I should do.

seems out of order when first you hear it. or missing the 'it'..got used to it from my english friend , .......Tim?


you know much that is hidden, o' Tim.

[translator]Up the duff, to have one up the duff - to be with child
Three sheets to the wind - to have overimbibed the alcoholic stuff
The dog's bollocks - something very good indeed [/translator]

Oh great, what the hell does Pikey mean?:rolleyes:

Pikey is a Gypsy or more commonly these days a scumbag twat with limited or no education who spends their days getting pissed/stoned and being a general annoyance (trailer trash I suppose)

Three sheets to the wind is an interesting one, it does imply a pissed condition but it dates back to the Royal Navy days when sails needed to be constantly adjusted depending on the wind conditions. If the crew were busy getting pissed below deck instead of seeing to the rigging, then the sails could flap aimlessly in the wind hence the term three sheets to the wind.

Why are Gypsies given such short shift?

It's a British disease, we like to feel permanently superior.


To elaborate, Pikey was originally a London term for Gypsy, but it has recently developed into a generic term for scumbag unfortunately.

Ah! I know that disease well! :lol: we all think we are special, don't we?

Ah, but there's a subtle difference between thinking and knowing.

Ah, thank you. A common term in New England as far back as I can remember. :beer:

That-sproglet-is very, VERY good stuff. May I have the courtesy? Only a true Brit would think in those terms (you must, really, forgive Americans, because they are completly without an inheritant class system, a system you Admirable Brits have cleverly devised and we Yanks have continually ignored)...and continue to follow no matter what. Bully for you.

I think many, many Americans (if I may so present them, bandits as they are) would be only too glad to help you 'remember' the differance betx "thinking" and "knowing"

erm, it's cheating if you are a Brit.... :rolleyes:

Sproglet and Sprogs. Not sure if those terms are used elsewhere. Any Brits remember "Sprog-bashing Day"? Was it just a Northern thing?

I always refer to my offspring as the Sprogs. It words great in the stores/playgrounds -I yell sprogs and they know I mean them, no-one else thinks it means them, no need to waste time saying each name :D

I always thought 'Pikey' referred in particular to Irish gypsies as opposed to Romany gypsies? Maybe that's just how it ended up being used up here in the North.

"Shine on", used to add emphasis to a sentence, or as a mild emphatic statement on its own. "Shine on, I haven't seen one o'them in years".

Do you guys have 'pubcrawls'?

Not sure if Blimey and Crikey are used worldwide - for surprise
and Pants for irritation

Jeanie Mac for surprise/ frustration too, but I suspect that's Irish

I say "Up the stick" for pregnant, if it's to comic effect.

I'll say Cheers when I get off the bus - so it's Goodbye and Thank You combined in that case

Using Trouble affectionately is possibly British too - I'll say to my cats, "What are you up to, Trouble?"

It's actually tricky to work out what is British and what isn't, until someone picks you up on it!

Certainly is. I never realised 'fortnight' was a Britishism