is a scone. Completely different than american scones

Brown bread - wheat bread

Brown sauce - steak sauce

Bubble and Squeek - a breakfast made from frying left over potatoes and cabage

Buck fizz - a mimosa

Butty - sandwich

Candyfloss - cotton candy

Canteen - cafeteria

Chips - fries

Cider - alcoholic drink

Clingfilm - plastic wrap

cocktail stick - tooth pick

Coriander - cilantro

Cottage pie - same a shepherds pie but with beef rather than lamb

Courgette - zucchini

Cream tea - when you order this you get tea with scones, jam, and devonshire cream.

Crisps - chips

Crumpet - English muffin

Doner kebab- Gyro

Fairy cake - cupcake

Gherkin - pickle

HP sauce - A1 sauce

Jacket Potato - baked potato

Jam - jelly

Jelly - Jell-o

Mash - mashed potatoes

Mince Pies - made with mincemeat which is dried fruit in a brandy sauce, no meat, eaten around christmas time

Off license - liquor store

Pancake roll/spring roll - egg roll

Peckish - hungry

Perry - a type of cider made with pears rather than apples

Pickle - a type of sauce made with vinegar, vegetables, and spices. usually eaten with meat or cheese.

Pint - here a pint is 20 oz where as in the US a pint is 16 oz

Ploughman's lunch - You can get this a pubs, usually a piece of bread, some pickle, meat, cheese, and maybe an apple.

Fizzy drink - soda

Pudding - Dessert. Specifically, pudding is a type of very moist cake, but pudding can also refer to dessert, the meal.

Rasher - slice of bacon

Runner beans - string beans

Salad cream - a dressing that can be used to make coleslaw. Kind of a vinegary white ketchup.

Sarny - Sandwich

Scotch egg - a hard boiled egg surrounded by sausage meat and breadcrumbs and then fried. You can buy these at the super market, or practically anywhere. They're alright.

Semolina - cream of wheat

Spotted dick - I have yet to try one, it is a type of pudding, not sure exactly what it is. but I know it is made with dried fruits.

Squash - a concentrated drink that you add water too... learned this the hard way, unfortunately in front of everyone.

Stone - a unit of measurement, I think 14 lbs. Also the pit in a fruit.

Take-away - to-go, food

Tin - can

Toad in the hole - made with yorkshire pudding and sausages

Tomato sauce - ketchup

vacuum flask - thermos

White - refers to coffee with cream and sugar. When you order coffee you will get asked white or black.

Yorkshire pudding - a pancake like batter that rises to make these bread bowl type things. Usually served with meat and vegetables.

Hoover - Vacuum cleaner

999 - 911

A-levels - similar to the SATs

Abbatoir - slaughterhouse

Advert - commercial

Aeroplane - Airplane

Autocue - teleprompter, learned that from the BBC

Bank Holiday - days when schools and business are closed, sometimes I think for no reason other than it is a bank holiday.

Billion - thought this was interesting. To americans a billion is a thousand million right? To the british it is a million million. Though they have been more often using ours now.

Biro - ball point pen

Brackets - paraenthases

Car boot sale - like a garage sale only tonnes of people get together and sell things out of the trunk of their cars

Cashpoint - ATM

Casualty - Emergency room

Chat show - talk show

Chemist - drugstore or pharmacy

Cinema - movie theatres

Cot - crib

CV - resume

Dodgem cars - bumper cars

Dosh - money

Draughts - checkers, the game

Drawing pin - thumb tack

Dummy - pacifier, what I called a baa

Estoplast or plaster - band-aids

Fag - cigarette

Film - movie

First floor - second floor

Fiver - five pound note

Flannel - washcloth

Football - soccer

Form - your form in school is similar to what grade you are in

Fringe- bangs

Fruit machine - slot machine

Full stop - period at the end of a sentence

Handbag - purse

Hen night - bachelorette party

Holiday - vacation

Jasper - wasp

Lady bird - lady bug

lead - leash

Leaving do - going away party

letter box - mail box

Lift - elevator

Maths - math

Mobile - cell phone

Naughts and crosses - tic tac toe

Note - bill

parcel - package

polystyrene - styrofoam

polytechnic - technical college

pontoon - 21 or black jack

postcode - zipcode

pram - stroller

primary school - elementary school

Public convenience - toilet

public school - private school

Purse - wallet

Queue - line

rates - local taxes

return - round trip ticket

rounders - similar to baseball

Rubber - erasers

Sellotape - scotch tape

Serviette - napkin

trolley - shopping cart

Skip - dumpster

Sledge - sled

Spondulicks - money

stag night - bachelor party

stand for election - run for office

Tick - check (as in checking a box)

Tippex - white out

Torch - flashlight

Tyre - tire (for a car)

wash up - doing the dishes

way out - exit

Year - your year is what grade you are in school

college - high school

concession - discount

Diary - calendar or day planner

Sultanas - raisins

Surname - last name

Queries - questions

hundreds and thousands - sprinkles



enough for you?

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Photos

The London Sky line
littered with cranes

The millenium bridge
that I use all the time!

the globe
from the top of St. Paul's

skyline
featuring the London eye (the ferris wheel)

my spot
has been since I first discovered it in January

Comments

[Chana]

Hey
"Cor - another expression of surprise, somehow this stems from Blimey?" Comes from the expression 'Cor Blimey'. Hope that helps. Loving the blogs, by the way. Hope you're having a great time in the UK.