Today's Topic: British Slang
Why, you may ask, am I devoting a post entirely to British slang? I have made two very good friends here: my coworkers Ruth from Scotland and Lewis from England. Needless to say that over the last couple of weeks, I have come across some terms that are used differently in the U.K. than in the U.S. And then there are those words that don't even exist in American English. So that you can all avoid scratching your heads in confusion then next time you find yourself in the U.K. and some bloke is asking you if there is a queue for the loo, I have graciously put together a small dictionary of some of the terms found in British slang.
British English will be in BOLD CAPS. Normal text is the American English equivalent/definition (to the best of my limited knowledge).
BIRDS - (noun) girls.
BLOKES - (noun) guys.
MATE - (noun) friend.
BRILLIANT - (adj) awesome, cool, exciting, etc etc... (Can be used sarcastically as well. Like if you were to spill your drink on yourself: Well, that's just bloody brilliant!)
DINKY - (adj) cute, small and dainty. (Example: What a dinky purse! Translation: What a cute wallet! Does NOT mean your wallet is stupidly under-sized.)
FIT - (adj) hot, fine, good-looking. (Example: The birds in [the TV show] Charmed are quite fit. Translation: The girls from [the TV show] Charmed are pretty hot.)
KNACKERED - (adj) tired, pooped. (Example: I'm feeling a bit knackered today. Translation: I'm feeling a bit under the weather today. OR: I'm really tired today.)
MOBILE - (noun) cell phone.
PURSE - (noun) wallet.
HANDBAG - (noun) purse.
PANTS - (noun) underwear.
TROUSERS - (noun) pants.
QUID - (noun) pounds. Not like weight pounds. Like their monetary unit pounds. Kind of like how we call our dollars "bucks." Strangely, this word is both singular and plural unlike "bucks." I have 1 buck. I have 5 bucks. In the U.K., you can have 1 quid or 10 quid. You don't ever have 10 quids. That just sounds dumb.
RUBBISH - (noun) trash, garbage. (adj) bad. unskilled. (Example: I am rubbish at it. Translation: I am bad at it.)
BIN - (noun) container, can. (Example: rubbish bin. Translation: Trash can.)
UNI - (noun) short for university. (Prounounced "yoo-nee." NOT "oo-nee.")
TEA - (noun) a beverage brewed from tea leaves. Duh. The better definition is: a meal traditionally taken between the hours of 4pm and 8pm. (Example: Tea time! Translation: Dinner time!)
QUEUE - (noun) line. Not one that you can draw. One that people wait in.
LOO - (noun) bathroom. (Example: Is there a queue for the loo? Translation: Is there a line for the bathroom?)
FOOTBALL - (noun) soccer.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL - (noun) that sport that Americans play that in no way resmebles the football of every other nation in the world.
PLASTERS - (noun) band-aids.
STODGY - (adj) very filling. Usually in reference to food.
DODGY - (adj) sketchy, shady. (Example: a dodgy neighborhood. Translation: Oakland or Southcentral L.A.)
COR - (adverb, I think) an exclamation or expression of great magnitude or something. I'm still really unsure of how this word actually works. (Example taken from Lews' blog: Cor blimey it's hot here. Translation: Damn, it's hot here!)
WOOD LOUSE - (noun) roly poly or pill bug. (this one took us several days to sort out.)
YANKS - (noun) this one shouldn't be tough. You all fall under this category. Often used in conjuction with the word "damn." (Example: Damn Yanks! Translation: Stupid Americans!)
There you have it. If I come across more, I wil post them here. So the next time a crazy Brit says, "Excuse me, your pants are showing." Don't say, "Duh, of course they're showing." Say, "Thanks. Don't mind me while I tuck them away under my trousers, mate."
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home