abseil a
German loanword for descending on a rope (US
rappel)
accountancy keeping financial accounts; the related profession (US
accounting)
accountingexplanation for oneself or one's actions; to give such explanations (US
accountability;
giving an account)
Action Man the
action figure toy sold in the US as
G.I. Joe.
advert a contraction of
advertisement that is more common in British than American English, although British English also employs the American
adagony aunt or uncle (informal) the author of an agony column (US
advice columnist or
Dear Abby)
agony column (informal) a
newspaper or magazine column providing advice to readers' personal problems (US
advice column)
air marshal the
RAF's three-star officer (US
lieutenant general)
"all change" the public-transportation announcement for the last stop (US
All out)
amongsta synonym of
among acceptable in British English while seeming old fashioned or pretentious in American English
anoraka hooded coat (US
parka); a socially impaired obsessive, particularly trainspotters (US
geek,
trekkie,
otaku, &c.)
answerphone an automated telephone-answering machine, from the trademark Ansafone (US & UK
answering machine)
anti-clockwise the direction opposite of clockwise (US
counterclockwise).
approved school (informal) a
reform school for juvenile delinquents, from their pre-1969 designation; juvenile detention centres, whether Secure Training Centres for 15- to 18-year-olds or Young Offender Institutions for 18- to 21-year-olds (US
juvie)
argy-bargy (informal) a noisy disagreement ranging from a verbal dispute to pushing-and-shoving or outright fighting.
arse buttocks, backside or
anus (more vulgar than US
ass)
(fall) arse over tit (vulgar) to fall head over heels
(be) arsed (informal) to be made to get off one's arse, usually as a negative or conditional (US
be bothered to)
artic an abbreviation of "articulated lorry" (US
semi)
aubergineUS
eggplant (both the fruit and colour)
Auntie or Auntie Beeb(affectionate) the
BBCautocue an automated system for providing scripts to actors and orators, from a genericised trademark (US
teleprompter)
balls-up (vulgar, though possibly not in origin) error, mistake,
SNAFU. See also
cock-up. (US:
fuck up, screw up, mess up)
banger (1) a sausage (from the tendency of sausages to burst during frying); (2) a type of small firework (no longer legally available); (3) an old car (allusion to a tendency to back-fire), thus the term 'banger racing' = stock car racing. (US:
clunker).
bapsoft bread roll or a sandwich made from it (this itself is a regional usage in the UK rather than a universal one); in plural, breasts (vulgar slang e.g. "get your baps out love"); a person's head (
Northern Ireland).
barmaid *, barman a woman or man who serves drinks in a bar.
Barman and the originally American
bartender appeared within a year of each other (1837 and 1836);
barmaid is almost two centuries older (circa 1658).
barmy crazy, unbalanced (US: balmy)
barney a noisy quarrel, origin Cockney
rhyming slang, "Barney Rubble, trouble".
barrister * In
England, Wales and Northern
Ireland, this used to be the only type of lawyer qualified to argue a case in both higher and lower law courts; contrasts with
solicitor. For
Scotland, see Advocate. Occasionally used in the US, but not to define any particular type of lawyer.
bedsit (or bedsitter) one-room flat that serves as a living room, kitchen and bedroom and with shared bathroom facilities (US: see
SRO; compare
studio apartment (in British English a studio apartment - sometimes 'studio flat' - would have a self-contained bathroom)'
efficiency)
Beeb, the Beeb (affectionate slang) the
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation). See also 'Auntie' (above). The British band
Queen released an album called At the Beeb in the UK and it had to be called "At the BBC" for US release.
Belisha beacon orange ball containing a flashing light mounted on a
post at each end of a
zebra crossing (q.v.); named after the UK Minister of Transport Leslie Hore-Belisha who introduced them in 1934.
bell-end the
glans penis, (slang, vulgar) a male orientated insult.
berk, burk or burke a mildly derogatory term for a
fool or stupid person. An abbreviation of either '
Berkshire Hunt' or '
Berkeley Hunt',
rhyming slang for
cunt.
bespoke custom-made to a buyer's specification (US:
custom-made)
bevvy an alcoholic beverage
biccie, bicky, bikky a biscuit (US: "cookie")
big girl's blouse a man or a boy who behaves in a way which other men think is how a woman would behave, especially if they show they are frightened of something
bint a condescending and sometimes derogatory term for a woman (from the Arabic for 'daughter'). Usage varies with a range of harshness from 'bitch', referring to a disagreeable and domineering woman, to only a slightly derogatory term for a young woman.
biro /ˈbaɪəroʊ/ a
ballpoint pen. Named after its Hungarian inventor László Bíró and the eponymous company which first marketed them.
bits and bobs sundry items to purchase, pick up, et cetera (e.g. whilst grocery shopping) (Britain and US: odds and ends)
black pudding (US:
blood sausage)
blag (slang) to obtain or achieve by deception and/or ill preparation, to bluff, to scrounge, to rob, to wing it. A scam, tall story or deception. Derived from the
French word blague.
bleeder derogatory term used in place of
bloke ("what's that stupid bleeder done now?"); use has declined in recent years.
blimey (informal) an exclamation of surprise. (Originally
gor blimey, a euphemism for
God blind me, but has generally lost this connotation.)
bloke (informal) man, fellow. e.g.
Terry is a top bloke. Also common in Australia and New Zealand. (US and UK also:
guy).
blower telephone
blues and twos (slang) emergency vehicle with lights and sirens (emergency services in the UK generally use blue flashing lights and formerly used a two-tone siren) (US:
lights and sirens or
code)
bobby police officer, named after Sir
Robert Peel, the instigator of the world's first organised police force. The word 'peeler' of similar origin, is used in Northern Ireland.
Bob's your uncle "there you go", "it's that simple". (Some areas of US have the phrase
Bob's your uncle; Fanny's your aunt)
bodge a cheap or poor (repair) job, can range from inelegant but effective to outright failure. e.g.
You properly bodged that up (you really made a mess of that). (US:
botch or
cob, shortened form of
cobble) See Bodger.
boffin an expert, such as a scientist or engineer
boglavatory.
bog roll(roll of)
toilet ("bog") paper (slang).
bog-standard*completely ordinary, run-of-the-mill, unadulterated, unmodified. (US
vanilla,
garden-variety).
boiled sweettype of confection (US:
hard candy)
bollocks (vulgar; originally
ballocks, colloquially also spelled as
bollox) testicles; verbal rubbish (as in "you're talking bollocks") (US:
bullshit). The somewhat similar
bollix is found in American English, but without the anatomical connotations or vulgar sense meaning 'mess up'. The twin pulley blocks at the top of a ship's mast are also known as bollocks, and in the 18th century priests'
sermons were colloquially referred to as bollocks; it was by claiming this last usage that the
Sex Pistols prevented their album
Never Mind the Bollocks from being banned under British obscenity laws. Related phrases include
bollocksed, which means either tired ("I'm bollocksed!") or broken beyond repair;
bollocks up, meaning to mess up ("He really bollocksed that up"); and [
a]
bollocking, meaning a stern telling off.
Compare dog's bollocks, belowbone-idle * lazy
bonnetthe panel which covers a vehicle's engine and various other parts (US:
hood)
boot Separate rear storage compartment of a car. US:
trunkbotty, bot a person's
bottom (informal or childish)
bowler a type of men's hat (US:
derby)
brass monkeys cold – from "cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey". According to a popular
folk etymology, this phrase derives from cannonballs stowed on a brass triangle named after a "powder monkey" (a boy who runs gunpowder to the ship's guns) spilling owing to the frame's contraction in cold weather. (This is however incorrect for several physical and linguistic reasons.) The phrase is a 20th-century variant of earlier expressions referring to other body parts, especially the nose and tail, indicating that the brass monkey took the form of a real monkey.
brekkie, brekky (slang) synonym of
breakfastbreve (musical) a note of two bars' length (or a count of 8) in 4/4 time (US:
double whole note)
bristols (vulgar, rhyming slang) breasts; from football team
Bristol City = titty
brolly (informal) umbrella
brown bread (rhyming slang) dead; "You're brown bread, mate!"
browned off Fed up, annoyed or out of patience.
bubble and squeak dish of cooked cabbage fried with cooked potatoes and other vegetables. Often made from the remains of the
Sunday roast trimmings.
buggered (vulgar, literally a synonym for 'sodomised') worn out; broken; thwarted, undermined, in a predicament, e.g. 'If we miss the last bus home, we're buggered' (US:
screwed). Also used to indicated lack of motivation as in "I can't be buggered". (US: "I can't be bothered.")
bugger all little or nothing at all; "I asked for a pay rise and they gave me bugger all"; "I know bugger all about plants"; damn all. US:
zip,
jack or (offensive)
jack shit. Usage is rare in the US.
