BACK SLANG
PIG LATIN. Strictly speaking it should be written ACKBAY LANGSAY, I suppose!
BACON
BACON. But the range of types of bacon is legion. The closest to the type eaten in the United States is STREAKY. There are types called BACK, LONG-BACK, COLLAR and GAMMON. Most types are available as SMOKED or UN-SMOKED (see GREEN). In the UK, a slice of bacon is referred to as a RASHER.
BAGS (Amount)
BUNCH or LOTS. For example “He’s got bags of money”, or “It’s OK, we’ve got bags of time”.
BAGS (Claim)
DIBS. A British kid will say “Bags I get the top bunk!”, etc.
BANGERS
SAUSAGES. BANGERS AND MASH is a meal of sausages, mashed potatoes and gravy.
BANK HOLIDAY
See HOLIDAY.
BANK OF ENGLAND
The major financial institution in Britain responsible for setting fiscal policy, in much the same way that the Federal Reserve Board does in the US. Situated on Threadneedle Street in the City of London, you may sometimes hear it referred to affectionately as THE OLD LADY OF THREADNEEDLE STREET. (See also CITY)
BAP [ROLL]
HAMBURGER BUN.
BAR (For drinks)
The counter at which you sit or stand and have a drink, or the room in which that bar stands -- but typically not the whole pub. Although a somewhat antiquated system you will often find the various bars in a pub labeled PUBLIC BAR, PRIVATE BAR, SALOON BAR etc, depending on their level of decor and comfort. Some publicans still charge different prices depending on which bar you use. (See PUB)
BARMY
CRAZY or INSANE. Since Britons tend not to pronounce the “r” in a word like this, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate it from the word balmy. Context should make it clear.
BARRISTER
High court LAWYER. (See also SOLICITOR)
BARROW (Geographical)
Ancient British burial ground. These features, also known as tumuli, appear all over Britain as mounds in the earth ranging in size from a few feet to many hundreds of feet across.
BATH
[BATH]TUB. But sometimes used as a verb in place of the word bathe.
BBC ENGLISH
The supposedly “proper” way of speaking English, free of provincial accent, but of course heavily dosed with the more “acceptable” accent of southern England. It is also described as OXFORD ENGLISH -- referring to how somebody of top-level education would speak, or as the KING’S or QUEEN’S ENGLISH.
BEAK (Person) (Slang)
MAGISTRATE.
BEAK (On bird)
BILL. Sometimes referred to as a bill, but more commonly as a beak. Also slang for NOSE.
BEEFBURGER
HAMBURGER PATTY.
BEER
BEER. But, be careful! The story goes that an eminent American once complained that British beer was “...flat, sour and warm.” He was immediately put in his place by an equally eminent Briton who assured him that “It’s not flat, it’s just that we don’t pump it full of all that flavour-destroying gas like you do. It is not sour, it is bitter, and it’s not warm -- we just serve it with the chill off!” Since I first wrote this guide, more than a decade ago, things have changed enormously in the American beer market. We have seen a significant interest develop in micro-brews. Excellent as many of these are, they still, however, represent only about five to ten percent of the beer drunk in the US. Beer aficionados maintain that the other ninety-odd percent is of poor quality and needs the chill firmly in place! In Britain, CASK-CONDITIONED, or REAL ALE is the discerning drinker’s choice. This is put into barrels before the final fermentation is complete, and is neither pasteurized nor cold filtered. British beer is not typically served at room temperature, as a lot of Americans seem to believe, but at cellar temperature, that is 45 to 50 degrees. The varieties of beer that you may find include BITTER [ALE], MILD [ALE], OLD ALE, STOUT and PORTER. If you really can’t stand the British beer, just ask for a LAGER, which is the German style of beer on which mass produced American brews are based -- though the family resemblance is sometimes difficult to detect!
Incidentally, although most beer drinkers consider that British beer has more flavour—more malty, especially—the common-or-garden bitter you might find in the local pub has less of a kick. Budweiser, for example has 5% alcohol by volume, whereas the local bitter is probably more like 3.5%. That means a 20oz pint doesn't contain much more alcohol than a 12oz can of Bud. Beware though; there are many strong bitters around and most of the lagers are at least as strong as Budweiser.
BEER MAT
COASTER in a pub. (See PUB)
BEETLE (Volkswagen)
BUG.
BEETROOT
BEETS.
