British Slang Words and Phrases Most Americans Don't Understand:
1. ‘Throw a spanner in the works’
My British friend told me that she used this one whilst discussing a project with a group of Americans and they were baffled. This is predominantly because a ‘spanner’ is referred to as a ‘wrench’ in the USA, and therefore the phrase is pretty obsolete for Americans, full stop (period). I now know why, when I’ve used it, it’s had a similar reaction.
2. ‘Knickers in a twist’
Ooh, I love this one! It really does mean to get one’s feathers ruffled, and I think my American chums really just enjoy the fact that I have used the word ‘knickers. An excellent turn of phrase.
3. ‘Throw a wobbly’
I use this when I refer to someone who has just got their knickers in a twist’ and become even madder about whatever it was they got their knickers in a twist about. I don’t think this is used in the States, as far as I am aware, because I do tend to get a confused response.
4. ‘To witter on’
I do this myself a lot. I witter on about all sorts and I mentioned to a friend that I was ‘wittering on’ and she thought I was talking in past-participle (or such like) about tweeting. Social media has a lot to answer for.
5. ‘Chinwag’I’m hoping that this word is slowly, but surely, making its way into common usage in the small part of America that I live in. Much like ‘natter’, this word sums up what girls do over a glass of wine or a cup of tea. American gals do like to ‘natter’ or ‘chinwag’, I’ve noticed, and sometimes over a margarita too.
6.‘Hammered’
My husband was totally hammered just last week and I mentioned it to my American chum, who is now used to my funny British phrases. ‘I love the way you say that,’ she said and promptly declared (in her mock British accent) that she was going to get hammered that very night. Excellent work. Next time, she might choose to get ‘rat-arsed’ or ‘shit-faced’ or ‘wankered’.
7. ‘Skint’I recently wrote a status update on Facebook that I was ‘skint’. I wondered at the time if my American Facebook friends would know what that meant. Sure, if they watch Eastenders they might – but not Downton Abbey, because a) they aren’t that skint and b) even when they were a little bit, they certainly didn’t use the word ‘skint’ – more like in ‘financial difficulties’.
8. ‘Knackered’One of the best British slang phrases and I use this one oodles, possibly on purpose to add a British flavour to my rhetoric. I do think that most Americans cottoned on this word a while ago as being very British. Someone told me that cast members used it in Love, Actually, and that’s when they fell in love with it. Thanks Hugh and Martine.
9. ‘Stuffed’My father used to shudder in horror when, after a meal, I would declare ‘I am stuffed.’ So, of course, I said it more. He asked me if I could use the word ‘replete’ instead, so I did. My new favourite saying after a large roast dinner then became ‘I am repleted out of my face.’ Yes, he shuddered even more. Do Americans use the word ‘stuffed’? Yes, I think they might do, all said and done. I’m going to try it out and use it next time in the right company to see if it is known, let alone acceptable.
10. ‘Pissed/pissed off'The British/American language barrier rears its head in many amusing ways of mis-interpretation with this one. Conversation as such started by an American friend:
‘Did you have a good time on Saturday night?’
‘Yes, I did, thanks. I got a bit pissed though.’
‘Oh no, what happened?’ (Shock and horror on face)
‘I had a couple of margaritas.’
‘Oh!’ (laughter). ‘You mean drunk?’
‘Yes, otherwise I would say pissed off.’
Ha ha!
11. ‘Any road up hill or down dale’I have a British friend who uses this phrase EVERY time he starts a story, and you know it’s going to be a very, very long story. It’s just another way of saying ‘anyway’. I like it and I’ve used it, but it has meant that I’ve had to repeat the bit of the story that they then missed because they were trying to get their head round what I was saying right at the beginning.
12. ‘Bee’s knees’This must be used here in the USA! I’m sure it is! What interests me is that it is the polite version of ‘the dog's bollocks.’ So I might use this when I am in more polite American company and want to say that something was fabulous, although to be honest, fabulous is a pretty fabulous word in itself.
13. ‘Bob’s your uncle’Or, as I like to say, in order to be super modern and with the times ‘ Bob’s your aunt’s live in lover’. And that’s that.
14. ‘Not my cup of tea’Yes, this one gets frequent outings if something really isn’t my cup of tea. Like Pumpkin Latte – that’s definitely not my cup of tea.
15. ‘Naff’What a fabulous word! There’s almost something a bit onomatopoeic about this word. It’s a healthy alternative to ‘crap’.
16. ‘Nicked’Would Americans say they got ‘nicked by the police’? No, they would not, I am sure. It’s confusing because we Brits also use it to say something’s been stolen. We do set out to confuse a lot, don’t we?!