building society an institution, owned by its depositors rather than shareholders, that provides mortgage loans and other financial services (US equivalent:
savings and loan association)
bum bag a bag worn on a strap around the waist (US:
fanny [DM]
pack)
bumble to wander aimlessly or stroll/walk without urgency to a destination; usually synonymous with
amble when used in the US.
bumf, bumph useless paperwork or documentation (from "bum fodder",
toilet paper)
bunce a windfall; profit; bonus
bureau de change an office where money can be exchanged (US:
currency exchange)
burgle *(originally colloquial,
back-formation from
burglar) to commit
burglary (in the US,
burglarize is overwhelmingly preferred, although
burgle is occasionally found).
butty a sandwich (esp. '
chip butty' or 'bacon butty').
by-election (US:
special election)
cack (slang) faeces (feces); nonsense or rubbish: "what a load of cack" could equally be used to describe someone talking nonsense or as a criticism of something of poor quality. Also spelt "kak" as used in Afrikaans and Dutch. Derived from an ancient Indo-European word,
kakkos, cognate with German word
Kacke, Welsh word "cach" and the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word "cac" which all mean 'shit'.
cack-handed (informal) clumsy * ; left-handed. Derived from
cack, meaning "fæces (feces)", with reference to the tradition that only the left hand should be used for cleaning the 'unclean' part of the human body (i.e. below the waist).
cafetière device for making coffee (US:
French press)
caff abbreviation for a café; now used mainly for the old-fashioned establishment ("there's a proper caff up that side road") to distinguish from chain cafés.
cagoule type of lightweight hooded waterproof clothing (US: windbreaker)
call minder (rare) telephone message recorder (US and UK also:
answering machine;
voicemail machine)
candidature synonymous with
candidacycandy floss spun sugar confection (US:
cotton candy)
caravan park area where caravans are parked (US:
Trailer park for near-permanently-installed mobile homes,
RV park or
campground for areas intended for short term recreational vehicle parking. Trailer parks are typically low-income permanent residencies; RV parks/campgrounds are a holiday (vacation) destination.)
car boot storage area of car (US: trunk). Can also mean
car boot sale.
car hire car rental
car park area where cars are parked (US usually
parking lot if outdoor,
parking garage if indoor).
carer a person who cares for another, such as a child, elderly, or disabled person. (US:
caregiver)
carriageway the part of a road that carries the traffic; see also
dual carriageway (US and UK also:
lane)
cash machine automated teller machine.
cashpoint automated teller machine. Originally a brand name for Lloyds TSB ATMs, now
genericized.
cats eye reflector used to mark lane divisions and edges of roads, also written
cat's-eye, genericised from the trademark
Catseye (US:
raised pavement marker;
Botts' dots are similar)
central heating boiler (US:
furnace)
central reservation physical barrier dividing oncoming carriageways (only on dual-carriageways or motorways) (US:
median strip)
chancer (slang) an opportunist
char, cha(informal)
tea. From Mandarin 茶 (chá).
char (informal) see
charwomancharlady see
charwomanChartered Accountant one authorised to certify financial statements; the equivalent of an American
CPA (
Certified Public Accountant)
charwoman (dated) a woman employed as a cleaner, especially as an office cleaner
chat up (someone) talk flirtatiously with. Similar to American "come on to (someone)".
chav (slang, often derogatory, used primarily in England) typically a nouveau riche or
working class person of most of the time lowish intelligence who wears designer label (e.g. Burberry) copies, fake gold
bling, and is a trouble-maker. "Chav" is used nationally, though "charv" or "charva" was originally used in the northeast of England, deriving from the
Roma (people) word
charva, meaning disreputable youth. The closest US equivalents to the chav stereotype are arguably
wiggers, although the cultural differences are existent.
cheeky * impertinent; noun form,
cheek, impertinence; a child answering back to an adult might be told "don't give me any of your cheek" (also there is the expression "cheeky monkey!" in reaction to a cheeky remark).
cheerio! (informal, friendly) exclamation of farewell (similar to 'seeya!' and 'ta-ra!'). No connection to the
breakfast cereal Cheerios.
cheers (informal, interjection) Thank you. Can also be used to say goodbye * .
Chesterfield sofa a deep buttoned sofa, with arms and back of the same height. It is usually made from leather and the term Chesterfield in British English is only applied to this type of sofa.
child-minder (babysitter) a person who looks after babies and young children (usually in the person's own home) while the baby's parents are working. Childminders are a more professional type of babysitter, and in England are required to be registered with Ofsted, the government-sanctioned education regulation body. They must also possess at least a Level 2 qualification in childcare. A babysitter does not require these qualifications. Babysitter is more common in the UK.
chimney pot smoke-stack atop a
house. "Pot" refers to the cylindrical topmost part that is usually
earthenware. The part below is the chimney or chimney stack.
chinagraph pencil pencil designed to write on china, glass etc. (US:
grease pencil, china marker)
chip shop (informal)
fish-and-chip shop (parts of
Scotland, Ire:
chipper), also
chippy (see also List of words having different meanings in British and American English)
chinwag (slang) chat
chuffed (informal, becoming somewhat archaic, originally Liverpudlian) proud, satisfied, pleased. Sometimes intensified as
well chuffed; cf.
made upchunder vomit
chunter (sometimes
chunner) to mutter, to grumble, to talk continuously; "What's he chuntering on about?"
clanger (informal) a big mistake, blunder, bad joke or faux pas ('to drop a clanger') (US:
lay an egg)
clapped out (informal) worn out (said of an object)
cleg horse fly
clingfilm thin plastic film for wrapping food (US:
plastic wrap,
Saran wrap)
clunge (informal) female genitalia
cobblers shoe repairers * ; (slang) a weaker version of
bollocks, meaning 'nonsense' (often "a load of old cobblers"), from rhyming slang 'cobbler's awls' = balls
cock-up, cockup * (mildly vulgar) error, mistake.
codswallop *, codd's wallop "You're talking codswallop". Sometimes said to be named after Hiram Codd, the inventor of the Codd bottle, which was commonly used in the late 19th Century for fizzy drinks ("Codd's wallop"), though this derivation is thought to be an example of
false etymology. (US: You're talking garbage)
communication cord near obsolete term for the emergency brake on a train. Is nowadays an alarm handle connected to a PA system which alerts the driver.
community payback court-mandated sentence of
community service either in addition to or as a substitute for incarceration
compère (French) master of ceremonies, MC
compulsory purchase the power of the governmental authority to take private property for public use (similar to US:
eminent domain)
conservatoire music school (US usually
conservatory)
cooker kitchen stove (US:
stove)
cool box box for keeping food and liquids cool (US and UK also:
cooler)
cop off with (slang) to successfully engage the company of a potential sexual partner, to "pull"; to copulate (have
sexual intercourse) with.
coriander * when referring to the leaves, often called "cilantro" in the US
Cor Blimey see
Gor Blimeycoster, costermonger a seller of fruit and vegetables
cotton bud wad of cotton wool fixed to a small stick, used for cleaning (US:
cotton swab,
Q-Tip)
cotton wool Spun cotton, used for cleaning wounds or make-up (US:
Absorbent cotton,
cotton ball)
council house/flat, also council housing or estate public housing. In Scotland the term
housing scheme, or simply
scheme is more commonly used. (US:
projects)
counterfoil *stub of a cheque, ticket etc. (US:
stub)
counterpane a decorative cloth used to cover a bed when it is not in use (US:
bedspread)
courgette (French) the plant
Cucurbita pepo (US:
zucchini, from the Italian).
cowl * a wind deflector fitted to a chimney top.
crack on(-to) whereas "crack on" may be used in a generalised sense as "[to] get on with [something]" (often, a task), to "crack on to [some
person, specifically]" indicates one was, or planned to, engage in flirtation, to varying degrees
crikey exclamation of surprise (once a euphemism for
Christ's keys or perhaps
Christ Kill Me. Popularized in the US by late Australian herpetologist
Steve Irwin)
crimble, crimbo, chrimbo Christmas, especially with regard to its more secular and commercial aspects.
crisps very thinly sliced fried potatoes, often flavoured, eaten cold as a snack (US:
potato chips)
crotchet a musical note with a duration of one count in a time signature of 4/4 (common time) (US:
quarter note; see
Note value)
cuddly toy soft toy (sometimes used in the US; also
stuffed animal,
plush toy). Occurs as the title of the Monkees' song "Cuddly Toy", written by
Nilsson.
cuppa [cup of]
tea (never coffee or other beverage)
current account personal bank account used for everyday transactions (US:
checking account)
curriculum vitae most often abbreviated as CV, education and employment history (US: résumé)
daft * odd, mad, eccentric, daffy, crazy – often with the implication of it being amusingly so. "Don't be daft" and "don't be silly" are approximately synonymous.
dekko (informal) a look, reconnoître "I'll take a dekko at it later." – British military slang derived from the
Hindustani dhek/
dekho meaning "to see". Also less commonly
decco,
deccie, deek, deeks.