BELISHA BEACON
Lighted orange ball on top of a black and white striped post, indicating to drivers and pedestrians the presence of a pedestrian crossing. The name comes from Hore-Belisha, the Minister of Transport in the 30s, when the system was first introduced. (See also ZEBRA CROSSING)
BELL PUSH
Door bell button.
BELT UP!
BE QUIET!
BERK (Slang)
Pronounced “burk”, the word is used to mean JERK or IDIOT. This is one of a number of examples of Cockney rhyming slang that you will find in this guide. Cockney rhyming slang was developed by traders in London’s food markets as a means of communicating without being understood by outsiders. As an example, WHISTLE AND FLUTE = SUIT. The interesting aspect is that the rhyming part of the expression is then dropped, making it virtually impossible for an outsider to guess the code. In the above example the final version is WHISTLE = SUIT! Over the years some terms have found their way into mainstream English. In this particular case, BERKshire Hunt = ? -- Well, use your imagination!
BETA
This Greek letter, whether used alone or in the term ß-particle, for example, is pronounced “bee’-tuh” rather than “bay’-tuh”.
BIG WHEEL
FERRIS WHEEL.
BILL (Restaurant)
CHECK.
BILL (Advertisement)
POSTER. It is quite common to see the phrase “STICK NO BILLS” placed on a wall, etc, urging people to refrain from putting up commercial or political posters.
BILLION
More recently this has come to mean the same as a BILLION in the US, that is a thousand million, or 1,000,000,000. Formerly it meant 1,000,000,000,000, that is a million million, or the equivalent of the US TRILLION. In many cases you will still hear it used in the latter manner.
BIN LINER
Plastic TRASH BAG.
BIN MEN (Slang)
GARBAGE COLLECTORS. (See DUSTMAN)
BINT (Slang)
Crude term for a young woman.
BIRD (Slang)
Young woman.
BIRO
Proprietary name for a ball-point pen. Pronounced “by’-ro”.
BISCUIT
COOKIE, or CRACKER if used in the context of CHEESE AND BISCUITS. (See SCONE) Note: A Briton will say “That takes the biscuit” rather than “That takes the cake”.
BISCUIT BARREL
COOKIE JAR.
BITTER (Beer)
The most common type of draught beer (Note spelling of draught). It is not a pint of bitters, but bitter. See BEER.
BITTER LEMON
Soft drink, especially popular with women.
BLACKING
SHOE or BOOT POLISH.
BLACK MARIA (Slang)
PADDY-WAGON or POLICE VAN.
BLACK PUDDING
BLOOD SAUSAGE.
BLACK VELVET
A potent drink made with Guinness stout and champagne.
BLEEPER
BEEPER or PAGER.
BLIGHTY (Slang)
ENGLAND. (See BRITAIN/BRITON)
[GOR] BLIMEY (Slang)
Expression of surprise, disgust, etc. Supposedly derived from “GOD, BLIND ME”.
BLIND (Window)
SHADE.
BLOKE (Slang)
MAN or GUY.
BLOOD OUT OF A STONE
BLOOD OUT OF A TURNIP. As in “You can’t get....”.
BLOODY--Sometimes abbreviated to just "B" (Slang)
Ubiquitous adjectival cuss word. As in “I should bloody well think so!” or "He's a B nuisance." Thought by some to be derived from “By Our Lady”.
BLOTTO (Slang)
DRUNK. There are almost as many words that describe the state of inebriation as there are describing the sex act!
BLOWLAMP
BLOWTORCH.
BLOW YOUR OWN TRUMPET
BLOW YOUR OWN HORN. To boast or to brag.
BLOWER (Slang)
TELEPHONE. Thought to be derived from the speaking tubes used on board ship, which have to be blown into to attract the attention of the receiving party.
BLUE (Steak)
Very, very rare.
BOB (Slang)
This is a shilling in pre-decimal money, or one twentieth of a Pound -- now 5p. People will still refer to 50p, which is half a Pound, as “ten bob”. (See POUND [STERLING])
BOBBY (Slang)
POLICEMAN. After the founder of the British police force, Sir Robert Peel. Another early nickname was a PEELER.
BOFFIN (Slang)
SCIENTIST.
BOGEY (Golf)
Some Britons still use the term bogey to mean par. It is assumed to have been derived from playing against an imaginary player, or bogeyman.
BOGEY (Slang)
BOOGER.
BOLLOCKS (Slang)
A very crude, slang expression of disgust, etc, the literal meaning of which is BALLS or TESTICLES. It is probably advisable for Americans to avoid use of the term “bollix” while in the UK.
