British english A to Z_2 ppsx

tors is having an increasing effect in bringing block, in the American sense, into British usage. See also apartment; flat. block of ice ice cube Obsolete. The American term, sometimes hyphenated, appears to have won out. bloke, n. Slang. guy Slang. See also chap; guy. My bloke means my boy friend; my fellow. bloody, adj., adv. 1. adj., Slang. lousy; contemptible 2. adv., Slang. damned; goddamned Slang. This word is now commonly used as an adverb intensifier modifying either a pejorative adjective, as in It’s bloody awful, or a flattering adjective, as in This is bloody marvelous. Used as an adjective, its nearest equivalent in America would be lousy, as in the phrase a bloody shame. Bloody, once regarded as a lurid oath, was formerly proscribed in mixed company, but that sort of inhibition is waning nowadays. Despite popular belief, there is no sound rea- son to suppose that it is derived from by Our Lady. See bleeding; blooming; blinking; bally; ruddy; flipping; flaming. As to British swearing habits gener- ally, damn is less objectionable in Britain than in America, in polite circles, and darn is practically obsolete in Britain. Americans are freer with religious names like Christ and Jesus and deformations like Jeez, but Crikey (from Christ), origi- nally an oath, is now common as an exclamation of surprise, and sometimes of admiration. bloody-minded, adj. Inf. pigheaded; stubborn Inf. Willfully difficult; stubbornly obstructive; cantankerous. An awkward but useful adjective to describe persons you simply can’t cope with. bloomer, n. 1. Slang. booboo 2. see comment 1. Slang. Synonymous with blunder, and sounds like the American slang term blooper, which, however, is generally reserved for an embarrassing public booboo. 2. n. A large loaf of bread, glazed and slashed on top before baking. blooming, adj., adv. Inf. damned Inf. Euphemism for the intensifier bloody, like blinking, bally, ruddy, etc. Bloomsbury, n., adj. 1. see comment 2. approx. highbrow 1. Bloomsbury is the name of a section of Central London where writers and artists, students and aesthetes generally lived and gathered in the early part of this century. There was a Bloomsbury set which included people like Virginia and Leonard Woolf and Lytton Strachey, and others in or on the fringes of the arts, and there was a Bloomsbury accent. 2. The name became generally descriptive of that sort of person and atmo- sphere, and developed into an adjective roughly equivalent to intellectual or highbrow. blot one’s copybook Inf. spoil one’s record Inf. To mar an otherwise perfect record by committing an act of indiscretion. blot one’s copybook 35 blower, n. telephone Slang. Sometimes referred to in American slang as the horn. Blow is sometimes used as a noun meaning a ‘call’ or ‘ring’ on the telephone as in If you have any trouble, just give me a blow. blowlamp, n. blowtorch Sometimes blowflame. Also called brazing lamp. (be) blown, v. (be) found out Inf. Can be said of a person, as well as a spy’s cover or any spurious identity. blow the gaff. See gaff. blow (someone) up blow up at (someone) To blow someone up is to blow up at someone, or to let him have it, and a blowing-up is what you let him have! blub, v. Inf. sob blue, n. letter; letter man A man who wins his letter and becomes a letter man in America wins his blue and becomes a blue at Oxford or Cambridge. At London University he wins his purple and becomes a purple, and it appears that other universities award other colors; but neither purple nor any other color compares even faintly with the distinction of a blue. Oxford blue is dark blue; Cambridge blue is light blue. A double-blue is a two-let- ter man; a triple-blue is a three-letter man. The sport in which the British athlete rep- resents his university (makes the team, in America) determines whether he earns a full blue or a half blue. Cricket, crew, rugger, and soccer are full blue sports. Tennis, lacrosse, and hockey are half blue sports. A blue can be a full blue or a half blue. blue, v.t. Slang. blow (squander) Slang. Past tense is blued, in America blew. Blue is apparently a variant of blow, which is used as well in Britain for squander. blue book legislative report In Britain, a parliamentary or privy-council publication. See also Hansard. blue-eyed boy, Inf. Inf. fair-haired boy Blue Paper. See Paper. blue rinse, adj. see comment Derog. Used to describe genteel pensioners who have a habit of putting a pale blue tint in their white hair. BM see comment The British Museum, very frequently abbreviated thus (without periods). The great BM library is now officially called the British Library. BNP British National Party Acronym. The leading far-right political party, campaigning mainly on issues of immigration and race. 36 blower board, n. sign For instance, a to let board. See