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About:
Around: "I went to Mum's house but she
wasn't about."
Accept:
Agree to: "I accepted his offer."
Ace:
First Class
Ackers:
Money
Act for:
Represent
Action replay:
Instant replay
Actually:
To tell the truth; as a matter
of fact: "Well, actually, he did say exactly that to me."
Adam's Ale:
Water
Adopt:
In the USA, Americans nominate candidates
for run for election. In the UK, the British nominate potential candidates and finally adopt the
ones who are going to stand for election.
Advert:
Advertisement
Aerodrome:
Airfield
Aeroplane:
Airplane
Afters:
Dessert
Aga:
A brand of cast-iron stove that burns coal or coke. Can be used
to cook on as well as heat the room and heat a back boiler to provide the home with hot water. Common in country cottages
where it was at one time the only method of cooking and heating.
Aggro:
Deliberate troublemaking
Agricultural
Show:
State or county fair
Airer:
Collapsible clothes line
Air hostess:
Stewardess
Airing
Cupboard:
Closet with slated shelves, built around the hot water heater. The heater provides warmth to "air" towels and
linens in the cupboard.
Airscrew:
Propeller
Airy-fairy:
Superficial or pretentious
Alight:
Dismount
All-in:
Inclusive
All-in:
Weary
Allotment:
Large garden plot
shared by several families
All There:
Quick on the uptake.
Almshouse:
Originally a charitable home for the poor,
the almshouse today is a subsidized home for the elderly who have their own private flats in the Almshouse.
Aluminium:
Aluminum
Anticlockwise:
Counter
clockwise
Alsatian:
German Shepherd dog
Amber:
Yellow (traffic light). Red means stop, green means
go, and amber means wait. Unlike the USA where yellow means put your foot down and go like the clappers
Amenities:
Conveniences
(household)
Amongst:
Among
Anorak:
Hooded parka style jacket
Answer:
Work
out: "I thought about moving to London but it didn't answer."
Answer phone:
Answering machine
Anticlockwise:
Counterclockwise
Antimacassar:
Lace or embroidered material for the back and arms of a couch
Anyroad:
Anyway:
"Anyroad, I don't want it."
Appeal:
A fund raising campaign, usually for a hospital,
school or charitable institution.
Approved School:
Home for juvenile delinquents.
Arse:
Ass, rear end, backside.
Artsy-fartsy:
Applied to a person who thinks he's
very artistic and is very taken with the idea
Athletics:
Track and field events
Aubergine:
Eggplant
Au Pair:
Young women from another country who works for a family for room and board
Autumn:
Fall
B
Baby Watcher:
Baby-sitter; child minder.
Back comb:
Tease (hair)
Backhander :
Graft; under the table.
Backsyfore:
Front to back
Badge:
Pin-on button
Baker's Knee:
Knock-kneed
Balaclava:
Knitted
hood with holes for eyes and mouth
Bally:
Hardly ever used nowadays but a once popular word used to emphasize,
usually to express satisfaction: "I bought one lottery ticket and won the bally lot!"
Bandit Proof:
Bullet proof.
Banger:
Old
car in poor condition
Bangers:
Sausages
Bangers:
Firecrackers
Bang on:
Absolutely correct
Bank Holiday:
National holiday
Barking:
Insane
Barmy:
Crazy; insane
Barney:
A
fight or extremely animated argument
Bap:
Soft, flat bread roll
Barrister:
Trial lawyer
Bash:
To hit (someone.)
Bash:
Have a go at; attempt; try: "I'll have a bash
at it."
Bathe:
Swim
Bathroom:
It's ONLY a bathroom if it contains a tub or shower.
Batty:
Crazy;
insane. Usually applied to a person or idea rather than an object
Beastly:
Nasty
Beat:
Tired; weary
Bed Settee:
Sleeper sofa
Bed Sittingroom or Bedsitter:
Studio apartment
Beeb:
BBC (British
Broadcasting Company)
Beefburgers:
Hamburgers
Beer mat:
Beverage coaster
Beeswax:
Business:
"Mind your own beeswax."
Beetroot:
Beet
Belisha Beacon:
Traffic signal with flashing light atop
Bell:
Telephone call: "Give me a bell in the morning."
