Tuesday, December 5, 2006
TODAY'S BRITISH WORD OF THE DAY, UNFORTUNATELY, IS: LURGY!
If you are American (or watched a lot of US kids' TV like me) I am sure you will know what the word 'cooties' means. Lurgy is the British equivalent. It is pronounced with a hard 'G' and ryhmes with 'birdy' (kind of). As a child I would run in a mad frenzy around the playground with my friends...
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Friday, December 1, 2006
TODAY'S BRITISH WORD OF THE DAY, SUITABLY, IS: PLASTERED!
The word plastered in British colloquialism has nothing to do with decorating houses. It means to be absolutely drunk out of your mind! Totally wasted. I've just had the most boring Friday afternoon. Journalists might as well not come back to work on Friday afternoons because you can never get...
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Thursday, November 30, 2006
BUTCHERS! AND IT'S NOTHING TO DO WITH MEAT
Obviously in its original form, the word 'butchers' refers to a meat-vending outlet. Pretty disgusting smelling places full of blood and raw meat. But in certain areas - mostly around the East End of London - it has a very different meaning. To have a butcher's means to have a look. This is the...
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Wednesday, November 29, 2006
WELLY!
No, I'm not talking about wellington boots. Although this post was inspired by a very stylish pair of wellington boots (galloshes) that I saw in a shoe shop today. They were leopard print. I nearly bought them! The word welly has two meanings in Britain. The first is the abbreviation of wellington...
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Friday, November 17, 2006
TODAY'S BRITISH PHRASE OF THE DAY IS: SOD ALL!
Last Friday, I bought you the phrase 'knees up' in preparation for the big party I was going to have when I won the lottery. Well, my wishful thinking didn't pay off last week (literally) so I'm going for a different tactic today. Yes, I have bought another ticket. Clearly I haven't learnt my lesson...
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Tuesday, November 14, 2006
TODAY'S BRITISH WORD IS: KIP! DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS?
Well, if the answer is no, let me enlighten you, because I feel like I need a kip right about now. A kip is like a nap. Although it can be used as a replacement for the verb 'to sleep'. Common ways of using the word kip: "I'm so tired. I didn't get much kip last night." "I feel wonderful today. I...
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Friday, November 10, 2006
IN HONOUR OF MY IMMINENT LOTTERY WINNINGS I BRING YOU THE PHRASE: KNEES UP!
When I win £100million in the lottery tonight (see my other post) I will definitely be planning a 'KNEES UP'. No, I'm not being crude. A knees up here in Britain is a party!! A celebration, a good old get together. For year after, my guests will remember the celebrations of the night I became a...
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Wednesday, November 8, 2006
TODAY'S BRITISH WORD IS IN HONOUR OF GEORGE W BUSH...
Yes, to mark the mid-term elections across the pond I would like to introduce you to the phrase: COCK UP. Some might say that George W Bush has made a bit of a cock up. He has made a big mistake and he is going to regret it. As we would say over here, he has well and truly cocked it up! I won't...
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Tuesday, November 7, 2006
WORD OF THE DAY: JAMMY
Normally I am not jammy, but I just managed to achieve the jammiest feat ever! You will have to visit my other blog to find out why (sorry for the shameless plug) but it inspired me to bring you today's word, which is jammy. If you are jammy, it means you are very very lucky. It means you have got...
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Monday, November 6, 2006
BRITISH WORD OF THE DAY: FAFF
The verb 'to faff' in indispensible in the English language and it is about time it was introduced into your vocabulary. This is a word in common usage in the British Isles, and for a person like me, it is used on a very regular basis. To 'faff' means to take your time, to daudle, to stretch out a...
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