also notice board; hoarding. boarder, n. resident student As opposed to a day student, who lives at home. It applies to secondary school, not university. Boarder in the American sense is lodger in Britain. Cf. P. G . boater, n. straw hat (the) Boat Race see comment The annual rowing race between Oxford and Cambridge. A sporting event of interest to the British public generally, including many who have not had the benefit of any university attendance. There are lots of boat races, but The Boat Race is so understood as the race between Oxford and Cambridge. bob, n. see comment Slang. One shilling, the former British monetary unit until decimalization. See Appendix II.A. bob-a-job? any odd job? British Boy Scouts came to the door once a year during Bob-a-Job-Day and asked Bob-a-job? You were supposed to find (or invent) a household chore the good young man or men would perform for a bob (slang for shilling). The proceeds were turned over to the organization for the doing of good works. To indicate the effects of monetary inflation, the special day has now become a week in length. bobby, n. Slang. cop Slang. Named for Sir Robert (Bobby) Peel, Home Secretary, who founded the Metropolitan Police Force in 1829. A former slang term in Britain for cop, also named after Sir Robert, was peeler, which is, however, still heard in Ireland. Cop- per is another less common slang term for cop, which is also used in America but seems to have gone out of fashion. Robert (from the same Sir Robert) was another British term for cop. See constable; P.C.; bogey; busies; pointsman; slop. bobby-dazzler, n. something special Inf. Anything or anybody outstanding; often applied to a particularly spiffy dresser. Bob’s your uncle! Inf. there you are! you’re done! Inf. An expression used at the end of instructions such as road directions, recipes, and the like. For example: Go about 100 yards, take the first turning on your right, then straight on through a little gate; go 40 yards to a gate on your left marked Main Entrance, but that’s not really the main entrance (they just call it that, I haven’t a clue why), but 20 yards farther on there’s a small gate on your right that really is the main entrance; go through that, you’ll see a dismal brown building on your left and—Bob’s your uncle! Or: . . . add a few cloves, stir for five minutes, turn down the flame, let sim- mer for an hour or so, and—Bob’s your uncle! One explanation of this curious phrase is its alleged use in Robert Peel’s campaign for a seat in Parliament. He was a “law and order” man nicknamed Bob (see bobby) and uncle was used as a term implying benefaction and protection: Vote for Bob—Bob’s your Uncle! Maybe. bod, n. Slang. character Slang. An abbreviation of body and somewhat pejorative. Example: I saw some- body who seemed to be a night watchman or some other type of lowly bod about the premises. bod 37 bodkin, n. tape needle In Britain the commonest meaning is that of a thick, unpointed needle having a large eye for drawing tape or ribbon through a hem or a loop. Another meaning in Britain and America is to designate a large and elaborate hatpin, but most of those went out of fashion in Edwardian times. bodyline, adj. see comment Usually in the expression bodyline bowling. In cricket, bowling is the overhand delivery of the ball (see bowler, 2.) to the batsman (batter), who must defend his wicket (keep the ball from knocking the horizontal pegs (called bails) off the vertical supports (called stumps). In bodyline bowling, the bowler aims at the bats- man, rather than the wicket, not so much to hurt him as to frighten him, thus causing him to duck away and so fail to defend his wicket, especially from a ball with spin (English) on it sufficient to make it swing in or out as it hits the ground in front of the batsman and hit the wicket. boffin, n. research scientist; expert, especially in science Slang. Synonymous with back-room boy, referring to a person who during World War II worked as a scientist for the war effort, as, for instance, in the develop- ment of radar. Jack Rayner of Muswell Hill, a research scientist in the employ of the General Post Office, is of the opinion that he may be the original boffin to whom this bit of R.A.F. World War II slang for ‘civilian scientist’ was applied. Early in 1943 Mr. Rayner worked with a scientist who liked to give his col- leagues nicknames out of Dickens, and the future Mrs. Rayner was his assistant. The name-giver called her Mrs. Boffin, after the character in Our Mutual Friend. By association Mr. Rayner became Mr. Boffin, and was thus addressed by his colleagues on a visit to Fighter and Bomber Command Headquarters soon there- after. The term is now used more generally for scientists or mathematicians of high distinction. bog, n. Slang. john (toilet) Slang. Vulgar slang, used usually in the plural to refer to a communal latrine, as at school or in the service. See loo. bogey (bogy), n. 1. Slang. cop 2. Slang. booger, snot 1. (Hard g.) Slang. This old-fashioned word literally means bugbear, which should explain its slang use among the criminal element. 