dene wooded valley or seaside dune (mainly S W England)
div, divvy (slang) a fool or idiot; adjective form,
divvy, foolish or idiotic.
doddle something accomplished easily - "It's a doddle", meaning "it's easy".
dodgems * funfair or fairground bumper cars
dodgy * unsound, unstable, and unreliable (US:
sketchy). 'That bloke over there looks a bit dodgy'
dogsbody someone who carries out menial tasks on another's behalf; a drudge (US:
grunt)
the dog's bollocks (vulgar) something excellent or top quality, the "bee's knees" (the business), the "cat's whiskers". Sometimes just "the bollocks." (US:
the shit). In polite company this phrase may be toned down to "The mutt's nuts", or the phrase "The bee's knees" (the business) may be used as a polite substitute. The etymology of this expression is said by some to derive from printers' slang for the punctuation symbol ':-' when printing involved the use of carved metal blocks to form typesetting.
dole * (informal) welfare, specifically unemployment benefit. Sometimes used in the US, esp. older generation
door furniture (US:
door hardware)
donkey's years a very long time. (originally "donkey's ears" as rhyming slang).
dosh (slang) money (US:
dough) "how much dosh you got on ya?"
doss to be lazy, "I've been dossing all day", also can mean to truant, "dossing off" (similar to bunking off). Additionally it can informally take the form of a noun (i.e. "that lesson was a doss", meaning that lesson was easy, or good (primarily central Scotland). Also "dosser", a lazy person, or a tramp (US
bum); "to doss down", to find a place to sleep, to sleep on some substitute for a bed such as a sofa, the floor, or a park bench; "doss-house", temporary accommodation for tramps or homeless people, cheap dilapidated rented accommodation with low standards of cleanliness (US:
flophouse)
double first an
undergraduate degree where the candidate has gained First-Class Honours in two separate subjects, or alternatively in the same subject in subsequent examinations (see
British undergraduate degree classification)
draper a dealer in drapery (i.e. clothing, textiles, etc.) (US:
dry goods [DM])
draughts the board game (US:
checkers)
drawing pin * pin with a large, flat head, used for fixing notices to noticeboards etc. (US:
thumbtack)
dress circle the seats in the first balcony of a theatre (US:
balcony or
loge although
dress circle is used in a few very large opera houses that have many levels of balconies)
drink-drivingoperating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol (US:
drunk driving;
DUI [Driving Under the Influence];
DWI [Driving While Intoxicated/Impaired];
OWI [Operating While Intoxicated])
driving licence document authorising the holder to drive a vehicle (US:
driver's license,
driver license)
dual carriagewayroad, usually a major one, with each direction of travel separated from the opposing one by a traffic-free, and usually slightly raised, central reservation. Each direction of travel (carriageway) comprises two or more 'lanes'. (US:
divided highway)
dustbin (sometimes used in the US) receptacle for rubbish, very often shortened to 'bin'. (US:
trash can;
wastebasket)
dustbin man or dustmanrubbish collector (US:
garbage man;
trash man;
sanitation engineer)
dustcartrubbish/refuse collecting vehicle (US:
garbage truck;
trash truck)
economy class the cheapest class of passenger airline travel (US:
coach or
coach class)
earth, earthed connected to an electric common return (including but not limited to the physical earth), (US:
ground, grounded)
Elastoplast an adhesive bandage placed on a minor cut or scrape (UK also:
plaster or
sticking/sticky plaster [DM]; US: Adhesive bandage,
Band-Aid)
electric fire domestic electric heater (US:
space heater)
engaged tonetone indicating a telephone line in use, (US:
busy signal)
estate agent * a person who sells property for others (US:
realtor,
real estate agent)
estate car a
station wagonex-directory (of a telephone number) unlisted; also informally of a person "he's ex-directory", meaning his telephone number is unlisted
extension lead Extension cable typically refers to mains power but may refer to other cables like telephones, (US and UK also:
extension cord)
faff to dither, futz, waste time, be ineffectual, “I spent the day faffing about in my room”. Also related noun ("That's too much of a faff").
fag end cigarette butt; also used as in 'the fag end of the day' i.e. the last part of the working day
fairing a gift, particularly one given or bought at a fair (obsolete); type of cookie (biscuit) made in
Cornwallfairy cake a small sponge cake (US and UK also:
cupcake)
fairy lights Christmas lights
feck (vulgar) mild expletive employed as an attenuated alternative to fuck (including fecker, fecking, etc.) (originally Hiberno English and popularised by the
television series
Father Ted). (Similar to US
frick/fricking,
freak/freaking,
eff/effing)
fiddly requiring dexterity to operate ("the buttons on the tiny
mobile phone were too fiddly")
fire brigadefire department
fiscalshort for
Procurator Fiscal, name of the public prosecutor in Scotland (US: District Attorney, state prosecutor etc.)
fish fingers (US: fish sticks)
fiver five pound note (bill)
fizzy drink * carbonated
soft drink (US:
soda,
pop,
coke,
tonic (
New England) depending on the region)
flannel washcloth (US)
flat (US: apartment); also derived from are the British terms
block of flats (US: apartment block), or
high flats (to describe a high-rise apartment building - see also
Tower Block below)
flex electrical lead (UK); electrical cord (US)
flight lieutenant an Air Force officer rank (US:
captain)
flypast ceremonial flight of aircraft (US:
flyby)
flyover a road crossing over another road (US:
overpass)
footie (slang) football (US: soccer)
fortnight *a period of 14 days (and nights) or two weeks
freephone a telephone number where the caller is not charged for the call (US: toll-free number)
French letter (slang) condom
funfair a travelling fair with amusements, stalls, rides etc. (US:
carnival or
traveling carnival)
full stop (US:
period (punctuation mark) )
gaff (slang) house, home. Also any other place: cheap music hall, theatre, pub, club, shop, hangout
gaffer * (informal) old man; (informal) boss; football manager (US: soccer coach); Also in US: (professional) chief electrician on a theatrical or film set.
gangway * a path between the rows of seats in a theatre or elsewhere (US
aisle;
gangway is a naval command to make a path for an officer)
gaol A prison, mostly historical (US and most modern UK usage:
jail)
G clamp A metal screw clamp (US: C clamp).
gearbox system of
gears in a vehicle or other machinery (US
transmission)In UK transmission typically refers to drive shafts.
gear-lever / gearstick handle for changing
gears in a vehicle or other machinery (US
gearshift)
gen (informal) information, info (short for "intelligence") (US: intel)
get off with someone * (colloquial) to begin a sexual relationship
Geordie a person from
Newcastle upon Tyne, or used as an adjective to describe the accent or culture of the surrounding
Tyne and Wear region of England.
gherkin a
pickled cucumber (US: "pickle")
git * (derogatory) scumbag, idiot, annoying person (originally meaning illegitimate; from archaic form "get", bastard, which is still used to mean "git" in Northern dialects and is used as such in
The Beatles' song "
I'm So Tired")
giro(slang), social security benefit payment (US:
welfare), is derived from the largely obsolete Girobank payment system that was once used in Britain for benefit and state pension payments.
glandular fever mononucleosis
gob 1. (n.) mouth, e.g. "Shut yer gob" (US: "Shut your
trap/flap")2. (v.) spit
phlegm (US:
hock a loogie)
gobby loudmouthed and offensive
gob-shite (vulgar)(insult) slang term for a person who is being mouthy about something or someone
gobsmacked (slang) utterly astonished, open-mouthed
gods (the)(informal) the highest level of seating in a theatre or auditorium, usually the "Upper Circle", as in "we have a seat up in the gods" (US:
nosebleed section)
go pear-shaped see
pear-shapedgoolies (slang), (British) The testicles, from
goli Hindi for ball.
gor blimey exclamation of surprise, also
cor blimey (originally from "God blind me")
Gordon Bennett! expression of surprise, contempt, outrage, disgust, frustration.
gormless stupid or clumsy
go-slow a protest in which workers deliberately work slowly (US:
slowdown or
work to rule)
green fingers talent for growing plants (US:
green thumb)
greengrocer * a retail trader in fruit and vegetables
gritter a truck that spreads sand or salt on roads when they are covered with ice (US:
salt truck, salt spreader)
grotty disgusting, dirty, poor quality (originally from
grotesque, though now rarely used with quite that meaning). In a scene from the 1964 film A Hard Day's Night, George Harrison has to explain the meaning and origin of the word; the impression is given that it was then considered modern slang, known only to trendy youngsters (this is no longer the case). George Harrison would have been familiar with the word as well-established
Liverpool slang.
