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"Blimey", "Spiffing", "Wanker" and other useful British terms

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For any American who is planning to travel to England in the near future, I have listed some British words with their translations that may be of benefit to you. From cockney accents in London, to Brummies in Birmingham and Geordies in Newcastle.....the variety of dialects found through the UK is vast. 

 

Blimey: surprise/shock/amazement. May also hear the phrase

            "cor blimey" or "crikey" which have the same meaning.

 

Spiffing: very good/excellent/splendid.

 

Wanker: original meaning was "one who wanks" (masturbates). Now

              more commonly used as a form of insult ie. "he's a

              wanker" (dick).

 

Trump: a fart.

 

Bill, Old Bill or Bobbie: police.

 

Cuppa: as in "cup of tea". The british are very particular about their

             tea. Most commonly it is drank black with milk. Don't ask for

             ice-tea, you will get funny looks.

Boot: trunk of a car.

 

Bonnet: hood of a car.

 

Shirt Lifter: homosexual.

 

Lift: an elevator.

 

Bender: drinking session, as in "going on a bender". Occasionally

             used to describe homosexuals so be careful!

 

Lorry: a semi-truck.

 

Cheerio: goodbye. 

 

Chippie: a fish and chip shop. Fish and Chips are a British

              Institution.Typically you will be served haddock in the north

              and cod in the south. It is probably best to avoid "mushy

              peas" if it is your first fish and chips experience.

 

Queue: a line. The British are very particular about forming orderly

             queues. Never jump the queue (push in line) as this will

             not be taken well.

 

Crisps: potato chips. Not to be confused with chips which are french

            fries.

 

Fag: homosexual or cigarette, so be careful of the context. When

        phrased as "going for a fag" this is referring to a cigarette.

 

Bin: trashcan.

 

Plaster: band aid.

 

Bog or loo: toilet. Very common to hear the phrase "where's the loo?".

 

Dapper: well spoken, well dressed. Often used in the term "your

              looking very dapper".

 

Bollocks: testicles. Also used as a term of general surprise. The

               phrase "dog's bollocks" refers to something that is very good

               and the phrase "load of bollocks" means something is

               rubbish. While the term "bollocking" refers to getting told off

               (being in trouble). 

 

Gaffer: bloke (person) in charge.

 

Blower: telephone. Often heard as in the phrase "get on the blower".

 

 

Bloody: swearing. Most commonly used in the phrase "bloody hell"

             which is an exclamation of surprise or shock.

 

Cotton Bud: Q tip.

 

Bog Roll: toilet paper.

 

Tube: the London Underground.

 

Kitchen Towel: paper towels.

 

Bonk/shag: having sex.

 

Guv'nor: the boss. A term very commonly used by cockneys.

 

Doddle: something easy, as in "that was a doddle".

 

Narker: annoyed or grumpy.

 

Dummy: pacifier.

 

Boozer: pub.

 

Gobsmacked: taken aback.

 

Take-away: take out.

 

Estate agent: realtor.

 

Taking the piss/taking the mickey: making fun of someone.

 

Telly: television.

 

Number plate: car licence plate.

 

Brolly: umbrella.

 

Bugger: an inoffensive insult. When used as in the term "bugger off"

              this is considered more polite and less offensive than "f-off".

 

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Tags: american abroad, british slang, england, english, language, london

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  1. Default Photo

    ARTYFISHALL at 5:12am on Apr. 7, 2008

    7 months ago

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    OK except for the fact that no one says spiffing, or, dapper. Reply...

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    englslady at 7:04pm on Mar. 19, 2008

    8 months ago

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    Wow.....60,000 views for this, I need to get working on British Slang part II....lol. Reply...

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    scotoli at 4:42pm on Mar. 17, 2008

    8 months ago

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    I find this list very funny,here's one more to add to list, if someone is annoying,you say, they get right up my nose. Reply...

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      englslady at 10:50pm on Mar. 17, 2008

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      Thanks for adding that one. Glad you liked the list! Reply...