2. n. The term originates in children’s speech but is widely used by adults as well as children. bogeyman, n. boogieman A frightening imaginary person used to scare children. If you don’t behave, the bogeyman will come and get you. bogie, n. truck (non-driving locomotive wheels) (Hard g.) Railroad term. Truck is a British railroad term meaning ‘gondola car’ (open freight car). See bogey. bog-standard, adj. Slang. average Used almost invariably as a pejorative. 38 bodkin boiled sweets hard candy Sweets, as a general term, is the British equivalent of the American general term candy. Boiled sweets always means the kind of candy that is usually sucked rather than chewed. See, however, sweet. boiler. See chicken. boiler suit coverall boiling, n. Slang. shooting-match Slang. The whole boiling, referring to a group of people, means the ‘whole mob of them’ but boiling can refer to the whole lot of anything. bollard, n. traffic post A bollard in both countries is a post on a ship or dock around which hawsers are tied. An exclusively British meaning is ‘traffic post,’ i.e., a short post on a traffic island, to regulate traffic by barring passage in certain directions. bollick, v.t. Slang. bawl out Slang. It is a curious coincidence that this word resembles bollocks (see ballocks) and bollixed (as in, all bollixed up). Those words and phrases have to do with the noun ball, usually found in the plural, whereas bollick happens to be associated with the verb bawl, in its meaning of ‘shout’ rather than ‘weep.’ bollocks. See ballocks. bolshy, also bolshie, n., adj. approx. unconventional and uncooperative Inf. Literally Bolshevik, but applied by older folk to any unconventional act or person. To go bolshie is to go one’s own unconventional way, to engage in anti- Establishment behavior; to disregard the accepted form; to do one’s own thing. The general sense of the term is ‘mutinous’ (socially speaking); ‘acting in defiance of good form.’ Some use it to mean ‘obstreperous,’ and apply the term to any trouble-maker. The Concise Oxford Dictionary calls it merely ‘uncooperative.’ bolter, n. Inf. see comment A person (especially male) who is likely to abandon the family home for the smallest of reasons. I knew he was no good—he was a real bolter. bolt-hole, n. hideaway Inf. A pied à terre. Used by exurbanites in I have a little bolt-hole in Chelsea and by Lon- doners in I have a little bolt-hole in Dorset. The Bolt-Hole is a jocular name given to the Channel Islands, reputed to be a tax haven. All derived from the rabbit’s bolt-hole. bomb, n. 1. Slang. smash hit 2. fortune 1. Slang. A dazzling success—the exact opposite of its meaning in America: a dis- mal flop! To go down a bomb in Britain is to make a smash hit. See knock. 2. Slang. To make a bomb is to make a fortune. It costs a bomb means it costs ‘a for- tune’ or ‘an arm and a leg.’ bonce, n. 1. agate 2. Slang. noodle 1. Slang. A large playing marble. 2. Slang. A rare usage, usually in the expression biff on the bonce, a shot on the head. bonce 39 bone, v.t. Slang. swipe Slang. To steal something; evoking the image of a dog skulking off with a bone. bone. See when it comes to the bone. bone-idle, adj. extremely lazy Bonfire Night see comment A night on or near November 5th, the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot. Tradi- tionally, families have parties with bonfires and fireworks, and an effigy of Guy Fawkes is burned. bonk, 1. v.t., 2. n. 1. Slang. have sexual intercourse with 2. Slang. sexual intercourse bonkers, adj. Slang. nuts; goofy Slang. Also, certified; doolally; crackers; dotty. bonnet, n. Car hood Automobile term. See Appendix II.E. bonus issue (bonus share) stock dividend boob, n., v.t., v.i., Slang. 1. goof 2. jail 3. jug 1. Though Americans don’t use boob as a verb, they commonly use booboo to indi- cate the result. 2. To get boobed is to be imprisoned or apprehended. 3. In the plural, a woman’s breasts. book, v.t. 1. reserve 2. charge 1. In Britain one books or reserves a table, theater seats, hotel rooms, rental cars, etc. A booking in Britain is a reservation; a booking office and a booking clerk (railroad terms) appear in America as ticket office and ticket agent. Fully booked means ‘all seats reserved.’ 