BOMB
In some contexts “It bombed” may mean the same as in the States, but “It went like a bomb” means that a car, for example, went very well.
BONCE (Slang)
HEAD.
BONFIRE NIGHT
NOVEMBER 5th. (See GUY)
BONNET (Car)
HOOD. The car, like food, seems to be a breeding ground for many differences in terminology. (See AERIAL, BOOT, FLAT (Battery), HOOD, PETROL, WINDSCREEN, WING)
BOOB-TUBE (Slang)
TUBE-TOP. In the UK, a boob-tube is a woman’s strapless stretch top—not a television! (See TELLY)
BOOT (Car)
TRUNK. BOOT SALES are very popular in the UK.
BOOZER (Slang)
PUB. As in “Let’s go down the BOOZER.” Of course, it can also be used to refer to someone who spends too much time in the boozer. (See PUB)
BORE
GAUGE. A Briton will talk of a 12-bore rather than a 12-gauge shotgun.
BORSTAL
Institution for reforming and retraining juvenile offenders. Nowadays this type of institution is known as a DETENTION CENTRE or a YOUTH CUSTODY CENTRE, but many Britons still refer to it as BORSTAL.
BOTTLE (Verb)
CAN. Britons talk of bottling fruit, etc.
BOTTLE (Noun)
NERVE or COURAGE. Another example of Cockney rhyming slang.
BOTTOM DRAWER
HOPE CHEST or TROUSSEAU.
BOWLER (Cricket)
Equivalent to the PITCHER in baseball. (See CRICKET)
BOWLER (Hat)
DERBY. In the UK, Derby, whether referring to the city, the county or the English horse race, is pronounced as if the “e” were a long “a”.
BOWLS
When Britons go BOWLING they may be referring to the sport which is played in a bowling alley, but the traditional game of BOWLS, as was being played by Sir Francis Drake when he was told of the approaching Spanish Armada, is played on a close-cropped lawn. The “balls” are wooden, weighted on one side so they don’t go in a straight line, and are known as WOODS. They are rolled towards a small white ball -- the JACK -- and points are awarded for closeness to that target.
BOWSER
Tanker, usually small and towed behind a truck, in which fuel or water is transported.
BOX (Protection)
CUP. Cricketers wear a BOX.
BOXING DAY
This is the day following Christmas Day, and is a public holiday (see BANK HOLIDAY). It was traditionally the day on which Christmas Boxes were given. (See CHRISTMAS BOX)
BRACES
SUSPENDERS. Except when they are worn to straighten your teeth! (See SUSPENDERS)
BRACKETS (Math equations or Script)
PARENTHESES.
BRAHMS [AND LISZT] (Slang)
DRUNK. Another example of Cockney rhyming slang. (See PISSED)
BRASS (Slang)
MONEY, WEALTH. An expression used more in the North than in the South. A well-known adage is “Where there’s muck, there’s brass!” This implies that if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and work hard in dirty conditions, there’s money to be made.
BRASSIERE
BRASSIERE. But watch out for a very different pronunciation. It’s pronounced “brazz’-ee-ur” in the UK.
BRASS MONKEY WEATHER (Slang)
VERY COLD.
BRAWN
A gelatinized concoction made from boiling a pig’s head, not unlike SCRAPPLE.
BREAKDOWN VAN
TOW TRUCK.
BREEZE BLOCK
CINDERBLOCK.
BRIGADIER
ONE-STAR or BRIGADIER GENERAL .
BRILLIANT or BRILL
GOOD. This ubiquitous adjective goes against the British penchant for understatement. To the younger Briton in particular, everything that’s good is “brilliant”.
BRINY (Slang)
The OCEAN.
BRISTOLS (Slang)
BREASTS. From rhyming slang again, BRISTOL CITY = TITTY.
BRITAIN/BRITON
A person from the UK is a BRITON. The British do not use the word BRITISHER, which is an American invention. The BRITISH ISLES, a purely geographical term, refers to the following countries; ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, WALES, NORTHERN IRELAND, and the REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, and looks like this:
The three countries of England, Scotland and Wales form BRITAIN, or GREAT BRITAIN, and share a common government. (Scotland, however, has its own, separate legal system.) The population is close to 60 million or roughly one quarter that of the United States. The area is a little less than 100,000 square miles, which is about 1/40th that of the United States. So you can see that the population density is some ten times more than Americans are used to. The equivalent would be if the total population of the States were put into an area about twice the size of Texas. Despite this Britain still has many areas of beautiful open spaces since the majority of people live in the major cities -- between 10 and 20 percent live in Greater London.
