The Dictionary of American and British Usage (long - 160k)

[Jeremy Smith]

This is the 6/6/94 version, which has been dumped unceremoniously in
text form from my word processor. I shall format it nicely some day.
The general formatting is as follows:

*bold* _underline_ ~italic~ ^superscript -subscript

The plan is to incorporate any feedback you may care to offer, and
generate a version which will be published in pocket book form, this
summer, and available for about $8, as well as making a *nicely*
formatted net version available from a fine ftp site near you.

The basic philosophy is: a word (or phrase) well enough known in both
US & UK wont show up in this dictionary. A word used significantly
somewhere in the US and not well known in the UK will be listed, and
vice versa.

There is still much work to be done - such as all entries are nouns by
default and I haven't gone through and corrected them all.

What's the consensus? Shall I post the `final' version in its entirety
(160k) or just its ftp location?

For those familiar with the compuserve labyrinth, tell me where to GO
to post this.

Jeremy |-)

--------%<----<snibble>---<snibble>---<snibble>----<schnipp!>------------

The
Dictionary
of
American and *British*
Usage

For English Speaking People

"England and America are two countries separated by the same
language"
--George Bernard Shaw

"The question is," said Alice, "whether you ~can~ make words mean
so many different things."
"The question is, said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master--
that's all."
--Lewis Carroll, ~Through the Looking-Glass~

Jeremy Smith

Compiled and copyright (c) 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 by Jeremy Smith

June 6, 1994

*Clarifications, corrections, elucidations, emendations,
suggestions, syntax, typos, to:*
Jeremy |-) Smith
(503) 752-0634 (503) 754-4303
301 NE Byron Place, Corvallis OR 97330-6233 USA
fax: (503) 757-4435, (503) 752-0028
jer...@kira.csos.orst.edu
76662,1535

*Contents*

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Differences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Vocabulary (Thing's Names). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Double Meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Idiom - oblique sayings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Spelling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Pronunciation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
*Geographical Scope*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Time Scope. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Domains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Jargon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Slang. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Rhyming Slang, Cockney Rhyming Slang, and backslang. . . . . . 12
Swear Words. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
*Obligatory Humour* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Brief History of English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Languages in Britain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Old English 450-1150 (Germanic) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Middle English 1150-1500 (Germanic + Romance) . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Early Modern English 1500-1800 (Renaissance). . . . . . . . . . . . 16
19^th Century English 1800-1900 (No change - just expansions)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
American English. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Modern English 1900-1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

About this Dictionary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
*Reference Entries* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
*Format of Entries* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
*Abbreviations used in this dictionary* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
*Pronunciation guide* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

*Introduction*

The primary purpose of this dictionary is for *use* by
travellers. Its purpose is to provide a fun, handy and useful
reference for the Briton in America and the American in Britain.

The dictionary has two halves: American to British, where the
explanation and definitions of American words are in British (and
*bold* words in this section are American that may be looked up);
British to American, the list of British words explained in
American terminology, words, and spellings (though *bold* words
are British, and they may be looked up).

The definitions in this dictionary concentrate on the differences
in the two Englishes, which may be a different word for the same
thing, or the same word used for different things. English
sounds different and is spelt differently and also means
different things, depending on which `English' speaking country
you are in.

The following discussions give some perspectives on English,
which will enlighten many since, in my experience, many Americans
are clueless about British mores, and many Britons are ignorant
of the American way of life. The American fascination with
things British (tennis, Royal Family, football (soccer), Beatles,
history) is not reciprocated, though many Americanism are
considered hip in Britain.

*Bolded* words may looked up, the suffixes indicate which
section. Britain is used throughout in the informal sense to
include the UK generally, but see their entries for technical
definitions.

*Differences*

Vocabulary provides the most obvious difference; a different word
for a thing, like a foreign language, but usage differences
(style, grammar, words with different meaning or nuance) are more
numerous. Spelling and pronunciation are very apparent
differences, but less substantial than vocabulary and usage. All
these taken together form the distinctive American or British
dialect (super-dialect, sub-language?).

Compared to the main body of English these differences are really
quite small. We can read each others newspapers without too much
trouble; only a little of a Monty Python show is lost on an
American audience.

Why are there differences? In isolation language does evolve
distinctly, and these two cultures an ocean apart have different
environments and histories. But in this case there has always
been good communications (travel, letters, books) and this
increases continuously (radio, movies, TV, phone, fax, email).

These topics are explained below along with, for added
perspective, a brief history of English.

*Vocabulary (Thing's Names)*

At the basic level there is a different vocabulary, just like a
foreign language. For example, *biro* and *spanner* are strictly
Britain terms, whereas *zip code* and *realtor* are strictly
American terms. Also *railway line* and *railroad tracks*;
different words used in different ways (around the common word
rail) to name precisely the same thing. The Bowler hat in
Britain is a Derby hat in the US. However, unlike a foreign
language these two languages converge, as the following chart
suggests. (Perhaps we should say they diverge.)

Words at one extreme are completely different but converge until
they are identical. There is also the obvious/obscure aspect;
sometimes two different words are used but their meaning is quite
apparent (luggage-US baggage-UK ), and may often be used
interchangeably. In other cases words may be quite obscure.

*Double Meaning*
A word that has different meanings in the US and Britain. See
the following in both sections: *suspenders*, *braces*, *jumper*
and *jelly*.

*Usage*

Although vocabulary is the most obvious difference, the usage of
words, where the meaning of a word wanders in different
directions, is more numerous. The following chart illustrates
the range from indistinguishable or interchangeable (to the left)
to more distinct (to the right). As before, there is an
obvious/obscure aspect that widens as usage differs.

The vocabulary and usage issues are not separate, meeting
certainly where meaning converges. The two charts probably
intertwine quite a lot.

I'm still trying to figure out a general difference between
Britain and US in the general style of using words. Americans
feel freer to use the language to express themselves rather than
be constrained by it. American tends to coin and use more freely
nouns compounded from verb+preposition, verbed nouns, nouned
verbs and adjectives.

Americans more freely coin and use verb+prepositions (fallout,
blowout, workout) nouns verbed (to author, to vacation), verbs
nouned (an assist, big push), adjectives nouned (briefs,
hopefuls).

Brunch is still considered informal in Britain (although it
originated as Oxford slang in the late 19^th century, becoming
popular in the US in the 1920s). 10 of 2-US means 10 minutes
until 2 o'clock, and half nine-UK means half past nine; swim-US
champion and swimming-UK champion, hundred three-US and a hundred
and three-UK, `he was beating on him-US' and `he was beating him
up-UK,' Americans part their hair, Britons have a parting.

There are differences that sound peculiar: Americans will say
mashing where Brits will say crushing. It becomes more subtle
when ordinary but different words are used for the same thing,
such as regular-US and normal-UK, tan-US and beige-UK. Some
common words (*decrepit*-UK, *caveat*-US, *grub*-UK, *whilst*-UK)
are used more on one side of the *pond* and sometimes rarely on
the other.

This kind of usage, though sometimes subtle, greatly
distinguishes the user, and can characterize their working,
social, and cultural environment. The fun begins as usages are
misconstrued, especially where common words have different
usages.

*Idiom - oblique sayings*
Idiom has confusing meaning by itself (kick the bucket). And so
idiom of one country will be very obtuse in the other. Go
figure-US. When the same phrase has different meanings it can
cause great confusion (see *what's up?*).

At a regular *diner* eggs come sunny side up, over easy, over
medium, hard, (poached,) or scrambled. In an English advert for
eggs, on the telly, a man staying at a bed and breakfast was
having visions of eggs benedict, omelette, deviled eggs, quiche,
eggs florentine, when his exasperated host impatiently demanded,
"Well! is that fried or boiled?"

Although these differences are indicated between the US and UK
such differences occur between any group. The greater the
difference (culture, ethnic) the more reason for the language to
diverge. And these differences are exacerbated by time and
geographical distance.

*Spelling*

Sometimes words are identical in meaning but spelled differently.
E.g. sulfur-US, sulphur-UK & US and all their derivative words,
haemoglobin and hemoglobin (and other oe and ae words). There
are linguistic differences; most words (stolen from the French)
in Britain ending in -our end in -or in the US (*colour*, *color*
and words like favourite), most words in Britain ending in -tre
(*centre*, *fibre*, *theatre*) will end in -ter. The US has a
greater tendency to drop silent consonants and vowels, and move
to a more phonetic spelling, especially where the old spelling
was a french remnant (tyre-UK tire-US). This often starts
informally (night -> nite, light -> lite) but eventually becomes
mainstream (through -> thru, dough-nought -> doughnut -> donut).
The reverse is also true; for instance, it will be interesting to
see the effect of the current politically correct fad (women ->
womyn, he/him/his/her/she -> sie or hir).

My impression was most nouns verbed that in the US end in -ize
will end in -ise in Britain, but this turns out to be quite
untrue. Most such words are listed in British-English
dictionaries as -ize with -ise as an alternative. However,
analyse and analyze, surprise and surprize (a US alternative),
realise (a UK alternative) and realize.

There are no generalizations; anyone seriously writing across
nations should consult a local dictionary. For instance, licence
and license are both valid in the US, but in Britain the former
is the noun, the latter the verb (same for practice and
practise). Run your American document through a British English
spell checker to highlight commoner differences, and vice versa.

*Pronunciation*

Sometimes words are identical in meaning but pronounced
differently. E.g. *across*, /*akrost*/-US; *tuna*, /choona/-UK.
Nonetheless, pronunciation, even with weak accents, can cause
ambiguity. For many Americans marry merry Mary (/maree meree
mairee/) becomes /meree meree meree/, especially the latter two.
But misunderstanding can be very local, as the three old ladies
sitting in a bus shelter discover: "Windy, en'it?" "No it's not,
it's Thursday." "So am I. Let's go and have a drink!"

Americans tend to `d' their `t's; thus butter becomes /bud*/,
(but Wimbledon becomes /hwimp*lt*n/?) There are many Britons who
`glottal stop' their `t's; thus butter becomes /bu"*/. In
Britain this is considered lower class, though is quite general
of Cockney. The glottal stop is the sound between the two
syllables of uh oh /uh" oh/, and is indicated with a " in the
pronunciation guide (see below). In Britain `h's are often
dropped, especially where t's are glottal stopped; thus *hooter
*becomes /oo"*/. (As a side note, Americans trying to imitate,
say, a Cockney accent, will glottal stop their d's instead of t's
(bloody /bluh"ee/), which to an English person sounds odd though
you can't usually pinpoint why.)

Both nations drop the g in -ing words; this occurs especially in
Britain along with dropping h's and glottal stopping (/wo" th*el
* y* dooin/ "what the hell are you doing?").

"It is hardly an exaggeration to say that all Americans envy the
southern Englishman his pronunciation." --Professor Clark,
Minnesota, 1951. (Praps 'e never 'ung ou" in *Billingsgate*.)

In southern England r's get very weak, though oddly enough they
are added to the end of many words ending in a pronounced vowel
(Louisa -> Louiser), but if Clair can hear the `r' she'll correct
you. In contrast, they roll stronger in the north and Scotland.
In the north d's can be r'd. I've been called a /bluhreeiree"/
(bloody idiot) a few times. A's in the north are bent pretty
flat, whereas in the south pronunciation can sound plummy as if
the person has a *gob* full of marbles.

