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Post by WhutScreenName on Nov 11, 2014 20:15:17 GMT
This seemed the proper place for this. Here is the link to the full article 12 British Sayings That Americans Don't Understand By Megan Willett22 hours ago REUTERS/Paul Hackett We're chuffed to bits about the launch of Business Insider UK. Everyone knows that for the Brits, an elevator is a “lift,” an apartment is a “flat,” and those chips you’re snacking on are actually called “crisps.” But British people also say some other really weird, confusing things. To celebrate the launch of Business Insider's UK website, we compiled 12 British phrases that will leave Americans utterly flummoxed. You might just see these on our new site. 1. “They lost the plot.” When someone has “lost the plot,” it means they have lost their cool. The phrase is particularly common in English football, where it is generally used when a player or coach gets in a fight orperforms poorly during the game. 2. “I haven’t seen that in donkey's years.” “Donkey’s years” translates to “a really long time,” mainly because “donkey’s ears” kind of sounded like “donkey’s years” and became a rhyming slang term. The phrase was underscored by the belief that donkeys live a long time (which can be true) and have very long ears (definitely true). 3. “Quit your whinging!” REUTERS/Eddie Keogh Quit your whinging — it's always raining in London. When someone is “whinging,” it means they’re whining or crying. The next time your coworker is complaining about something, feel free to call him a whinger. 4. “He’s such a chav.” This is a pejorative epithet in Britain that’s used to described a specific kind of stereotype: A working-class person who is loud or brash and wears (usually fake) designer clothes — especially the classic Burberry check. It is essentially the British version of “white trash” and should be used sparingly. 5. “You’ve thrown a spanner in the works.” When you “put/throw a spanner in the works,” it means you’ve ruined a plan. A spanner is the word for a wrench in England, so it’s the British equivalent of “throwing a wrench in the plan.” 6. “Let’s have a chin-wag.” Though fairly self-explanatory, having a “chinwag” (sometimes "chin-wag") means that you’re having a brief chat with someone, usually associated with gossip. Just imagine a chin wagging up and down, and you’ll get the idea why. 7. “I’m chuffed to bits.” If you’re “chuffed to bits,” it means that you’re really happy or thrilled about something. It’s also acceptable to say “chuffed” all on its own: “I’ve just scored free tickets to the Beyoncé concert, and I’m well chuffed!” 8. “That’s manky.” Something that is “manky” is unpleasantly dirty or disgusting. Its slang usage dates back to the 1950s and was probably a combination of "mank" (meaning mutilated or maimed), the Old French word "manqué" (to fail), and the Latin "mancus" (maimed). You can also feel “manky” if you’re under the weather. 9. “My cat? She’s a moggy.” A “moggy” or “moggie” refers to an alley cat or a cat without a pedigree, but it is often used interchangeably as another word for “cat." 10. “This was an absolute doddle to do.” A “doddle” is a task or activity that is extremely easy. Though the origin is unknown, it dates back to the 1930s and is still common. 11. “You’re taking the p*ss.” When you “take the p*ss” with someone, that means that you’re being unreasonable or taking liberties. For example, if a cashier overcharges you on something, he is taking the p*ss. It can also be a stand-in phrase for when you’re mocking or teasing someone, though this is more commonly said as “taking the p*ss out of” someone or something. For example: “They’re always taking the p*ss out of John because he likes Taylor Swift.” 12. “I’ve dropped a clanger.” When someone makes an embarrassing gaffe that upsets someone else, that person has “dropped a clanger.” For example, if you offer your seat to a pregnant woman on the subway and she tells you she’s not actually pregnant, you may have dropped a clanger.
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Post by ironhold on Nov 12, 2014 0:55:33 GMT
4, 5, and 11 are becoming known in the US along with a lot of other slang due to both international news reports and cultural diffusion (such as through imported TV shows).
However, we still have individuals who do not understand these terms, leading to such things as Chumbawumba's "Tubthumping" being used as a sports anthem by various individual sports clubs and organizations.