Belt up:
Be quiet!
Bender:
Deliberately getting
drunk: "Going on a bender."
Bent:
Dishonest
Bent:
Homosexual
Bevvy:
Drink
Bicarbonate
of Soda:
Baking soda
Bill:
The check: "Waiter, my bill please."
Billion:
Trillion
Bin:
Waste paper basket
Bin liner:
Trash bag
Bint:
Slang name for a woman
Bird:
Slang name
for a woman
Biro:
Any brand of ballpoint pen
Biscuit:
Cookie
Bitter:
Type of beer with
a slightly bitter taste
Black Pudding:
Blood sausage
Black Maria (ma-rye-uh):
Paddywagon
Black
Treacle:
Heavy dark syrup similar to molasses
Blast!:
An oath
Bleeding:
Expletive often used to
emphasise another word, meaning "very". "It's bleeding hot!" Also Bloody, Blooming, Flipping, Frigging, Ruddy
Blighter:
A person who is a nuisance, often a young child. Also Bugger
Blighty:
England, often Old Blighty. Developed
as an English Army slang word, an Anglo-Indian corruption of the Hindu word "wilayati" or "bilati", meaning European or English
Blithering:
Dithering, blathering: "He's a blithering idiot."
Blimey:
An exclamation rather than an
oath: "Blimey! that was awful." See Gor Blimey
Bloke:
Slang name for a man
Bloody:
Expletive often
used to emphasise another word, meaning "very". "It's bloody horrible!" Also Bleeding, Blooming, Flipping, Frigging, Ruddy
Bloody Hell!:
Frequently used oath
Blooming:
Expletive often used to emphasise another word, meaning
"very". "It's blooming cold out today." Also Bleeding, Bloody, Flipping, Frigging, Ruddy
Blotto:
Drunk: "Me Dad
came home blotto last night." Also Bombed, Legless, Paralytic, Pissed, Sozzled, Tanked
Blower:
The telephone
Bob:
One shilling (5p)
Bobby:
Policeman, after Sir Robert Peel, Home Secretary in 1828. Also Bogey, Copper, Mr.
Plod, Old Bill, Peeler
Boffin:
Eccentric scientistor expert
Bog:
See Toilet. Also Kharzi, Lavatory,
Loo, Privy, Throne, WC
Bogey:
Policeman, after Sir Robert Peel, Home Secretary in 1828. Also Bobby, Copper, Mr.
Plod, Old Bill, Peeler
Bogey:
Booger
Boiler:
Water heater
Boiler suit:
Coveralls
Bollard:
Traffic control similar to a traffic cone
Bollocks:
Testicles
Bollocks:
An oath
Bolshie:
Ornery
Bomb:
When something is good or went well: "The concert was a bomb."
Bombed:
Drunk. Also
Blotto, Legless, Paralytic, Pissed, Sozzled, Tanked
Bonce:
A person's head
Bonk:
Have sexual congress
Bonkers:
Crazy: "He went bonkers!" You might hear the phrase "stark staring bonkers" or "stark raving bonkers."
Bonnet:
Car hood
Bonny:
Attractive
Boob:
A mistake: "I made the biggest boob of my life
today."
Boob tube:
A knitted short-waisted top
Boob tube:
Television set
Booby:
An idiot
Boobyhatch:
Lunatic asylum
Book:
Reserve: "I booked a table at an Italian restaurant."
Boot:
Car trunk
Booze:
Alcohol
Booze:
The act of drinking alcohol
Boozer:
Pub
Booze up:
Drinking session
Bovver:
Intentional aggravation; often physical violent
Bovver
Boots:
Steel toed boots worn by Skin Heads
Box room:
Small room for storing trunks and hat boxes
Bounder:
Cad
Braces:
Suspenders
Brandy Butter:
Blend of butter and brandy traditionaly eaten with Christmas
Pudding
Brassed off:
Fed up; had enough
Bread:
Money
Brew Up;
Make a cup of tea
Bristols:
Women's breasts
Brock:
A badger
Brolly:
Umbrella
Brooch:
Pin (jewelry)
Browned off:
Cheesed off; fed up
Budgerigar:
Parakeet. Also Budgie
Bugger:
Exclamation or expletive. This is a very versatile word. It can refer to getting nothing: "I paid a fortune
and got bugger all!" Or, forget it: "I can't be bothered with that so bugger it!" Or, go away: "Bugger off, you!" It can indicate
amazement: "It cost how much? Well, bugger me!" Or difficulty or stubborness: "That nail was a bugger to get out."