*Geographical Scope*

As mentioned elsewhere, both countries have many pronounced
regions, which give rise to local differences, and these further
confound the national differences. The regions can be states,
counties, cities or small locales. Consider the Bronx, Texas,
California, Minnesota /min*sohda/, or London, Liverpool,
Newcastle /nookasl/, and Glasgow /gl*zge/.

A word may be used heavily in a discreet location and not be
typical nationally. For instance a word may be in general use
only on the US west coast. This is a particular problem if also
used in a very different sense on the east coast, and again
differently in various parts of Britain.

Many words came to Britain from the colonies, often starting out
as army usage (dekko, bint). The brief history of English,
below, shed some more light on affects on the language by
invasions, migrations and so on.

Numerous American words are English stranded in the US by
settlers and since dropped in England: fall (Autumn), gotten,
flat a's (/bath/ /bahth/), unrounded o's (/not/, /naht/), ate
(/ayt/ /et/), mad (angry), I guess. And this is a continuing
process: brunch.

*Time Scope*

extinct obsolete archaic current
<---------------------------------------------------------->

Many archaic words are still used, but usually in a semi-humorous
and informal way, the humour often due to the ancientness of the
word (e.g. *bully*-UK, *cad*-UK, *spiffing*-UK). Some words
sound affected or obsolete when used in other areas. Other words
are no longer used but are enshrined in literature and films.
Some words are revived or exhumed with new meaning (radical rad,
heinous), and the usage may stay or quietly disappear.

Some obsolete terms will continue to be used (to the bafflement
of the listener) by folks who at one time used them regularly.
For instance, unless something drastic happens, I will always
weigh eleven stone something (rather than 160 odd pounds or 70
some kilos), and if someone gives me their height in centimetres
I'll compare it with 183 cm. to see if they are taller or shorter
than six feet before it makes intrinsic sense.

A word may be in vogue briefly or a for topical reason and then
disappear.

*Domains*

*Jargon*
Every industry quickly generates jargon as an expedient
communication. Since practices are so often quite different (the
format of the equipment, the regulations to follow, the methods,
and the terminology), so is the language.
For example, the electrical systems use different voltages (120V-
US 240V-UK), different color codes for the wires (including the
earth-UK wire or ground-US&UK), different shaped plugs and
sockets-UK or outlets-UK, different regulations for installation,
and so on.

*Slang.*
[Slang has no country, it owns the world It is the voice of the
god that dwells in the people--Ralcy Husted Bell, ~The Mystery of
Words~.] A slang word may have an exact but also undefined slang
word counterpart. E.g. *grotty*-UK, *gnarly*-US.

*Rhyming Slang, Cockney Rhyming Slang, and backslang.*
Rhyming slang has been around since the early Pleistocene Era,
and the Cockney variant has been around so long that many have
become mainstream colloquialisms infecting English as far as it
reaches. Bread, meaning money comes from the rhyming slang bread
and honey, which rhymes with money. Rhyming Slang is typically a
two word phrase used in place of the word it rhymes with.
Sometimes, especially where rhyming slang is used frequently, the
end of the phrase gets dropped (as in the above example) leaving
a word seemingly quite unrelated to the word its standing for.

There are many lists of (Cockney) rhyming slang (worth reading at
least once if only to realize it's surprising breadth), though I
have included only those in general use or of some particular
interest, including a few Australianisms where this practice
flourishes. Apples and Pears (stairs) is well known, often being
cited as an example of Cockney rhyming slang. Cockney rhyming
slang is a living language with new words being invented all the
time (and many becoming obsolete). Some have noted that it gets
a boost every *other* generation. My grandparents were well
versed, my father silently ignored it, my mother is still trying
to hide her Cockney twang, and I am documenting it.

"If there's anything that distinguishes the Cockney, it's his
sheer enjoyment of words. He loves to stand them on end and make
them jump through hoops and turn circles... There's nothing
better to a Cockney than to talk -- to talk enjoyably, to talk
comfortably, to use wonderful phrases. That's Cockney." --Bob
Barltrop. Whereas this may well be true it is no less true of
all peoples everywhere; pidgins', Creoles, valspeak, surfer
slang, technobabble; just visit any ghetto, grotto, ethnic area
in a big city, the school yard, the beach, the valley,
cyberspace...

*Swear Words*
Words have geographical scope as well as breadth of meaning, and
levels of obscenity, crudeness, and strength. So, starting from
the formal or `proper' use of a word there is a kind of scale:
synonyms (words of overlapping scope in meaning or sense),
vernacular (dialect and common speech), colloquial (informal
conversation), informal (words for some reason not used in a
formal setting), improper (words used in a relaxed manner without
regard to grammar), slang (words used in any manner regardless of
prior rules, and often creatively (often crudely) embodying a
novel concept, but with a definite consensus meaning), and vulgar
(offensive, crude, derogatory, and by implication bigoted (race,
color, religion, and the usual list) or taboo).

Exclusion principle: Although jargon and slang evolve to create
words for new ideas, they also serve to exclude any outsider of
the particular group, which seems truer as the words become more
obscene.

Nasty 'orrible stuff follows: There are plenty of `street terms'
and colourful entries included to further understanding. The FCC
list of censored words, in order: shit, piss, fuck, cunt,
cocksucker, motherfucker, tits.

*Obligatory Humour*

When I was in LAX I asked an attendant for the toilet. He
indicated where a restroom was. After half an hour I finally
went to the bathroom, which I had discovered whilst diligently
searching for the room full of couches.

An American friend worked in an English pub one summer. A local
ordered a *light and bitter* and received a pint of bitter and a
lighter.

An American was taken aback when she was invited to "go down to
the bloody pub and get pissed."

In Piccadilly Circus, London, an panhandler asked an American
tourist, "Can I pinch a fag, mate?"

An American, whose husband was stationed in England, got up early
one morning to find out if the milkman could explain the small
holes in the foil tops on the milk bottles, and the missing
portions of cream. Without blinking, he suggested, "Must be yer
tits, ma'am."

*Brief History of English*

450-1150 Old English
1150-1500 Middle English (Chaucer)
1500-1800 Early Modern (Shakespeare)
1800-1900 19^th century (Industrial Revolution & Victorians)
1900-1993 Modern (Technology)

Celts dominated southern Germany and the northern Alps in the
1^st millennium BC. They began migrating in all directions in
the 5^th century BC, though it is not known when they reached
Britain. They were eventually pushed back to the Scottish
Highlands in the north, Wales in the west, and Cornwall in the
southwest, by the invading Anglo-Saxons who began arriving in the
5^th century AD. In the 6^th century a large group from South
Wales and Cornwall emigrated to Brittany in northern France where
they still speak Breton. In the 7^th century Scottish Gaelic was
introduced from Ireland. Little is known of the Picts whose
language died out in the 10^th century as the people merged with
the Scots.

The Celtic languages are classified as follows:

ÚÄÄ (Gaulish) ÚÄÄ Irish Gaelic
³ ÃÄÄ Scottish Gaelic (Erse)
Celtic ÄÅÄÄ Goidelic ÄÄÄÄÄÁÄÄ Manx
³ ÚÄÄ Welsh
ÀÄÄ Brythionic ÄÄÄÅÄÄ Cornish
ÀÄÄ Breton

*Languages in Britain*

In addition to English, Scottish Gaelic is spoken in Scotland,
Irish Gaelic is spoken in Ireland, Welsh is spoken in Wales,
Romany has been spoken by travelling gypsies for centuries all
over Europe including Britain, Manx was spoken in the Isle of Man
until the middle part of this century, and Cornish was spoken in
Cornwall until about the end of the eighteenth century.

English is primarily a Germanic language stemming from invading
Angle, Saxon, Jute and Frisian tribes of northern Germany who
settled in England in the 5^th century, the beginning of the Old
English Period. This language derived from Proto-Germanic, which
was the mother tongue of German, English, Dutch, Swedish, Danish,
and Norwegian. It was the main branch of the prehistoric Indo-
European language.

The ~Angel-Seaxans~ were the English Saxons, as opposed to the
~Ald-Seaxans~. the Old Saxons of the continent.

English evolved into a distinct language separate from the
original speech of the Angels and Saxons by around the 10^th
century. Of the 1000 most frequently used words 83% are of Old
English origin. Of our remaining vocabulary about 30% are Anglo-
Saxon survivals. Tens of thousands of our current words are of
French and Latin origin.

*Old English 450-1150 (Germanic)*

Old English is predominantly Anglo-Saxon. It also borrowed from
church Latin (~450 words) and from Old Norse. 7^th century
Christian missions to Britain brought learning and literacy,
initially entirely in Latin, but an Old English written language
did emerge in the northeast and in the West Saxon kingdom of
Alfred the Great in the second half of the 9^th century.

The first known written English sentence, "This she-wolf is a
reward to my kinsman," is an Anglo Saxon runic inscription on a
gold medallion (about the size of a 50› piece) found in Suffolk,
dated about AD 450-480.

From the 8^th to the 11^th centuries Vikings plundered lands
adjacent to the Baltic and North Seas. The Danish King Cnut
conquered Norway and England, usurping the English throne, in the
early 11^th century. Large numbers of Scandinavians settled in
England throughout the Old English period, giving the language
several thousand common words.

Old English characters: ash ‘ /a/, thorn /th/, eth /dh/, and
schwa.

With his invading Normans, William the Conqueror (1066)
established French Domination. They were originally Danes
(`Northmen') who settled the northern coast of France (Normandy)
in the 8^th and 9^th centuries. All Old English nobility were
wiped out. Norman French became the language of the aristocracy
and government (Normanized Latin was used in government, church
and learning), and English remained the speech of the masses. So
until about 1200 it was bilingual, when many french words were
absorbed into English. (English: ox, sheep, swine, calf.
French: beef, mutton, pork, veal.)

By the mid-1300s English had reasserted itself, with a statute in
1362 enacted in Parliament that all lawsuits be conducted in
English. French became a cultivated rather than a native
language. The Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) meant French was
the language of the enemy country. Black Death (1349-50), which
killed off 30% of the people, increased the economic importance
of the labouring classes and with it the importance of their
language.

*Middle English 1150-1500 (Germanic + Romance)*

Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400). Chaucer's English (the variety or
dialect spoken in London) established itself as the standard.
However, from 1250-1400 English adopted the greatest number of
French words (40%), and of the nearly 10,000, 75% are still in
use.

It also changed in fundamental ways, especially in pronunciation
and grammar (simpler), from highly inflected (Germanic) to a very
analytical (modern). Some dialects retain some of the early
pronunciations for a few words (/doon/ for down in northern
England and Scotland).

*Early Modern English 1500-1800 (Renaissance)*

In 1476, William Caxton (1422-1491) set up the first printing
press in Westminster Abbey. By 1640 there were 20,000 titles
printed (mostly in London) in English. This pushed English,
written and spoken, towards a standard form. The Dictionary was
produced, notably Samuel Johnson's in 1755 (which he did on his
own time!).

1650-1800: The Age of Reason (Augustan Age), characterized by a
strong sense of order and value of standards and regulations.
The language of this time is recognizable today. The `Great
Vowel Shift' occurred, and spelling reform. A strong central
government used English as the national language for all purposes
despite the revival of the classics.

