{"id":4216,"date":"2017-05-17T16:53:19","date_gmt":"2017-05-17T16:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=4216"},"modified":"2017-05-17T16:56:27","modified_gmt":"2017-05-17T16:56:27","slug":"odd-words-and-sayings-unique-to-british-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/odd-words-and-sayings-unique-to-british-english\/","title":{"rendered":"Odd Words and Sayings Unique to British English"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is there another language besides English that is such a mess<\/i> of dialects and colloquialisms? Does relocating barely 25 miles in non-English speaking countries mean that opening your mouth immediately identifies you as a foreigner<\/i> to those parts? We\u2019re sceptical about that; here\u2019s some of the most delightfully odd words and sayings from (arguably) the home of English - from around the UK. Which are you keeping for your very own?<\/p>\n

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GIF via Giphy<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Terms of endearment<\/strong> You\u2019d be surprised just how many ways there are to be affectionate with someone in passing. The phrase generally starts with something like how are you<\/i> or you alright<\/i> or how\u2019s it going<\/i>, which is all fairly standard. But then you have a beautiful range of words to tack on, depending on where you are in the country\/where you were born\/who you\u2019re with. For example, climb into a taxi, and you might be greeted with a where you off to, duck\/flower\/ petal\/love\/chicken\/mate\/kiddo?<\/i> The human condition\u2026<\/b> Clomping together expressions that have to do with how we\u2019re thinking, or feeling here. If you\u2019re crying you could be roaring<\/i>, beeling<\/i>, skrikin<\/i>, blarting<\/i>, or greeting. <\/i>Tired? That\u2019s arrad<\/i>, cassened<\/i>, beazled<\/i>, wanged out<\/i>, or wabbit<\/i>. In a bad mood? Then you are mardy<\/i>, crabby<\/i>, grizzling<\/i>, maungy<\/i>, or have got cob on<\/i>, or gorra bag on<\/i>. Or are throwing a paddy<\/i>. We have a lot of words for this, for some reason...<\/p>\n

Learning a new language? Check out our <\/b>free placement test<\/a>\u00a0<\/b>to see how your level measures up!<\/b><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve got a headache, that\u2019s a meagrim<\/i>. Complaining, that\u2019s chuntering<\/i>, grizzling<\/i>, or belly-aching<\/i>. Chattling<\/i> is gossiping, maungy<\/i> is spoilt, and to be parky<\/i> is to be fussy. Rawnish<\/i> or clemmed<\/i> is to be hungry, the opposite of which would be brossened<\/i> - full up. If you are made up<\/i> you are pleased, scuntered<\/i> or reddened<\/i> means embarrassed, and radgy<\/i> means you\u2019re angry. Pity the fool<\/b> There are so many different ways to say this! An affectionate way to call someone stupid is referring to them as daft as a brush<\/i>. And on a sliding, interchangeable scale of affection, a fool can be a piecan<\/i>, twonk<\/i>, ha\u2019porth<\/i>, barmpot<\/i>, numpty<\/i>, wazzock<\/i>, dornack<\/i>, or a bumbleklutz<\/i>. Tight spaces<\/b> We all have them (and if we don\u2019t personally, we know someone who does<\/i>). And in the UK, they\u2019re called different things, depending on where you are. That passage down between houses (...) is referred to as a ginnel<\/i>, snicket<\/i>, ten-foot<\/i>, twitten<\/i>, twitchell<\/i>, or jitty<\/i>. Many a pub debate has broken down into passage discourse.<\/p>\n

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GIF via Giphy<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

Weather<\/b> Because why wouldn\u2019t there be a millions phrases for this in the UK? Mizzling<\/i> is fine rain, haar<\/i> even finer, siling it down<\/i> means that rain\u2019s quite heavy, as does puthering<\/i>. After that rain you\u2019d be soaking wet - or drookit<\/i>, if it looks like it might rain, it\u2019s black over Bill's mothers,<\/i> \u00a0and that would probably make it a dreich<\/i> (miserable) day. We\u2019re even miserable on hot days, though, when it\u2019s described as mafting<\/i>, so maybe don\u2019t listen to us. Onomatopoeia<\/b>? Or maybe not; these words just look<\/i> like they could be. Fozy<\/i> is soft or mouldy, foisty<\/i> is damp, thrutch<\/i> is to squeeze or crush, sheugh<\/i> is the ditch by the side of the road, to dunch<\/i> is to bump, to plodge<\/i> is to paddle, and betwattled<\/i> is gobsmacked. Favourites<\/b> And this is hard, because there\u2019s so many! Snecking<\/i> means being nosy\/having a look, if you want to know the answer to the important question of who\u2019s making a cup of tea, you ask, who\u2019s mashing<\/i>? If something makes you go cross-eyed, in parts of the country that\u2019s boss eyed<\/i>. To jiffle<\/i> is to fidget. Ah\u2019ll go to t\u2019 foot of our stairs<\/i> means to be surprised. And finally, if you\u2019re thirsty (for a drink\u2026), how about some corporation pop<\/i> - tap water?<\/p>\n

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GIF via Giphy<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

False Friends<\/strong> Because there are a lot of words to trip you up. Here\u2019s just a couple: tates<\/i> or taters<\/i> for much of the UK (and Hobbits) means potatoes\u2026 but in London this also means cold. Bab<\/i> in Birmingham could be up there under terms of endearment<\/i>, but elsewhere it means sh*t<\/i> - so be careful where - and how - you use it! And whereas gimp<\/i> in some parts of the country means fool<\/i>, well. If you don\u2019t know what it means elsewhere in the world, we\u2019d suggest looking it up on Urban Dictionary. Maybe not at work though. You have been warned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is there another language besides English that is such a mess of dialects and colloquialisms? Does relocating barely 25 miles in non-English speaking countries mean that opening your mouth immediately identifies you as a foreigner to those parts? We\u2019re sceptical about that; here\u2019s some of the most delightfully odd words and sayings from (arguably) the(\u2026)<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t \t\t\t\tCONTINUE READING »<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":4218,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,13,27],"tags":[657,656,59,359,66,592,655,354],"class_list":["post-4216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-everyday-language","category-language-learning","category-humour-offbeat","tag-british-english","tag-dialect","tag-english","tag-english-language","tag-language","tag-learn-english","tag-odd-words","tag-uk"],"yoast_head":"\nOdd Words and Sayings Unique to British English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here are some of the most delightfully odd words and sayings from (arguably) the home of English from around the UK. 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