UK English peculiarities

From Eric's Wiki

Every North American is aware that the English use some wacky different words. Words like bonnet for the hood of a car and petrol for gas (does it say something about N.Americans that the most familiar exceptions are car-related? Nah.) We don't mind the use of these different words. It makes the British so quaint and so...British.

However, these differences over time can start becoming annoying. If nothing else, my perpetual mutterings of "Eh?" when listening to a native speaker just re-inforces the stereotype that North Americans (Oh, let's be fair: Americans) don't have a big collection of words in their heads (there's got to be a word for that collection).

At the same time, it is a shame that some of these words are not in general use in the New World. Fun words like wee are pretty obvious. But how did I ever express the concept of taking the piss before I learned "taking the piss".

Here, I've collected a list of confusing words and expressions with my interpretation. Johnson I am not, but I hope they are clear.

Note that some of the term are replacable. I.e. the Brits would understand my term, as well. Other's are not (suprisingly in some cases), or they would recognise it as a North American term, only.

BTW, while I don't have a similar wiki for US English peculiarities (compared with Canada), there are most certainly differences. The Harvard Dialect Survey finds a number of regionial differences within the US. My version of Canadian English (born in Timmins, Northern Ontario) mixing Midwestern and North-Eastern terms. Another fun study can be found at Pop vs Soda.

arsed 

bothered. Usually used in the expression "I can't be arsed to ...."

bagsy 

Use instead of 'dibs', as in 'I bagsy the front seat' instead of 'I call dibs on the front seat'

bap 

Hamburger roll or bun

bespoke 

Custom; designed for a particular set of specification. Eg, "Because the doorframe was an odd size, we had to buy a bespoke door."

bleach 

Cleaner for kitchen or bathroom surfaces. Not used at all for products which make your whites whiter. But it is used for bleach blonds and sun-bleach.

boiler 

Water heater.

braces 

suspenders.

broody 

Maternal/Paternal. Wanting children. Not at all moody or contemplative.

buttie 

sandwich

cannae / canny

cannot. Not very surprising, but note that the Scots aren't simply mispronouncing "cannot"; they really do think of it as a separate word and are proud to point out that "cannae" means "cannot".

canoe 

Brits call a kayak a canoe. They are just wrong. When they mean a canoe, they use "Canadian canoe".

cap (sports) 

Appearance on a national team. Somehow this is different from "presence".

chuffed 

Pleased. Though can also mean displeased. Go figure.

close 

1) Weather: damp steady warm air preceding a storm

2) Alley: narrow pedestrian lane connecting two streets. (Could be just Edinburgh.)

concession 

A special ticket price for those who deserve special prices, eg. students & seniors. Annoyingly, it doesn't specify who deserves the special price leading to the feeling that it is there just to establish class differences: If the proprietors take pity on you they'll concede a discount. Usage (widespread) is not described in any dictionary, not even the OED.

conker 

horse-chestnut (seed)

craic 

Pronounced 'crack', meaning chat, activity, news. "What's the craic?" = "What's happening?" "He's great craic" = "He's good fun" "Let's go to the Bell and get a bit of craic" = "Let's go to the Bell for fun and socialising"

creche 

day care centre

cuppa 

A cup of tea. Not a cup of just anything hot. Coffee doesn't count.

diet 

schedule. As in an "examination diet" meaning the timetable during exam time. Note that this use isn't described in any dictionary, even British ones (Chambers, OED). I can't tell if it is an analogy to a food diet (as in a schedule of consumption), or derived somehow from the notion of a legislative body (as in Japan's Diet being its Legislative Assembly). Support for the latter comes from Wikipedia: Diet (assembly): "Some universities refer to the period of formal examination and the conclusion of an academic term as an examination diet." But it doesn't really follow.

DJ 

Dinner Jacket

dodgey 

Questionable quality or safety. Worthy of hesitation.

dook for apples 

Bob for apples

dummy 

pacifier. As in, "Oh, look at the little dummy in the pram."

elk 

They mean moose. Our elk we can also call wapiti, but the Brits can only call them red deer, unless they are biologists then wapiti is fine.

