British Slang
- MTGuru
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British Slang
Just came across this Wikipedia entry:
List of British words not widely used in the United States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Br ... ted_States
To me the selection seems pretty accurate and common in on-line usage, so maybe worth sharing.
List of British words not widely used in the United States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Br ... ted_States
To me the selection seems pretty accurate and common in on-line usage, so maybe worth sharing.
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- Wombat
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Re: British Slang
Very interesting. More than half those phrases are in common use in Australia and I use about 75% of them, perhaps as a consequence of spending 7 years in the Old Dart, ....eh, England to you, sport. The origins suggested surprised me a bit in some cases. I'd swear I picked up 'chancer' from Irish not English friends. I also thought 'Bob's your uncle' was Australian in origin, rather like 'she'll be apples.' A few phrases seemed to be missing; I've never heard anybody in the US called an old boiler or a dork.
I now realise why Americans tend to find my speech so, eh ....., exotic. Add Australianisms to that list and you have quite a vocabulary difference. Of course, I understand most of what the Americans are saying which can be a useful advantage sometimes. But I still find it strange to call a handbag a purse.
I now realise why Americans tend to find my speech so, eh ....., exotic. Add Australianisms to that list and you have quite a vocabulary difference. Of course, I understand most of what the Americans are saying which can be a useful advantage sometimes. But I still find it strange to call a handbag a purse.
- pipersgrip
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Re: British Slang
My grandfather is from Ireland, so I grew up with hearing a lot of those. Some are foreign to me and extremely funny. I am also a big fan of English Literature, so I guess that is why I know a lot of them. Thanks for that, that was very interesting and useful. I am going to have to use a lot of those in my every day vocabulary.
So, when you guys call me "WC", you are really referring to a toilet and not my name?
So, when you guys call me "WC", you are really referring to a toilet and not my name?
"In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart." John Bunyan
Re: British Slang
Wow. There were quite a few that I hadn't
heard before. It's interesting how British
phraseology can be just different enough
to require a bit of context for Americans
to suss it out. It took a while for me to get
used to hearing about people "standing as
a Tory" instead of "running as a Republican".
heard before. It's interesting how British
phraseology can be just different enough
to require a bit of context for Americans
to suss it out. It took a while for me to get
used to hearing about people "standing as
a Tory" instead of "running as a Republican".
- chrisoff
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Re: British Slang
It probably doesn't need to be said, but I'll say it anyway. Many of the examples on that page are rarely used, are antiquated or are very colloquial.
- Nanohedron
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Re: British Slang
Hey, I'm a "spod"!
"Old boiler", no. "Dork", yes. Heard that one since childhood, and it's still used. Not a nice word.Wombat wrote:I've never heard anybody in the US called an old boiler or a dork.
"If you take music out of this world, you will have nothing but a ball of fire." - Balochi musician
Re: British Slang
I wonder if the meaning is differently shaded.Nanohedron wrote:"Old boiler", no. "Dork", yes. Heard that one since childhood, and it's still used. Not a nice word.
In the US, it's akin to "nerd" or "geek", though
often without the accompanying intelligence.
Elsewhere, I think it's like "schmuck".
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Re: British Slang
Havin bad flashbacks?Nanohedron wrote:Hey, I'm a "spod"!
"Old boiler", no. "Dork", yes. Heard that one since childhood, and it's still used. Not a nice word.Wombat wrote:I've never heard anybody in the US called an old boiler or a dork.
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- MTGuru
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Re: British Slang
As a reference, it's OK if it's a superset of what's common. And I've seen a lot of these in the wild on the intertubes. It's always hard to appreciate the alien force of one's own slang. Things like naff, chinwag, on the doss, knackered, cock-up, are Martian to most Americans.chrisoff wrote:Many of the examples on that page are rarely used, are antiquated or are very colloquial.
Someone in another thread here just wrote me that he "talks cobblers to his dog". Which is what sent me running for the slangtionary.
I guess Wombat's 75% score makes him a dodgy old gaffer.
Vivat diabolus in musica! MTGuru's (old) GG Clips / Blackbird Clips
Joel Barish: Is there any risk of brain damage?
Dr. Mierzwiak: Well, technically speaking, the procedure is brain damage.
Joel Barish: Is there any risk of brain damage?
Dr. Mierzwiak: Well, technically speaking, the procedure is brain damage.
- Nanohedron
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Re: British Slang
Actually, they used other words for me for the most part. Mostly unprintable in mixed company.The Whistle Collector wrote:Havin bad flashbacks?Nanohedron wrote:Hey, I'm a "spod"!
"Old boiler", no. "Dork", yes. Heard that one since childhood, and it's still used. Not a nice word.Wombat wrote:I've never heard anybody in the US called an old boiler or a dork.
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- Nanohedron
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Re: British Slang
As far as the original meaning of "schmuck" goes, "dork" functions that way, too, at least in my region. "Doc, help me. I have some kind of dorkitis."fearfaoin wrote:Elsewhere, I think it's like "schmuck".
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- izzarina
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Re: British Slang
People who know me well know that I use the work "dork" in my every day conversation. It's almost like a term of endearment for me If it's a word better left out of polite conversation, I'm in BIG troubleNanohedron wrote:As far as the original meaning of "schmuck" goes, "dork" functions that way, too, at least in my region. "Doc, help me. I have some kind of dorkitis."fearfaoin wrote:Elsewhere, I think it's like "schmuck".
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When I paint my masterpiece.
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- Wombat
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Re: British Slang
Dodgy, yes. Somewhere in the area where gaffer meets geezer and codger, too. It's a pretty large area.MTGuru wrote:
I guess Wombat's 75% score makes him a dodgy old gaffer.
I think I probably only use a few phrases frequently but I'd bet that phrases that are fading in Britain are still common in Australia. I haven't been to Britain for nearly 30 years; I divide my time between Australia and the US now.
- Nanohedron
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Re: British Slang
Yes, I forgot about that angle, and I think it's a word better left used endearingly.izzarina wrote:People who know me well know that I use the work "dork" in my every day conversation. It's almost like a term of endearment for me If it's a word better left out of polite conversation, I'm in BIG troubleNanohedron wrote:As far as the original meaning of "schmuck" goes, "dork" functions that way, too, at least in my region. "Doc, help me. I have some kind of dorkitis."fearfaoin wrote:Elsewhere, I think it's like "schmuck".
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- s1m0n
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Re: British Slang
Thus the yiddish riddle:Nanohedron wrote:As far as the original meaning of "schmuck" goes, "dork" functions that way, too, at least in my region.fearfaoin wrote:Elsewhere, I think it's like "schmuck".
Q. What's the difference between a get and a bris?
A. With a get, you get rid of the whole shmuck!
And now there was no doubt that the trees were really moving - moving in and out through one another as if in a complicated country dance. ('And I suppose,' thought Lucy, 'when trees dance, it must be a very, very country dance indeed.')
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