group captain an Air Force officer rank (US:
colonel)
guard's van(n.) (also known as a Brake
van or a Driving Van Trailer) the leading or trailing carriage on a train nowadays used for luggage storage (US:
Caboose)
gumption * initiative, common sense, or courage
gutties running shoes, tennis shoes, maybe from "gutta percha" old source of natural rubber
guv'nor/guv(slang) A contraction of "governor", used to describe a person in a managerial position e.g. "Sorry mate, can't come to the pub, my guv'nor's got me working late tonight". Heard mostly in
London.
half- [as in 'half-eight'] meaning thirty minutes past the hour (
Standard English and US: "Half past").
half(n.) Used mainly in Scotland a 'half' refers to a single measure of alcoholic spirits - usually Scotch whisky. In colloquial speech, it is usually appended with the name of the spirit ('half of vodka', 'half of brandy') if referring to anything other than whisky. It may also refer to half a pint of beer; a 'coming for a swift half?' is an invitation to the pub and significantly more than half a pint is generally involved.
hand brake * Parking brake operated by a hand control, usually a lever (US:
Emergency brake. In the US, the traditional "hand brake" is more often to be found on a bicycle or motorcycle as opposed to a car as in the UK.);
handbrake turn, a stunt where the handbrake is used to lock the rear wheels and the resulting oversteer enables the car to be turned rapidly in a small space (US related:
J-turn, bootleg turn, U-turn.)
ha'penny (pronounced "HAY-penny" or "HAYP-nee") half a penny; a coin of this denomination belonging to the predecimal coinage which is no longer in circulation. There was also a half penny in the decimal coinage introduced in 1971 which was 1/200 of a pound. Ha'pennies stopped being legal tender in 1985 and were removed from circulation.
ha'porth (pronounced "HAY-puth") halfpennyworth.
hash sign the symbol "
#" (US:
number sign,
pound sign [DM])
headmaster, headmistress, headteacher, head *the person in charge of a school (US:
principal [DM]; headmaster and the like are usually used for private schools)
Heath Robinson (of a machine or contraption) absurdly complex (see
Rube Goldberg machine).
high street primary business and shopping street (US:
main street)
hire(v.) to borrow for a set period of time (US: to
rent), hence the British terms "car hire" or "bicycle hire"; distinct from the US usage which is "to employ".
hire purchasea credit system by which debts for purchased articles are paid in installments (US:
installment plan or
layaway if the item is kept at the store until the final payment is made)
hoarding a panel used to display outdoor advertisements, such as on the sides of buildings, or alongside highways (US
billboard)
hob the hot surface on a stove (US:
burner)
hold-all a bag (US:
duffel bag)
holidaymaker person on holiday [DM] (US:
vacationer)
hols (informal) short for holidays [DM]
hoover vacuum [cleaner], to vacuum (archaic in the US) (genericised trademark, from
The Hoover Company, the first main manufacturer of vacuum cleaners)
hot up to become more exciting (US:
heating up).
hundreds-and-thousandscoloured sugar sprinkles used for dessert decoration (US:
sprinkles,
non-pareils, jimmies)
ice lolly frozen fruit juice on a stick;
ice pop (US:
Popsicle),
icing sugar (US: powdered sugar)
industrial action (see article; US:
job action)
inverted commas quotation marks (see also American and British English differences – Punctuation)
invigilator person who monitors an examination (US:
proctor [DM])
ironmongery ironware, hardware; hardware store
identity parade police lineupjacket potato baked potato
jam sandwich (slang) police car. So called as, in the past, most UK police vehicles were white with a horizontal yellow-edged red fluorescent stripe along the entire length of their sides, giving a certain resemblance to a white bread sandwich with a coloured jam (jelly) filling. The majority of marked vehicle operated by the
Metropolitan Police Service retain this livery, albeit the cars are now (mostly) silver. Some older vehicles are still in white, while the Diplomatic Protection Group (DPG) use red vehicles. (US:
black-and-white. In many cities of the US, police cars are painted black at the hood and trunk and white on the doors and roof.)
jammy (git, cow) (slang) lucky (person, woman)
JCB generic name for a mechanical excavator or backhoe loader, based on the eponymously named company which manufactures such devices.
jemmy To break into a lock, from the
tool that is used in such an occasion as burglary (US: jimmy)
jerry (slang) pejorative term for a German or Germans
jerrybuilt or jerry-built An improvised or unsafe building or piece of infrastructure (e.g. an electrical installation), probably in contravention of safety legislation; (US:
jerry-rigged, jury-rigged).
jiggery-pokery Expertly tinker with something in a way that a non-expert or casual observer is unlikely to comprehend.
jimmy (Rhyming slang) urinate, as in jimmy riddle - piddle
jobsworth (slang) Originally a minor clerical/government worker who refuses to be flexible in the application of rules to help clients or customers (as in "it will cost me more than my
job's worth to bend the rules"). Also used more broadly to apply to anyone who uses their job description in a deliberately obstructive way.
johnny (slang) a
condom (US: rubber [DM], Jimmy-hat)
John Thomas Better known as slang for penis or "dick" (US:
cock,
dick, or
johnson) From the novel
Lady Chatterley's LoverJoey term of abuse used of someone perceived to be foolish, stupid, incompetent, clumsy, uncoordinated, ridiculous, idiotic. Originated with the appearances of
cerebral palsy sufferer
Joey Deacon on children's TV programme
Blue Peter; still a popular insult among adults who saw the programmes as children.
jumble sale (see article; US:
rummage sale)
jumper a pullover *, sweater
jump leads booster cables used to jump-start a car (US:
jumper cables)
Karno's Armya chaotic, ineffective team (usually:
Fred Karno's Army) (related US: Keystone Kops, Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight)
kecks (informal, also spelt
keks) trousers or underpants
kerfuffle * a disorderly outburst, disturbance or tumult; from Scots
carfufflekazi (slang) lavatory (numerous alternative spellings are seen, such as
khazi,
karzy,
karsey,
carzey etc.)
kip (slang) sleep.
kirby grip hair grip. (US: bobby pin)
kit (slang) clothing: hence "
Get your kit off": an exhortation to get undressed. Also more specifically any clothing worn for the purpose of sport or exercise, in which context it would not usually be considered slang.
kitchen roll paper towels
knackered (slang) exhausted, broken, originally 'sexually exhausted', derived from an old use of the verb meaning 'to kill or castrate'
knacker's yard premises where superannuated livestock are sent for rendering, etc. (glue factory). Sometimes refers to the same for vehicles, a scrapyard (US:
junkyard)
knackers (slang) testicles
knickers girls' and women's underpants (US:
panties): hence, "
Don't get your knickers in a twist" (US:
don't get your panties in a wad,
keep calm,
hold your horses,
chill out)
ladybird red and black flying insect (US:
ladybug)
launderette self-service laundry (US:
laundromat, from an expired Westinghouse trademark )
lav (informal) lavatory, toilet; also, lavvy (in the US, airplane restrooms are typically called lavatories)
lead (electrical, as on an appliance or musical instrument, microphone etc.) electrical cord (US)
learnt past tense of "learn" (US:
learned); occasionally used in African American Vernacular English
legacy accounts funds left in a budget (US:
funds remaining)
legless extremely drunk
lessons classes (class used more commonly in US English)
let-out (n.) a means of evading or avoiding something
letter box 1. a slot in a wall or door through which incoming post [DM] is delivered (US:
mail slot,
mailbox)2. (less common) a box in the street for receiving outgoing letters and other mail (more usually called a
postbox or
pillar box) (US:
mailbox)See also
Letterbox (US & UK): a film display format taking its name from the shape of a letter-box slot
life assurancealso described as
life insurance regardless of coverage (US :
life insurance)
lift elevator
lock-in * illegal gathering in a pub at night to drink after the pub is supposed to have stopped serving alcohol, where the landlord "locks in" his guests to avoid being caught by police. Unless the landlord charges for the drinks at the time, the people in the pub are considered his personal guests; if money is exchanged beforehand or afterwards then it is considered a gift from the guest to the landlord for the hospitality. Since the introduction of the smoking ban in England and Wales in 2007, a "lock in" can now mean a landlord locking the pub doors and allowing smoking inside the premises. Also called a stay-back in Northern UK. (US: may refer to a large and highly chaperoned "sleep over" at a church, school, etc.)
lodger * tenant renting a room rather than an entire property; typically lives with the renter and his/her family
lollipop man / woman / lady a school crossing guard who uses a circular
stop signlolly * 1. lollipop /ice lolly (US: popsicle); (q.v.)2. (slang) money
loo toilet (usually the room, not just the plumbing device) (US: bathroom, restroom)
lorry a large goods-carrying motor vehicle (US and UK also:
truck)
loudhailer megaphone (US:
bullhorn)
lower ground In houses, a floor below ground level but not fully underground, typically under a raised ground floor which has steps up from ground level to the main entrance. In offices and shops, a basement.
