British phrases
 

I love "Bob's your uncle". I picked that up about 15 years ago on a BBS that had a messaging system with other BBSs around the world. Then, just today I ran across "horses for courses".

Neither of these phrases is very common in the US, but they seem just the thing to use in the right context. We've got a number of folks from across the pond, here. What other Britishisms should I know about?

a sticky wicket

I think it has something to do with eating croquettes??

;)

"Don't let's start" -- which I suspect may be northern -- it turned into a very fine They Might Be Giants single.

"Full of beans" -- i.e., hyper

Don't know if this is a Britishism or not: When denoting an event to happen a week on Thursday, "Thursday week".

I am reading a book which is heavy on the cockney slang. I am in awe of the authors ability to even spell it and my ability to even read it.

I went looking for some examples instead of taking excerpts from the book.
I found a site that will translate the internet into slang...so I entered the some Cellar tag lines.

http://www.thevalkyrie.com/clubhouse/cockney/index.htm

A well-organized army of rabbittin' 'eads -sycamore


Post and give yourself yer own reason to return It's all about yer! And yer and yer and yer and me Patiently awaitin' the dot-org bubble As addictive as nicotine, as nutritious as muvver's milk Free wth registration: a bunch of people to rabbit to Trolls, morons and spammers will be shot on sight -undertoad


The Cellar: Where thought provokin' discussion is talked about. The Cellar: Where somebody might agree wiv yer. The Cellar: Because yer 'ave nothin' better to do. -Whit


:lol2: that was fun ......

sorry......I'lll leave now. :o

Definitely a Britism, as is "a week on Thursday". Both are better constructions than our "next Thursday". That inevitably starts a discussion of whether one means the next Thursday to come, which is not "next Thursday" but "this Thursday", until somebody breaks down and figures out the full date. "OK, you mean Thursday the 23rd." "Yes, next Thursday."

We kind of have the same debate sometimes until someone clarifies by saying, "no, I mean Thursday week"......" Ohhh....right, next, next Thursday".

It's more of a term than a phrase, but I've never been certain of the full meaning of "piss artist". (When I was hearing it as a kid, it would have been impolite to ask.)

hehehehehe that term has several meanings. Mainly it refers to somone who is messing about, not taking something seriously. It comes I think, from 'taking the piss'.

Saying "fortnight" instead of "two weeks".

"Pip pip" and "cheerio"

it's lunchtime and I'm feeling a mite peckish.

but first, I need to spend a penny.

How about "innit" or "summat" ...?

and izzit.

I've heard "cheers" to end a phone call. Do folks over there still use cheerio? And did they ever use "Pip pip", or is that a Hollywood thing?