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    stevep at 5:21am on Mar. 11, 2008

    8 months ago

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    Regarding where you can get your mitts on cod and haddock. Pull the other one, it's got bells on it! I've lived in a few places in England and Wales and you can normally get either in your local chippy, you just have to ask if you give a toss, sometimes one is more expensive than t'other if there's a shortage.
    &
    &Lorries aren't just semis, we have articulated lorries too (sometimes called artics).
    &
    &"Cheerio" sounds a bit weird especially since the breakfast cereal with that name. In wales they tend to say "ta ra" for goodbye.
    &
    &"Having it off" and "getting off", I've never been quite sure if these meant having sex or just "snogging" (kissing).
    &
    &"Bloke" doesn't mean person, it means man. Call a woman a bloke and you'd get a slap for sure.
    &
    &Alternatives to "bugger off" at a similar offence level are "toss off", "sling yer hook", "on your skates", "skidaddle", "off you trot" etc. so many ways to tell someone to go away.
    &
    &In some areas "mardy" means grumpy too, can't say I've ever heard anyone say "narker" I have heard "narked" as in "She was like well narked with John" and "narky" as in "don't be getting narky with me laddy!"
    &
    &"Nippy" means cold. I'm told that "nesh" means cold too, but I've only heard it used a few times.
    &
    &Another thing to remember: "ass" means donkey, you possibly mean to say "arse".
    &
    &That's all I can think of at the moment. I might try to listen out for some more Welsh ways of saying things.
    Reply...

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    Phatmaus at 1:18am on Feb. 1, 2008

    8 months ago

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    Just a few pointers: No one has used the word "Spiffing" in England since 1945 and even then only people from private schools. "Blimey" is rarely used now - unless specifically used to evoke a nice old-fashioned feel - or in stage productions of Mary Poppins. Never heard the word "Trump" in the context of bodily emissions. I would be wary of using "brolly" "Gaffer" or "Blower" as they're somewhat dated and tend to be used with a tiny degree of irony - unless you're looking to be laughed at. As for "Narker" - I've never heard the word - there is however a word "Narked" which means annoyed as in: "The old guy done a runner before we could stab him. We was well narked" (a phrase you'll hear often in London). Reply...

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      englslady at 5:15am on Feb. 1, 2008

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      Thanks for the comments. As my previous comment below says....Blimey is indeed old fashioned, but still used by those of my parents generation....Trump has been used by people I know all of my life (I grew up in Northern England).......the same goes for Brolly.........Gaffer and Blower are very much commonly used Cockney words (my Dad is from London) and Narker was a typo....it should have indeed been narked. Just to clarify. Reply...

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      stevep at 5:10am on Mar. 11, 2008

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      I've heard "trump", even as a child I realised that it generally meant the person using it was a middle class prude.

      I remember over-hearing a mother telling my parents how shocked she was that her child had used the word "fart". I later laughed about this with my parents.
      Reply...

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    lb at 1:25pm on Jan. 21, 2008

    8 months ago

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    this is very helpful, thanks. Question for you - my brit friend has told me that another word for underwear is 'undercrackers' in England. Is this true or is she just errr... taking the piss? Reply...

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      stevep at 5:06am on Mar. 11, 2008

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      It's true.

      Also kecks or keggs, not sure how it's spelt.
      Reply...

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    Scottish Lassie :P at 2:28pm on Feb. 6, 2008

    8 months ago

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    haa these are a bit dated but still good :)

    i had a friend who came over from the states to live in Scotland for a while and the first time she came over she couldn't understand me for months ! lol

    but i suppose there are a few Scottish words that are unlike anything you would hear down in England .
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      lb at 6:14pm on Feb. 6, 2008

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      what are they? Reply...

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      englslady at 4:17pm on Feb. 7, 2008

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      I know I added some of these just for the humor factor....lol. Please forgive me (smile). I would love for you to share the Scottish words. Note: my spelling of humor....I have lived in the US for too long!!!!! Reply...

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      simoc at 2:52pm on Mar. 6, 2008

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      dude you should totally make a scottish one then!!

      well be like multi international!
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        englslady at 6:40pm on Mar. 9, 2008

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        I agree...we need multi-national favorite words....let's get this rolling...lol. Reply...

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    meresanfran at 10:42pm on Jan. 29, 2008

    8 months ago

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    i learned the hard way that a woman should never ask for a "napkin" - this word is ONLY used to describe maxi-pads! so my question - what do you ask for when you are at a restaurant and you need a napkin??? Reply...

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      Royalist at 5:18pm on Feb. 21, 2008

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      Whoever told you was taking the piss. Napkin or serviette are perfectly acceptable for either gender although serviette is becoming more commonly used while napkin might be preferred in old-fashioned restaurants. The item to which you refer is called a sanitary towel. If you ask for napkin in a chemist/supermarket you will get a paper serviette. Reply...

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      hilly609 at 3:41pm on Feb. 25, 2008

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      A SERVETTE Reply...

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        lb at 2:26pm on Feb. 27, 2008

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        is it servette or serviette? I thought it was the latter. Serviette is french, no? Reply...

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