C l a u d i e (![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} lipsofpoison) wrote,@ 2009-09-28 20:52:00 |
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British Wordbank [part 1]
| British Word Bank |
| It's not absolutely necessary to use all British words, but for the purists or those who just don't understand one that's been used, there's this. Obviously, different regions know different words but this is as comprehensive as I could get. If you have any you'd like added, just leave a comment. |
| Word | Translation or Explanation | Example | Is the Translation ever used in the UK? |
| accommodation | housing | ||
| argy-bargy | a fight | "they're having a right argy-bargy in there" | yes |
| aubergine | eggplant | no | |
| autumn | fall | no | |
| balls up, cock up | screw up | "he's cocked that up," "that was a right balls up" | yes |
| old banger | old car, beater | "my old banger wouldn't start" | old car - yes beater - no |
| bap | 1. a soft bread roll or sandwich made from it. | ||
| beaker | sippy cup | rarely | |
| bedsit | one room apartment that serves as a bedroom & living room, usually with mass sharing of toilet, kitchen and other facilities. | rarely | |
| berk | insult | "he's such a berk" | |
| big girls blouse | Someone who's soppy. | "Aww, a hug. You big girls blouse." | |
| bint | insult | "You stupid bint" | |
| biro | ballpoint pen | yes | |
| black pudding | blood pudding, blood sausage | rarely | |
| blag | bluffing or lying | "I'm worried about this exam, I haven't studied." "Just blag it!" | yes |
| bloke | man | yes | |
| bobbies, peelers | policemen | yes | |
| Bob's your uncle | "there we go" "it's that simple" | "just flip the switch and Bob's your uncle, the light goes on!" | |
| bogey | booger | rarely | |
| block (of flats) | appartments stacked one on top of another, usually ten or more. | ||
| braces | suspenders | yes | |
| bum something | ask for something | "Can I bum a light off you?" | |
| caravan | RV | rarely | |
| caretaker | janitor | sometimes | |
| casualty | emergency room | yes | |
| chemist/pharmacy | drugstore | no | |
| cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey | freezing, very cold | no | |
| dummy | pacifier | no | |
| boffin | someone very smart and eccentric | ||
| bog | toilet, bathroom | "need to run to the bog!" | yes |
| bog-standard | ordinary | "just a bog-standard telly." | yes |
| boiled sweet | hard candy | sometimes | |
| bristols | breasts | yes | |
| brolly | umbrella | "take your brolly with you" | yes |
| bugger | expression of irritance or surprise | "oh bugger" "bugger it" | |
| buggered | doomed | "we're buggered" | yes |
| bugger all | nothing | "it's a whole lot of bugger all" | yes |
| bum bag | fanny pack | rarely | |
| bureau de change | currency exchange | sometimes | |
| butty | sandwich with a hot food filling | bacon butty, chips butty | |
| cack | ridiculous | "that's a load of cack" | |
| cack handed | clumsy | "You're cackhanded" | yes |
| candy floss | cotton candy | no | |
| chancer | opportunist | "Don't trust him, he's a chancer." | yes |
| cha, char | tea | "nice cup of cha" | yes |
| chippy | a takeaway (or eat in and takeaway) that sells english food like fish, chips, battered sausages, saveloys, pea fritters, etc | "Going down the chippy, do you want anything?" | yes |
| chips | fries, though usually thicker. | different meaning | |
| chuffed | happy or proud | "I'm dead chuffed with my results" | yes |
| clapped out, clapper | old and worn out | "it's a right old clapper" "It's clapped out after one use." | |
| cling film | saran wrap, plastic wrap | plastic wrap - yes saran wrap - no | |
| codwallop | rubbish | "That's codswallop!" | yes |
| cobblers | rubbish | "That's a load of old cobblers." | yes |
| concession | discount | ||
| cop off | hook up with someone | "He's copped off with her." | yes |
| Council house/flat/estate | projects, public housing | rarely | |
| courgette | zucchini | no | |
| crisps | potato chips | no | |
| CV | resume | sometimes | |
| divvy | insult | ||
| dodgems | bumper cars | yes | |
| dogsbody | someone who does menial labour | "He's the office dogsbody" | |
| dole | unemployment benefit | "They're on the dole" | yes |
| dosh | money | "He's in the dosh" | yes |
| draughts | checkers | "Fancy a game of draughts?" | sometimes |
| drawing pin | thumbtack | sometimes | |
| dustbin | trashcan | yes | |
| plaster | bandaid | "Have you got a plaster for my paper cut?" | no |
| estate agent | realtor | rarely | |
| faffing | dithering, procrastinating | "stop faffing about and do it." | |
| fairycake | cupcake | gathering popularity after the 90's, before that, no. | |
| fag | cigarette | "Can I bum a fag, mate?" | yes |
| fancy | like, attracted | "Do you fancy him?" "I fancy that bike!" | |
| fit | attractive | "she's fit" | yes |
| fizzy drink, lemonade | soda | sometimes | |
| flat | apartment | rarely | |
| football | soccer | rarely | |
| fringe | bangs | "I'm thinking about getting a fringe" | rarely |
| fries | french fries, very thin chips (think McD's) | yes | |
| fun fair | carnivale | sometimes | |
| get off with | kiss, snog | "Do you want to get off with me?" | |
| git | insult | ||
| gobsmacked | open mouthed shock | "I'm gobsmacked" | |
| gormless | dumb | ||
| greengrocers | shop that sells fruit and vegetables | ||
| hash sign | pound key | # | no, a pound key here is £ |
| headteacher | principal | sometimes | |
| high street | main street | no | |
| higgledy-piggledy | in disarray | "My desk is all higgledy-piggledy." | |
| hoover | vacuum | yes | |
| hundreds-and-thousands | sprinkles, jimmies | sprinkles - yes jimmies - no | |
| ice lolly | popsicle | no | |
| invigilator | proctor | no | |
| jacket potato | baked potato | yes | |
| jam | jelly | different meaning | |
| jammy | lucky | "You jammy devil" | yes |
| jelly | jello, gelatin | no | |
| johnny | condom | yes | |
| jumble sale | rummage sale | sometimes | |
| jumper | sweater | sometimes |