MORE BRITISH SLANG
G'day folks,
I'm always trying to help writers - and add to their vocabulary. Read on ...
Posh - Roughly translates as high
class, though if you look at Posh Spice there are clearly exceptions to the
rule! Comes from the cabins used by the upper class on early voyages from
England to India. The coolest (and most expensive cabins) were Port side
on the way Out and Starboard on the way Home.
Potty - This isn't just the thing you
sit a toddler on - if you are potty it means you are a little crazy, a
bit of a looney, one card short of a full deck.
Pound
sign - Ever
wondered why Brits flounder when voicemail messages say to press the pound
sign? What on earth is the British currency doing on a phone anyway? Well, it
isn't. To a Brit, the pound sign is the wiggly thing we use to denote the UK
pound (or quid), in the same way you have a dollar sign.
Prat - Yet another mildly insulting
name for someone. In fact, this one is a bit ruder than pillock so you
probably wouldn't say it in front of Grandma.
PTO - This is an abbreviation for
"please turn over". You will see it on forms in the UK where you
would see the single word over in the USA.
Puff - If a Brit starts giggling in
your local drugstore - it may be because they have just found a box of Puffs.
To some of us Brits a Puff is another word for a fart. Stems from the
cockney rhyming slang, to "Puff a dart".
Pukka - This term has been revived
recently by one of our popular young TV chefs. It means super or smashing,
which of course is how he describes all his food.
Pull - Me and the lads used to go to
the disco when we were on the pull. It means looking for birds.
Of course, it works the other way round too. The ladies may also be on the
pull, though probably a bit more subtly than the chaps!
Pussy - This is what we call our cat,
as in "pussy cat", or in the fairytale, Puss in Boots. So if you have
a Brit neighbour who asks if you have seen their pussy - try to keep a straight
face and think back the last time you saw their cat!
Put a
sock in it - This
is one way of telling someone to shut up. Clearly the sock needs to be
put in their loud mouth!
Put paid
to - This
is an expression which means to put an end to something. For example you
could say that rain put paid to the cricket match, meaning it stopped play.
Queer - Apart from the obvious gay
link, this word used to be used a lot to mean someone looked ill. As in
"You look queer". Of course you might not say that these days in case
you get either picked up, or thumped!
Quid - A pound in money is
called a quid. It is the equivalent to the buck or clam in
America. A five pound note is called a fiver and a ten pound note is called a
tenner.
Quite - When used alone, this word
means the same as absolutely!
Rat arsed - Yet another term for drunk,
sloshed or plastered. You might say loaded. In the UK,
loaded is a men's magazine that covers sex and football.
Read - If someone asks you what you
read at university, they mean what was your major at school.
Really - This is one of those words
where you say almost the same thing as us, but just can't be fagged to
finish it off. The word is "really", not real. You say things
like it's real hot, something's real cool, a baby is real cute. If we said that
we would be sent to the back of the class for our grammar - or lack of it!
Redundancy - If you are made redundant it
means you are laid off.
Reverse
the charges - When
you want to ring someone up and you have no money you can call the
operator and ask to reverse the charges in the UK. In the US you would call
collect.
Right - I'm feeling right knackered.
That would mean you were feeling very tired.
Ring - You would ring someone on the
phone not call them, in the UK. Try saying "give me a ring" to
the next Brit you meet. This does not work well in reverse. I asked someone in
a shop to ring me up and he dragged me to the till and pulled my head across
the scanner!
Roger - Same kind of problem that
Randy has here, except we have people called Roger and no Randys. You will see
a strange smile on the face of a Brit every time "Roger the Rabbit"
is mentioned!! To roger means to have your wicked way with a lady. My Oxford
English Dictionary says to copulate. You might say screw.
Round - When you hear the words
"your round" in the pub, it means it is your turn to buy the
drinks for everyone in the group - nothing to do with the size of your
tummy! Since beers are more and more expensive these days, the art of buying
the rounds has developed into ensuring you buy the first one before everyone
has arrived, without being obvious!
Row - Rhymes with "cow"
this means an argument. You might hear your Mum having a row with your
Dad, or your neighbours might be rowing so loud you can hear them!
Rubbish - The stuff we put in the bin.
Trash or garbage to you. You might also accuse someone of talking
rubbish.
Clancy's comment: Okay, time to put a sock in it and go ...
I'm ...
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