Edinburgh press cupboard 

Often called an Edinburgh press or even just a press. A living room recess in the shape of a doorway leading nowhere. Often converted to shelving space or boiler storage.

endorsement 

record of a penalty on your driver's licence. Quite contrary to the positive connotations "endorse" normally implies.

fae 

From. (Scots).

fag/faggot 

We all know embarrassing stories of Brits in North America announcing to all that they are going outside for a drag on a fag. Yes, they smoke them. But faggot means more than a cigarette. It could be a bundle of wood, but never is; that dictionary definition exists solely to confuse Americans and Canadians into thinking that perhaps faggot can be used in polite company. Brits don't call their bundles of wood faggots, because they don't have bundles of wood. They cleared their forests to build ships to carry tobacco from Virginia so they could have their fags. However, before me is brochure of "Mouth-watering meals" that lists "tasty Faggots in Onion Gravy." I really have no idea.

fixture 

match or game. While we might check out the list of matches or games, Brits consult the fixtures list.

flapjack 

[Scotland] A crispy oatmeal & sugar bar. Like a block of oatmeal cookie. Not at all a pancake.

flit 

[Scotland] Move house or flat.

flyover 

overpass.

franking 

Putting a rubber stamp on mail that allows delivery free of charge. Some use the expression "pre franking mail" which seems a bit redundant.

freepost 

"Business reply, no postage necessary." You got to give them the nod for brevity.

fussed 

appreciative. As in, "I'm not fussed" which means "I don't like". Quite the contrary to what I'd expect.

gooseberry 

third wheel. Usually used in the phrase "play gooseberry" as in "Can I join you two? I don't want to play gooseberry."

hard 

bad-ass, in reference to a person's appearance.

ice lolly 

Popsicle. In the Northeast and Aberdeen, they are icicles.

JCB 

Front end loader

jobsworth 

a person in a clerical who sticks to the rules to the point of stupidity

jock 

Scotsman (derogatory)

kip 

Nap

kit 

Equipment, in particular sports attire. "Did you bring kit for squash today?"

knackered 

Tired

lecturer 

In academic rank, a permanent position below a reader which permits taking on grad students and requires teaching. A senior lecturer is a small step up, but still not quite a reader.

lemonade 

lemon pop, like Sprite or 7-Up. Term commonly used throughout Europe. Cloudy lemonade is a bit closer to what North Americans would call lemonade, but it is usually (though not always) carbonated.

mardy 

grumpy and whiny [East Midlands]

midge 

no-see-um

ming 

Unpleasant smelling.

muppet 

fool

muster area 

Assembly point, as in case of a fire.

nanny, nan 

A Grandmother. Confusing, since nannies in Canada/US are often elderly ladies, but never a relation. And nan is simply not a number.

nowt 

[Northern] naught

ned 

Punk. White-trash kid. Wear sports clothes and annoy. In England, they are chavs.

norks 

Women's breasts.

numpty 

[Scotland] idiot

och 

[Scotland] Darn! Oh no!

oik 

jerk

on offer 

for sale or on sale. NA "Specials" are called "Special offers".

open-cast 

strip or open-pit mining.

owt 

[Northern] aught

P45 

pink-slip

pancake 

A bit contentious. All the Brits I talked to on Pancake Tuesday (Mardis Gras) insist a pancake must be thin, like a crepe. BUT! If you buy pre-fab pancakes in the grocery store, they are thick, indistinguishable in shape and size from North American pancakes.

pants 

Underwear, which can lead to embarassing conversational slips since it is never used to mean pants, er... trousers. Be aware of bloomers, drawers, and knickers which are pretty much the same thing.

pants 

Unskilled at. As in, "I'm pants at skating."

pastoral support 

Guidance and assistance provided to students troubled academically or personally.

