Britishisms—another post

[iris lilies]

I checked all threads here and it’s been many years since we’ve had an entire thread devoted to British sayings. So I’m starting a new one because I’m running into so many of them.

I’m watching a wonderful show on interior design set in great Britain. It is called The Great Interior Design Challenge. It has three non-professional people who want to be interior designers and gives them a budget of 1000 pounds and has them update a room in competition with each other. Each of them gets their own room to renovate.


What’s great about this is it all of the rooms are in very very interesting historic properties.

So they’re using the word “bespoke” in every episode.You know, I read a lot of British novels or at least I read in the past a fair number of them and that word is one I’ve only heard once or twice and I had no idea that it meant custom-made. Or Do It Yourself.


So just now I heard yet another British phrase on the show that I had never heard before called “pipped to the Post” . This apparently means narrowly defeated.

[Tradd]

IL - that’s brilliant. XX

:D

[Alan]

I'm bloody well chuffed to bits at the opportunity to hear more.

[JaneV2.0]

I'm partial to "whilst," myself...

[iris lilies]

Currently I am besotted with the word “mental” as in “Are you MENTAL???!!” Meaning crazy.

The show is so great, wish I had seen it earlier on
Netflix. It is the best home decor show I have ever seen. While it is true that the designers get only a tiny budget and three days to do their job and that always is very limiting in quality of work, it is also true that there are bits of architectural history thrown in that are wonderful.

I winced when one chick pulled off original Victorian wainscoting in order to put up – her idea of townhouse paneling. Their architectural advisor commented lady, you have Victorian paneling why are you putting up another version of it? I hate it when they painted the beautiful pine floors, floors that were 300 - 400 years old. This hurts my heart. Someone with a bigger budget would have bought a nice rug and left gorgeous original floors alone.


But this made me laugh: in one of the shows where they renovated beach huts in a tiny perfect seaside town, one of the designers used as her inspiration something that was “New England. “. You know, I just could not grok this. Here they are in the motherland, olde England, And they are using the new cheap copy as their inspiration? Duh.

[rosarugosa]

Currently I am besotted with the word “mental” as in “Are you MENTAL???!!” Meaning crazy.
But this made me laugh: in one of the shows where they renovated beach huts in a tiny perfect seaside town, one of the designers used as her inspiration something that was “New England. “. You know, I just could not grok this. Here they are in the motherland, olde England, And they are using the new cheap copy as their inspiration? Duh.

Hey wait a minute! Not a "cheap copy," but rather the improved version! :cool:

[Tybee]

Bob's your uncle!

[pony mom]

Cheeky monkey

Feeling peckish (use that one all the time)

Keep your hair on

Sorry (instead of "excuse me" or "What?"

[dado potato]

Early in the morning I sometimes listen to Bloomberg Radio, originating from London.

When the Brit reader speaks of a decimal point, it's "spot".

I thank the Brits for "knees-up": a social gathering.

Knees up, Mother Brown,
Knees up, Mother Brown,
Knees up, Knees up!
Never let them breeze up.
Knees up, Mother Brown.

[iris lilies]

Cheeky monkey

Feeling peckish (use that one all the time)

Keep your hair on

Sorry (instead of "excuse me" or "What?"

“feeling peckish” always makes me smile

[ToomuchStuff]

Bollocks, I think I need to hop the pond, hit a boot sale, and see if I can obtain an English to English dictionary.

[SteveinMN]

We actually just got back from a few days vacationing in London. First time for me. Fascinating. The Britishism I want to adopt is the word "faff" -- used instead of nonsense. "Get <whatever the product> without all the faff!" I'm determined to work that word into my vocabulary. Very useful.

[LDAHL]

I always liked “pillock”.

[Sad Eyed Lady]

I always liked “pillock”.

Reminds me of all the episodes DH & I watched of "Last of the Summer Wine". Someone was always "a right pillock".

[catherine]

British, but not English. Some of the things my Scottish MIL would say that I have appropriated from time to time:

"uxters" for armpits
"He's up to high doh" meaning very excited/agitated
"hale heeded" ("whole headed") meaning not broken up. "I kept my wedding china hale heeded rather than selling them piecemeal."
"greet" for cry
"messages" for groceries
"line" for receipt
"flit" for taking off [usually without paying]
"tattle" for potato
"wain" for child

This post made me smile and a little sad, remembering my "mam"

[JaneV2.0]

"Barking mad."

[KayLR]

My granddaughter (9) is the queen of "giving someone the north and south." That is, looking at someone up and down, askance-like.

[gimmethesimplelife]

We actually just got back from a few days vacationing in London. First time for me. Fascinating. The Britishism I want to adopt is the word "faff" -- used instead of nonsense. "Get <whatever the product> without all the faff!" I'm determined to work that word into my vocabulary. Very useful.I like how that word sounds! Just very classy somehow. Rob

[IshbelRobertson]

British, but not English. Some of the things my Scottish MIL would say that I have appropriated from time to time:

"uxters" for armpits
"He's up to high doh" meaning very excited/agitated
"hale heeded" ("whole headed") meaning not broken up. "I kept my wedding china hale heeded rather than selling them piecemeal."
"greet" for cry
"messages" for groceries
"line" for receipt
"flit" for taking off [usually without paying]
"tattle" for potato
"wain" for child

This post made me smile and a little sad, remembering my "mam"
You have a good memory, Catherine! I don’t know whether it was your MiL’s accent, bit those words are Oxters and Tatties!

Other UK (mostly Scots) words/sayings

Stank. The grid in the gutter for rainwater
NED. Non-Educated Delinquent. Same as an English Chav
Bashed neeps and chappit tatties. mashed Turnips, aka Swede or rutabaga and mashed potatoes, often served as accompaniments to haggis
Hogmanay. The Scottish celebration of New Year’s Eve (which tends to last for days)

[Tiam]

Cheeky monkey

Feeling peckish (use that one all the time)

Keep your hair on

Sorry (instead of "excuse me" or "What?"

Is "Keep your hair on" really a britishism? Hmmm..I also say "Sorry" in that way.