lurgy (hard 'G', originally spelled "lurgi") 1. An imaginary illness allegedly passed on by touch—used as an excuse to avoid someone. (c.f. US:
cooties) From an episode of the Goon Show. 2. (slang) A fictitious, yet highly infectious disease; often used in the phrase "the dreaded lurgy", sometimes as a reference to flu-like symptoms. Can also be used when informing someone you are unwell but you either do not know or do not want to say what the illness is.
main * pipe that carries gas or water. "The water main has burst!" (US:
line: e.g. gas line, water line etc.)
mains power, the mains 230-250V (Typically denoted on domestic electricals as the rounded 240V standard) AC electric current, provided by the electricity grid to homes and businesses; also attrib. ("mains cable") (US: 120 volts AC, variously called:
line power,
grid power,
AC power,
household electricity, etc.)
manky (slang) feeling ill, rough, out of sorts; filthy, dirty, rotten. (of uncertain origin, poss. from French "manqué" - missed, wasted or faulty)
mardy (derogatory, mainly Northern and Central England) describes someone who is in a bad mood, or more generally a crybaby or whiner or "grumpy, difficult, unpredictable". Used, for example, by children in the rhyme "Mardy, mardy mustard...", and in the title of the
Arctic Monkeys song "Mardy Bum". The verb
to throw a mardy means to display an outburst of anger.
maths mathematics (US:
math)
MD (managing director) equivalent of US
CEO (
Chief Executive Officer), also used in the UK
Mexican wave simply called
The Wave in the US
mentioned in despatches identified for valour or gallantry in action (US:
decorated)
milliard (obsolete)one thousand million, or 1,000,000,000 (US: billion or 1,000,000,000) Has for a long time been superseded by the short scale usage of billion (1,000,000,000) and was never as commonly used in the UK as it still is in mainland Europe (where the long scale is still used); when the long scale was used in Britain, "a thousand million" was more commonplace.
mince * 1. ground meat, especially beef (US:
ground beef,
hamburger meat, mince typically describes a chopping style)2. Walk daintily or effeminately.3.
Mince your words -- to obfuscate or conceal (or use euphemisms) when talking or writing * (US: "He/She doesn't mince words.")
minge (vulgar) (rhymes with singe) female genitals or pubic hair
minger (from Scots language
ming "to smell strongly and unpleasantly", rhymes with singer) someone who is unattractive
minim a musical note with the duration of two counts in a time signature of 4/4 (US:
half note; see
Note value)
mobile phone (US: cell phone)
moggie, moggy (informal) non-pedigree cat; alley cat; any cat regardless of pedigree;
Morris Minor car;
Morgan car
Mole grips trade name for (
(US: Vise-Grips)).
mong (slang) disgusting, dirty, foul, idiotic person, possible derivation from mongoloid, now obsolete term for someone with Down's syndrome
monged (out) (slang) being incapable of constructive activity due to drug use, alcohol consumption or extreme tiredness
MOT, MOT test (pronounced emm'oh'tee) mandatory annual safety and roadworthiness test for motor vehicles over 3 years old (from "
Ministry
of
Transport", now renamed "
Department for Transport")
motorway A
controlled-access highway, the largest class of road on the British road network, designed for fast, high volume traffic. Abbreviated to M, as in M25 or M1. (US: equivalent to
freeway)
mouthing off shouting, ranting or swearing a lot about something or someone. e.g.: "that guy was just mouthing off about something" (US [DM]:
backtalk; often shortened to
mouth ["I don't need your mouth".])
move house, move flat, etc. to move out of one's house or other residence into a new residence (US:
move, move out)
munter an ugly woman (rarely, man); similar to minger
muppet an incompetent or foolish person
naff (slang) lame, tacky, cheap, low quality (origin uncertain – numerous suggestions include backslang for
fan, an old term for a
vagina), also gay slang for a straight man (said to mean "
Not
Available
For
Fucking")
naff off (dated slang) shove it, get lost, go away – a much less offensive alternative to "fuck off" (originally obscure
Polari slang, made popular by prison sitcom
Porridge and famously used by
Princess Anne)
nail varnish a varnish applied to nails to enhance strength and glossiness. (US: nail polish)
nark * 1. (v.) (informal) irritate; also
narked, the adjective.2. (n.) (slang) police informer (US:
narc, derived from
narcotics agent, but often used in a general sense)
nappy absorbent undergarment for babies (US:
diaper)
National Insurancecompulsory payments made to the Government from earnings to pay for welfare benefits, the
National Health Service (see below) and the state pension fund.
never-never (slang) hire purchase (see above). Often used in the media as a derogatory term to describe credit or debt.
newsagent strictly a shop owner or shop that sells
newspapers, usu. refers to a small shop, e.g. corner shop,
convenience store, newsstand, or similar (US:
newsdealer)
newsreader someone who reads the news on TV or radio. See
news presenter for a description of the different roles of a newscaster, a British newsreader and an American
news anchor.
nice one * (slang) a way of thanking someone, or congratulating them.
nick 1. (v.) to steal2. (n.) a police station or prison
nicked arrested ("you're nicked") - related to "the nick", above (US:
up the river, busted)
nicker (colloquial) 1 pound, maintains singular form when used in a plural context ("it cost me 2 nicker"), rarely used in the singular
niff an unpleasant smell
Nissen hut hemicylindrical building of corrugated metal. Named for the designer. (US:
Quonset hut, named for the place of US manufacture)
NHS the National Health Service, the state run healthcare system within the United Kingdom
nob 1. head2. a person of wealth or social standing
nobble (v.) to sabotage, attempt to hinder in some way. E.g. "Danny nobbled my chances at the pub quiz by getting Gary to defect to his team."
nonce A slang term for
paedophile, pimp, child molester, or idiot.
nosh 1. food, meal; also "nosh up", a big satisfying meal ("I could do with a good nosh up") Cf US usage, where nosh means "snack" or "to eat" as in the original Yiddish (i.e., "He's noshing on the shrimp cocktail.")
nosy (or nosey) parker * a busybody (similar to US:
butt-in,
buttinski,
nosy)
nous Good sense; shrewdness: "Hillela had the nous to take up with the General when he was on the up-and-up again" (Nadine Gordimer). Rhymes with "mouse" or "moose".
nowt nothing; not anything. "I've got nowt to do later." Northern English. (see also 'owt' - anything; as in the phrase "you can't get owt for nowt" or "you can't get anything for nothing")
number plate vehicle registration plate (sometimes used in the US; also
license plate or
license tag)
numpty (originally Scottish, now more widespread) a stupid person
nutter(informal) a crazy or insane person, often violent; also used as a more light-hearted term of reproach ("Oi nutter!") (occasionally used in the US) (US and UK also:
nut,
nutcase)
OAP Old Age Pensioner (US
senior citizen)
off-licence / offiea store for alcoholic beverages which must be imbibed elsewhere (US
liquor store)
off-the-peg of clothes etc., ready-made rather than made to order (US:
off-the-rack)
offal * the entrails and internal organs of a butchered animal.
oi coarse exclamation to gain attention, roughly equivalent to "hey" ("Oi, you!" = "Hey you!")
the Old Bill (slang) The police - specifically the Metropolitan Police in
London, but use of the term has spread elsewhere in England
one-off * something that happens only once; limited to one occasion (as an adjective, a shared synonym is
one-shot; as a noun ["She is a one-off"; US:
one of a kind])
on the back foot outclassed; outmaneuvered by a competitor or opponent
on the piss (vulgar) drinking heavily; going out for the purpose of drinking heavily; at a slight angle, said of an object that should be vertical
orientate * less common alternative to
orient, deprecated by some as an unnecessary back-formation from
orientationOther ranks members of the military who are not commissioned officers. (US:
enlisted ranks)
oughtn't A contraction of
ought not (US
shouldn't, ought not)
overdraft * money used on a bank account making a debit balance; the amount of the debit balance, an 'overdraft facility' is permission from a bank to draw to a certain debit balance.
overleaf * on the other side of the page (US:
reverse)
owt anything. Northern English. "Why aren't you saying owt?" See also 'nowt' - as in the phrase "can't get owt for nowt" meaning "can't get anything for nothing."
oySee "oi".
P45 a form issued upon severance of employment stating an employee's tax code. (US:
pink slip) The idiom
to get your P45 is often used in Britain as a metonym for being fired or RIF'd. The alternate phrases
to get your cards, or
get your books are often used - dependent on region.
package holiday a holiday whose transport, accommodation, itinerary etc. is organised by a travel company (US and UK less frequently:
package tour). Cf
holiday [DM]
Page Three a feature found in some
tabloid newspapers consisting of a large photograph of a topless female
glamour modelPaki a Pakistani person; often loosely applied to anyone from
South Asia, or of perceived
South Asian origin. Now considered racist.
