![]() Wonky: unstable used in everyday language to explain something isn’t quite right ![]() Knock off: a copy of the real deal (such as a coy of a Chanel bag) Give someone a bell: call someone (and for some reason, when asking someone to call you, you use plural in some accents-give us a bell when the dress is ready, will you?)Ĭhuffed: proud happy-I was chuffed I passed the examsįancy: like-I’ve taken a fancy to those shoes Mate: friend, brother (the equivalent of South Africa’s “bru” and similar to the Americans’ “dude”) Whatever the matter, or just to have a natter, the Brits put the kettle on. Put the kettle on literally means to put the kettle on, but is used to offer comfort, relieve a crisis, warm up, aid an investigation, provide courage, show you care…the list goes on. ![]() Pissing down: raining a lot (a proper downpour) Taking the piss: mocking someone/something, or making fun of someone/something Those movies also display many of the different accents-in both franchises Colin Firth speaks using RP (Queen’s English) and Taron Egerton has an East London dialect. If you want examples of how Brits speak, swear words included, watch the Bridget Jones and Kingsmen movies. Swearing is used as much when one is happy as when one is annoyed. “Hell’s bloody bells, that’s bloody marvellous!” would be a display of great happiness, not rudeness. While Brits are known to be polite, with their stiff upper lips, they are also experts at swearing. Lost the plot: someone who’s lost the plot is someone who’s gone crazy-after the breakup I believe he lost the plotīollocks: literally it means balls, but the real meaning is damn, bloody hell, or similar, when expressed angrily That’s rubbish: that’s stupid that’s silly that’s nonsense Hell’s bloody bells (or: hell’s bells): oh my God-usually in relation to something bad happening, but not alwaysīlooming brilliant: a nicer way of saying bloody brilliantīlooming marvellous: a nicer way of saying bloody marvellousįanny Adams: obsolete nothing (derogatory) The literal meaning? The dog’s balls!īloody hell: oh my God-usually in relation to something extremely good, or bad happening Never say the Scots aren’t inventive where language is concerned! It is almost Shakespearean prose! Shakespeare was actually prone to using “colourful” language and invented his own words and phrases.īlasted: usually in relation to something going terribly wrong you wouldn’t use it if something good happenedĭog’s bollocks: a person or thing that’s the best of it’s kind (it’s the dog’s bollocks!). these are not always dictionary translation of words, but rather a Brit’s take on them.Īn angry Tweeter, after Brexit was announced and Trump made a statement that the Scots had made a wise decision to leave the EU-they voted to remain in the EU-called Donald Trump a “polyester cockwomble.” Read on to unravel the mystery (and learn how to tell someone to F off in proper British English-using the Queen’s accent, naturally). All five have distinctively different meanings. You see, there’s a difference between it pissing down, you getting pissed, you being pissed off, you taking a piss and you taking the piss. And they have some rather funny examples of how you can use one word to say many different things, chief among them being the word piss. ![]() The Brits are as fond of slang (some dating back centuries) as the rest of the world. Just knowing English isn’t enough-you have to understand the slang. Today, there may not be as many poets and playwrights playing around with language as there was then (or rather: there are more, they just play with language less as a general rule as plays are no longer written in verse).īut whether you’re going to the Old Blighty yourself, or trying to complete a course in British literature, it’s good to know some common terms, phrases and, possibly, curses. The British language has many nuances, something Shakespeare made use of back in the day. Here’s our guide to the choicest British slang, insults and phrases:
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