British english A to Z_9 pptx

trolley) is a tea wagon. Trolley is also the name given to the wheeled shopping carts used in supermarkets, as well as the rolling luggage carriers supplied at airports, and in Britain, at some of the railroad terminals. A sweets trolley is a dessert cart. trooping the colour(s) see comment Annual ceremony on the Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall, London. The regi- mental flag (the colour) is borne aloft between lines of troops and handed to the sovereign. This ceremony occurs on the official birthday of the monarch, June 13. (Elizabeth II was born on April 21, a date on which the weather is uncertain.) trouble and strife, Rhyming slang. wife truck, n. gondola car Truck is the term that would be used by the layman, whereas a more knowledge- able person would call it an open goods waggon. What Americans call a truck in railroad parlance is a bogie in Britain. The American road truck is a lorry in Brit- ain. truckle bed trundle bed trug, n. see comment A convenient flattish garden basket coming in many sizes, made of thin woven wooden strips. trumpery, adj. cheap In the sense of ‘tawdry’ or ‘gaudy.’ Sometimes also used as a noun denoting something that fits the description. trumps, come up or turn up. See come up trumps. truncheon, n. billy A short club or cudgel, also known in America as a nightstick. trunk call long-distance call trunk road. See arterial road. try, n. approx. touchdown In rugger. See under football. try it on Inf. try it out Inf. With the strong implication that one is taking a shot at something in the hope of getting away with it. Hence, the noun try-on. TT, n., adj. teetotaler; teetotal Inf. And the British occasionally say teetotalist instead of teetotaller, but it all points to the same degree of rectitude. tube, n. subway Synonymous with underground. Goggle box is an equivalent of the American slang use of tube for TV. But tube is also used for TV in Britain. See also subway for British use. 378 trooping the colour(s) tub-thumper, n., Inf. Inf. soapbox orator T.U.C. see comment Stands for Trades Union Congress, much more closely linked to the Labour Party than the A.F.L C.I.O. is to any American party, and a much more powerful politi- cal force. See also social contract; trade union. tuck, n. Slang. eats Slang. Variants are tuck-in and, less commonly, tuck-out. Tuck-in is also a verb mean- ing to ‘put on the feedbag,’ that is, ‘eat hearty.’ A tuck-shop is a pastry shop and a tuck- box is one for the safeguarding of goodies and is generally school jargon. To tuck into something is to dig into it, that is, to pack in a hearty meal. See also tack; toke. tumble to catch on to Inf. To tumble to a concept, a hidden meaning, etc. is to grasp it, catch on to it, get the point of it. Synonymous with twig. turf, n., v.t. sod Both terms, in both substantive and verbal uses, are synonymous in both coun- tries, but turf is almost always used in Britain. One unit of the stuff (i.e., a stan- dard size piece of ready made lawn) is called a turf in Britain, a sod in America. Turves are normally 1′ × 3′ in Britain; sods 1′ × 1′ in America. For wholly unrelated uses of both terms in Britain see sod, n. and turf, n. turf, n. Inf. neck of the woods Inf. Preceded by a possessive, an expression that seems to transcend all class bar- riers, as in, On me own turf, I sez wot’s wot or, Let you give me lunch? Oh no, dear boy, we’re on my turf now. turf accountant bookie A euphemism for bookmaker, but increasingly rare. Commission agent is an equally euphemistic synonym. turf out throw out Slang. Usually applied to rubbish, whether a pile of old magazines or undesirable people. turn, n. 1. vaudeville act 2. dizzy spell 1. This is a vaudeville term. Turn in this sense is short for variety turn or music-hall turn and by extension can denote the performer as well. See star turn. 2. Turn can mean ‘shock’ (It gave me quite a turn) in both countries. Less educated Britons also talk of having a turn to describe the experiencing of a dizzy spell. turn-about, n. abrupt change Of policy, attitude, etc. turn and turn about alternately turncock, n. water main attendant turning, n. turn The first turning on the right means the ‘first right turn.’ The British say, Take the first turning on the right and the Americans, Take your first right. Turning has appar- turning 379 ently come to mean block, i.e., the space between two turnings in the original sense of turn. It has been used in such phrases as a medium length turning, a short turning, etc. See Appendix I.A.3. turn out, v.t. clean up In Britain one turns out a room or a closet by moving everything out of it, cleaning it up, and then moving everything back. turn the Nelson eye on turn a blind eye to Inf. To wink at (something); to overlook it, act as though nothing had happened. Admiral Nelson (1758–1805) lost the sight of one eye in 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars. In 1801, he ignored an order to cease action against the Danes at Copenhagen by putting his telescope to his blind eye and claiming that he hadn’t seen the signal. He continued the battle and won. Hence, to turn a Nelson eye on something is to pay no attention to it, to ignore it, to pretend that nothing has happened. turn-up, n. 1. trouser cuff 2. upset 1. The term cuff in Britain is confined to sleeves. 2. In sports. turn up one’s toes, Slang. Slang. kick the bucket turn up trumps. See come up trumps. turtle-neck, adj. round-neck Applied to sweaters with round collars skirting the base of the neck. For the American sense of turtleneck, see polo neck. See also roll-neck. tushery. See under Wardour Street. twat, n. Slang. fool Pronounced like that, and likely to be preceded by the adjective silly. The same word is used (rhyming with not), as in the United States, as a vulgar slang term for the female genitals. twee, adj. arty Slang. Or terrible refeened. Usually seen in the phrase frightfully twee. Implies arch- ness, affected daintiness, quaintness-for-quaintness’s sake, and so on. tweeny, n. assistant maid Inf. A maidservant, one who assists both cook and chambermaid, and whose position is thus between downstairs and upstairs. Also tween-maid. twelfth man standby Inf. In cricket, the side consists of eleven players and a twelfth man who is pres- ent to take the place of an injured or otherwise unavailable player. The term has come into general use to signify a standby in any situation. twenty a pack of Refers to cigarettes. In shops you ask for either twenty or ten. Thus, Twenty Play- ers, please. When you buy from a machine there may be any number of variations, seven, eight, twelve etc., depending on the machine. See also packet. 380 turn out twicer, n., Slang. Slang. double dealer A cheat; a deceiver. twice running twice in a row twig, v.t., v.i. Inf. catch on (to) Slang. In the sense of ‘understanding.’ Dig is a common slang synonym in Amer- ica; sometimes heard in Britain as well. Synonymous with tumble to. twin-bedded. See under double-bedded. twin set see comment A matching cardigan and top worn by women. The term twin set and pearls is used to describe an affluent suburban woman of conventional views and manners. twin with . . . linked with . . . ; sister-citied with . . . Seen on roadside town signs to indicate a special formalized friendly relationship with a town abroad. A variant is the phrase friendship town followed by the name of a related community. Thus, driving along, you might see chichester twinned with chartres or royal tunbridge wells friendship town wiesbaden with the twin town usually chosen on the basis of similar industries or general interests and often quite similar in size. twist, v.t., Slang. swindle twister, n., Slang. Slang. sharpie twit, n. Slang. jerk Slang. A foolish or insignificant person. twitten, n. alley An enclosed type of narrow walk in a village or town, as opposed to open coun- try, where it would be called a footpath. twizzle, v.t., v.i. 1. spin 2. weave 1. Slang. No American slang equivalent. To twizzle somebody or something around is to twist or spin him (it) around, e.g., in order to examine from all angles. 2. Slang. Used intransitively, it means ‘weave about,’ ‘meander.’ two (ten) a penny, Inf. Inf. a dime a dozen Something of little value. twopence coloured gaudy Inf. Rare. Spectacular, with a slightly pejorative tinge. Cheap. In common speech, the phrase usually comes out twopenny (pronounced tup’-p’ny) coloured; its oppo- site is penny plain. twopence coloured 381 twopenny-halfpenny, adj. Inf. junky Inf. (Pronounced tup’-p’ny hay’-p’ny.) It can mean ‘worthless,’ ‘negligible,’ ‘nothing to worry about,’ or even ‘contemptible,’ depending on the context. See also grotty. two pisspots high, Slang. Slang. knee-high to a grasshopper two-seater, n. roadster Does anybody still say roadster? Maybe sports car is closer in feeling, if not as accu- rate. two-star. See four-star. two-stroke, n. oil and gasoline mixture Suitable for two-stroke engines. This term formerly appeared on many service station roadside signs. two-up-two-down, n., Inf. see comment A small house with two floors, each having two rooms. 