Paki shop a newsagent or general corner shop run by a person of Pakistani or other South Asian origin. No longer considered an acceptable term; edited out of repeat showings of an episode of
Only Fools and Horses. Not to be confused with "packie", used in some areas of the US such as New England, short for "package store", meaning "liquor store". As with some other terms (cf.
fanny pack), this is a case where innocent US use of a term may be unintentionally offensive in the UK.
panda car (informal) police car. Small police car used for transport, as opposed to a patrol or area car (analogous to US:
black-and-white) Derives from a period in the 1970s when UK police cars resembled those of their US counterparts, only with blue replacing black.
paper round (the job of making) a regular series of newspaper deliveries (US:
paper route)
paraffin keroseneparacetamol a common and widely available drug for the treatment of headaches, fever and other minor aches and pains (US:
acetaminophen,
Tylenol)
parkie (informal) park-keeper
parky (informal) cold, usually used in reference to the weather
pasty, Cornish pasty hard pastry case filled with meat and vegetables served as a main course, particularly in Cornwall and in the north of England
pear-shaped usually in the phrase "to go pear-shaped", meaning to go drastically or dramatically wrong (possibly from the idea of a ball deflating). cf
tits-uppeckish * moderately hungry (usage dated in US)
peeler in Northern Ireland, colloquial word for 'policeman' Similar to 'bobby', q.v.
pelican crossing pedestrian crossing with traffic lights operated by pedestrians (formed from
Pedestrian
Light-
Controlled)
people mover or people carrier a
minivan or other passenger van
pernickety fastidious, precise or over-precise (US:
persnickety)
Perspex * Trade name for Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), a transparent thermoplastic sometimes called "acrylic glass" (US:
Plexiglass®; earlier form dated in the US)
petrol refined mixture of hydrocarbons, used esp. to fuel motor vehicles (short for
petroleum spirit, or from French
essence de pétrole) (US:
gasoline,
gas). Also variously known as
motor spirit (old-fashioned),
motor gasoline,
mogas,
aviation gasoline and
avgas (the last two being a slightly heavier type designed for light aircraft)
petrol-head, petrolhead someone with a strong interest in cars (especially high performance cars) and motor racing (US:
gearhead or
motorhead).
phone box payphone, public phone. See also "telephone kiosk" (
infra) (US:
phone booth)
pikey a pejorative slang term, used originally to refer to Irish Travellers. Now refers to anyone whose lifestyle is characterised by itinerancy, theft, illicit land occupancy with destruction of amenities, and disregard for authority, without reference to ethnic or national origin.
pillar box box in the street for receiving outgoing mail, in Britain traditionally in the form of a free-standing red pillar; also called
postbox or, less commonly,
letter box (US:
mailbox)See also
Pillar box (film): an aspect ratio named for a supposed resemblance to the dimensions of the slot found on a pillar box.
pillar-box red the traditional bright red colour of a British pillar box (US:
fire engine red or
candy apple red)pillock (slang, derogatory) foolish person, used esp. in northern England but also common elsewhere. Derived from the Northern English term
pillicock, a dialect term for penis, although the connection is rarely made in general use.
pinch * to steal.
pisshead (vulgar) someone who regularly gets heavily drunk (cf. BrE meaning of
pissed).
pissing it down [with rain] (slang, mildly vulgar) raining very hard (sometimes "pissing down" is used in the US, as in "It's pissing down out there.") Also "pissing it down the drain" or "pissing it away" * meaning to waste something.
pitch playing field
plait * braid, as in hair
plaster Band-Aidplasterboard Drywallpleb (derogatory) person of lower class *, from plebs; similar to townie. Also commonly used to mean idiot.
plectrum (US and UK:
guitar pick)
plimsoll a type of shoe with a canvas upper and rubber sole, formerly the typical gym shoe used in schools. Now superseded by "trainer". (US:
sneaker or
Tennis shoe)
plod policeman - from PC Plod in
Enid Blyton's
Noddy books.
plonk a disparaging term for cheap wine, especially cheap red wine, is now widely known in the UK and also to a lesser extent in the USA. Derives from French vin blanc and came into English use on the western front in
World War I.
plonker (very mildly derogatory) fool *. Used esp. in the south-east of England, although not unknown elsewhere (probably popularised in the rest of the UK by
Only Fools and Horses). Derived from a slang term for penis, and sometimes used in this fashion,
e.g. "Are you pulling my plonker?" (to express disbelief) (US var: "Are you yanking my chain?")
points (n.) mechanical crossover on a railway, (US:
switch), hence the term "points failure" is a very common cause of delays on railways and the London Underground.
ponce (n.) (slang) someone with overly affected airs and graces; an effeminate posturing man; a pimp. Originates from Maltese slang. (related US:
poncey)
(v.) (slang) to act like a pimp; to cadge, to borrow with little or no intention of returning, often openly so ("Can I ponce a ciggie off you, mate?")
ponce about/around (v.) (slang) to act like a fop, to wander about aimlessly without achieving anything
ponce off (v.) (slang) to mooch, to hit up, to leave in a pompous manner
pong(n.) (slang) a strong unpleasant smell;
(v.) to give off a strong unpleasant smell;
(adj.) pongy
poof, poofter (derogatory) a male homosexual (US equivalent:
fag,
faggot)
pouffe, poof, poove A small drum-shaped soft furnishing used as a foot rest (related US:
hassock,
Ottoman)
porky(ies) slang for a lie or lying, from rhyming slang "pork pies" = "lies"
postage and packing, P&P charge for said services (US:
shipping and handling,
S&H; the word
postage is, however, used in both dialects)
postal order a money order designed to be sent through the post, issued by the UK Post Office (US:
money order, or
postal money order if the context is ambiguous)
postbox, post box box in the street for receiving outgoing mail (US:
mailbox; drop box); see also letter box, pillar box
postcode alphanumeric code used to identify an address, part of a UK-wide scheme. (US equivalent:
ZIP Code)
poste restante service whereby mail is retained at a post office for collection by the recipient (from French) (US:
general delivery)
postie (informal)
postmanpound shop (US:
dollar store)
poxy (slang) something that is unsatisfactory or in generally bad condition.
prang (slang) to crash a motor vehicle with generally minor damage (US:
fender bender)
pram, perambulator wheeled conveyance for babies (US:
baby-carriage)
prat * (slang) an incompetent or ineffectual person, a fool, an idiot
press-up a conditioning exercise in which one lies prone and then pushes oneself up by the arms (outside Britain:
push-up)
pritt-stickglue stick, from the trademark of a common brand.
proper * Real or very much something. "He's a proper hero" (US: "He's a real hero")
provisional licence, provisional driving licence a licence for a learner driver, who has not yet passed a driving test (US:
learner's permit)
pub short for public house (US:
bar)
publican the landlord of a public house.
pud (informal) short for "
pudding", which may mean dessert or occasionally a savoury item such as
Yorkshire pudding or
black pudding; a fool (informal term usually used good-naturedly between family members).
pulling his pud, means male
masturbation.
pukka legitimate, the real thing, of good quality (usually Southeastern England term, recently more widely popularised by
Jamie Oliver, but dating back to the 19th century). From Hindi-Urdu .
punch-up a fistfight
puncture (n.) A flat tire on a vehicle, as in "I had a puncture on my bicycle".
punnet small basket for fruit, usually strawberries
punter customer or user of services (more specifically, of businesses which "rip off" the customer). Occasionally refers to a speculator, bettor, or gambler, or a customer of a prostitute.
pushbike (informal) bicycle (pre-dates modern safety bicycle q.v.
velocipede)
pushchair forward-facing baby carriage (US:
stroller)
quango quasi-
autonomous
non-
governmental
organisation. A semi-public (supposedly non-governmental) advisory or administrative body funded by the taxpayer, often having most of its members appointed by the government, and carrying out government policy.
quaver a musical note with the duration of one half-count in a time signature of 4/4 (US:
eighth note). Also compound nouns semiquaver (US:
sixteenth note), demisemiquaver (US:
thirty-second note), hemidemisemiquaver (US:
sixty-fourth note); see note value).
quid (informal) the
pound sterling monetary unit; remains
quid in plural form ("Can I borrow ten quid?") (similar to US
buck, meaning dollar)
quids in (informal) a financially positive end to a transaction or venture "After all that, we'll be quids in!" (US:
money ahead)
quieten used in the phrase "quieten down" (US:
quiet down)
queue The other word for "line".
randy (informal) having sexual desire, (now more common in the US because of the
Austin Powers franchise) (US:
horny)
ranker an enlisted soldier or airman or (more rarely) a commissioned officer who has been promoted from enlisted status ("the ranks"*)
rashers *cuts of bacon
rat-arsed (slang) extremely drunk (similar to US
shit-faced)
recce (informal) reconnoître, reconnaissance (pronounced
recky) (US:
recon)
recorded delivery certified mail (No longer in official use: replaced by "signed for on delivery".)
Red top sensational
tabloid newspaperreel of cotton in the US is
spool of threadRegister Office, Registry Office official office where
births,
marriages,
civil partnerships and
deaths are recorded; usu. refers to local Register Office (in each town or locality).