Latin and Greek were the most important sources of new words,
followed by French, Italian, and Spanish. Most Latin and Greek
introductions were deliberate attempts by 16^th and early 17^th
century writers to enrich the language, to elevate `low' English.

Words also came in from 50 other languages, largely due to the
expansion of the British Empire.

*19^th Century English 1800-1900 (No change - just expansions)*

The Industrial Revolution and the Victorian Age. Words began to
come to England from America. English dialect terms became
standard English.

*American English*

The first settled English colony was in Jamestown, Virginia in
1607 who were contemporaries of William Shakespeare (1564-1616),
Francis Bacon (1561-1626), Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) and
Donne (1572-1631). By the 18^th century American was recognized
as distinct from British English. The earliest sign is perhaps
the absorption of Indian words, almost exclusively the Algonquian
speaking tribes. American also borrowed many words from Africans
brought in with the slave trade, and European immigrants, but
they tended to be regional: African in the South, French in
Louisiana, Spanish in the Southwest, German in Pennsylvania,
Dutch in New York, Spanish being the most pervasive European
language that American borrowed from.

Many words and pronunciations died out in England but survive in
American. Words adopted new meanings in the new world. Great
changes were wrought in 20^th century American, with global
economic, political, and technological prominence.

*Modern English 1900-1993*

Science and Technology, the entertainment industry, the world
wars, the car have contributed to the English lexicon.
Formations: `self-explaining compounds', Greek and Latin
compounds, borrowings from other languages, deliberate coinages,
extending meaning of current words, slang, and acronyms; are used
ever more frequently.

It may be of interest to note that of the ocean of ways of
arranging the 26 letters of the alphabet we have only used a
drop; there are virtually infinite possibilities for new word
coinages. This graph is a profile of word lengths from a 25,000
word dictionary.

English now has 485,000,000 speakers, the second most spoken
language in the world behind Chinese (845,000,000).

*About this Dictionary*

The entries show meanings peculiar to the country. They don't allude
to other meanings, if any. Only significant differences are noted.
Insubstantial differences, such as accent, are not noted unless they
have some interesting peculiarity.

Regional synonyms embody a word's essence more than any definition, and
therefore are employed wherever possible. The thesaurus function also
makes for better cross referencing.

*Reference Entries*

Some words have so many synonyms (E.g. *bottom*-UK, *ass*-US) that
they are given as a list. For instance, to find all the British
synonyms for cheat look up {cheat} in the US section. Here is a list
of all the reference (thesaurus) entries:

_US_ _UK_
{annoy} {annoy}
{bathroom} {toilet}
{breasts} {breasts}
{butt} {bottom}
{cheat} {cheat}
{crazy} {crazy}
{criticize} {criticize}
{drunk} {drunk}
{dude} {bloke}
{Inc} {Ltd}
{realize} {realize}
{sex} {sex}
{shucks} {cor}
{vagina} {vagina}
{vomit} {vomit}

*Format of Entries*

*word* /pronunciation/ [explanatory note about word]
part_of_speech : (explanatory note about meaning) Meaning or
definition, syn. synonym, *synonym* (ant. antonym,
*antonym*), "Examples of usage"

Pronunciation refers to the word in question, and is surrounded
by /slashes/, with any accented syllable in *bold*. Any *bold*
words, especially synonyms (and antonyms), are entries in the
relevant section that may be referred to.

Occasionally I have indicated levels of words with {+} positive
or complimentary, {0} neutral, {-} negative or disparaging, {--}
very negative or contemptuous, {---} extremely negative and often
offensive.

*Abbreviations used in this dictionary*

~ about, approximately
abbrev abbreviation
adj adjective modifies (describes or limits) noun
adv adverb modifies verb, adjective, or noun (slowly,
quickly, ill, well)
alt alternative alternative with equal distribution
arch archaic used to indicate ancient words still used
col colloquial informal conversation
contr contraction
crsl Cockney rhyming slang
derog derogatory
esp especially
euph euphemism
excl exclamation
GB Great Britain
imp imperative
impro improper
inf informal
intj interjection
Ir Irish
n noun word naming person, place, thing, quality or act
obs obsolete used to indicate words no longer used
obsc obscene
offn offensive
pl plural
poss possibly
pref prefix
prob probably
prov proverbial
punc punctuation
quant quantifier
rsl rhyming slang
Scot Scottish
sl slang
sp spelling
suff suffix
syn synonym or synonymous with
UK United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and
Wales)
US United States of America
v verb word expressing action, being or occurrence
var variant prefixed to word with markedly less common
vern vernacular dialect and common speech
vi verb intransitive "The delegates met"
vt verb transitive requires object "he met his fate"
vul vulgar

*Pronunciation guide*

_*Vowels:*_
" uh_ _oh, (_h_onest) (glottal stop)
* _A_meric_a_ (`schwa' sound)
a b_a_ck, th_a_t
ah _ah_, oomp_a_
ar f_ar_, m_ar_k
ay b_a_ke, r_ai_n
e l_e_ss, m_e_n
air th_eir_, c_are_
i tr_i_p, h_i_t
ee _ea_sy, sk_i_
eer d_eer_, f_ier_ce
er _ur_gent
ie l_i_fe, sk_y_
o c_o_t, t_o_p
oh fl_ow_, s_ew_
or m_ore_, d_oor_
oy b_oy_, c_oi_n
ow _ou_t, h_ow_
uh b_u_t, s_o_me
u p_u_t, f_oo_t
oo l_oo_t, thr_ough_

_*Consonants:*_
() present sometimes: Westminster /wes(t)minst*/
b _b_i_b_
ch _ch_ur_ch_
d _d_i_d_
dh _th_ese clo_th_es, ei_th_er
f _f_ix, rou_gh_
g _g_ot, bi_g_
h _h_i
hw _wh_ilst The hw sound in wh- words is pronounced by Scots, Irish, Welsh, N. English and purists
j _j_u_dg_e
k _c_lo_ck_
kh Scottish lo_ch_, German i_ch_
l _l_i_l_y
m _m_other, gri_m_
n _kn_ow_n_
ng pi_ng_
p _p_i_p_ette, slo_p_
r _r_ed, ca_rr_y
s _s_au_ce_, pa_ss_
sh _sh_ock, sta_ti_on, lu_sh_
t _t_a_t_
th _th_ick, e_th_er
v _v_iew
w _w_ay
y _y_et
z bu_zz_
zh fu_si_on, bei_g_e

*American --> British*

The American language differs from the English in that it seeks
the top of expression while English seeks its lowly valleys.
--Salvador de Madariaga, ~Americans Are Boys~

*#*
*"* punc : quotes, quotation marks
*#* : symbol for pound weight, also for no. (number)
*$* : symbol for dollar (originating from P^s, an abbreviation
for Pesos or Pesetas, which as written in the late 18C
slowly became transmogrified into the , and not from things
such as US SU $ *$*)
*()* punc : parentheses
*[]* punc : (square) brackets
*{}* punc : braces
*-fest* suff : festivalize, see *gabfest*
*- from hell* adj suff : worst, "this beer's from hell"
*-tre* suff : most words in The UK ending in -tre (a remnant of
the french spelling) will end in -ter
*-or* suff : in the US the `u' is dropped from the spelling of
most words which in The UK end in -our (a remnant of the
french spelling) (*colour*, *color*, neighbor, neighbour)
*.* punc : period
*«›* : half cent (copper qv)
*1›* : *cent*, penny (copper)
*5›* : *nickel* (cupro-nickel, silver prior to 1965)
*10›* : *dime* (cupro-nickel, silver prior to 1965)
*25›* : *quarter* (cupro-nickel, silver prior to 1965)
*50›* : half dollar (cupro-nickel, silver prior to 1970)
*$1* : George Washington (1^st president, 1789-1797) on face,
Great Seal of US on back, (*silver dollar*, silver coin last
struck in 1921, cupro-nickel Eisenhower dollar 1971 qv,
*Susan B. Anthony dollar* 1979)
*$2* : Thomas Jefferson, signers of Declaration of Independence
or Monticallo, ($2 gold coin minted 1792)
*$5* : Abraham Lincoln (16^th, 1861-1865), Lincoln Memorial, ($5
gold coin minted in 1792)
*$10* : Alexander Hamilton, US Treasury, ($10 gold coin called
*eagle* minted 1792)
*$20* : Andrew Jackson (7^th, 1829-1837), The Whitehouse, ($20
gold coin called double eagle minted around 1850)
*$50* : Ulysses Simson Grant (18^th, 1869-1877), US Capitol
*$100* : Benjamin Franklin, Independence Hall
*$500* : William M^CKinley, ornate design, not issued after 1969
*$1,000* : Grover Cleveland, ornate design, not issued after 1969
*$5,000* : James Madison, ornate design, not issued after 1969,
still legal tender
*$10,000* : Salmon P. Chase, ornate design, not issued after
1969, last printed 1949, still legal tender
*$100,000* : Woodrow Wilson, ornate design, federal transactions
only
*$1,000,000* : Ashton, ornate design, federal transactions only
*101* /wun oh wun/ : introductory class at university (e.g.
psychology 101) and hence used to imply any introductory
procedure (driving 101, partying 101)
*10-4* [trucker slang] n : ok [message understood]
*7/11* qv /seven eleven/ : *convenience store*
*911* : emergency police number, like 999

*a*
*AAA* abrev : Automobile Association of America, syn. RAC
*acrost* /akros/ var /akrost/ adv : across is occasionally
pronounced /acrost/ but usually it is not noticed as such by
the speaker. Hence, it is occasionally written
(incorrectly) in some form as entered, " if you come
accrossed any "
*adhesive tape* n : sticking plaster
*adjustor* [insurance] n : insurance assessor
*AFB* acronym : Air Force Base
*aisle* n : gangway
*a la mode* adj : topped with a dollop of ice cream (apple pie a
la mode)
*alfalfa* n : lucerne
*alien pods* n : source of *pod people*
*all nighter* expr : spending all night to complete something,
such as studying
*American Dream* : post war political propaganda where every
American could expect to have a nice car, house, and family
(2.4 kids and a dog) in beautiful surroundings, and a good
job
*amped* ad : *way* excited, pumped up
*angel food cake* n : a fancy kind of sponge cake
{*annoyed*} adj : stroppy
*ante bellum* adj : pre Civil War (1861-1865)
*antennae* n : aerial (on cars, televisions, etc.)
*antsy* adj : jittery
*apartment* n : flat
*apartment hotel* n : service flats
*apartment building* n : block of flats
*applejack* n : liquor from fermented cider
*apple butter* n : stewed apple, but usually as bought in a jar
like jam or sauce
*apple pie* : that which represents something sacredly American,
"As American as apple pie"
*apple polisher* n : toady
*area code* [telephone] n : dialing code, always 3 digits
*armoir* [Louisiana French] n : wardrobe
*ascot* n : cravat
*ass* n : bottom. syn. arse, bum, *butt*
*ass, asshole* sl n : arse, arsehole
*ass in gear, get your* v : get going, get moving
*assignment* [school] n : homework
*assistant professor* n : senior lecturer
*associate professor* n : reader
*ATM* acronym : automatic *teller* machine
*attorney* n : lawyer, solicitor
*awesome* intj : delight, admiration

