As promised several times to several people, here’s a list of all the strange British slang I’ve heard since I’ve been here. My favourites are in bold.
| British | Canadian | British | Canadian |
|---|---|---|---|
| lift | elevator | tube | subway |
| lorie | truck | people mover | van |
| bonnet | hood | boot | trunk |
| petrol | gas | pram | stroller |
| prat/twat/ wanker/tosser |
prick/looser/jerk | towny/yob/nav/chav | social underclass (redneck?) |
| bloke | manly guy | bird | girl |
| chum | friend | ||
| post | diary | day timer | |
| cash point | ATM | plaster | band-aid |
| hoover | vacuum cleaner | fag | cigarette |
| flat | apartment | rubbish | garbage |
| fit | good looking (like fine) |
snog | make out |
| pull | pick up | knackered | tired |
| dodgy | sketchy | barmy | crazy |
| jumper | sweater | pants | underwear |
| trousers | pants | ||
| aubergine | eggplant | courgette | zucchini |
| lemonaide | Sprite / 7 Up | marrow (from Wallace & Gromit) |
squash |
| High Street | Main Street | zebra crossing | crosswalk |
| bog standard | normal / standard | football | soccer |
| shrapnel | loose change | nil / naught | zero |
| alight | come to the surface (from the tube) |
bespoke | custom |
| bung | throw | queue | line up |
| bollocks | balls / nuts | dog’s bollocks | really good |
| cheers | thanks | cheeky | smart ass |
| taking the piss |
poking fun |
Chum, this is dog’s bollocks!
It’s barmy how many expressions these blokes have.
Well, I have to put on some trousers and a jumper and leave this sketchy neighborhood for High Street.
Cheers.
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Sketchy? It’s dodgy! Get it right, you twat!
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hehe, I recognize a quite a few from Harry Potter. Two other ones I noticed when I saw Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (three times):
chat up line – pickup line?
fancy dress party – costume party?
feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
Gilad
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