KEEP YOUR HAIR ON!
STAY CALM or DON’T GET EXCITED.
KERB
CURB. In the sense of a stone coping at the edge of a sidewalk (see PAVEMENT). The spelling CURB is, however, used in the sense of “check or restrain”.
KHAKI
KHAKI But pronounced “kah-kee’ “.
KING’S ENGLISH
See BBC ENGLISH.
KIOSK (Telephone)
BOOTH. (See PUBLIC TELEPHONE)
KIP (Slang)
SLEEP. As in “I’ll just get some kip” or “I only got a couple of hours kip last night”.
KIPPER
SMOKED HERRING. A KIPPER, or a piece of smoked haddock, may be eaten for breakfast. The latter with a poached egg on top.
KISS[ING] GATE
A gate which is hung in a V-shaped enclosure. Humans can figure out how to get through, one at a time, but animals can’t, and there is no way you can leave it open by mistake. Many have a pair of cross members in the form of an X or kiss on them. The tradition is that a boy would go through the gate first and only let his girlfriend through after he had received a kiss. (See [PUBLIC] FOOTPATH)
KIT (Slang)
CLOTHES.
KNACKERED (Slang)
EXHAUSTED or BEAT. Probably comes from the fact that old horses, cattle, etc. are sent to the KNACKER’S YARD to be KNACKERED or slaughtered.
KNACKERS (Slang)
Another crude, slang expression for BALLS or TESTICLES.
KNACKERS YARD
Place where sick or old horses, cows, etc are taken for slaughter.
KNICKERS
PANTIES. Knickers always refers to women’s undergarments, never to knickerbockers. (See also PANTS)
KNOCK UP
In the UK, this phrase is not commonly used to mean “make pregnant”. It means “WAKE UP”, or “GIVE A MORNING CALL TO”. It is quite common, therefore, for somebody to say to a fellow traveler, for example, “I’ll come round and knock you up at seven tomorrow morning.” There used to be KNOCKERS UP, whose job it was to go round the streets knocking people up in the morning. It can also mean KNOCK OUT, in the sense of “exhaust”. It is common to hear someone say “Don’t knock yourself up!” You can also “knock up a good score” in a cricket match.
KNOTTED, GET (Slang)
See GET KNOTTED or GET STUFFED.
L
LABOUR [PARTY]
Socialist political party, similar to the US Democratic party.
[HAIR] LACQUER
HAIR SPRAY.
LADDER (Hose)
RUN. If a woman says she has a ladder in her stocking or tights, she is telling you she has a run in her hose.
LADYBIRD
LADYBUG.
LAGER
See BEER.
LAMB’S TAILS
CATKINS on a Hazel tree. They are also known as catkins.
LAMP POST
LAMP POLE.
LARDER
See CUPBOARD.
LAUNDERETTE
LAUNDROMAT.
LAVATORY
See LOO.
LAY (Table)
To “LAY THE TABLE” is to set the table.
LAY-BY (Roadside)
PULL-OFF. Area at the side of a highway where you can pull over to take a rest from driving.
LAY IN or LIE IN
SLEEP IN. A Briton will say he or she likes Sundays because they get to lay in.
LEAD or LEADS
CORD or WIRES. Radios, TVs, toasters, etc. have LEADS. So do spark plugs. (See SPARKING PLUG)
LEADER
Newspaper EDITORIAL.
LEMONADE
In Britain lemonade is a clear, sparkling, citrus flavored soft drink like SEVEN-UP.
LETTER-BOX
See POST.
LEVEL CROSSING
RAILROAD CROSSING.
LIBERAL [PARTY] or LIBERAL DEMOCRATS
Middle-of-the-road political parties.
LICK AND A PROMISE
A quick wash.
LIFT
ELEVATOR.
LI-LO
Proprietary name for an inflatable bed or raft.
LINO
Pronounced “ly’-no”, this is a colloquialism for LINOLEUM.
LITTER BIN
TRASH RECEPTACLE.
LOAF (Slang)
This is another example of Cockney rhyming slang. LOAF OF BREAD = HEAD. So if somebody tells you to “Use your loaf”, they are telling you to use your head, or brain.
LOCAL DERBY
Event such as a cricket or football match played between local rivals. (See BOWLER (Hat))
LOFT
ATTIC.
LONG CHALK
See NOT BY A LONG CHALK.
LONGSIGHTED
FARSIGHTED or HYPEROPIC.
LOO
There are a number of ways in which this facility is described in the UK. Virtually all are euphemisms, although probably not all of them are recognized as such by Americans. In public areas you should look for signs that say PUBLIC CONVENIENCE[S]. [PUBLIC] TOILET is another you might see. One of the most common ways of indicating the facility is by the labels LADIES or GENTLEMEN (sometimes just GENTS). It can also be called a [PUBLIC] LAVATORY. It is fairly common in a British home to use the terms LAVATORY, TOILET or WC, but the modern, and now the most common, way of describing it is THE LOO. It is quite respectable to ask your host “Where’s the loo?” The terms BATHROOM and RESTROOM are seldom used -- the former would prompt your host to think that you wanted to take a bath, and the latter would probably be received with a blank stare! The slang expressions for this facility include the THRONE, the BOG, the KARZY and the THUNDER-BOX.
LORRY
TRUCK. Smaller, short-haul lorries are often referred to as trucks.
LOUD HAILER
BULLHORN.
LOUNGE
LIVING ROOM.
LOUNGE SUIT
BUSINESS SUIT.
LOVE or LUV
Term of endearment used by a waitress, taxi driver, etc. Similar to HON in Baltimore.
L-PLATES
Plates bearing a large letter “L” which are attached to a car to indicate that the driver has not yet passed his or her driving test, ie what an American would call a Student Driver. Note that Britons refer to a “driving licence”, not a “driver’s license”.
LSD
MONEY. Short for Pounds, Shillings & Pence.
LUDO
PARCHEESI, or similar. This is a child’s game and is pronounced “loo’-doe”.
LUGGAGE
BAGGAGE. Hence in the UK, BAGGAGE ROOM becomes LEFT-LUGGAGE OFFICE.
LUMP
The Lump refers to casual workers, especially in the building trade, of whom it is claimed that many are paid under the table, do not pay taxes and therefore do not contribute fully to the British economy. (See BUILDING SITE)
LUNCHEON VOUCHERS
Coupons given to employees, especially in London, as part of their compensation package. They are accepted by a majority of restaurants and snack bars as payment for meals.
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