*b*
*babe* /bayb/ n : attractive young woman, syn. bird
*baby carriage* n : pram
*Baby ruth* n : [chocolate bar] similar to Lion bar
*back-up lights* n : reversing lights
*back-pack* n : light rucksack
*back-packing* vt : hiking, sometimes camping
*bad deal* n : cheated, syn *bum steer*
*bad news* sl n : calamitous, when referring to unsavoury things,
people, or places, ("that place is bad news")
*bad mouth* v : talk badly of, swear at
*bag it* expr : forget the whole thing
*baggage room* n : left luggage office in bus terminal or railway
station, any room used for storage
*bags* n : suit cases
*balcony* n : gallery in theater or cinema
*ballistic* n : 20C version of berserk, "Don't tell her what
happened, she'll go ballistic"
*bandaid* n : elastoplast
*bangs* [hair] n : fringe
*bar* n : public house, syn pub, boozer, local, the local;
typically open from noon until 2am, sometimes open for
breakfast
*barbie* [frat] n : BBQ
*Barbie* n : *barbie doll*'s name
*barbie doll* n : like Sindy, plastic doll with neo-archetypal
beauty (unusually long blonde hair, *mongo* breasts,
anatomically absurd long legs), a 5'-6" doll would be 31-17-
28
*barrette* n : hair slide
*baseboard* n : skirting board
*bath robe* n : dressing gown but often made of towel material
*bathe* v : bath
*bathroom sink* n : basin
{*bathroom*} n : syn, lavatory, lavabo, lav, privy, latrine,
water closet, WC, loo, convenience, public convenience, bog,
ladies, gents, toilet, power room, cloaks, cloakroom,
wazzer, portaloo
*bathtub* n : bath
*bawl out* v : a loud telling off, syn. rocket
*bayou* /bieyoo/ [Louisiana French] n : small stream
*bazoom* n : breasts, syn. tits, boobs
*BB gun* [from standard shot size, BB=0.175"] n : air gun
*beanie* n : small round tight-fitting skullcap, see *propeller
beanie*
*beans* qv rs? n : having beans, equivalent of having nothing,
syn. now't
*bearded clam* n : vagina
*bedspread* n : counterpane
*beef jerky* n : dried beef strips
*beet* n : beetroot
*bell pepper* n : ~Capsicum~
*belly washings* n : drink
*bender* n : drinking binge
*bigfoot* n : *sasquatch*, syn. abominable snowman, yeti
*bill* n : note, as in dollar bill, also a notice
*billboard* n : hoarding
*billfold* n : wallet
*billion* n : 10^9 (GB billion, 10^12, is now 10^9 in academe)
*billyclub* n : truncheon
*bird* n : *the finger*, "give him the bird"
*bird dog* n : gun dog
*biscuits* n : light puffy unsweetened scone-like bun, often
served with gravy, regionally popular
*bit* n : 12«›, *two bits*
*bitch* v : complain, whine, whinge
*bitchin'* col adj : syn. *sweet*, *neat*, *cool*, *fresh*,
*rad*, brill, safe
*bites* n : *sucks*, "that bites" [probably from the hacker term
- bagbiter]
*bite it* v : *wipe out*
*bite the big one* v : die, syn. snuff it, *croak*
*blech, bletch, bleh* [Yiddish] intj : yuck!, term of disgust
*blind drunk* adj : paralytic, blotto
*blitzed* adj : drunk
*blooper* n : mistake or error, often humorous
*blow* sl v : spend, get rid off
*blow* sl : sucks
*Blue Angels* n : US Navy and Marines exhibition flying team,
syn. Red Arrows, *Thunderbirds*
*bluff* n : bank, slope, promontory, "Council Bluffs, Iowa"
*boardwalk* qv n : promenade
*bobby pin* n : hair grip, kirby grip
*bobcat* n : lynx
*bodacious* adj : outrageous
*Bogart* v : to hog instead of share
*bogue* /bohg/ [from bogus], *bogue out* v : fail, not *show*
*bogus* adj : tasteless, unacceptable, perhaps offensive
*bogey man, boogy man* n : sinister mythological stranger,
especially lurking on the horizon of children's imaginations
at the suggestion of parents
*bomb* n : flop, dismal failure
*boner* /bohner/ n : erection, hard-on
*boo-boo* n : slip-up, usually of a child
*booger* n : snot, particularly a small ball of snot
*boonies* contr : *boondocks*
*boondocks* n : extremely remote location, syn. sticks
*boondoggle* n : waste of time project, useless activity
*booth* n : kiosk
*buoy* /booee/ n :
*boxers, boxer shorts* n : underwear
*braces* n : orthodontal device worn on teeth
*braids* n : plaits /plats/
*brain storm* n v : think tank
*break down* v : put away, "break down the *creamers*"
*break out* v : unpack, "let's break out the beers"
{*breasts*} n : syn. tits, knockers, bristol's, boobs
*broad* n : woman syn. bird, *skirt*, *babe
Bronx cheer sl : *about the same as (blowing) a raspberry
*brown bag* n : informal lunchtime meeting where everyone brings
their packed lunch
*brown bag lunch* n : packed lunch
*brown nose* vt : toady
*brownie* [west coast] n : *snuggy*
*brownie* n : small rich chocolate cake
*brownie points* expr : points acquired, usually by some
obsequiousness, by which you're marked up a notch, or taken
up a peg or two
*brunch* [contr of breakfast/lunch] n : late breakfast, usually
had at mid-morning, especially on Sundays and public
holidays
*bs* [abbr] adj : bullshit
*buck for* v : root for
*buck* n : dollar, syn. quid
*buckaroo* n : cowboy
*buckeye* n : conker
*buddy* n : friend, syn. mate
*bug* n : any small insect
*bug* v : annoy, irritate
*bull* adj : euph for bullshit
*bulletin board* n : notice board
*bullshit* sl intj : complete and utter nonsense, syn crap,
rubbish, codswallop
*bullystick* qv n : truncheon
*bum* n : tramp, transient
*bum* adj : unpleasant, syn. *bogus*
*bum steer* n : bad deal, cheated, red herring
*bummer* n : depressing person or situation
*bunk* n : nonsense
*burrito* [Mexican] n : beans and salsa rolled in a tortilla
*business suit* n : lounge suit
*bus* v : clean off, "bus your own tables"
*bus boy* n : waiter's assistant who cleans and resets the tables
*bush whiskey* col n : *moonshine*
{*butt*} n : bottom, syn. bum, arse, Khyber
*butt crack* n : between the buttocks where your underware gets
caught
*butt, move your* n : get out of the way, syn. `mind yer backs'
*butt ugly* n : on a scale of 1 to 10 a butt ugly photographic
subject would cause the camera to fracture
*bureau* n : chest of drawers

*c*
*c-note* n : $100 *bill*
*cabana* n : beach hut
*calendar book* n : diary, syn. journal (more often "let me put
tat in my book" where `calendar' is a qualifier)
*call* v : knock up (from sleep )
*call collect* v : reverse charges
*call* [telephone] v : ring up
*can* n : tin, tin can
*candy* n : sweets, a sweet
*candy bar* n : bar of chocolate, or similar
*candy store* n : sweet shop, confectioner
*cannonball run* n : an illegal high speed west coast to east
coast high performance car race that starts in an
unspecified place (Long Beach) and time (Spring) and ends
about a day later somewhere (New York)
*canuck* [former logging term] adj : Canadian person, (name of
Vancouver's National League Hockey team)
*Cape Cod turkey* n : sheep's testicles, syn. codfish, *mountain
oysters*
*caravan* n : convoy
*carnival* n : fun fair
*cart* [shopping] n : trolley
*catbird seat* adj : exultant, on top of the world
*cathouse* n : brothel
*catsup* n : tomato ketchup
*catty wumpus* adj : turned about, disoriented, syn. knickers in
a twist
*catty corner, kitty corner* adj : diagonally opposite
*cattle guard* n : cattle grid
*caulks* /korks/ n : logger's spikes (spiked boots for climbing)
*caveat* adv : used to introduce an exception often as a warning
or a `watch out!'
*center* n : centre
*channel surfing* [TV] v : flipping around the telly channels,
syn, zapping
*chapstick(R)* n : lip salve
*charged (goods bought)* n : put down/entered
{*cheat*} v : syn. buggered
*check* [restaurant] n : bill
*check* sp n : cheque
*check* n : tick
*checkers* n : draughts
*checking account* [banking] n : current account
*checkroom* n : cloakroom
*cheese cloth* n : muslin
*chocolate chip cookie* n : the most popular kind of *cookie*
*chick* n : girl, syn. bird, *chick*
*chicory* n : endive
*chill, chill out* imp : calm down
*chinch* n : bed bug
*chipper* adj : cheery & lively
*chow down* v : eat voraciously, syn. scoff
*chowder* n : thick fish and potato soup, clam chowder, NY clam
chowder is red by addition of tomatoes
*CHP* n : California Highway Patrol
*chuck, chuck up* v : to vomit
*chunks* sl n : vomit
*chute* n : spinnaker
*chutzpa(h)* [Yiddish] n : verve, cheek
*CIA* n : Central Intelligence Agency
*Cinco de Mayo* [Mexican, 5^th May] n : Mexican national
celebration informally celebrated in many parts of the US
*circular file* n : waste paper bin
*clam* sl n : vagina
*clam chowder* n : clam and potato *chowder*
*client* euph : inmate
*clingons* [from Klingons--Star Trek] n : dingleberries
*clip joint* sl n : night club specializing in overcharging
*closet* n : clothes cupboard, wardrobe
*clothespin* n : clothes peg
*clout* n : influence, weight
*clutz* adj : clumsy, syn. cack-handed
*coaster* n : beer mat or any similar small round tray, mat or
pad for hot or cold drinks
*coed* n : girl undergraduate
*coffee shop *n : caf‚
*coin purse* n : purse
*collar button* n : collar stud
*collar stay* n : collar stiffener
*color* n : colour, probably the most well known word that people
from both countries are aware of that is spelt differently,
see *-or*, *-our*
*come on to* v : make a pass
*come-on* v : lure
*comfort station* n : public convenience, esp in hotels, *bars*,
restaurants
*comforter* n : eiderdown
*common stock* n : ordinary shares
*commuter ticket* n : season ticket
*complimentary* n : without charge, gratis
*comptroller* n : financial controller in a company
*concert master* n : leader
*condom* n : syn. rubber johnny, *rubber*, french letter
*condominium* n : owner-occupied flat
*conductor* [railway] n : guard
*cone, ice cream* n : cornet, ice cream
*confectioners' sugar* n : icing sugar
*confuddle* [contr] n : confuse + befuddle
*connect* [telephone] v : put through
*construction site* n : building site
*convertible* n : open top car
*converse, converse high-tops* qv n : popular kind of tennis
shoes with high ankles
*cook-out* n : festive meal outside, chili cook-out
*cookie* n : sweet biscuit but chewier and softer, more like a
small flat cake
*cool* adj : of that which increases sereneness or wa, syn.
*sweet*, *bitchin'*, *neat*, *fresh*, *rad*, brill
*cool* v : to die, syn. snuff it
*cooler* n : large plastic container serving as an insulated
picnic basket
*cooties* n : body lice, also used for all kinds of contagious,
microscopic, creepy-crawly nasties, syn. the dreaded lurgy
*cop out* v : give up, syn. bogue
*copacetic*, *copasetic* adj : running smoothly, hunky dory
*copy-reader* n : sub-editor
*cord* n : 4x4x8 foot measure of chopped firewood, etc
*corn* n : maize
*corn husker* qv n : person from Nebraska
*corn liquor* n : spirits made from maize
*corned beef* n : salt beef
*cornstarch* n : cornflour
*corporation* n : limited company
*costume party* n : fancy dress party
*cot* n : camp bed
*cotton, cotton balls* n : cotton wool
*cotton candy* n : candy floss
*cow, have a* adv : incensed, unhinged state caused by undue
provocation, "Don't have a cow, man" -- Bart Simpson to his
exasperated dad
*cowboy* inf n : a person perceived as tackling his tasks from
the seat of his pants, but ranges from subtly derogatory to
reverential, "The only thing this place has going for it is
the salary a deadbeat computer cowboy can command"
*cowpoke* n : cowboy
*crab grass* n : couch grass
*crack* n : vagina, also *butt crack*
*cracker* n : cream cracker
*cracker* sl n : lower-class *white trash*
*crackers* sl adj : crazy, insane
*crank* n : kind of speed (meth-amphetamine), downer
*cranky* adj : bad tempered
*crapper* n : toilet, syn. bog
*crawdad, crawfish* n : crayfish
{*crazy*} adj : barmy, nutty, very silly, dotty, potty, wango
dingo
*cream* v : annihilate
*cream* n : *half & half*
*creamer* n : small milk jug
*creamer* n : non-dairy white powder cream substitute for adding
to coffee, tea, etc.
*creek* n : stream, brook
*crˆpe* n : pancake
*crib* n : baby's cot
{*criticize*} v :
*critter* n : creature
*croak* v : die syn. snuff it, *bite it*
*crossing guard* n : lollipop man
*crost* v : cross (the road)
*crotch* n : crutch
*cruet* n : vinegar & oil bottle
*cruise* n : to flow easily in a situation, "cruising down the
freeway," also to take off, "I'm cruisin," syn. *jam*
*cuffs* n : turn-ups on trousers
*curb* [sp] n : kerb
*curb* n : verge
*custard* n : egg custard
*custom-made* n : bespoke
*cut* v : issue, give, "cut a check", "cut that crazy dude a wide
circle"