2. When something is booked to an account in Britain, the equivalent in America would be charged. See also put down, 2. book of words libretto book seller bookstore In Britain, book advertisements generally advise you that the indispensable vol- ume can be obtained at your book seller (or book shop) rather than at your bookstore. bookstall, n. newsstand Synonymous with newsagent; kiosk. boot, n. 1. trunk (of an automobile) 2. shoe 3. see comment 4. a bad-tempered old woman 1. See Appendix II.E. 40 bone 2. The British use boot to include all leather footwear; but shoe, as in America, normally excludes that which comes above the ankle. If a farmhand or a country- man generally wanted to talk about his rubber boots, he would refer to his Wel- lingtons, standard country footwear even in dry weather. A British boot reaching barely above the ankle would be called a shoe in America. An American who would never refer to his shoes as his boots or to the process of shining them as blacking them nonetheless usually refers to the person who shines his shoes as a bootblack, although he sometimes calls him a shoeshine boy. A shoe clerk in America is a bootmaker’s assistant in Britain even if the boots are not made in that shop. 3. Boot is used in a variety of British expressions: See another pair of shoes (boots); (the) boot is on the other leg (foot); like old boots; put the boot in. 4. Slang, derog. Usually prefaced by ‘old.’ The old boot wouldn’t stop complaining about my cats going in her garden. (the) boot is on the other leg (foot) the shoe is on the other foot Bootlace, n. shoelace boots, n. hotel bootblack He formerly was employed to gather shoes put just outside hotel-room doors at night, to be returned, polished, during the night. In military slang, boots means a ‘rookie officer’ in a regiment or other organization. boot sale see comment An automobile boot sale offers for sale all those things one has no further use for. It is called a boot sale because you fill the boot of your car with articles to dispose of, drive to an appointed place where others are engaging in the same operation, open the boot, strew some of the things around your car, leave some stuff in the boot, and hope to pick up a few pounds while ridding yourself of the stuff you can’t stand having around any longer. Also called car boot sale. booze cruise, n. Slang. see comment A round-trip voyage (usually by ferry but also by Eurotunnel) from the UK to the Continent to buy liquor, tobacco, and other products that are normally cheaper in mainland Europe than in the UK. boozer, n. Slang. 1. a pub 2. someone who drinks too much alcohol Jocular in sense 1, pejorative in sense 2. (the) Border, n. see comment The one between Scotland and England, which is what is meant when Britons or Scots use the expression south of the Border. North of the Border is heard as well. bore, n. gauge In describing the internal diameter of a gun barrel: small bore, large bore, etc. borough, n. see comment (Pronounced burra (u as in butter). Basic unit of local government. See also rot- ten borough. borstal, n. reformatory Inf. Borstal is the name of a town in Kent where Britain’s original juvenile prison is located. It used to be called Borstal Prison but is now referred to as Borstal borstal 41 Institution, reflecting the modern trend toward rehabilitation of young offend- ers. The Borstal System introduced the indeterminate sentence in juvenile cases requiring observation and treatment. Informally, borstal (lower case) has come to mean that kind of essentially remedial and educational institution, wherever located. Also called remand home or remand center. boss-eyed squinty Slang. ‘Cockeyed’ or one-eyed. bother, n., interj. 1. Slang. trouble; row (dispute) 2. damn! rats! 1. Inf. A spot of bother in Britain is a bit of trouble in America, although serious trouble can also be referred to as a spot of bother. 2. Slang. Seen in mild exclamations, as in Bother the boat train! after learning that the planes are full. Somewhat milder than blast! bothered, adj. Inf. concerned; interested People often say, if asked which option they prefer (e.g. tea or coffee to drink), I’m not bothered. The expression is really a synonym for I don’t care. bothy, n. hut; one-room cottage (Pronounced BOH-thee, rhyming with three.) Used by farm hands. bottle, n. Inf. courage Informally speaking, nerve or guts might be more accurate translations. bottom, n. 1. foot (far end) 2. staying power 1. In such phrases as bottom of the garden; bottom of the street, etc., in the same way that a British street has a top rather than a head. 2. Slang. Occasionally affected, perhaps half-jocularly and certainly self-con- sciously, in the expression a lot of bottom, indicating a good deal of courage and persistence. bottom drawer hope chest bottom gear low gear Logically enough, top gear means high gear. boundary, n. 1. see comment 2. limits 1. A cricket term meaning a hit that sends the ball rolling all the way to the white line around the field that marks the boundary and counts as four runs. The ball doesn’t have to land outside the line. If it does that, it scores six runs (see six). See also Appendix II.K. 2. See