30 December 2016 - MORE BRITISH SLANG

MORE BRITISH SLANG

G'day folks,

Time to enlighten you again with some more British slang. Brace yourself ...

Stuff - A recent headline in the New Statesman read "stuff the millennium". Using stuff in this context is a polite way of saying "f*** the millennium". Who cares! Stuff it! You can also say "stuff him" or "stuff her" meaning they can sod off. 

Suss - If you heard someone saying they had you sussed they would mean that they had you figured out! If you were going to suss out something it would mean the same thing. 

Sweet fanny adams - This means nothing or sod all. It is a substitute for "sweet f*** all". It is also shortened further to "sweet F A". 

Swotting - Swotting means to study hard, the same as cram does. Before exams we used to swot, not that it made any difference to some of us. If you swotted all the time, you would be called a swot - which is not a term of endearment! 

Ta - We said "ta" as kids in Liverpool for years before we even knew it was short for thanks. 

Table - We use this word in exactly the opposite way. To us a motion is tabled when it is brought to the table, or suggested for consideration. You table a motion when it is left for a later date. 

Taking the biscuit - If something really takes the biscuit, it means it out-does everything else and cannot be bettered. Some places in America they said takes the cake. 

Taking the mickey - See taking the piss. Variations include "taking the mick" and "taking the Michael". 

Taking the piss - One of the things Americans find hardest about the Brits is our sense of humour. It is obviously different and is mainly based on irony, sarcasm and an in-built desire to "take the piss". This has nothing to do with urine, but simply means making fun of someone. 

Talent - Talent is the same as totty. Checking out the talent means looking for the sexy young girls (or boys I suppose). 

Tara - Pronounced "churar", this is another word for cheerio or goodbye. Cilla Black, a scouse TV presenter has probably done most to promote the use of this word as she says it all the time on her programmes. 

Throw a spanner in the works - This is an expression that means to wreck something. 

Tickety-boo - If something is going well with no problems we would say it is tickety-boo. 

Tidy - Apart from the obvious meaning of neat, tidy also means that a woman is a looker, attractive or sexy. 

Clancy's comment: A rough lot, eh? It's almost like learning another language. Tara for now.

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