*d*
*DA* abbr : district attorney
*daisy dukes* [Daisy in the Dukes of Hazard] n : cut-off jeans
further cut off and rolled up to expose as much cheek as
possible
*dark, sweet beer* n : stout
*darn it* intj : syn. sod it, flip it
*darned* n : syn. flipping
*date* n : the person in the following, "who is your date
tonight?"
*date* n : anything from spending time with a *buddy* to a lovers
tryst, often somewhere in between and sometimes with the
hope of becoming the latter
*Daytimer(R)* n : Filofax
*DC* abrev : Washington D. C. (District of Columbia)
*dead end* (street) n : cul-de-sac
*dead ringer* adj : identical, look alike
*dead week* : week before finals each term, when students *pull
all-nighters* to catch up a terms worth of studying (and
hence look dead)
*deb* [debutante] n : bimbo
*debark* n : disembark
*decal* n : plastic transfers for cars
*deep-six* n : throw away, also to beat an opponent decisively
*Deep South* n : the southern states: AL, GA, MS
*deli* [contr delicatessen] n : sandwich/grocery shop, (The
Digital Deli in *Silly Valley* sold a smorgasbord of ready
to go electronic and computer parts)
*den* n : living room
*denatured alcohol* n : methylated spirits
*department store* n : store
*deplane* v : disembark (from a plane)
*depot* /deepoh/ (/depoh/) n : bus or railway station
*derby* /derbee/ n : bowler/hard hat
*dessert* n : pudding, afters, sweet
*detour* n : diversion
*diaper* n : nappy
*diary* n : small book or journal for personal notes
*diatomaceous earth* n : kieselguhr
*diesel* [fuel] n : derv
*dig* inf n : understand
*diner* n : restaurant, but usually at the greasy spoon, cheap
caf‚, coffee shop end of the scale
*ding-a-ling* n : idiot
*dingbat* n : stupid person
*dirt road* n : unpaved road
*discombobulate* vt : upset, confuse
*dish towel* n : tea towel
*district attorney* n : public prosecutor
*ditto head* n : Rush Limbaugh fan, because they believe
everything he does
*ditz* n : dithering woman, syn. dumb blonde
*divided highway* n : dual carriageway
*do the dishes* v : washing up
*docile* /dosl/ n :
*doctor's office* n : surgery
*don't sweat it* n : don't go to great lengths
*dope* n : general term for drugs
*dork* qv n : stupid and graceless person, syn. gormless
*double whammy* n : hex, curse, evil eye, and hence resultant
debilitating episode such as `caught between a rock and a
hard place'
*downer* n : the depressant drug, but also any depressive person
or situation, syn. *bummer*
*downtown* n : city or business centre
*draft* sp : draught
*draft* n : conscription
*drapes* n : curtains
*drool* v : syn. slobber, dribble
*drugstore* n : chemist's
{*drunk*} adj : syn, pissed, a little drunk - tipsy, tiddly,
blind drunk, paralytic, blotto, *blitzed*, sloshed, pissed
as a newt
*dry goods store* n : draper
*duct tape* n : gaffer tape
{*dude*} n : man syn. {+} china, {0} bloke, mate, {-} nit,
nitwit, berk, twit, dim, clown, twot, twat, div, dimwit,
{--} creep, twerp, pratt, pillock, egit, bender, {---}
bugger, git, [Aus] fuckwit, phlid, [Aus] bloody
Queenslander, wanker
*dude!* intj : admiration
*duff* n : bottom
*duffer* qv n : person selling cheap and flashy trinkets
*dufus* inf n : oaf
*dumb* adj : stupid
*dump* n v : tip, "City Dump"
*dump truck* n : tipper
*Dun & Bradstreet* n : The business financial reference
*dust* sl v : surpass (in games), syn. kill, *cream*
*duty* /dooty/ n : /jooty/
*dweeb* sl n : ineffectual and perhaps vulnerable person, syn.
*nerd*, twit
*dumpster* n : skip

*e*
*eagle* n : $10 (from the 1792 $10 gold coin of the same name -
there was also a half eagle, $5, and a quarter eagle, $2.50)
*ear* n : syn, lugs, lughole, cranial fins
*Easter Bunny* n : a rabbit (symbol of fertility) that brings
Easter eggs (and other presents) to kids at Easter
*eats* n : food
*editorial* [in newspaper] n : leader
*egg plant* n : aubergine
*eggnog* n : egg flip
*eh?* [Canadian] intj : often added to statements in typical
Canadian and popularized in the US by Bob and Doug M^cKenzie
in their movies, see also *hoser*
*electric cord* n : flex
*electrical outlet* n : power point
*elementary school* n : primary school, *grades K-5*
*elevator* n : lift
*endive* n : chicory
*English muffin* n : crumpets available toasted at coffee shops
*eraser* n : rubber
*estate tax* n : death duties
*excellent* adj : spiffing, *awesome!*, *radical*, *dude!*
*exit* [road sign] n : way out
*expensive* n : dear
*explorer* n : dental probe
*expressway* n : arterial road

*f*
*fabric* n : material
*face cloth* n : flannel, *wash cloth*, face flannel
*faculty* n : staff (academic)
*fag, faggot* offn sl n : gay person
*fall* n : autumn
*fall guy* n : scapegoat, syn. patsy
*fanny* n : bottom
*fanny pack* n : small bag worn around waist, syn bumbag, plastic
sporran
*faucet* qv pix n : tap
*FCC* abbr : Federal Communications Commission
*fear and loathing* [~Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas~ Hunter S.
Thompson] n : apprehension prior to inevitable wretchedness
*fed up* adj : browned off
*fedora* n : trilby hat
*fender* n : wing, mudguard
*fender bender* n : minor car accident
*ferris wheel* n : big wheel
*fiber* n : fibre
*fifth* [of a gallon] n : bottle of scotch, vodka, rum, etc, ~1
pints or litre (see oz)
*fig newton* n : biscuit with fig filling
*figure* v : consider
*fin* n : $5 *bill*
*finger, the finger* n : the `fuck off' gesture made by thrusting
out the fist with the middle finger pointing up, syn. *the
bird*, the Vs, "he gets the finger"
*fink* qv n : creep
*fire department* n : fire brigade
*first floor* n : ground floor
*first balcony* n : upper circle
*first name* n : Christian name
*five (,take)* v : five minute break
*five finger discount* n : stolen goods
*fix* v : to prepare, "I'm making dinner, shall I fix rice or
potatoes?"
*flake* n : pseud, *hoser*
*flaky* adj : dodgey
*flaming* adj : impassioned
*flashlight* n : torch
*flat tire* [regional] v : treading on someone's heel while
they're walking
*flat ware* n : cutlery
*flip off* vt : to give *the finger*, syn, flash the Vs
*flip the bird* vt : syn, flash the Vs, "he flipped me the bird"
*floor lamp* n : standard lamp
*floorwalker* n : shop walker
*flop house* n : doss house
*flunk* v : fail
*flutist* n : flautist
*fly* n : attractive female, *hottie*
*foo* inf intj : versatile intj used as everything from
metasyntactic variable in computer programming to euph for
fuck (see *fubar* and *snafu*)
*fool* n : syn. clot, nit
*frat brat* sl n : obnoxious *greek*
*fred* [bicycling] sl n : conspicuously overdressed neon pseudo-
bicyclist
*freebie* n : free item
*freeway* n : motorway
*freight car* [railway] n : goods truck
*french fries* n : chips, but smaller and less greasy
*fresh* col adj : syn. sweet, bitchin', neat, cool, safe, rad,
brill
*fresh paint* n : wet paint
*freshman* n : 1st year
*front desk* [hotel] n : reception
*fruit* n : queer
*fubar* [acronym, orig military] adj : fucked up beyond all
recognition
*fully* adv : completely, totally
*funch* sl n (homophonous with *brunch*) : contraction of fuck-it
lunch, to go home at lunch time for more than just lunch