General Register Office is the relevant government department. In England and Wales until 2001, almost all civil (non-church) marriages took place in the local Register Office; different laws apply in Scotland and N. Ireland. "Register Office" is the correct legal term, but "registry office" is in common informal use. (US:
Office of Vital Statistics)
Release on Licence a term for
parole in England and Wales
retail park an out-of-town shopping complex populated mainly by large format stores, one of which is typically a supermarket. (US:
power center or
strip mall are roughly equivalent)
return A ticket that is valid for travel to a destination and back. A round-trip ticket.
road-works upgrade or repairs of roads (US:
construction;
roadwork [singular])
rocket (eruca sativa) leafy, green
vegetable used in salads and sandwiches, (US: arugula)
rock hard candy in cylindrical form often sold at holiday locations and made so that the location's name appears on the end even when broken. (US: no exact equivalent, but similar to a candy cane)
rodgering (vulgar) to engage in a sexual act, or suggest it. e.g.: "I'd give her a good rodgering!"
ropey (informal) chancy; of poor quality; uncertain (see dodgy). Can also mean unwell when used in the form
to feel ropeyrow * a heated noisy argument (rhymes with cow)
reverse charge call a telephone call for which the recipient pays (US and UK also:
collect call); also
v. to reverse [the] charge[s] *, to make such a call (dated in US, used in the 1934 American film
It Happened One Night – US usually:
to call collect)
rota a roll call or roster of names, or round or rotation of duties
(the) rozzers (rare slang) Police ("Quick, the rozzers! Scarper!") – possibly from
Robert Peel, who also gave his name to two other slang terms for the police:
peelers (archaic) and
bobbies (becoming old-fashioned).
rubber a pencil eraser (US:
eraser. The word
eraser is additionally used in the US to refer to a blackboard eraser. "Rubber" in the US is a slang term for a condom.)
rubbish * worthless, unwanted material that is rejected or thrown out; debris; litter (US: trash, garbage)
rucksack *a backpack.
rug muncher lesbian.
rumpy pumpy sexual intercourse, used jokingly. (Popularised in England by its usage in
The Black Adder and subsequent series; the suggestion of actor
Alex Norton of a Scots term.)
saloona four-door car (US
sedan)
sandwich cake or sandwich(US:
layer cake)
sarky (informal) sarcastic (abbrev.) "Why are you being so sarky?" (US:
snarky)
sarnie, sarny, sannie (informal) sandwich (abbrev.)
sat nav GPS, from
satellite navigationscouser a person from Liverpool, or the adjective
scouse to describe anything or anyone from either Liverpool or
Merseyside.
scran (informal) food
screw * a prison guard
scrubber a lower class, (usually young) woman of low morals
scrumpy cloudy
cider, often high in alcoholic content
scrumping action of stealing apples from an orchard; also
v. to scrumpself-raising flour self-rising flour
secateurs gardening tool for pruning plants (US:
garden shears, pruners or
clippers)
secondment (/sɪˈkɒndmənt/) the assignment of a person from his or her regular organisation to temporary assignment elsewhere. From v. second (/sɪˈkɒnd/)
selling-out shop A North English form of
off-licence (US
liquor store)
Sellotape transparent adhesive tape, from the trademark Cellophane (US
Scotch tape)
semibreve a musical note with the duration of four counts in a time signature of 4/4 (US:
whole note; see Note value)
send to Coventryostracize, shun (US:
send to Siberia, vote off the island)
serviette (from French) table napkin [DM]. Regarded as a non-U word, but widely used by non-U people. Frequently encountered in
Canada.
shafted broken beyond repair - can also be used to describe extreme exhaustion. Also cheated, ripped off: he got shafted
shag To have sexual intercourse
shandy * a drink consisting of lager or beer mixed with a soft drink, originally ginger beer but now more usually lemonade, in near equal parts.
shanks's pony on foot, walking – as in "The car's broken down, so it's shanks's pony I'm afraid".
shan't A contraction of
shall not, considered archaic in American English (US and UK also:
won't). Rarely used in Scotland.
shirtlifter homosexual.
shite (vulgar) variant of
shitshopping trolley A cart supplied by a business for use by customers for transport of merchandise to the checkout counter during shopping. (US:
shopping cart)
sixes and sevens crazy, muddled (usually in the phrase "at sixes and sevens"). From the London Livery Company order of precedence, in which position 6 is claimed by both the
Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors and the
Worshipful Company of Skinners.
skew-whiff skewed, uneven, not straight
skint (informal) out of money (US:
broke)
skip industrial rubbish bin (US:
dumpster)
skirting board a wooden board covering the lowest part of an interior wall (US:
baseboard)
skive [off] (informal) to sneak off, avoid work; to play truant (US:
play hookey)
slag * a promiscuous woman
slag off * to badmouth; speak badly of someone, usually behind their back
slaphead (informal) bald man
slapper a promiscuous woman
sleeping partner a partner in business, often an investor, who is not visibly involved in running the enterprise (US:
silent partner)
sleeping policeman mound built into a road to slow down vehicles (UK also:
hump [DM]; US & UK also:
speed bump)
slip road (US:
entrance ramp/onramp or
exit ramp/offramp)
slippy (slang) smooth, wet, with no friction or traction to grip something (US:
slippery)
slowcoach (slang) a slow person (US:
slowpoke)
smalls underclothing, underwear, particularly underpants
smart dressformal attire
smeghead (slang) idiot; a general term of abuse, from
Red Dwarf.
snog (slang) a 'French kiss' or to kiss with tongues (US [DM]: deep kiss, not necessarily with tongues)
soap dodger one who is thought to lack personal hygiene
sod off (vulgar, moderately offensive) go away; get lost
solicitor lawyer, legal representative (US:
attorney)
spacker, spacky, spazmo (vulgar, offensive to many) idiot, general term of abuse: from "Spastic", referring in England almost exclusively (when not used as an insult) to a person suffering from cerebral palsy. (variant forms
spaz/
spastic, are used in American English) See also
Joey.
spanner (US:
wrench)(slang) an idiot, a contemptible person (US: a less pejorative synonym for
tool.) "He's as stupid as a bag of spanners." (US var.: "He's dumber than a bag of hammers".)
spawny lucky
spiffing (informal) very good (old-fashioned, or consciously used as old-fashioned, associated stereotypically with upper-class people) (US:
spiffy)
spiv a dealer in black market goods (during
World War II). The term
wide boy is also often used in the same sense
spliff * (slang) a hand-rolled cigarette containing a mixture of marijuana and
tobacco, also 'a joint.' (Also used in US,
j or
blunt more widely used
spotted dick an English steamed suet pudding containing dried fruit (usually currants) commonly served with custard.
squaddie (informal) a non-commissioned soldier (US:
grunt)
squadron leader an Air Force officer rank (US:
major)
squidgy (informal) soft and soggy (US:
squishy)
squiffy (informal) intoxicated (popularly but probably erroneously said to be from British Prime Minister (Herbert) Asquith, a noted imbiber). The word can also be synonymous with skew-whiff.
squiz (rare) look, most often used in the form
to have a squiz at...stamp (slang) National Insurance payments (e.g.:
I have not paid enough stamps to get my full state pension)
sticky-backed plastic large sheet of thin, soft, coloured plastic that is sticky on one side; generic term popularised by craft segments on the children's TV show
Blue Peter (US similar:
contact paper)
sticky wicket a difficult situation, originating from
cricketstockist a seller (as a retailer) that stocks merchandise of a particular type, usually a specified brand or model (US:
dealer)
stone the crows exclamation of surprise (US
holy cow, holy mother of pearl)
straight away immediately (sometimes used in the US; also
right away)
stroke to move your hand slowly and gently over something e.g. stroke a dog. (US:
pet)
strop (informal) bad mood or temper
stroppy, to have a strop on (informal) recalcitrant, in a bad mood or temper
sun cream sunscreensuck it and see to undertake a course of action without knowing its full consequences (US: take your chances)
suss [out] * (informal) to figure out (from suspicion)
suspender belta ladies' undergarment to hold up stockings (US: garter belt)
swot 1.
v. to study for an exam (US
cram)2.
n. (derogatory) aloof and unpopular schoolchild or student who studies to excess
sweets the same term for candy in US
sweet FA (slang) nothing (from "
Sweet Fanny Adams", alternative: "Sweet Fuck All"), "I know sweet FA about cars!" (US:
jack shit)
swimming costumeswimsuit or bathing suit; also
cozzy for short.
