dunroving

I thought I'd introduce a lighthearted thread based on one I've read in the US forum (American words/expressions you DO like) that has been quite entertaining. There's also a "DON'T like" thread, but I thought I'd start with a positive one first.

Since I've come back, I have been either reminded of British expressions I haven't used in a long time, or ones that seem to have been introduced while I was away. Some examples:

"pants" (rubbish/no good) - for example, "I'm pants at playing football", or "East Enders is absolutely pants." I'm not sure if it is British or Scottish or where it came from, but I find it pretty funny, not sure why, because it really doesn't make any sense (maybe that's why I like it).

There are all kinds of Scottish expressions I think are amusing, but one I heard a colleague yesterday was "stoochie" (I can't find the correct spelling) meaning an argument or fight. They were talking about how a meeting went well because they were expecting it to be a big "stoochie".

[Later edit - I meant "stooshie" (argument). A "stookie" is a plaster cast. Still learning the language!]

I've got lots of others, but wondered whether other people have favorite, especially uniquely British or humorous, words and expressions?

sallysimmons

My gran (Yorkshire) always used to describe something prominent as "sticking out like chapel hat pegs." Although she never said the 'h' so it would sound to me like "chapel-at-pegs" and as a child I had no idea what it meant. But I do love that phrase!

My husband, who is from Manchester, taught me the phrase "standing around like piffy on a rock bun" to mean feeling left out among a crowd of people or standing around waiting for someone with nothing useful to do.

My favorite word from home is a Yorkshire word for miserable - "mourngy." I like it because it sounds exactly like what it's describing. It can also be modified as "she's got a right mournge on" meaning the person is sulking.

I also miss "poorly." Somehow there's a cosy 'safeness' to that as a description. It doesn't sound as dire as "sick."

Edited to add: Just thought of another one I used to like: "Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs" - to express surprise. That might be just my family. lol.

Derrygal

My Scottish auntie uses the expression "Bob's your uncle" a lot!! I don't know if this is Scottish or British - do the English say that? I lived in England many years ago but I've forgotten. I suppose it means "everything's okay" or as the Americans say "you're good to go".

dunroving

I'm pretty sure that's British.

Englishmum

Blimey I still say "Gordon Bennett!" when I want to swear but don't want to sound uncouth (eg. if there are children around). I have no idea who Gordon Bennett was but I definitely picked that expression up many years ago in England.

I once knew someone from Mansfield, Notts who said to me "are you having a cob on?" and I had no idea what he was talking about....he had to explain that I seemed a bit moody (I've also heard the term "she's having a monk on" which meant the same thing).

Another expression I used to hear occasionally (I grew up in Coventry, in the centre of England but many people came from all over Britain and Ireland to work in the car industry) was "Mardy Arse" or "Mardy Bum"....I think it must be a Northern expression as I have an Artic Monkey's CD and "mardy bum" is the title to one of the tracks (good song too!). Again it's relating to someone who is being moody.

I used to love the expression "All Fur Coat and No Knickers" and when my mum was chatting with her friends I used to hear them say "Who does she think she is - Lady Docker?"

You can read about Lady Docker here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norah,_Lady_Docker

Another expresssion I used to hear from people from the North or Northern part of the Midlands was "Hello Duck" (in place of "Hello Love").

A much newer expression is 'minging' or someone is a 'minger' - no description needed really, but I wonder where it came from?

Morecambe Mindy

I like "She looked like a bulldog chewing a wasp", don't know why and hope it hasn't been used about me, but just like it!

Oined to death (as in I am being oined to death) (not sure about the spelling), but means someone is bugging the crap out of you (Northern).

I like mard-arse (mardy) also.

Beedubya

I hear minging and minger a lot too, in fact sometimes I have no idea if I am speaking English or Australian.

We say mithering here in the North as in annoying somebody, "Stop mithering me, you can have some crisps when you get home our Chantelle." I know that word is on Corrie and my Aussie grand-kids know the meaning and say it due to overdosing on said Corrie.

My nan used to say that too Sally, "Well I'll go to the foot of our stairs" maybe they got it off t'radio.

The youngsters here don't seem to carry on the old sayings as much instead inventing a whole new language of their own, and I suppose we did that too.

Actually I just spent a few hours this avvy (Liverpool for afternoon) watching youtubes, it started off with Sir Jimmy Savile (RIP) how's about that then boys and girls and Top Of The Pops and ended up watching all these little clips about mods and wow didn't we think we were the bee's knee's then with our hip and trendy ways LOL!!

Oh and you should watch the ad's of the 70's....so funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSbUr...layer_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYNj2...eature=related

Woodpigeon

When we lived in Derbyshire I had a friend who used the phrase 'tab whanging' meaning eavesdropping/listening in to conversations (ears flapping I guess). We only lived there for around two years, but I picked up the phrase - used it myself just the other day when our daughter commented on the conversation hubby and I were having in the living room from where she was in the kitchen!

I've always like 'Bob's your uncle' - cos he was

And one with fond memories from my childhood out boating with my dad - 'hell's bells and buckets of blood', uttered whenever something went wrong

Beedubya

Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt.

RChappo

Coming from the Nottingham area I use some of the ones mentioned above like "mardy" and "having a cob on" etc.

Another one from 'round our way (I think) is "wanno" meaning "fast" ie: "He was driving like wanno". I have no idea of the origins of that one.

And "teggys" meaning "teeth" - although that might be more widespread than Nottingham. And "tabs" meaning "ears" is probably the same. I'll always remember my Dad threatening "I'll box yer tabs" when I'd been a naughty boy!

I also love the use of "snap" meaning "food" ie: "I'm hungry so I'm off to get some snap". If you had a packed lunch for work you took it in your "snap tin" or "snap box". Again, I've no idea where that comes from.

There's probably lots more that I use but they come out so naturally that it's hard to think of them when you deliberately try to!

Sally Redux

I heard somewhere that 'mardy' came from a historical figure claiming to be the Mahdi (Islamic messiah) who was troublesome to the British Empire, but a quick google doesn't bring anything up.

'Tabs' means ciggies in Geordie.

RChappo

My wife (American) just reminded me of a couple of Brit phrases I use which she finds absolutely hilarious.

'popped their clogs' and 'pegged it' - obviously both meaning to die.

She always cracks up at these phrases.

I remember the first time I said one of the phrases in her presence. We were in JC Penney's and I was looking at the Liz Clairborne designed shirts that were on sale and I said:
"I see they're flogging her stuff cheap now that she's popped her clogs!" - she laughed so hard I thought we were going to get thrown out of the store!

gweilo

I recommend Michael Quinion's World Wide Words, probably the web's most authoritative site on the origins of British words and phrases. He has articles on some of the expressions mentioned in this thread. The index is here: http://worldwidewords.org/genindex.htm.

reeni

on a slightly different note:

When i was here (our village, Yorkshire) the last time (2000-06) everyone said terrah (spelling unsure) when they were saying good bye. Since coming back alot have adopted the North American version - See ya later. Funnily it is what we always said in the village as i could never make the terrah sound right. HUbby said i must have had a hand in converting them ! lol

reeni

I still use:

Up the apples and pears.

When i said that in Canada, my kids were the only ones that went upstairs...:-)