*g*
*gabfest, chinfest, talkfest, bullfest* n : incessant talking
session, syn rabbit
*gaigiin* [Japanese] /giejin/ n : foreigner, syn. *gringo*
*gander* v : look
*gandy dancer* n : itinerant labourer
*garbage* n : junk, rubbish
*garbage bags* n : dustbin bags
*garbage can* n : dustbin
*garbage man* n : dustbin man
*garbage truck* n : dustbin lorry
*garter belt* n : suspender belt
*garters* n : suspenders
*gas(oline)* n : petrol(eum)
*gas station* n : petrol station, garage
*gator* abr : alligator
*gay* n : syn. bent, fairy, poof, poofta, queer
*gearhead* [bicycling] inf n : cyclist exclusively interested in
gears than the countryside he's cycling through
*gearshift* n : gear lever, gear stick
*geek* n : nerd
*generator* n : dynamo
*german shepherd* n : alsatian
*gerrymandering* n : creatively changing the electoral district
boundaries for political purposes
*get a load of* v : look, syn. butchers, dekko
*get off* v : have a good time, get high
*get pregnant* v : knock up
*get real* imperative col : be realistic
*get sick* v : throw up
*GI Joe* n : soldier, and now the name of a doll
*gimp* n : lame person
*give me a break* v : leave off
*given name* n : christian name
*giz, jiz, jism* /jiz/ qv n : *spooge*
*gizmo* n : complicated or obscure device, syn. widget
*glom* n : to stick to like a big lump of snot
*gnar* /nah/ adj : abbr of *gnarly*
*gnarly* /nahlee/ adj : unpleasant, syn. *bogus*, *gross*
*gobble down* v : scoff, *scarf*
*gobbledygook* qv n : double dutch
*gofer* [go for] n : tea boy, general errand boy
*go figure* expr : go and figure it out, don't ask me, who knows
what the explanation is
*goober* [Kongo: nguba] col n : peanut
*goodies* n : tasty foods or sweets, choice little gifts
*Good Neighbors* [TV show] n : The Good Life
*goof* v : err
*goof off* v :
*gook* derog n : person from far east or orient
*gook* n : yucky stuff, "the alien retires to feed and create its
slimy gook"
*goon* n : thug
*goose* qv v : to poke between the buttocks
*gotten* v : got
*GPA* abr : grade point average, a scale from 0-4
*grab* n : get, "Grab a sweater. It's cold outside"
*grade* [school] n : class, form (see elementary, middle, high,
K-12)
*grade* v : used like level as in grade the road meaning to level
the road, hence grader - the scraping machine used to level
road surfaces under construction
*grade crossing* [railway] n : level crossing
*grade school* n : primary school
*graveyard shift* n : night shift
*greasy spoon* n : low quality caf‚
*greek* sl n : member of university sorority or fraternity
*green onion* n : spring onion
*green beans* n : runner beans
*green thumb* n : green fingers
*green plum* n : green gage
*grill cheese sandwich* n : a greasy cheese sandwich grilled till
the cheese melts
*grinder* n : submarine sandwich
*gringo* [Mexican] /gringoh/ n : foreigner, often used
disparagingly, syn. *gaigiin*
*grip* n : suitcase
*grits* n : ground maize
*grody* adj : unpleasant, syn. grotty, *gross*, gnarly
*grok* [~Stranger in a Strange Land~ --Robert Heinlein] vi : to
intuitively understand completely and naturally, be soaked
in meaning
*gross* adj : unpleasant
*grossning* v : to make unpleasant
*gross out* v : to disgust
*ground* n : earth wire
*Groundhog Day* n : February 2^nd. If the groundhog sees his
shadow he is scared back into hibernation, indicating six
more weeks of winter, but if it's cloudy, hence no shadow,
it indicates an early spring
*gubernatorial* n : state governor
*guess, I* n : I suppose
*gumbo* n : okra
*gummy/i bears* n : jelly babies but in the shape of little teddy
bears, also generic round ones called gummy candy roll, and
here and there gummi frogs, fish, worms, octopi, salamanders
*guy* n : bloke
*guys, you* n : in reference to a group of people regardless of
gender
*gyp* v : cheat

*h*
*hair spray* n : hair lacquer
*half-and-half* n : milk & cream, available in cartons just like
the normal milk, and the milk of choice for adding to coffee
*hamburger buns* n : bap
*hamburger meat* n : mince meat
*hand pruning shears* n : seceteaurs
*hang* n : to make, "we're lost, better hang a *u-ee*", "hang a
left turn"
*hang in there* expr : stick it out
*hard candy* n : boiled sweets
*hardhat* n : protective hat worn on building sites
*hardware store* n : ironmonger
*hash browns* n : fried grated potato
*hauling company* n : moving company
*hauling truck* n : moving van
*head* n : urinal, toilet
*hen party* n : girls only party
*herb* /erb/ n : /herb/
*hero sandwich* n : french loaf sandwich buttered with mustard
and *mayo* and generously filled with cold cuts, cheese,
lettuce, onion, tomato and pickles
*hickey* n : love bite
*high balling* v : moving fast
*high-tail out* v : scarper
*high school* n : grades 9-12 (ages ~15-18)
*high school diploma* n : high school graduating certificate
*high (school), senior* n : grades 10-12 (ages ~16-18)
*hike* v : boost, rise
*history* n : gone, *outa here*, as good as dead, "I'm history"
*ho* [hooker] n : slut
*ho-hum* adj : dreary
*hoagie, hoagy* n : hero sandwich
*hodad* n : pseudo-surfer
*hodad* n : hand mattock used for dibbing seedling trees
*hogwash* n : codswallop
*hokey* adj : cheap and nasty
*hold the mayo* v : no mayonnaise
*hombrŠ* [Mexican] n : big guy, dude
*home boy* n : fellow gang member
*hom slice* [black col] n : girlfriend or close female friend
*homely* n : (of a woman) plain, and euph. for ugly, unattractive
*homie* [black col] n : boyfriend or close male friend
*honcho, head honcho* [Japanese : squad leader] n : boss, syn.
gaffer
*honk* v : throw up
*honky* n : white man, white person, syn. *white trash*
*hoo(t)ch* col n : moonshine, illicit or low grade liquor, syn.
poteen, white lightening, white mule
*hood* n : bonnet
*hood ornament* n : qv
*hooky* v : truant
*Hoosier* /hoozh*/ n : person from Indiana
*hope chest* n : bottom drawer
*hottie* n : attractive female
*horny* adj : randy
*horse opera* [film] n : western
*hose bag* v : cheat, swindle
*hose head* n : hollow headed
*hoser* n : syn. clown, creep, bender "hoser from the north 40s,
eh?" - M^cKenzie Brothers, Bob & Doug, Strange Brew
*hostess* [restaurant] n : girl who seats you
*hot dog roll* n : bridge roll
*hottie* n : *babe*
*housewares* n : hardware
*huffy* adj : shirty
*huh?* n : syn. I beg your pardon?
*human resources dept.* n : personnel dept.
*hump* v : screw
*hunk* n : gorgeous man
*hustler* n : person on the make
*hutch* n : Welsh dresser
*hype* n : sales talk
*hyped* adj : excited, syn. amped

*i*
*iceberg lettuce* n : Wee's lettuce
*ice box *n : fridge
*icky* adj : horrid
*ID* n : identification, usually driver's license, which includes
a picture and state of residence, but generally anything
similar especially with a picture, "I need to see a piece of
ID"
*idiot* n : syn. pillock, twit, egit [Ir], git, pratt, prick, div
*impatience* n : bizzy lizzy, ~Impatiens~
*in back of* n : behind, "the dumpster's in back of the store"
*inc* abbr : incorporated, syn. Ltd, Plc, Pty Ltd, GmbH, SA, NV,
AG
*incorporated* n : limited company
*inexpensive* adj : euph for cheap, or costing just the arm and
leg below the knee
*information* [telephone] n : directory inquiries, "call
information"
*installment plan* n : hire purchase
*intermission* n : interval
*intersection* n : crossroads
*ivy league* n : collective term for certain eastern US
universities, syn. ivory tower

*j*
*jack off* v n : masturbate, wanker
*jackhammer* n : pneumatic drill
*jail* n : goal
*jam* n : to take off in a big hurry, "gotta jam," also to flow
smoothly in a situation, "she's jammin," syn. *cruise*
*janfu* n : joint army & navy fuckup
*janitor* n : caretaker/porter
*jazzed* adj : excited
*Jello(R)* n : jelly
*jelly roll* n : swiss roll
*jelly* n : jam
*jerk* n : wanker, git
*jerky* n : dried strips of meat
*jock* n : athlete, also proficient specialist, as in computer
jock
*joe* n : coffee, "let's go grab a cuppa joe"
*john* n : toilet, lavatory, syn. loo
*John Doe* n : John Smith
*John Hancock* n : signature
*John Q. Public* n : man in the street, silent majority, unwashed
masses
*jones* sl v : crave, "jonesing after women"
*journal* n : personal notebook, diary
*jug* n : jail
*juicy boy* n : beyond hot dude
*July 4^th* n : Independence Day celebrated nationally as a
public holiday and with fireworks shows
*jump rope* n : skipping rope
*jumper* n : pinafore
*junior* n : 3rd year
*junk man* n : rag & bone man

*k*
*K12, K-12, K thru 12* n : US range of compulsory education,
grades K (kindergarten starting at about age 5) and 1 to 12
(ending at about age 18)
*Kamikaze Club* n : a club of owners of very high performance
cars, such as lambourghinis, and typically extremely
expensive (a tune up could cost $125,000). *CHP* equipped
themselves with souped up Mustangs in order to be able to
pursue them
*Ken* n : *Barbie*'s boyfriend
*Kentucky Derby* n annual horse race in Kentucky, syn. Derby
*kerosene* n : paraffin
*ketchup* n : tomato ketchup
*kick ass* adj : powerful, "that's one kick ass car"
*kick back* adj v : relaxed, relax, mellow, "he's a kick back
kind of guy"
*kike* derog sl n : Jew
*killer* adj : syn. *totally awesome
The King n : *Elvis Presley (1935-1977)
*kine* [surfing jargon] adj : quintessential, usually applied to
surfing conditions
*kitchen sink* n : sink
*kitty corner* adj : diagonally opposite
*kludge* n : botch, though normally one that works well;
typically applied to hardware and software fixes that,
though a bit Heath-Robinson, elegantly solve the immediate
problem
*klutz* adj : clumsy
*knickers* n : plus-fours, knickerbockers, knee breeches
*knock up* sl v : get pregnant
*kook* n : eccentric
*kumquat* n : citrus fruit like an elongated miniature orange

*l*
*La Jolla* /la hoya/ : town near San Diego
*ladies room* n : ladies
*lady bug* n : lady bird
*laid back* n : mellow, *kick back*, very relaxed
*lame* sl adj : syn. *bogus*
*last name* n : surname
*later* [contr `see you later'] intj : bye, syn ta-ta, *outahere*
*lawyer* n : solicitor, syn *attorney
Lazy Boy n : easy chair usu. with foot rest that rises from base
as back is pushed back
Lazy Susan n : *circular tray on bearings used in dining
(popular in Chinese restaurants) , sometimes two-tiered,
used in kitchen cupboards
*lease, rent/`To Rent'* v : let/`To Let'
*legal holiday* n : bank holiday
*leisure* /leezh*/ and /lezh*/ n :
*levee* n : embankment on river, similar to the sea wall
*lever* /lever/ and /leever/ n v : lever
*license plate* n : number plate
*life preserver* n : life jacket
*light switch* n : in US, down is off, up is on
*lightening bug* n : lightening bug
*lima bean* n : butter bean
*limey* n : person from GB
*line* n : queue
*line up* v : queue up
*lineup* n : identification parade
*links* n : sausages, syn. bangers, snags-[Aus]
*liquor* n : spirits
*liquor store* n : off licence
*liverwurst* n : liver sausage
*lobby* n : foyer
*lollapallusa* qv n : *moby*
*long distance* n : trunk call
*long time* n : donkeys' years
*look* v : dekko, butcher's
*lost and found* n : lost property
*Lost Wages* n : Las Vegas, a legal gambling haven
*love seat* n : settee
*loogie, loughie* /loogee/ n : phlegm syn. gilbo
*looking good* adj : spectacular
*Ltd* n : qv large prestigious brand of car
*lumber room* n : box room
*lush* n : alcoholic