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Post by silverdragon on Nov 12, 2014 9:50:05 GMT
Origin is Romany, where Chavi means Child. Chav is therefore a term to denote anyone who is acting Childishly, dressing and acting like a spoilt likkle brat.... So the bieber is a Chav. In fact, bieber donates everything a chav is. Chav is a derogatory term for anyone past 10 yrs old. Used sparingly?... no, just to be used where deserved, and used when you are out of their reach.
Its the English version of Sabotage. Where the Sabot was the show, usually wooden, that was thrown in the works to deliberately jam the machine, and thus became the origin of Sabotage, in the UK, we dont waste a good shoe, when a perfectly good spanner is provided by the employer. But we dont chuck spanners lightly... if you ave had a spanner thrown in your machinery its usually for good cause?...
This also has origins back in time. Urine was a first class leather treatment product, it was used in tanning processes, when leather was widely used. For that reason, Urine was collected from households, for a small payment. Taking it without paying for it is well basically theft, even if we didnt exactly want it in the first place?.......
Also from that origin is the phrase he/she is so poor they havnt go a pot to pee in....
Also from that, we have the term to take the pee out of someone. That is to humiliate them in some way, but in a small way, for the purpose of humour.....
Exact origin is unknown, but, has anyone here ever heard the sound of a Train wheel being dropped?... I have... one from an A4 Pacific steam locomotive... and its bloody loud.... England is the home of large pieces of steel and other heavy pieces of metal being "Engineered".... When one gets dropped off a crane by mistake, the detonation sound of it finding the floor can be heard for literally MILES...... CLANG is such a small insignificant word in comparison.... But dropping a clanger is the act of making a mistake where EVERYONE knows immediately you just cockfeathered up, because its done where everyone sees, in public, with a HUGE audience, mass embarrassment, mass wanna find a small place to hide in.
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Post by the light works on Nov 13, 2014 2:59:08 GMT
There were a few I hadn't heard used thanks to the fact I watch Top Gear and generally have contact with a few Brits.
American translations: 1: blew a gasket 2: in a 'coon's age (referring to the non racist kind) 3: our spelling is "whine" and our pejorative is (in appropriate voice) "do you want some cheese and crackers with your WHINE?" 4: he's a poser 5: threw a monkey wrench in the system 6: I don't really have a comparison to this. 7: I'm stoked/pumped. 8: similar terms include scungy, nasty, and grody. 9: we just use cat, if it isn't a brand name cat. 10: piece of cake. easy as pie, easy peasy, or a cinch. 11: taking them to the cleaners. 12: made a gaffe, or stuck his foot in his mouth.
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Post by mrfatso on Nov 13, 2014 16:16:01 GMT
1) Lost the plot, to me it means become confused rather than lose their cool, to use their Football story a manager of a team might try win a match but put out a bad team use poor tactics or both, then he has lost the plot. This may lead to a person losing their cool due to the critism it gets, but does not mean it directly, to me anyway. Edit just check the Oxford Dictionary . www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/lose-the-plot
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Post by OziRiS on Nov 14, 2014 0:00:44 GMT
1) Lost the plot, to me it means become confused rather than lose their cool, to use their Football story a manager of a team might try win a match but put out a bad team use poor tactics or both, then he has lost the plot. This may lead to a person losing their cool due to the critism it gets, but does not mean it directly, to me anyway. Edit just check the Oxford Dictionary . www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/lose-the-plotThat's how I've always understood it as well. Losing the plot seems (to me at least) to refer to someone not being able to keep up with the story line. As in when you're reading a book or watching a movie, if you "lose the plot", you miss vital bits of information, become confused about what's going on and aren't able to see the proverbial "bigger picture".
