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-   -   What is your favourite British saying? (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/what-is-your-favourite-british-saying-638967/)

Joanne28 Aug 14th, 2006 08:54 AM

My cousin said "It's fresh today, isn't it?" meaning bloody freezing cold. I love the understatement.

"Mustn't grumble" was one of my great-aunt's favourite expressions.

alan64 Aug 14th, 2006 08:57 AM

Being "cream crackered" after a long day at work or a busy sightseeing day.

laclaire Aug 14th, 2006 09:07 AM

In my experience, snoggling is way more fun than making out. Or was it just the Londoner?. . .

Robespierre Aug 14th, 2006 09:12 AM

I've always found "f-all" to be descriptive far out of proportion to its compact size.

laclaire Aug 14th, 2006 09:13 AM

Oh, and when I babysit for my cousins, they ask me to either "speak New York" which means speak in a New York accent, or "speak English" which is English with a British accent. They love "mind the gap" and when I say in a really cockneyed accent "Have you both gone mad?"

Dejais Aug 14th, 2006 09:14 AM

"Bloody" anything. Reminds me of my Gram. When she was ticked, she would always say how bloody awful something was.

SuzieC Aug 14th, 2006 09:20 AM

its a funny ol life, what?

Gardyloo Aug 14th, 2006 09:22 AM

1. There's nowt so queer as folk.

2. A Yorkshireman is a Scotsman stripped of his generosity.

Josser Aug 14th, 2006 09:25 AM

It's snogging, not snoggling.

You never know though, it might catch on ;-)

GoAway Aug 14th, 2006 09:26 AM

The first time I ever heard anyone refer to a situation that had 'gone pear-shaped' I thought it was an absolutely marvellous description.

Cimbrone Aug 14th, 2006 09:27 AM

"To pull a face." This is all over the Shopaholic novels which my S.O. and I just love (our guilty pleasure). We sometimes ask each other "Did you just pull a face?" (in most cases we have) and we both have to smile...

LoveItaly Aug 14th, 2006 09:29 AM

My late husbands Godmother was born and raised in Cornwall. She had a saying I loved. When her husband had a problem and got frustrated she would say to him "pull your socks up Bill" meaning "get your act together".

laclaire Aug 14th, 2006 09:30 AM

Josser- Wow! I forgot "snoggling" wasn't a real word. My friends and I made it up based on said experience with the Londoner who was really into cuddling. Snogging is making out, but snoggling is making out with cuddling.

God, I feel like a 6th grader passing a note in class. Snoggling. Too much!

Robdaddy Aug 14th, 2006 09:59 AM

I like a lot of the ones already posted, but will add two of my favorites: Whinge, as in "What have you got to whinge about?"
or, "Oh, stop whingeing!" and "c'mon, welly it!", or "Put some welly in it, fer chrissake!" when you want the driver ahead of you to speed up. (Welly, from Wellington boots).

And since we're on the subject of slang, can someone please tell me the meaning of phwoar? Thankyou!

P.S. Scarlett, darlin', I, too, love "gobsmacked"!

P_M Aug 14th, 2006 10:03 AM

Last year I emailed my British friends to report that DH and I had both been put on layoff notice. (we have since found new jobs) Of course I was very upset to tell this news. My British friend wrote back and said she was gobsmacked. I had never heard that word before, but I presumed it meant surprised in a bad way.

Another time I was in a pub and a blind man's guide dog laid on my feet as I walked to the bar. I thought it was very sweet so I told the blind man that his dog was on my feet. The blind man replied, "He knows a bit of crumpet when he sees it." I wasn't sure if I had been insulted or not, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt and carried on a very pleasant converstaion with him.

PatrickLondon Aug 14th, 2006 10:10 AM

"Phwoar" is a conventional tabloid newspaper transliteration of what people (well, their stereotype of their presumed standard red-blooded meat-eating heterosexual male readers) say on seeing someone exceptionally (or stereotypically) sexually attractive. In the case of a woman, silicone and peroxide are probably involved somewhere, and not many clothes.

PatrickLondon Aug 14th, 2006 10:12 AM

I'm not sure if I should tell PM this, but what "phwoar" is nowadays was once upon time known as "crumpet" (I don't know if this has something to do with spreading butter - but let's not go there). Since it was a blind man talking, you must have a very attractive voice, PM.

ma23peas Aug 14th, 2006 10:16 AM

Forgive me if this is bad, but I heard it on a British show and can't stop using it (in a playful way of course...)
Bugger off! I'm hoping that means "leave me alone I'm very busy at the moment and don't care to hear your rambling"

Brilliant!

Right as rain...is that one British? I just seem to associate it with UK. Maybe because it rains all the time and it must be right.

Tara

Judyrem Aug 14th, 2006 10:19 AM

What fun...the Brits are my fave people in the whole world and I can listen to that those wonderful accents all day. "you'r a right un" And Auntie,,,I love the term auntie.., I also like the term "mates".. Do they still use the phrase "are you bamming me"? Chic lit rules :-).

Dejais Aug 14th, 2006 10:22 AM

P_M..I believe at the time you were laid off you would have been what the British referred to as "redundant". I just love that one. It sounds so odd to an American. :)


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