A person from England is called an ENGLISHMAN [or -WOMAN], and is said to be ENGLISH. Someone from Scotland is a SCOTSMAN, or SCOT, and is SCOTTISH. Most Scots take offense at being called SCOTCH, which is an expression reserved for their famous whisky, and all Scots take offense at being called English! Someone from Wales is a WELSHMAN [or -WOMAN], and is said to be WELSH, (pronounced “Well’-sh”, not “Well’-ch”). The Welsh, too, are upset if referred to as English. Each of these three is a BRITON, and is BRITISH. The UNITED KINGDOM (UK) is short for the UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND. This title appears to indicate that although Northern Ireland is part of the UK, it is not part of Britain, but most people from Northern Ireland consider themselves to be British. The REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, however, is a totally separate country from the UK.
BROAD BEAN
LIMA BEAN.
BROLLY (Slang)
Slang for UMBRELLA. Rarely will you hear the word GAMP used, and I have never heard a Briton talk about a BUMBERSHOOT.
BROGUES (Shoes)
WINGTIPS, or close to it.
BROWNED OFF (Slang)
BORED or FED UP.
BRUM (Slang)
The shortened name for BIRMINGHAM, which is Britain’s second city and is pronounced “bur’-ming-um”. A native of BIRMINGHAM is a BRUMMY.
B Sc (Degree)
BS. Similarly M Sc for MS.
BST
British Summer Time. That is the period when the clocks are moved forward one hour from GMT, or GREENWICH MEAN TIME.
BUBBLE AND SQUEAK
The nearest equivalent would be POTATO PANCAKES or HASH BROWNS. Bubble and Squeak is a “fry-up” of yesterday’s leftover vegetables.
BUCK’S FIZZ
MIMOSA. A drink made from champagne and orange juice.
BUDGIE
PARAKEET. Short for BUDGERIGAR.
BUGGER (Slang)
Cuss word that has little or nothing to do, nowadays, with the original meaning of the word.
BUGGER ALL (Slang)
NOTHING, or NEXT-TO-NOTHING. Most cuss words can have the word “all” added in this way. For example, DAMN ALL or SOD ALL, not to mention the obvious one. (See SOD)
BUGGER OFF! (Slang)
GO AWAY! Again, the “off” can be preceded by a number of cuss words such as “Piss”, “Sod” and the obvious.
BUILDING SITE
CONSTRUCTION SITE.
BUILDING SOCIETY
SAVINGS BANK or SAVINGS AND LOAN. In the same way that US Savings and Loan institutions have become fully-fledged banks, UK Building Societies are headed the same way.
BULLDOG CLIP
BINDER CLIP.
BUM (Slang)
Not a vagrant, but the part of the anatomy which you sit on. (See TRAMP)
BUM BAG
FANNY PACK. (See FANNY)
BUMPH
A great deal of information. Strictly speaking a mass of paperwork. Since the word is supposedly derived from a contracted form of bum-fodder, ie, toilet paper, it’s obvious that it is typically used when talking about apparently worthless amounts of paperwork
BUMPS
A traditional birthday “punishment” given a young celebrant by people holding him by the four limbs and bumping him on the ground an appropriate number of times.
BUNCH OF FIVES
FIST.
BUNGALOW
RANCHER, or one-story home. One of a number of words brought back from India by British soldiers.
BUPA
Never referred to by its full name, BRITISH UNITED PROVIDENT ASSOCIATION, this is a private health insurance organization. (See also NHS)
BUREAU
DESK. Sometimes an OFFICE.
BURN (Scottish)
BROOK.
BURNS NIGHT
Celebration on January 25th of the birth of the famous Scottish poet, Robert (Rabbie) Burns. Festivities include the piping-in of the haggis, Scottish music and dancing, and the raising and subsequent downing of many glasses of whisky. (See HAGGIS and WHISKY)
BUS
See COACH.
BUTCHER’S (Slang)
LOOK. From “butchers hook” for look. As in “Let’s have a butcher’s”.
. . . BUT ONE
If a Briton talks of a person living “NEXT DOOR BUT ONE”, he or she is referring to the person who lives two houses away.
BUTTON-HOLE
Apart from the obvious definition this is also used for BOUTONNIERE.
BUTTY (Slang)
A colloquial term for a SANDWICH. You may hear, for example, JAM BUTTY or even CHIP BUTTY! (See CHIPS)
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