city boundary; town boundary. bounder, n. boor A person, most often a man, guilty of unacceptable social behavior; an ill-bred person. The term does not necessarily imply low moral character, but it can. bovver, n. Slang. trouble 42 boss-eyed Bow Bells see comment (Pronounced boh bells.) Literally, the bells of Bow Church, also called St. Mary- le-Bow Church, in the City of London. The church got its name from the bows (arches) of its steeple or from the arches of stone upon which the church was built—those still to be seen in the Norman crypt. The most frequent use of Bow Bells is in the expression within the sound of Bow Bells, which means ‘in the City of London’ (see City). One is said to be a true cockney if born within the sound of Bow Bells. See also cockney; East End. The ecclesiastical court of the Archbishop of Can- terbury is held in the crypt of Bow Church, and its head is therefore called the Dean of the Arches. bowler, n. 1. derby (hat) 2. see comment 1. Also called in Britain a billycock. Designed in 1850 with felt supplied by a Mr. Bowler for (the story goes) Mr. William Coke, who somehow became Mr. Billy Cock. 2. Bowler has an entirely distinct meaning in cricket. The bowler (from the verb bowl) has approximately the same relationship to cricket as the pitcher has to base- ball. He bowls, over-arm, rather than pitches, side-arm. bowler-hatted, adj. back in civies Slang. To be bowler-hatted is to be retired early from military service with a bonus for retiring. A bowler, of course, is a hallmark of civilian attire. See also demob. bowls, n. pl. lawn bowling A bowl (in the singular) in sports is a wooden ball not exactly spherical, or eccentrically weighted if spherical, so that it can be made to curve when roll- ing. Related to boccie, boules, pelanca (or pétanque), etc., but the bowling-greens of Britain are as meticulously maintained as the putting greens at the best American golf clubs. box, n. 1. intersection area 2. Slang. idiot box 3. jock strap 1. Box, or junction box, is a British traffic term denoting the grid marked out at a street intersection (crossroads). One sees traffic signs reading do not enter box until your exit is clear—don’t start crossing at an intersection and get stuck in the middle, thus blocking traffic coming at right angles. 2. Short for goggle-box, comparable to American boob tube. 3. The protective cup in the UK jock strap is sometimes made of hard material, hence the name box. Boxing Day see comment First weekday after Christmas, December 26, a legal holiday in Britain, unless Christmas falls on a Saturday, in which event December 27 is Boxing Day. This is the day on which Christmas gifts of money are traditionally given to the milk- man, postman (mailman), dustman (garbage man), and others. box-room, n. storage room The room in your house for suitcases and trunks. See also lumber-room. box-room 43 box-spanner. See spanner. box-up, n. Inf. mix-up Slang. Like occupying the wrong seats at the theater and being compelled to move. See balls. boy. See head boy; old boy; pot-boy; wide boy. braces, n. suspenders The American equivalent, suspenders, is used in Britain as the equivalent of American garters. bracken, n. large fern Also, an area covered with ferns and undergrowth. bracket, n. see comment American brackets are square enclosing marks, thus: [ ]. In Britain, the term is generic for enclosing marks, and includes parentheses, thus: ( ). To differentiate while dictating in Britain, one must specify square brackets or round brackets. bradbury, n. Inf. approx. a buck Sir John Bradbury, who became Secretary of the Treasury in 1914, signed the paper money issued by the Treasury, and his name, often shortened to brad, became the colloquial term for the bills themselves, particularly the one-pound note (see note, 1.). In 1919 Sir Warren Fisher succeeded Bradbury as the signer of the Treasury notes and the term bradbury gave way to fisher, until October 1, 1933, after which date all paper money was issued by the Bank of England, and Treasury notes ceased to be legal tender. Bradshaw, n. approx. national passenger train timetable Short for Bradshaw’s Railway Guide, originally published by George Bradshaw in 1839. Ceased publication circa 1965. brakesman, n. brakeman brake-van, n. caboose Railroad term, more commonly called guard’s van. The American equivalent (caboose) was used in Britain to mean ‘galley on the deck of a ship,’ now obso- lete as a ship design feature. Brake-van relates to freight trains (goods trains), as opposed to guard’s van, which applies to passenger trains. Brake-vans are cars that enable brakemen to reach and operate a train’s brakes. bramble, n., v.i. blackberry To go brambling is to go blackberry picking. Bramley apple, n. see comment A variety of large, tart apple, indigenous to the UK, used solely for cooking. branch, n. local Specialized use in trade union circles: Branch 101 would be Local 101 in American union terminology. 