British slang examples8/19/2023 ![]() Who knows how this odd word originated, but it’s certainly a useful one to know. If you got a little too overeager at the fish and chip shop and spent all your money on battered Mars Bars, you might end up ‘skint’, meaning without any money. Gutted is frequently spoken in understatement as a way of diminishing misfortune, for example, “My girlfriend dumped me. If, however, you managed to miss out on the trip to the chippy, then you’re likely to be left feeling a bit ‘gutted’ – that is, disappointed or heartbroken. Picture yourself being handed a lovely battered fish and chips at the local chippy and replying ‘Ace, cheers mate!’. Ace can certainly refer to a number one in a pack of cards, but to us Brits it also means ‘that’s really great’. Put this word together with ‘cheers’ and ‘mate’ and you have perhaps the most useful phrase in all of the English slang. The two are used completely interchangeably. ‘Fortnight’ refers to a period of two weeks – as in ‘we’re staying in London for a fortnight’. Here’s one you’re likely to know already. However, women might often be heard referring to themselves as ‘good mates’ too. When used to address somebody or get their attention, the word mate is usually reserved for men only. You might refer to a waiter or fellow bar fly using the word ‘mate’. Mate is used as a term of endearment, but also frequently used to casually ingratiate oneself with a stranger or new acquaintance. This one is often heard as a quick follow-up to the word ‘Cheers’. If you learn only one slang word for your trip, make it this one. It’s difficult to get through a day in the UK without hearing this one a few times. From hello, goodbye, to thank you, and no thank you, to formal or informal toasts at the bar. ‘Cheers’ means…well, pretty much everything. Let’s take a look at the seven most useful slang words to know in English.įirst up, we have possibly the most useful word in the English language. If you’re taking a trip to the UK, however, there are a few key slang phrases that it’s difficult to survive without. For practical purposes, it’s not worth trying to learn more than a handful. The vast majority of weird and wonderful English slang words are rarely used in everyday speech. Half of them wouldn’t be recognised outside of their hometowns, whilst the other half are too rude to use in polite company!ĭon’t let that scare you, however. As a result, "pinch punch, first of the month" was a way of warding off witches and bad luck for the near future.The world of British slang contains hundreds of thousands of fascinating words and phrases. If the joker forgets to say "no returns of any kind," the recipient can say "a slap and a kick for being so quick," accompanied by a slap and a kick.Īccording to the Metro, the playground ritual originates from the medieval times, when a "pinch" of salt was believing to make witches weak, and the "punch" resembled banishing the witches entirely. No returns of any kind" is a school playground rhyme often exchanged between friends on the first day of a new calendar month, accompanied by a pinch and a punch to the recipient. "Be careful when you're driving - it's a pea-souper out there." The smogs were compared to pea soup due to their colour and density. The idiom was first used to describe the thick, choking smogs that settled over London, caused by lots of people burning fossil fuels in a close vicinity, as early as 1200. Its origins are somewhat unclear, but a "bog" is another word for a toilet in British slang, adding to the connotations that something "bog-standard" is unglamorous and unspecial.Ī "pea-souper" is a thick fog, often with a yellow or black tinge, caused by air pollution. ![]() ![]() Something that is "bog-standard" is completely ordinary with no frills, embellishments, or add-ons. "Press down the clutch, put it into gear, then slowly ease off the clutch again. This phrase is used to describe a process which seems more difficult than it actually is. The very British equivalent to "Hey presto!" or "Et voila!" Nowadays, "bloody" is used widely - it's even used in children's films such as "Harry Potter" - and is arguably one of the most quintessentially British words on the list. This second theory has been disproved, however, by the slang's documentation predating the popularity of the phrase "by our lady." Some believe it's derived from the Dutch word "blute," meaning "bare." Others believe the word is a contraction of the 17th century phrase "by our lady," and is blasphemous. The origins of the word are widely disputed. New West End Company BRANDPOST | PAID CONTENT. ![]()
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