BRITISH SLANG
G'day folks,
Welcome to some more British slang. Many of these expressions are also used in Australia.
Daft - My Dad used to call me a daft
'apeth which is short for a daft half penny (in old money). It basically means stupid.
Dekko - To have a look at
something.
Dear - If something is dear it means
it is expensive. I thought Texan insurance was dear.
Dicky - Dicky rhymes with sicky and
means you feel sick.
Diddle - To rip someone off or
to con someone is to diddle them. When you visit England, check your
change to make sure you haven't been diddled!
Dim - A dim person is stupid
or thick or a dimwit. Dimwit - Someone a bit on the dim
side.
Dishy - If someone is a bit of a dish
or a bit dishy it means they are attractive or good looking.
DIY - This is short for do it
yourself and applies not just to the DIY stores but also to anything that
you need to do yourself. For example, if we get really bad service in a
restaurant (oh, you noticed!) then we might ask the waiter if it is a DIY
restaurant - just to wind them up.
Do - A party. You would go
to a do if you were going to a party in the UK.
Do - If you go into a shop and say
"do you do batteries?" it means "do you sell
batteries".
Do - If you drive along a motorway
in the wrong lane the police will do you. You could then tell your friends that
you have been done by the police. Prosecute is another word for it!
Doddle - Something that is a doddle is
a cinch, it's easy. Unlike ordering water in Texas with an English
accent, which is definitely not a doddle!
Dodgy - If someone or something is a
bit dodgy, it is not to be trusted. Dodgy food should be thrown away at home,
or sent back in a restaurant. Dodgy people are best avoided. You never know
what they are up to. Dodgy goods may have been nicked. When visiting
Miami I was advised by some English chums that certain areas were a bit dodgy
and should be avoided!
Dog's
bollocks - You
would say that something really fantastic was the dog's bollocks. Comes
from the fact that a dog's bollocks are so fantastic that he can't stop licking
them! Nice huh? Often shortened to just "The dog's".
Dog's
dinner - If you
make a real mess of something it might be described as a real dog's
dinner. A bit like some joint Anglo-American approaches to Eastern Europe for
example!
Donkey's
years - Someone
said to me the other day that they hadn't seen me for donkey's years. It means
they hadn't seen me for ages.
Drop a
clanger - When I
asked a large lady on the tube if she would like my seat since she was
so obviously pregnant, she took the seat then told me she was fat, not
pregnant! Boy did I drop a clanger. You might make a gaffe. Either way
it was horrendously embarrassing, especially as half the people on the tube
had heard me!
Duck - In and around Leeds you will
find older people might call you "duck" in the same way that they
might call you "love" or "dear" in other places. Usually
pronounced more like "dook", which rhymes with "book".
Duff - Anything that is duff is useless,
junk, trash. It usually means that the object doesn't do the job it was intended
for. Our last Prime Minister was pretty duff!
Duffer - Any person that is duff could
be referred to as a duffer. The Prime Minister was a duffer.
Dull - You would say something that
was no longer sharp was dull. We would say blunt. To us something is
dull if it is boring. It can apply to things - like a film could
be dull. It also applies to people - I can think of several people who are
dull!
Clancy's comment: Well, there ya go, Cobber. Ope ya loved these little blighters.
I'm ...
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