Bugger:
A person who is a nuisance. Also Blighter
Building
Society:
Savings and Loan association
Bum:
Posterior; buttocks
Bum:
Hobo
Bumbag:
Fanny pack
Bun:
Sweet roll
Bunches:
Pigtails
Bunch of Fives:
Knuckle sandwich
Bung:
Stopper
Bung:
To toss: "Bung that over here."
Bunged
up:
Congested
Bunged up:
Constipated
Bungalow:
Ranch style home
Bunk:
To run away;
escape: "He did a bunk."
Burk:
An idiot
Busker:
Street performer
Butchers:
To take a look:
"Will you take a butchers at her!"
Butty:
Sandwich
Buzz off!:
Go away!
C
Cake hole:
A person's mouth
Cadge:
Borrow;
sponge
Call box:
Public telephone booth
Candy Floss:
Cotton candy
Canteen:
Cafeteria
Caravan:
Travel trailer; mobile home
Cardigan:
Knitted, collarless, button-up jacket. See Jersey
Car:
Automobole
Car Park:
Parking lot
Carriageway:
Highway
Carrier Bag:
Bag with handles which could be made of paper,
plastic, canvas, etc. Generally used to carry shopping
Caster Sugar:
Finely granulated white sugar
Casualty:
Hospital emergency room
Cat's eyes:
Reflectors embedded in road surface.
Champion:
Fine, great. Can be used alone to express pleasure at
some result, or as a description: "Our Tom's a champion lad!"
Chap:
Slang name for a man
Char:
To do menial tasks. Also Skivvy
Char lady:
Woman hired to clean public
buildings and offices
Charlie:
An idiot
Chat Show:
Talk show
Chat up:
Flirt with: "I saw
you chatting up that bird."
Cheap:
Inexpensive
Cheap:
Applied to a loose woman: "She's cheap as muck."
Cheek or Cheeky:
To have some nerve; be rude: "You are a cheeky bugger, aren't you!"
Cheers:
A toast
Cheers:
Thank you
Cheerio:
Goodbye
Cheesed off:
Fed up; had enough
Chemist:
Pharmacist
or pharmacy; drug store
Cheque:
Check: "I pay all my bills by cheque."
Chicory:
Endives
Chinless
Wonder:
Slang name for an upper class twit
Chip:
French fry
Chipolata sausage:
Small sausage
Chippie:
Fish and chip shop
Chippings:
Gravel
Chirpy:
Lively; animated
Chivvy:
To urge a person
to hurry along
Choc Ice:
Chocolate coated ice cream bar.
Chock-a-block:
Full to capacity
Chock-full:
Full to capacity
Chokey:
Prison. Also Clink, Pokey, Porridge
Chocolate Bar:
Candy bar.
Chook(s):
Chicken(s)
Choppers:
A person's teeth
Christian name:
A person's first name
Christmas Cake:
Heavy moist fruit cake
made with finely chopped fruit peel and nuts, flavoured with brandy or rum. Made several months before Christmas and left
to "mature." Nearer the date it is covered in marzipan and Royal Icing, decorated with tiny ornaments and a paper frill. The
same cake is used for weddings
Christmas Pudding:
Very similar recipe to Chrismas Cake, but cooked by boiling
or steaming. Also left to mature, but unwrapped several times before Christmas to douse with yet more brandy or rum. Served
hot with custard or brandy butter. An old tradition says that for good luck the pudding batter should be stirred by each member
of the family, three times clockwise. In our home, small good luck tokens were stirred into the batter at this time: several
silver sixpenny pieces and a tiny silver figure of one of the Magi. We ate our pudding very carefully!
Chuck:
Throw:
"Chuck me the newspaper."
Chuck:
To end a romantic relationshi: "Dave chucked Sue!"