ta (informal) thank you
Taff, Taffy moderately offensive nickname for a Welshman
takeaway food outlet where you can order food to go (or be delivered) (not usually applied to fast food chains). Usage: "we had a takeaway for dinner", "we went to the local takeaway". [DM]; (US:
takeout)
take the piss (vulgar) / take the mickey(slang) to make fun of somebody or something; to act in a non-serious manner about something important. Can also mean to transgress beyond what are perceived as acceptable bounds, or to treat with perceived contempt
takings * receipts of money
Tannoy loudspeaker (a proprietary brand name), public address system
tapping up in professional team sport, attempting to persuade a player contracted to one team to transfer to another team without the knowledge or permission of the player's current team (US: "tampering")
ta-ra! (informal, friendly) exclamation of farewell (similar to 'seeya!' and 'cheerio!' (above)). Originally from Merseyside (see Scouser, above)
telephone kiosk payphone, public phone. See also "phone box" (
supra) (US:
phone booth)
tea towel a cloth which is used to dry dishes, cutlery, etc., after they have been washed. (US:
dish towel)
telerecording a recording of a live
television broadcast made directly from a cathode ray tube onto motion picture film. The equivalent US term is
kinescope.
telly (informal) television
tenner ten pound note
Territoriala member of the Territorial Army (US:
Army Reserve)
tetchy * irascible
thickie person of low intelligence.
throw a wobbly (informal) to lose one's temper, throw a tantrum
thruppennies (rhyming slang) breasts/tits (from
thrupenny bits, obsolete British coin)
tinned canned as in "tinned soup" or "a tin of tuna"
tip a dump or to throw something away
Tipp-Ex white tape or liquid used to make corrections of ink on paper (US:
Wite-Out)
tipping [it] down raining hard
titchy very small; tiny (from
tich or
titch a small person, from
Little Tich, the stage name of Harry Relph (1867–1928), English actor noted for his small stature)
titfer (rhyming slang) hat (from
tit-for-tat)
[go] tits up (mildly vulgar) to suddenly go wrong (literally, to fall over. US:
go belly up). cf
pear-shaped (appears in the US mainly as military jargon, sometimes sanitized to "tango uniform")
toad-in-the-hole batter-baked sausages, sausages baked in Yorkshire Pudding
toff (slang) member of the upper classes
toffee apple a sugar-glazed apple on a stick eaten esp. on
Guy Fawkes Night and Hallowe'en (US:
caramel apple or
candy apple)
toffee-nosed anti-social in a pretentious way, stuck up
Tommy Atkins, Tommy common term for a British soldier, particularly associated with
World War Itonk (informal) to hit hard, sometimes used in cricket to describe a substantial boundary shot: "he tonked it for six". In Southern England can also mean
muscular. (US:
ripped or
buff).
torch flashlight
tosser * (slang) Largely equivalent to "wanker" but less offensive; has the same literal meaning, i.e. one who masturbates ("tosses off"). (US:
jerk).
tosspot (colloquial, archaic) a drunkard; also used in the sense of "tosser".
totty (informal, offensive to some) sexually alluring woman or women (more recently, also applied to males). Originally a term for a prostitute in the late 19th century.
tout * usually in the context "ticket tout"; to re-sell tickets, usually to a live event. Verb: to tout, touting. Ticket touts can usually be seen outside a venue prior to the beginning of the event, selling tickets (which may well be fake) cash-in-hand. Known as scalping in the US.
tower block high rise public housing building. In recent years the US term
apartment building has become fashionable to create the distinction between stigmatised public housing projects, and towers built to contain desirable private accommodation. Equally the US word
condominium could also be applied to a tower block.
Trading Standards local government departments responsible for enforcing laws regulating the conduct of businesses.
trainers training shoes, athletic shoes. (US:
sneakers).
transit, transit van generic name for a full size
panel van, based on the
Ford vehicle of the same name, which in Britain dominates the market for such vehicles.
transport cafe (sometimes "caff") roadside diner on a highway used primarily by lorry (truck) drivers (US:
truckstop)
treacle refined black sugar syrup (US:
molasses)
truncheon * a police officer's weapon (US:
nightstick or
billy)
tuppence two pence, also infantile euphemism for vagina. cf
twopenn'orthtuppenny-ha'penny cheap, substandard
turf accountant bookmaker for horse races (US and UK:
bookie)
turn-indicator direction-indicator light on a vehicle (US:
turn signal)
turning A place where you can turn off a road. Not generally used where the turn would take you onto a more major road or for a crossroads. (US:
turn). "drive past the post-office and you'll see a small turning to the right, which leads directly to our farm"
turn-upsan arrangement at the bottom of trouser-legs whereby a deep hem is made, and the material is doubled-back to provide a trough around the external portion of the bottom of the leg. (US:
cuffs)
twee * excessively cute, quaint, or 'precious' (Similar to US
cutesy)
twopenn'orth, tuppenn'orth, tup'en'oth one's opinion (tuppenn'orth is literally "two pennies worth" or "two pence worth", depending on usage); (US equivalent:
two cents' worth, two cents). cf
tuppenceuni short for
university, used much like US
collegeup himself (informal) someone who is stand-offish, stuck-up, snobby. "He's a bit up himself." Euphemistic variation of
up his own arse. (US:
snotty)
up sticks (US:
pull up stakes)
veg shortened form of vegetable or vegetables.
verger (virger, in some churches) someone who carries the verge or other emblem of authority before a scholastic, legal, or religious dignitary in a procession; someone who takes care of the interior of a church and acts as an attendant during ceremonies.
verruca a wart which occurs on one's foot. (US:
plantar wart)
WAG "wives and girlfriends", typically in reference to the
significant others of
footballers (US
soccer players).
wage packet weekly employee payment, usually cash (US
paycheck)
wally (informal) a mild form of idiot or fool (US
dummy)
wanker (offensive) a
masturbator, used generally as a term of abuse in the fashion of the US
jack off or
jerk off.
WC a "water closet", a loo, a public or private toilet without a bath (US
bathroom or
restroom)
washing-up liquidliquid
detergent used for washing dishes (US
dishwashing detergent or
liquid,
dish soap)
wazzock an idiot, popularised (at least in Southern England) by the 1981 song "Capstick Comes Home" by
Tony Capstick, originated and historically more common in Northern England
wellextremely, very. "He's well rich" (US "He's way rich")
Wellingtons, wellies Wellington boots, waterproof rubber boots named after the
Duke of Wellington.
welly (informal) effort (e.g.: "Give it some welly" to mean "put a bit of effort into an attempt to do something" US:
elbow grease (also UK),
oomph); also the singular of "wellies", for Wellington boots (US:
gumboots,
rubber boots)
What ho! (interj.) Hello! (warmly)
whilst A more restricted form of "while" which cannot be used as a noun, verb, or preposition. In the US, "whilst" is old-fashioned and pretentious to the point where it is now only appropriate for creating a dated effect, as in
historical fiction.
whinge (informal) complain, whine, especially repeated complaining about minor things (e.g. "Stop whingeing" meaning "stop complaining"); cognate with
whine, originated in Scottish and Northern English in the 12th century. Hence
whinger (derogatory), someone who complains a lot.
whip-round an impromptu collection of money. (Uk and US:
pass the hat round)
white coffee coffee with milk or cream.
white pudding oat and fat sausage often eaten at
breakfast, common in Ireland and Scotland
wide boy see
spiv, above
windbreaker a series of small connected screens designed to break the wind at the beach, staked into the sand by wooden poles usually with the aid of a rubber mallet
windscreen (US:
windshield)
wing commander an Air Force officer rank (US:
lieutenant-colonel)
wing mirrors the external mirrors on a vehicle – though no longer normally attached to the 'wings' (US:
fenders) but to the doors (US:
sideview mirrors,
side mirrors)
winkle (slang) childish term for a penis (US:
winkie)
witter (informal) to continue to talk trivially about a subject long after the audience's interest has gone (assuming there was any interest in the first place). "He wittered on."
wobbler, wobbly (to have or to throw)(informal) tantrum
write-off * when cost of repair of a damaged asset (usually a car) is not feasible or exceeds its insurance value (US:
total loss,
totalled) Is also used formally in the context of accounting.
wog (offensive, term of abuse) member of an ethnic minority. The word can refer to a wide variety of non-Europeans, including Arabs, sub-Saharans (and those of sub-Saharan descent), Iranians, and Turks.
Y-frontsmen's
briefs with an inverted-Y-shaped frontal flap; originally a trademark (US:
jockey shorts/briefs; US slang:
tighty-whiteys)
yob, yobbo lout, young troublemaker (origin:
boy spelt backwards)
yomp to move on foot across rough terrain carrying heavy amounts of equipment and supplies without mechanised support (Royal Marines slang popularised by the
Falklands War of 1982, army equivalent is to tab). Also used informally for any walk across rough ground.
yonks a long time, ages. "I've not seen her for yonks." (colloquial)
zed last letter of the alphabet, pronounced "zee" in
United Stateszebra crossing (US:
crosswalk)
Zimmer, Zimmer frame a genericized trademark term for a
walking frame, from the American firm Zimmer Holdings. (US, colloquially:
walker)