382 twopenny-halfpenny 383 U See Appendix I.C.6. U.D.I. unilateral declaration of independence UKIP, acronym see comment Acronym for United Kingdom Independence Party, a political party formed in 1993. Its main mission is to get Britain to withdraw from the European Union. ulcer, n. canker sore Open sore on a surface of the body, external or internal. Also a corrupting influence. Ulsterman a native of Ulster unbelt, v.t., Slang. Slang. shell out undercut, n. 1. tenderloin 2. uppercut 1. Butcher’s term. The British use fillet (pronounced fill’-it) for the same cut. See Appendix II.H. 2. Boxing term. underdone, adj. raw Referring to meat, supposedly rare but really insufficiently cooked. underground, n. subway Also called the tube. A subway in Britain is an underground pedestrian passage. underlay, n. carpet pad under observation patrolled under offer approx. for sale For sale, but with a pending offer. undertaker, n. funeral director under the doctor under the doctor’s care under the harrow, Inf. Inf. in distress unfit, adj. unable to play Because injured or ill. Used in sports reporting and announcements at the game. unharbour, v.t. dislodge A hunting term: to dislodge a deer from shelter. u h unit trust mutual fund A good way to save for retirement. unmade road. See under metalled road. unmetalled road. See under metalled road. unofficial strike wildcat strike unpaved road/track, n. dirt road unseen, n. sight translation In an examination or classroom recitation: He did well in his Latin unseens. unsocial hours see comment Term used in industrial disputes to describe working hours that interfere with workers’ social lives, like evenings, weekends, and holidays. Not overtime, which can occur in any job, but the regular hours in jobs like those of bus drivers, railroad personnel, night watchman, etc. unstable verge. See verge. up, adv. to London See also down; down train. up, adj. out of bed Up, in America, is ambiguous, in that it can mean ‘awake’ or ‘up and about.’ In Britain it means the latter—‘out of bed.’ up a gum tree Slang. up the creek Slang. In a pickle; in a fix. See also in a cleft stick; on a piece of string; bunkered; under the harrow; snookered; up the spout. up for the Cup in town for the big occasion Slang. Originated in the North Country, where it is pronounced oop for t’coop (oo short as in hoof, and the t’ almost inaudible), and refers to coming up to London to support the team in the football (soccer) Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. upper circle second balcony In a theater. See also stall; pit; gods. upper ten Inf. upper crust Inf. The upper classes; short for the upper ten thousand, an analogous phrase that originated in America. uppish, adj., Inf. Inf. uppity Putting on airs. upsides. See get upsides with. up-stick, v.i. Inf. pack up and go Inf. This can describe moving one’s entire ménage or simply clearing up after a picnic. From former nautical slang meaning ‘set a mast.’ See also pull up sticks. 384 unit trust up stumps Inf. pull up stakes Inf. To clear and leave. One of the many terms derived from cricket. Not to be confused with stump up. Draw stumps means the same thing: clear out. Stumps are the three uprights in the ground supporting two small cross-pieces (bails), the whole structure constituting the wicket (See wicket, 1). To up or draw stumps is to close the match, an operation that is extended figuratively to the winding up of a situation or phase. up the duff Slang. pregnant up the junction Slang. up the creek Slang. In a tough spot; in a fix. The creek in the original reference flowed with human excrement, and those caught upstream were bereft of a paddle. up the pole 1. Inf. dead drunk 2. Slang. in a fix 3. crazed 1. Slang. In this meaning, the very opposite of the American ‘on the wagon.’ 2. Slang. In a predicament. 3. Slang. By anything, not merely drink. up the spout Slang. in a fix Slang. Used of any predicament, but, like in trouble in America, often understood to mean ‘pregnant’ when the context permits of the possibility of that interpreta- tion. up the wall. See drive (someone) up the wall. up to the knocker, Slang. Inf. in great shape up train. See under down train. U.S., adj. unserviceable Slang. The term, always pronounced you ess, originated in the Civil Service, in government laboratories. Where’s the Bunsen burner? Taken away; it’s gone You Ess. If you haven’t guessed it, the U is the un-, and the S is for -serviceable. Also written U/S. Now rare. U.S. 385 386 v. very Common abbreviation in informal correspondence. See also Appendix I.D.9. vac, n. vacation (Pronounced vack.) Also, a school vacation. See also come down, 2; holiday. vacancies n. help wanted Also, situations vacant. Signifying unoccupied positions. vacant possession immediate occupancy One sees in most real estate advertisements the expression vacant possession on completion, meaning ‘immediate occupancy on closing title.’ This is sometimes qualified by the addition of the phrase subject to service occupancy or less com- monly, service occupations, meaning ‘subject to the occupancy of part (rarely all) of the premises by persons living there are rendering services in payment of rent.’ The purchaser can get them out by legal means, but it is an arduous process. It almost always applies to agricultural properties. vacuum flask thermos bottle See also dewar. A vessel with a double wall enclosing a vacuum. vains I! See fains I! value. See good value. value, v.t. appraise Whence valuer, the usual term for appraiser, who makes his livelihood by estimat- ing the value of various objects or land. Value Added Tax. See V.A.T. value for money your money’s worth British shoppers who have found a really good bargain will say they got value for money as a way of expressing their approval. It may often be shortened, as in That skirt was good value. valve, n. tube Radio term. van, n. 1. closed truck 2. baggage car 1. Large or small. In America usually restricted to big ones. See also pantechnicon. 2. Railroad term. van, removal. See pantechnicon; removals. v h (the) V & A see comment The Victoria & Albert Museum in London; almost invariably called V&A. Founded in the mid-19th century, it is the national museum for the decorative and applied arts. variety, n. vaudeville See also music-hall. variety turn. See turn. varnish, n. nail polish V.A.T. sales or excise tax (Sometimes pronounced vee-ay-tee, sometimes vat.) Sometimes VAT, abbrevia- tion of Value Added Tax, which replaced the old purchase tax and the selective employment tax, a sort of payroll tax in the service industries. V.A.T. resembles the American Manufacturers’ Excise Tax, and derives its Value Added label from the fact that at each successive stage of the production of an artifact, the person or entity involved is obliged to add a certain percentage to his charge, which he collects on behalf of Inland Revenue (the national tax authority) and pays over to them at quarterly intervals. At the same time he can recover the V.A.T. amounts that other people have charged him on his acquisitions which go into what he is producing. Thus, a bicycle manufacturer passes on to the Inland Revenue the tax he has collected, but recovers the tax he has paid on, e.g., metal, tires, etc. V.A.T. applies not only to tangibles but to services as well. A writer passes on the percentage he has added to his fee, but gets back the percentage he has paid on writing-paper, telephone, and other things that he has had to pay for in order to perform his professional duties. V.C. see comment Stands for Victoria Cross, the highest military distinction. Next in order are C.M.G. (Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George); D.S.O. (Distinguished Service Order); M.C. (Military Cross). G.C. stands for George Cross, awarded for extreme civilian bravery (dating from World War II). verge, n. grass shoulder Verges along roads in Britain vary in width and are favorite spots for picnicking trippers. Making oneself at home on the verge, however narrow, is a British phe- nomenon. Americans are amazed to see the equipment employed in this happy activity: folding tables and chairs, ornate tablecloths, electric kettles, elaborate picnic baskets, deck chairs, too; everything but the kitchen sink. In Britain one sees parkway signs reading soft verges, but, when conditions are appropriate, hard shoulder. Why shoulder in this case rather than verge, and why the singu- lar, nobody knows. unstable verge, another common road sign, is another term for soft shoulder. See also berm. vest, n. undershirt For what Americans mean by vest, the British say waistcoat. See also singlet. vet, v.t. check Inf. With particular reference to candidates for a job, but now commonly used as well in security checking. By a logical extension, vet can mean ‘authenticate,’ referring to a work of art or a holograph, which is certified genuine after being checked up on. One can also vet a manuscript for accuracy. This term is derived vet 387 [...]