Chuffed:
Very pleased
Chum:
Friend
Chunder:
Amble along
Chuntered:
Grumbled;
muttered
Cider:
Alcoholic drink made from apple juice. The most potent is "rough" cider
Cinema:
Movie
theatre
Claggy:
Messy, or when applied to food,thick, heavy and lumpy
Clapped out:
Worn out; no longer
of any use
Clear off!:
Go away!
Clever Dick:
A know-it-all
Click:
When two or more people
meet and instantly hit it off, they click
Cling Film:
Plastic wrap
Clink:
Prison. Also Chokey, Pokey,
Porridge
Cling film:
Saran wrap
Clippy:
Bus conductor
Clobber:
Clothing
Clobber:
To beat up a person
Clothes Pegs:
Clothes pins
Clot:
An idiot
Clotted Cream:
Very thick, rich cream, traditionally
lumpy
Cloakroom:
Restroom
Cloakroom:
A place to hang coats
Close:
Dead end street
Clout:
To hit; slap
Clout:
Have influence: "I didn't think he was that important a man, but he really does have clout."
Coach:
Luxury tour bus
Cobblers:
Untruths; nonsense. Usually not as harsh as saying someone lied.
Cock:
Slang name for a male friend
Cockahoop:
Estatically happy
Cock up:
Either a mess, or to mess up;
screw up
Cockney:
Person born within the sound of London's Bow Bells
Codger:
An elderly man
Codswallop:
Rubbish; nonsense
Cold shoulder:
Behave toward in a cold manner: "She gave me the cold shoulder."
Collywobbles:
If you have the collywobbles, you are feeling nervous
Combs:
Combination underwear; long johns
Comfy:
Comfortable
Commode:
Chamber pot.
Common:
Meaning plentiful or ordinary, this was coined by the upper class to describe the lower classes but quickly
became a term used by any person to descibe someone they consider inferior to themselves: "Jenny is a well brought up girl,
but Monica is common."
Confectioner's Sugar:
Powdered sugar
Conk:
This can mean either the nose or the head, depending
on the region.
Conked:
Hit on the head: "He conked me a right one."
Conkers:
Fruit of the Horse Chestnut tree
Conkers:
Child's game in which a conker is strung on a
long string and one person uses their conker to try to knock their opponent's conker off its string
Constituency:
A Parliamentary constituency is roughly the same as a Congressional disctrict
Continent:
Europe
Continental
Quilt:
A comforter
Coming:
Approaching; going on: "June is coming sixteen."
Cooker:
Stove
Cop it:
Get into trouble: "You'll
cop it if your mum catches you."
Copper:
Policeman. Also Bobby, Bogey, Mr. Plod, Old Bill, Peeler
Copse:
Thicket
Corn:
Any grain except rice
Cornet:
Cone for icecream
Cornflour:
Cornstarch
Cornish Pastie:
Type of pastie originating from Cornwall. See Pastie
Cot:
Baby's crib
Cottage
Pie:
Dish made with minced beef and vegetables, topped with mashed potatoe; however, it is now commonly, and incorrectly, called
Shepherds Pie. See Shepherd's Pie
Cotton:
Sewing thread
Council House:
Housing owned by the town
council and rented out cheaply
Courgette:
Zucchini
Cow:
Deragatory name for a woman
Cowboy:
A rash, gung-ho person
Cowboy Film:
Western movie
Crackers:
Crazy
Crackers:
Party favours popular at Christmas
Creche:
Daycare centre
Crickey!:
Exclamation of astonishment
Cripes!:
Exclamation of astonishment
Crisps:
Potatoe chips
Crock:
Nonsense; rubbish: "What a lot of crock!"
Cross:
Angry: "When you do that
it makes me cross."
Crossroads:
An intersection
Crumpet:
Flat cake with holes in, toasted and eaten
with butter and/or jam. It has the texture of a very solid, thick pancake.
Crumpet:
An attractive woman
Cul-de-sac:
Dead end street
Cuppa:
Cup of tea
Curlies:
Short hairs. See Short and Curlies
Current Account:
Checking account
Curry House:
Indian restaurant
Curtains:
Drapes
Custard:
Sauce made from eggs, milk, vanilla and sugar
Custom:
Patronage: "Only the
best shops get my custom."
Cutlery:
Silverware
Cutting:
Newspaper clipping
CV:
Curriculum
Vitae - a resume
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