*m*
*macintosh* n : apple mac
*mad* adj : angry syn. *pissed*
*mail* n v : post, "the check's in the mail"
*mailbox* n : pillar box
*main street* n : high street
*maŒtre d.* n : head waiter
*major* adj : very big, "That was a major screw up", "He was
majorly sick"
*make* v : seduce
*make reservation* v : book
*making out* v : petting to heavy petting
*margarita* n : tequila & lime cocktail
*mashing* n : snogging, *making out*
*masonite* n : fiberboard
*math* n : maths
*maverick* n : unpredictable person
*mayo* abbr n : mayonnaise
*mean* adj : nasty
*meat grinder* n : mincer
*melvin* v : *snuggy*, wedgy [E. Coast], browny [W. Coast]
*mens wallet* n : wallet
*mens room* n : gentlemen, gents, mens
*mesa* n : plateau
*mezzanine* n : dress circle
*mickey mouse* adj : cheap and nasty, syn. made in Hong Kong
*Micky, slip a* n : punch
*middle school* n : secondary school, grades 6-8
*Milky Way* [candy bar] n : Mars bar
*mob* n : criminal gang
*moby* [Moby Dick] n : really huge
*molasses* n : treacle
*mom and pop store, diner, etc* n : a small family owned
business, "you should check out that great mom and pop
hamburger joint over on 5^th"
*momentarily* n : in a moment
*mondo* qv n : huge
*mongo* qv [contr] adj : humongous
*mononucleosis* n : glandular fever
*Montezuma's revenge* n : diarrhoea or even dysentery suffered by
tourists
*moonshine* n : illicitly homemade *corn* whiskey
*mortician* n : undertaker
*motel* [motor+hotel] n : rooms are accessible from outside (car
park), whereas in a hotel the rooms are accessible from the
inside
*mountain oysters* n : sheep's testicles, syn. codfish, *Cape Cod
turkey*
*movie* n : film, syn. flicks
*movies* n : cinema
*moving van* n : pantechnicon
*muffin* n : crumpet
*muffler* [car] n : silencer
*mugwump* qv n :
*mums* n : chrysanthemums
*mutual trust* n : unit trust

*n*
*nail polish* n : nail varnish
*nail polish remover* n : varnish remover
*napkin* n : serviette
*narly* adj : see *gnarly*
*natch* [contr] adv : naturally
*neat* adj : excellent, enjoyable, pleasant, syn. *sweet*,
*bitchin'*, *cool*, *fresh*, *rad*, brill, safe
*nebbish* [Yiddish] n : fool, loser
*neck* v : snog
*nerd* n : socially maladroit person, but especially used to
describe the gangly archetypal scientific (especially
computer) nerd with dishevelled hair, horn-rimmed glasses,
goofy (buck) teeth, spotty complexion, untucked shirt
replete with *nerd pack*, and trousers a few inches too
short
*nerd pack* n : plastic pocket protector (worn in shirt pocket)
often stuffed with biros
*New York minute* n : less than a minute
*nickel* n : 5›, a fat cupro-nickel coin slightly smaller than a
5p
*night crawler* n : large earthworm
*nightgown* n : nightdress
*nightstick* n : truncheon
*nipple* [baby's bottle] n : teat
*nite* inf (sp) n : night
*nitty-gritty* n : brass tacks
*no see um* [no see them] n : ~ceratopogonidae,~ virtually
invisible biting midges
*no sweat* n : easy, no big deal
*no-no* v : not done, not cricket
*nod* n : approval, "he got the nod"
*not!* intj : unexpectedly added to the end of a statement to
reverse its meaning (popularized by Wayne & Ted in Wayne's
World)
*notary public* n : commissioner for oaths
*notions* n : haberdashery, etc
*no way* intj : expression of disbelief, syn. you're kidding
*NSA* abr : National Security Agency
*nuts* sl n : testicles, syn. goolies, knackers, knacks

*o*
*oatmeal* n : porridge
*off the wall* sl adj : unconventional
*oil pan* [car] n : sump
*Old Glory* n : American flag
*on the nail* adj : spot on
*one way ticket* n : single ticket
*one-armed bandit* n : fruit machine
*opine* v : express an opinion
*orchestra seats* n : stalls (theatre)
*ordinance* n : by-law
*oreo cookies* n : chocolate biscuits with cream filling
*ornery* adj : irritable, cantankerous
*outahere, out of here* intj : I'm leaving, syn. *later*, bye,
I'm gone
*outlet* n : power point
*overalls* n : boiler suit, dungarees
*over easy* n : eggs fried without cooking the yolks
*over medium* n : eggs fried with the yolks slightly cooked
*overpass* n : fly-over
*oz* : US fluid ounce 29« ml, UK fl oz 28« ml, in UK 20 fl oz
= 1 pint, in US 16 fl oz = 1 pint; UK pint 1.2 US pint
(and UK gallon 1.2 US gallon, both are 8 respective
pints), see *fifth*, pint

*p*
*Pacific Crest Trail* n : 2400 mile footpath forged through the
Sierras and Cascades going from Mexico to Canada through
California, Oregon and Washington
*pacifier* n : baby's dummy
*paddle* n : bat(ping pong)
*paddle* v : spank
*pantry* n : larder
*pants* n : trousers
*pant suit* n : woman's trouser suit
*pantyhose* n : tights
*paper hanger* n : decorator
*paraffin* n : paraffin wax
*parka* [Aleut] n : anorak
*parking lot* n : car park
*parody* v : send-up
*party* n : group
*party favor* n : trivial knick-knacks and sweets given out at
(children's) parties as gifts
*pass* v : overtake
*patch kit* n : puncture outfit for repairing punctures in
bicycle (and motorcycle) tyres
*patrol wagon* n : black maria
*pavement* n : road surface or any paved surface
*pecker* n : penis
*ped xing* n : zebra crossing
*pendejo* /penday(h)oh/ [Mexican] n : *dufus*, slime
*penis* n : syn. willy, chopper, prick, cock, wang, wanger, dong,
wee wee, knob
*perfume* n : scent
*period* [punctuation] : full stop
*person from Birmingham* n : Brum
*person from England* n : Limey, Pom-[Aus], Sassanach-[Scot],
Brit
*person from Ireland* n : Mick, Paddy
*person from Liverpool* n : Liverpudlian, Scouse
*person from Manchester* n : Mancunian
*person from Newcastle (Tyneside)* n : Geordie
*person from Scotland* n : Jock, Scot, lallan (lowlander)
*person from Wales* n : Taffy
*person to person* n : personal call
*pesky* adj : troublesome
*pharmacist* n : chemist
*Philadelphia Lawyer* n : crooked or extraordinarily clever
person
*pick* n : pickaxe
*pin* n : badge, the kind you pin on, like a gollywog badge, or a
boy scout badge
*pin board* n : notice board
*pine nuts* n : 1" waxy edible seeds of western N. American pines
*pinkie* n : little finger
*pissed* adj : pissed off
*pit* [fruit] n : stone
*pitch* v : line of sales talk
*pitcher* n : jug
*pizazz* n : vigour
*plexiglass* n : perspex
*play possum* v : play dead
*plaid* /plad/ adj : tartan or any similar rectangular design on
material
*podiatrist* n : chiropodist
*pod* n : a *pod people*
*pod people* [from the SciFi classic `Invasion of the Body
Snatchers'] n : the social archetype epitomizing the
gormless drones hatched from (alien) pods
*pod speak* v : mindless drivel
*Podunk* n : a real town in OH that has become figurative for
some unamed backwater hick town. Similar such towns names
(most from Native American) are Hohokus, Hoboken, Kalamazoo
MI, Keokuk, Oshkosh, skaneateles, Punxsutawney NY, Kokomo,
Kankatee, *San Placebo* CA, syn. Neasden, Purley
*pony keg* n : smaller or half keg
*poor boy* n : submarine sandwich but sometimes on toasted bread
roll
*poor girl* n : smaller *poor boy*
*pop* v : syn. screw, "I popped her, once"
*pop* v : to ingest, often pills
*popsicle* n : iced lolly, lollypop
*pork rinds* n : deep fried strips of pork skin available, like
crisps, as a popular snack
*post* v : to publicly display a sign or message, "the
announcement is posted in the library," "the posted speed is
35 mph"
*pot holder* n : oven cloth
*potty train* v : house train
*potato chips* n : crisps
*pound cake* n : Madeira cake
*precinct* n : district
*principal* n : head master/mistress
*produce* /prohdoos/ n : fruits and vegetables
*prom* n : formal high school dance that generally marks the
graduation therefrom
*propeller beanie* n : *beanie* with a propeller on top
*propeller head* n : *nerd,* who may actually be wearing a
propeller hat (beanie)
*psych!* intj : just kidding, fooled you!
*public restrooms* n : public conveniences
*public school* n : state school
*pudding* n : sweet slodge
*pull* inf v : to do, but usually with extra effort, "pull an
all-nighter"
*pull-off* [road] n : lay-by
*pumps* n : high heeled shoes
*purse* n : ladies handbag, bag
*push cart* n : wheel barrow
*pussy* n : vagina

*q*
*Q-tips(R)* n : cotton buds, cotton swabs, safety swabs
*quasi-* prefix : pseudo-
*quarter* n : twenty-five cents
*quilt* n : duvet
*Quonset hut* n : Nissen-type hut
*quotation marks* n : inverted commas

*r*
*raccoon* n : N. American mammal the size of a large cat with
bushy ringed tail and masked eyes
*rad, radical* intj adj : syn, far out, *awesome!*, *sweet*,
*bitchin'*, *neat*, *cool*, *fresh*, brill, safe
*railroad* n : railway
*railroad crossing* n : level crossing
*railroad car* n : railway carriage
*railroad tie* n : railway sleeper
*rain check* n : postponement, deferment
*raining cats and dogs* v : pelting down
*raise* [pay] n : rise
*raisin bread* n : currant bread
*ralph* v : throw up
*rambunctious* col adj : flamboyant, exuberant or unruly
*range* n : electric cooker
*rap* v : chat
{*realize*} v : tumble, twig, the penny drops, click
*really* adj : real
*realtor* n : estate agent
*ream* v : scrape, bore out a hole, and hence, by allusion to
buggery, be ripped off, "I've been reamed!"
*rear deck* [Can] n : boot
*recess* [school] n : break
*reef (on)* v : both castigate and thrash
*reform school* n : borstal
*regular* adj : normal
*relocate* v : move
*rent* v : hire
*rent-a-heap, rent-a-wreck, rent-a-dent* n : car hire firm
specializing in economical but slightly dinged vehicles
*rest stop* n : lay by on *freeway* usually with toilets, parking
and free coffee
*restroom* n : toilet
*retard* sl n : stupid person, syn. *bozo*, *tard*
*r‚sum‚* n : curriculum vita
*rhinestone* n : diamante
*ride* [car] n : lift
*right on!* intj : *way cool*, syn. hear, hear
*righteous* sl adj : genuine
*ringer, dead ringer* n : look-alike
*risky* adj : dicey
*roadster* n : open two-seater
*rock* n : jewel
*roller coaster* n : switch back, big dipper
*romaine lettuce* n : cos lettuce
*rookie* n : new recruit
*roomer* n : lodger
*round trip ticket* n : return ticket
*route* /rowt/ and /root/ n : route
*rubber cement* n : cow gum
*rubber* n : condom, syn. johnny
*rubber boots* n : wellington boots, wellies
*rubberneck* v : gawk
*rubbers* n : galoshes
*rubbing alcohol* n : surgical spirit
*rube* n : twit
*Rube Goldberg* adj : Heath Robinson
*Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer* n : 1930s marketing gimmick which
has been leading Santa astray ever since
*run* v : stand for public office
*run* n : ladder in stocking
*rush* n : period of about a week at the beginning of the college
year for joining greeks, signing pledges, etc
*rutabaga* n : swede