... must do An American would have left out the do 3 American usage tends to be more literal We say baby carriage and the British say pram (an abbreviation of perambulator) The British would understand baby carriage but no recently arrived American would know what a pram was The same would apply to cleaning woman and char, or ball-point pen and biro There is no hard and fast rule In general, American expressions... satisfaction and joy Little heard nowadays Inf great! whale, n Slang shark Slang An American who is expert in a given field is said to be a shark at it A Briton so skilled might be called a whale on, at or for it There is an echo of the British usage in the expression a whale of a Thus Jones is a shark at math in America, a whale on, at or for maths in Britain, and a whale of a mathematician anywhere... “Got any wedge?” Wodge and wadge are variants See also lolly for slang terms for money weed, n Slang A pejorative, similar to twit, for a weak person Slang drip week a week from The British say today week or a week today where the Americans say a week from today; Tuesday week or a week on Tuesday where the Americans say a week from Tuesday; last Sunday week where Americans say a week ago last... the Navy or the approximately diamond pattern of the Naval Reserve wax, n Slang A dreadful wax is a towering rage And waxy is jumpy way, n Inf To be in a way or in a great way is to be in a dither or in a tizzy rage dither; tizzy way, permanent See permanent way wayleave, n A right of way rented to a company etc easement Way Out Exit Ubiquitous sign in public places Exit signs seem to be confined to. .. singular in America, third person plural in Britain Thus, Harvard plays Yale, but Oxford play Cambridge; the American cabinet meets, the British cabinet meet; the American public approves, the British public approve A headline in the Daily Telegraph (London) of August 15, 410 British English A to Zed 1981, about England’s rout of the Australian side in the fifth Test Match, reads: Australia Crash Again as... End, as any American making a telephone call through a British operator can testify after unraveling the arcana of trangneckchew, the solicitous operator’s oft-repeated assurance that she is trying -to- connect-you 412 British English A to Zed 2 Not only place and family names present difficulty Many common nouns are normally accented or pronounced differently from the usual American way Here are a few:... punkah was known as the punkah-wallah, and so on Applying the term to American situations, wallah would appear to come out simply as -man: the individual who repairs your typewriter is the typewriter-man; e.g., iceman, barman, etc A bag-wallah, in the old days, was a traveling salesman Nowadays the term is either old-fashioned or jocular, depending on the use wallpaper music Inf Muzak is the trademark... American pronunciation is considered at least colloquial, or even vulgar, though it was considered correct not many decades ago Waistcoat 389 390 wait for it! is used in Britain the way hat is used in America in expressions like to wear several waistcoats or wear more than one waistcoat, i.e., to act in a number of different capacities In America, one is said to wear several hats to indicate activity... more, and county names are occasionally changed as counties are realigned, eliminated, merged, and renamed for purposes of greater administrative efficiency): Bucks Buckinghamshire Hants Hampshire Lancs Lancashire Wilts Wiltshire These are Standard English if so written (and analogous to abbreviated American state names), and informal when so pronounced Bucks., Hants., etc., in the spoken language are as... countries wally, n wank, v.i Slang Masturbate wanker, n Literally, a masturbator See wank piped music Inf a fool Slang jerk off Slang a foolish or despicable person washing things want, v.t 391 1 take; require 2 need; lack 1 Example: It wants a bit of courage to sail the Atlantic alone 2 Example: All the wheels want is a drop of oil; that picture wants to be hung higher; that child wants a good spanking . clothes. wear off 393 weather-board, n. clapboard A weather-boarded house is a clapboard house, and weather-boarding is the clapboard itself, also known as siding. A weather-board is also a sloping board. straight braid of the Navy or the approximately diamond pattern of the Naval Reserve. wax, n. rage Slang. A dreadful wax is a towering rage. And waxy is jumpy. way, n. dither; tizzy Inf. To. To be in a way or in a great way is to be in a dither or in a tizzy. way, permanent. See permanent way. wayleave, n. easement A right of way rented to a company etc. Way Out Exit Ubiquitous sign