17. ‘Yonks’This turns up in my vocabulary frequently. ‘I haven’t seen this in yonks’ or ‘It’s been yonks since I’ve eaten good cheese’ (that is quite true, actually!). I think the American folk that hang around with me get the measure of this one now. It’s all a bit jolly-hockey-sticks, but they seem to like that in a fashion!
American Slang Words and Phrases Most British Don't Understand:
Like any other language, American has its idioms. Some are very similar to British English, and it’s not difficult for Brits to figure them out.However, there are still some phrases whose actual words hold no clue to the meaning, creating a conversational minefield for Brits here. Here are a selection of them:
1. For the birds
When someone says, “that’s for the birds,” it could mean anything. Does
something resemble birdseed perhaps? Was the meal too small? Is it something
that women would like (although Americans tend not to use “birds” in that way)?
Who knows? What it actually means is that something is trivial or
worthless, but really, you’d have to know that one.
2. Put up your dukes
Your what? Perhaps a suggestion one’s relatives are coming to visit? Even
though we are familiar with “duking it out,” it’s not immediately apparent that
your dukes are your hands or fists. Being told to “put up your dukes” is an
instruction to “get ready for a fight.” Interestingly, it is rumored to be of British as well as American origin;
“Duke of Yorks” is rhyming slang for forks, which itself was a slang word for
hands or fingers.
3. Bought the farm
So, did someone actually close on a real estate deal? Perhaps they bought a
farm instead of a house and financially over-burdened themselves? Or does it
mean they’re going into the organic food business? Of course not, that would be
far too easy. “Bought the farm” is a euphemism for dying.
4. Jonesing
When I hear this word I automatically think “keeping up with the Joneses,”
although that’s of no help here. If someone confesses that they’re “really
jonesing” for something (usually a guilty pleasure), they mean they are
craving. Again, there are several versions of the origin but its general
association is with drugs. “Jones” was a term used for a heroin or narcotics
addiction, but now the word can be applied to anything. Brits in the U.S. can
be said to be jonesing for a decent cuppa or good chocolate.
5. Shoot the breeze
So, you see a friend and end up shooting the breeze for an hour? Did you a) get
out your air rifles, or b) take advantage of the weather and fly kites?
Obviously, none of the above as “shooting the breeze” means to engage in idle,
empty chatter. One explanation is that in the old days, particularly in the
Wild West, people with time on their hands would literally shoot into the air
at nothing.
6. John Hancock
When you hear the request “Let me have your John Hancock” the mind boggles, and
you hope they’re not talking about a body part! In fact, you’re being asked for
your signature. The phrase is a reference to one John Hancock, a signatory of
the Declaration of Independence; his signature was one of the more flamboyant
on the document.
7. Monday morning quarterback(ing)
Perhaps you’d guess from the “quarterback” clue that this is an American
football analogy, but some Brits would be completely stumped. To be a “Monday
morning quarterback” is to criticize or pass judgment from a position of
hindsight. The quarterback is a football team’s key leader and decision maker
out on the field. Since many people watch football games over the weekend,
there’s usually lots of heated discussion about the quarterback’s performance
on Monday mornings around the water cooler and on TV.
8. Carpetbagger
Over the next two years, you’ll hear this term when politicians start taking
shots at each other in a bid for the Presidency. No, it’s not quite the same as
“ratbag” or the other bag beginning with “D”; the phrase was originally used to
refer to northerners who went south after the Civil War to make money, often
using nefarious means. They carried their belongings in over-sized carpetbags.
Now it refers mainly to politicians who seek election somewhere they have never
previously resided, and is also used to describe people or corporations who
profit from other people’s misfortune.
9. Taking a rain check
Although many Brits have heard this expression, it’s one we never quite know if
we’ve understood, so we just nod agreeably. Originally a rain check was a
baseball term whereby, if the game was rained out, spectators received a rain
check or ticket to allow them entrance to a future game. These days it has
little to do with weather and is used more widely, to mean that the event will
be re-scheduled for a mutually agreeable date. When turning down a dinner
invitation, for example, you can subtly communicate your desire to be
re-invited by asking for a rain check.
10. Pork
Ah yes, I know this one. Wasn’t there an ad campaign a few years ago that
tagged pork as “the other white meat”? Not that one? As the Presidential
election approaches, this is another word we’ll be hearing more frequently on
the news; it refers to the practice of politicians obtaining money for pet
projects that benefit specific areas, industries or people, usually in return
for their support. “Pork barrel politics” is another phrase you’ll hear to
describe this “you scratch my back” politics.