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Post by mrfatso on Nov 14, 2014 7:20:33 GMT
There were a few I hadn't heard used thanks to the fact I watch Top Gear and generally have contact with a few Brits. American translations: 1: blew a gasket 2: in a 'coon's age (referring to the non racist kind) 3: our spelling is "whine" and our pejorative is (in appropriate voice) "do you want some cheese and crackers with your WHINE?" 4: he's a poser 5: threw a monkey wrench in the system 6: I don't really have a comparison to this. 7: I'm stoked/pumped. 8: similar terms include scungy, nasty, and grody. 9: we just use cat, if it isn't a brand name cat. 10: piece of cake. easy as pie, easy peasy, or a cinch. 11: taking them to the cleaners. 12: made a gaffe, or stuck his foot in his mouth. Most of those I think I would agree with, LTW but I think just a few are a bit wrong. 4) he's a poser This is not quite right, a poser we understand over here it refers to someone who preens themselves, wears clothes they think of as stylish etc. A Chav refers to someone who is part of the underclass, a is possibly a little bit the wrong side of the law, there is the element of thuggish behaviour in the chav character that makes them not a poser. Taking the P*ss has a double meaning depending on the context it used in, it can mean taking advantage of someone, but also making a joke at their expense, so taking them to the cleaners may not be quite the right comparison, as it implies only the idea of fleecing someone. I guess the P*ss has the general idea of taking advantage in someway over a person not just financial , and mocking and insulting them. Or would it be better to describe it as mocking someone and insulting them in someway, be that by making a joke at their expense or by stealing from them?
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Post by the light works on Nov 14, 2014 15:10:12 GMT
There were a few I hadn't heard used thanks to the fact I watch Top Gear and generally have contact with a few Brits. American translations: 1: blew a gasket 2: in a 'coon's age (referring to the non racist kind) 3: our spelling is "whine" and our pejorative is (in appropriate voice) "do you want some cheese and crackers with your WHINE?" 4: he's a poser 5: threw a monkey wrench in the system 6: I don't really have a comparison to this. 7: I'm stoked/pumped. 8: similar terms include scungy, nasty, and grody. 9: we just use cat, if it isn't a brand name cat. 10: piece of cake. easy as pie, easy peasy, or a cinch. 11: taking them to the cleaners. 12: made a gaffe, or stuck his foot in his mouth. Most of those I think I would agree with, LTW but I think just a few are a bit wrong. 4) he's a poser This is not quite right, a poser we understand over here it refers to someone who preens themselves, wears clothes they think of as stylish etc. A Chav refers to someone who is part of the underclass, a is possibly a little bit the wrong side of the law, there is the element of thuggish behaviour in the chav character that makes them not a poser. Taking the P*ss has a double meaning depending on the context it used in, it can mean taking advantage of someone, but also making a joke at their expense, so taking them to the cleaners may not be quite the right comparison, as it implies only the idea of fleecing someone. I guess the P*ss has the general idea of taking advantage in someway over a person not just financial , and mocking and insulting them. Or would it be better to describe it as mocking someone and insulting them in someway, be that by making a joke at their expense or by stealing from them? in that case, #4 could also be white trash or trailer trash. - or in an urban setting, it would be different - but I'll have to call on an urbanite for that. giving them a schooling could be the less criminal variant of taking the p*ss.
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Post by mrfatso on Nov 15, 2014 14:21:10 GMT
I would agree with White or Trailer trash, LTW but still,do,not think giving them a schooling is quite right as a phrase the meaning is close but, "taking the p*ss" is often heard as a question as in"are you taking the P*ss?" , perhaps "are you trying to take me for a ride?" Comes close, or perhaps it's one of though things were a direct comparison doesn't exist.
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Post by the light works on Nov 15, 2014 15:55:20 GMT
I would agree with White or Trailer trash, LTW but still,do,not think giving them a schooling is quite right as a phrase the meaning is close but, "taking the p*ss" is often heard as a question as in"are you taking the P*ss?" , perhaps "are you trying to take me for a ride?" Comes close, or perhaps it's one of though things were a direct comparison doesn't exist. lt's see: THAT usage would be "do you think I was born yesterday?"