44 box-spanner [...]... Britain a railroad car or coach is called a carriage; car means ‘automobile’ and coach also means ‘bus’ 2 Carriage means ‘freight’ in the sense of cost of shipping Carriage forward means ‘freight extra’; carriage paid means ‘freight prepaid.’ See also forward; freight carriage rug lap robe Has given way to travelling rug All terms have given way to effective car heaters carrier-bag, n shopping bag While... Latin name for Cambridge In a narrower sense, a Cantabrigian is a student or graduate of Cambridge University Informally abbreviated to Cantab., which is the usual form, and applies in America to Cambridge, Mass., and particularly Harvard canteen of cutlery, n silver set Contained in a case, usually a fitted one The metal, nowadays, is more likely to be stainless steel than silver canterbury, n magazine... didn’t you? A call is a ‘bid.’ call after name for The British call their babies after favored relatives and national heroes Americans may name a child for someone or merely call a boy Thomas or the like call at stop at Both countries speak of vessels as calling at ports The British occasionally apply the same term to trains Thus one sees signs in the Charing Cross Railway Station at the gate (barrier)... military term applied to superannuated cavalry horses Unhappily they are usually slaughtered for horsemeat at a knacker’s yard rather than sent to pasture caster sugar, n finely granulated sugar Caster sugar is more finely grained than American granulated sugar but not powdery like American powdered or confectioner’s sugar, which is called icing sugar in Britain casual labourer temp or occasional worker... describing a particular train as Not calling at London Bridge call-box, n Also called kiosk or telephone box telephone booth called to the bar admitted to the bar This British phrase applies only to barristers and refers to persons who have received a license to practice as barristers See also Inns of Court; barrister caller, n calling party A person making a telephone call is referred to as caller and is addressed... Buckinghamshire chesterfield, n sofa In America a chesterfield is a dark overcoat, usually with a velvet collar The British chesterfield is a large overstuffed sofa, with a back and upholstered arms In Canada, the term is applied to any large sofa or couch chest of drawers bureau; dresser In Britain a bureau is a writing desk with drawers of the sort Americans refer to as a secretary, and a dresser is a. .. directed by a male to a female, there is generally an implication of a sexual objective Sweet-talk is another American equivalent Chat (without the up), as in chat the girls, means ‘flirt with.’ Britons also chat to a person chav, n Slang see comment A derogatory term for a working-class person, often dressed in expensive branded sportswear and excessive jewelry chaw-bacon, n Slang Jaw-bacon is a variant rube;... transactions with several interdependent sales and purchases This is a chain, and anyone selling or buying property is eager to avoid it chair, n Metal socket holding railroad track in place on a tie track socket chairman (of a company), n president (of a corporation) The Americans do not speak of the chairman of a company or corporation They speak of the chairman of the board, meaning the ‘chairman... pedlar They hawked chapbooks, little pamphlets containing street cries, short tales, tracts, and ballads char, n 1 cleaning lady 2 tea 1 Inf This word is displeasing to the ladies whom it describes It is also used in the combinations charwoman and charlady The latter is minimally acceptable to these ladies, who generally prefer to be called daily help, daily woman, or just daily Cleaner and cleaning lady... telephone candy-floss, n 2 see comment 2 Used metaphorically for ‘vapid thoughts.’ 1 cotton candy cane, n., v.t whip; switch What Americans call a cane, the British prefer to call a walking-stick cane it, v cannon, n Term in billiards cans, n., pl Slang 1 to travel at great speed 2 to take alcohol or drugs in excess carom Slang headphones Cantabrigian, n., adj see comment Of Cambridge, from Cantabrigia, the . Slang. To make a bomb is to make a fortune. It costs a bomb means it costs a for- tune’ or ‘an arm and a leg.’ bonce, n. 1. agate 2. Slang. noodle 1. Slang. A large playing marble. 2. Slang. A rare. obso- lete as a ship design feature. Brake-van relates to freight trains (goods trains), as opposed to guard’s van, which applies to passenger trains. Brake-vans are cars that enable brakemen to reach. uniforms. broad arrow 47 broad bean approx. lima bean Similar, but larger, darker and with a coarser skin. The British variety is the seed of a vetch known as Vicia faba; the American, that of the plant