penalty 

In both Rugby and football, if A commits a foul against B, then B gets the penalty. Quite the opposite use as in Canada and the US.

pony 

£25. [Cockney] crap. "Pony and trap" rhymes with crap.

pressurise 

pressure, as in coercing.

pudding 

desert. Not just pudding, but any desert.

pulled 

To be hit on successfully, as in "The girl in the miniskirt pulled me."

punter 

Audience member or customer. Contrary to OED, it is not used disparingly.

pylon 

A hydro tower. Note: "hydro tower" seems to be a Canadianism. I don't know what Americans call them. Any suggestions? Also, using "pylon" to mean "traffic cone" is also a Canadian term.

reader 

In academic rank, a junior professor. Below a professor, but above a lecturer or even senior lecturer.

remove 

move. A bunch of guys with a big truck that help you move your household furnishings are called "removers". They work for a "removal company".

salad 

Lettuce, particularly when added to something. "Do you want salad on your sandwich?"

sandwich placement 

Work experience as part of a student's degree programme. cf. Co-op or internship.

sarnie 

sandwich

satsuma 

manderin (orange)

savoury 

Spicy or flavourful, but not necessarily sweet or even pleasant. Marmite is savoury. Can also be a dish served as an appetizer or desert.

screed 

Prepare a floor for carpeting or tiling. Used as a verb, which the Chambers UK, Webster, and OED don't recognise. Wiktionary, however, include a definition for it as a verb, but not in the way it is used in the vernacular.

scullery walk-in 

A small side-room to a kitchen in which dishes are washed. Prior to indoor plumbing, it was where fresh water was stored to be accessed during the day. Can be called just a scullery.

scunner 

Crap. That's too bad. I don't like that.

scutter 

[Midlands] trampy common person

series (TV) 

season. While we would talk of a television series having seasons, Brits talk of a television series having series.

shuttlecock 

birdie. As used in badminton.

skint 

Short on cash.

skive 

Skip, as in to avoid work.

sleeping policeman 

speed bump.

sledge 

Sled or sleigh. I don't think they can distinguish the two.

snog 

kiss.

standing order 

A regularly-scheduled bank transfer. Provides a convenient way to pay regular bills, like rent. Never seen it in Canada or the US, but maybe it's new and I've missed it.

stoater 

A beautiful woman.

stroppy 

Ornery; bad-tempered.

sugar soap 

TSP. A multi-purpose cleaner used when doing home improvement. But in the UK, it is used mainly for preparing walls for re-surfacing.

take the piss 

Mock or simply have fun at another's expense. Critically, it shouldn't be offensive or humilating to the other person. You can take the piss on yourself, too.

tank top 

Sleeveless knitted sweater.

tea 

A late afternoon to early evening meal. It is easy to see how it evolved from having cakes and small sandwiches with 4 O'Clock tea, but it has diverged far enough to be quite a separate concept. For one, tea is no longer necessarily involved in tea. Second, you can have curry for tea, which just grates on my image of tea as a drink for refined little old ladies.

timeous 

timely

tip 

A messy room or flat.

tombola 

raffle

torch 

flashlight

treble 

triple

trousered 

drunk

uplift 

to pick up and remove. Not in any way spiritually. Garbage gets uplifted. I don't know what a Brit would think if you told them a movie was uplifting.

verge 

Shoulder of the road

vest 

tank top. Not a waistcoat. Now see tank top.

viva 

Defence of a degree.

washing-up liquid 

Dishsoap.

watershed 

9PM, prior to which TV programming must be child-friendly

Wendy House 

A back-yard shed for little girls to play in.

whilst 

while. They actually do use 'whilst'. The stereotype is true.

whinge 

Whine. This really isn't just a smart-ass way of pronouncing whine.

winching 

(Scotland only) kiss. Sometimes just means to date.

yonks 

A long time. "I haven't been to the cinema in yonks."

You don't know your born 

You don't know how lucky you are.

--Etittley 00:04, 11 February 2010 (UTC)

I've been blogged! (July 03, 2007)