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Post by OziRiS on Nov 15, 2014 19:57:08 GMT
I would agree with White or Trailer trash, LTW but still,do,not think giving them a schooling is quite right as a phrase the meaning is close but, "taking the p*ss" is often heard as a question as in"are you taking the P*ss?" , perhaps "are you trying to take me for a ride?" Comes close, or perhaps it's one of though things were a direct comparison doesn't exist. lt's see: THAT usage would be "do you think I was born yesterday?" Or a simple: Are you sh*tting me?
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Post by the light works on Nov 15, 2014 20:19:24 GMT
lt's see: THAT usage would be "do you think I was born yesterday?" Or a simple: Are you sh*tting me? with epithet adjusted to personal taste.
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Post by alabastersandman on Jan 4, 2015 11:27:23 GMT
Got #5 right off, the rest I wasn't so sure on.
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Post by Lex Of Sydney Australia on Jan 4, 2015 14:16:14 GMT
I've got another British saying that Americans wont get (well not unless they are Terry Pratchett fans):
Going Bursar - Loosing the plot & going off your tree.
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Post by mrfatso on Jan 4, 2015 15:40:50 GMT
I am reading A Slip of the Keyboard at the moment , the forward by Neil Gaiman is quite moving, if you are fan of Sir Terry, it was printed in a British Newspaper if you would like to read it . www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/24/terry-pratchett-angry-not-jolly-neil-gaimanIt makes me wonder if Raising Steam will be his last Book, reading it seemed very much like an end of an era was coming to the Disc, moving into,an Ondustrial age of its own.
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Post by the light works on Jan 5, 2015 14:50:05 GMT
I am reading A Slip of the Keyboard at the moment , the forward by Neil Gaiman is quite moving, if you are fan of Sir Terry, it was printed in a British Newspaper if you would like to read it . www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/24/terry-pratchett-angry-not-jolly-neil-gaimanIt makes me wonder if Raising Steam will be his last Book, reading it seemed very much like an end of an era was coming to the Disc, moving into,an Ondustrial age of its own. I thought I recalled, that he had health problems that were going to interfere with his writing. if he is wrapping up, it sounds like he is planning to leave the writing field as an acclaimed author rather than as an author who tried to write one book too many, as so many authors have done.
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Post by mrfatso on Jan 5, 2015 18:14:04 GMT
I am reading A Slip of the Keyboard at the moment , the forward by Neil Gaiman is quite moving, if you are fan of Sir Terry, it was printed in a British Newspaper if you would like to read it . www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/24/terry-pratchett-angry-not-jolly-neil-gaimanIt makes me wonder if Raising Steam will be his last Book, reading it seemed very much like an end of an era was coming to the Disc, moving into,an Ondustrial age of its own. I thought I recalled, that he had health problems that were going to interfere with his writing. if he is wrapping up, it sounds like he is planning to leave the writing field as an acclaimed author rather than as an author who tried to write one book too many, as so many authors have done. He has a form of early onset Alzheimer's disease, I think and hope he would like to carry on, but from the tone of his friends Neil Gaimans foreward I fear that it might not be the case. Perhaps recent events in my life though make me more gloomy than I should be though.
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Post by silverdragon on Jan 6, 2015 12:25:16 GMT
Terry has said he has fallen out with his keyboard and now has taken to talking to his computer. He is worried that it has started talking back....
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Post by Lex Of Sydney Australia on Jan 8, 2015 11:55:30 GMT
Terry has said he has fallen out with his keyboard and now has taken to talking to his computer. He is worried that it has started talking back.... Well he has stated in the past when people have told him to get a life that he "Doesn't want to get a life, because it feels as though he is trying to lead three already."
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Post by wvengineer on Jan 10, 2015 3:02:04 GMT
Okay, question for the brits. What is a "quantity survivor" I've heard it referenced in Monty Python and A Bit of Fry & Laurie" and no clue what they are actually refering to.
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