BRITISH SLANG
G'day folks,
Time for some more British slang. Let's see if you know any of these terms:
C of E - The Church of England. Our
official protestant church - of which the Queen is the head.
Chat up - To chat someone up is to try
and pick them up. If you spotted a scrummy girly in a bar you
might try to chat her up. Or a girl might try and chat up a chap!
Cheeky - "Eee you cheeky
monkey" was what my mother said to me all the time when I was a kid.
Cheeky means you are flippant, have too much lip or are a bit of a smart
arse! Generally you are considered to be a bit cheeky if you have an answer
for everything and always have the last word. My licence plate on my MX5 (Miata
in American) was CHEEKY, which most Texans thought was something to do with
bottoms - wrong!!
Cheerio - Not a breakfast cereal. Just a
friendly way of saying goodbye. Or in the north "tara" which
is pronounced sort of like "churar".
Cheers - This word is obviously used
when drinking with friends. However, it also has other colloquial meanings. For
example when saying goodbye you could say "cheers", or
"cheers then". It also means thank you. Americans could use it
in English pubs, but should avoid the other situations as it sounds wrong with
an American accent. Sorry!
Cheesed
off - This
is a polite way of saying you are pissed off with something.
Chin Wag - This is another word for a Chat.
You can probably tell why!
Chinese
Whispers - This a
good one. It refers to the way a story gets changed as is passes from one
person to the next so that the end result may be completely different from what
was originally said. Sound familiar?
Chivvy
along - When
I'm standing patiently in the checkout queue at Tesco I like to chivvy
along the old ladies in front of me. If only they would stop fannying around
and hurry up!
Chuffed - You would be chuffed to bits
if you were really pleased about something.
Clear
off! - This
expression brings back memories of being a kid and stealing apples from
people's gardens. Sometimes we would get caught and some old bloke would
come out and shout "oi clear off you lot". It basically means get
lost.
Cobblers - I have heard people say
"what a load of cobblers" more than once. Maybe that's because I talk
so much rubbish. An equivalent would be what a load of bollocks.
It means you are talking out of your butt and has nothing to do with any kind
of dessert! Derived from the cockney rhyming slang where Cobblers Awls = Balls!
Cock up - A cock up means you have made
a mistake. It has nothing to do with parts of the male body.
Cockney
rhyming slang - There
are lots of words that make up cockney rhyming slang. These are basically
rhyming words like "butchers hook" which means "look". If
you are in London and you hear someone talk about a Septic they are probably
talking about you - because it's short for "Septic tank" which equals
"yank", which is our word for an American. How do you like that!
Codswallop - Another one I heard a lot as a
kid - usually when I was making up excuses for how the window got broken or why
my dinner was found behind the sofa. My Dad would tell me I was talking a load
of codswallop. American kids might be talking baloney under the same
circumstances.
Cor - You'll often hear a Brit say
"cor"! It is another one of those expressions of surprise that we
seem to have so many of. It will sometimes be lengthened to "cor
blimey" or "cor love a duck", depending on where you are.
"Cor blimey" is a variation of "Gawd Blimey" or "Gor
Blimey". They are all a corruption of the oath "God Blind Me".
Cracking - If something is cracking, it
means it is the best. Usually said without pronouncing the last
"G". If a girl is cracking it means she is stunning.
Cram - Before a big exam you would be
expected to cram. This simply means to study hard in the period running
up to the exam.
Crap - The same word in both
countries - but less rude here. I loved watching Brits being interviewed on US chat
shows and embarrassing the interviewer when they said something was
"total crap".
Crikey - Another exclamation of
surprise. Some people say "Crikey Moses".
Crusty
dragon - A booger.
One of the really crispy ones.
Clancy's comment: Gorblimey, mate. Hope these did not cheese you off.
I'm ...
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