*s*
*sack* n : bed
*sack* n : paper bag
*sack lunch* n : packed lunch, *brown bag lunch*
*sales clerk* n : shop assistant
*saltine* n : salted cracker
*sanitary napkin* n : sanitary towel
*San Placebo* n : a mythical CA city, see *Podunk*
*saranwrap* n : thin plastic sheet for food, cling film
*sasquatch* [Salish: hairy men] n : 7' yeti indigenous to NW US &
Canada
*sausage links *n : (pork) sausages, bangers
*sawbuck* qv n : $10
*scab* n : blackleg
*scallions* n : spring onions
*scarf* v : to gobble down, syn. scoff
*schedule* /skejool/ n : /shejool/
*school* n : university or college, generally any learning
institution
*Scotch Tape(R)* n : sellotape
*score* v : obtain, buy
*score* inf v : good deal
*scram* intj : buzz off, piss off, bugger off
*scratch pad* n : scribbling pad/block
*scratch* v : remove
*screw* v : syn. stuff, poke
*screw-up* v : cock-up
*scrog* n : sex
*scuzzy* adj : vile*
scuzzball n : scuzzy* person
*second floor* n : first floor
*sedan* [car] n : saloon
*see a man about a dog* v : take a leak
*send up* v : sentence to imprisonment
*senior* n : 4th year
*seven eleven* n : see *7/11
seven layer death torte n : *particularly rich cake containing
lethal doses of chocolate
*sewer pipe, soil pipe* n : drain (indoors)
{*sex*} v : syn. stuff, poke, bit of leg over, shag
*sheers* n : net curtains
*sherbe(r)t* n : flavoured ice, sorbet
*sheesh* intj : harrumph!
*sheet rock* n : plaster board
*shim* n : thin strip of metal or wood
*shingle, hang out a* v : advertise business (as if written on a
wooden shingle)
*shoelace* n : bootlace
*shoot* excl : euphemism for shit
*shoot the shit* sl v : *gabfest*, gossip
*shop* n : workshop, garage
*shopping cart, caddy* n : shopping trolley
*shorts* [underwear] n : pants, underpants
*shot* n : jab
*show* v : show up
*shred* inf v : lambaste, excoriate
{*shucks*} intj : mild exclamation of surprise, annoyance, syn
{+} cor, crikey, darn, {0} cripes, *criminy*, {-} flip,
flipping, blimey, {--} flipping hell
*shtick* n : metier
*sideburns* [hair] n : sideboards
*sidewalk* n : pavement
*Silicon Valley* n : San Jose and surrounding cities (Cupertino,
(Scotts Valley), Santa Clara, Freemont) at the south of the
San Francisco Bay that has myriad computer (and related)
companies, many of whom have their headquarters there
(Hewlett-Packard, Apple, Everex, Taligent, InfoWorld, Sun,
(Borland, Mountain Computer), Santa Cruz Operation, Atari)
*Silly Valley* n : *Silicoe Valley*
*silver dollar* n : dollar coin (they were actually silver 1792 -
1921)
*skillet* n : frying pan
*skinny-dip* v : nude bathing
*skirt* n : woman, syn. bint, (Used a lot by Humphrey Bogart in
reference to women)
*slimers* n : *Jello(R)* made with vodka, popular amongst *high
school* kids
*slingshot* n : catapult
*smarts* n : brains
*smokestack* n : chimney
*snafu* [acronym, orig military sl] adj : situation normal, all
fucked (fouled) up
*snaps* n : press studs
*snatch* n : vagina
*sneakers* n : plimsols, trainers
*Snickers* [candy bar] n : Marathon bar
*snow bird* n : New Yorker (and other east coasters) who migrate
to Florida for the winter
*snuck* n : sneaked
*snuff* v : die, kill
*snuggie* v : having your trousers (shorts) yanked up sharply,
usually from behind
*soccer* n : football
*soda cracker* n : cream cracker
*solder* /sahd*/ n : /sold*/
*solicitor* n : canvasser, syn pain
*solitaire* [game] n : patience
*sophomore* n : 2nd year
*south paw* adj : left handed person
*southern* n : person, attitude, mores, accent of the southern
folk hailing from Chesapeake bay area of VA, NC, SC, GA,
Gulf States (AL, MS, LA, eastern part of TX)
*Southern States* n : NC, TN, SC, TX
*spatula* n : fish slice
*speed bump* n : speed retarder
*spiel* n : line of talk
*spiffy* n : *looking good*
*spigot* n : tap handle
*spooge* n : cum, semen
*spook* v : scare
*spool* n : reel
*sprinkles, spreckles* [confection] n : hundreds & thousands
*sprouts* n : *alfalfa* sprouts
*squash* n : vegetable marrow
*stalls* n : individual sections in public toilets
*stand in line* v : queue
*stand up* v : not showing up for a *date*, "I've been stood up",
"she stood him up"
*station wagon* n : estate car, shooting break
*stick shift* [car] n : manual
*sticker* n : decorative self-adhesive label, transfer, decal
*stogie, stogy* /stohgee/ n : cigar or specifically a cheap
slender cigar
*stoked* sl adj : chuffed
*stomp* v : stamp, tread heavily
*store* n : shop
*stove* n : gas stove, cooker
*straight* [drink] adj : neat
*stroller* n : pushchair
*strut* v : stroll proudly, walk tall
*student driver car* n : usually has a huge sign on top
indicating status of occupant and the schools particulars
*student driver* n : learner; student drivers can drive any car,
accompanied by qualified driver, with no external indication
such as L plates
*studly* inf adj : manly, "he's studly"
*study up* v : mug up
*sub, submarine* n : *hero sandwich*
*subway* n : tube, underground
*sucks* adj : bad, "that sucks"
*sucker* n : lollipop
*sucker* n : dupe
*suds* n : beer
*sudser* [TV] n : soap opera
*sunny side up* n : eggs lightly fried without turning them over
*Superman* n : the quintessential alien working hard to fulfill
(Truth, Justice, and the) *American Dream*
*Susan B. Anthony dollar* n : smaller sized silver dollar
slightly larger than a *quarter*
*suspenders* n : braces
*sweater* n : jumper
*sweet* col adj : syn. safe, *bitchin'*, *neat*, *cool*, *fresh*,
*rad*, brill
*sweetie* n : term of endearment, syn. poppet, honey
*sweetsop* n : custard apple ~Annona squamosa~
*swell* adj : splendid, excellent
*switch blade, swish blade* n : flicknife

*t*
*T-bird* abr : Thunderbird, usually in reference to the popular
classic car
*table* v : bring forward a meeting item for immediate discussion
*T.V.* n : telly
*taco* [Mexican] n : hard corn tortilla folded over contents of
beans, lettuce, grated cheese, etc.
*tacky* adj : shabby, seedy
*tag* n : label
*take a hike* intj : sod off
*tard* sl n : variant (and contr) of *retard*
*tardy* n : late
*Tarheel* n : person from N. Carolina
*taxi cab* n : hackney carriage
*tease* v : rag
*teed off* v : cheesed off
*teeter-totter* n : see-saw
*Teleprompter*(R) n : Autocue(R)
*teller, bank teller* n : bank cashier
*Texas gate* n : cattle grid
*thankyou* intj : ta /tar/
*the head/pisser* n : urinal
*theater* n : cinema
*thick, heavy food* n : stodge
*thread* n : cotton
*Three musketeers* n : [chocolate bar] Milky bar
*three sheets in the wind* adj : drunk
*through* v : finished, "are you through with the ketchup"
*through* v : to (inclusive), "Monday thru Friday"
*thru* inf(sp) v : through
*thumb tack* n : drawing pin
*Thunderbirds* n : USAF exhibition flying team, syn. *Blue
Angles*, Red Arrows
*tic-tac-toe* n : noughts & crosses
*tie, railroad* n : railway sleeper
*tightwad* adj : miserly person
*time sink* [from electronics, allusion to heat sink] n :
engaging activity that soaks up time
*tire* n : tyre
*tired out* vi : syn, fagged out, buggered, buggered out,
knackered
*to go* [food] v : take away, "for here, or to go?"
*Togo's* n : sandwich shop chain, syn. *deli* (play on *to go*)
*tongue depressor* n : doctor's spatula
*toolies* n : see *tulies*
*top* [car] n : roof, hood
*torch* v : incinerate, burn
*torpedo* n : hero sandwich
*tortilla* /torteeya/ [Mexican] n : flat round corn or wheat
flour bread similar to chapati
*toss cookies* v : throw up
*towards* v : toward
*tp* acronym n : toilet paper, syn. loo roll
*tractor trailer* n : articulated Lorry
*traffic circle* [road] n : roundabout
*traffic jam* n : tail back
*trailer truck* n : articulated Lorry
*trailer* n : caravan
*trailer park* n : caravan site
*tramp* n : slut
*transfer* n : bus, train ticket transferrable to another bus,
train
*transient* n : euph for homeless person, tramp
*transmission* n : gear box
*trash bags* n : rubbish bags
*trash can* n : waste paper bin or dustbin
*trash man* n : dustbin man
*trash* n : rubbish
*trillion* n : 10^12
*truck, very large* n : juggernaut
*truck* n : lorry
*trunk* n : boot
*tube* [radio] n : valve
*tubular* surfer sl adj : particularly good, syn. awesome
*turnip* n : swede, syn. rutabaga
*turpentine* n : turps
*turps substitute* n : white spirit
*tulies* /toolees/ qv n : boondocks, sticks, "he lives way out in
the tulies"
*tux* abbr : tuxedo
*tuxedo* n : dinner jacket often worn with white frilled shirt,
and the young man's choice for formal occasions, for
instance high school *prom*, weddings, etc.
*TV* n : television, syn, telly, tube, boob toob
*twat* sl n : vagina
*twenty-one* [card game] n : pontoon
*twister* n : tornado
*two bits* n : quarter, 25›, reminiscent of ancient days when the
Spanish pieces of eight, the precursor to the dollar, could
be broken into eight pieces

*u*
*u-ee* /yooee/ n : u-turn
*underdrapes* n net curtains
*Uncle Sam* n : U.S.A
*undershirt* n : singlet, vest
*undies* n : underwear, syn. knickers
*unglued* v : crazy
*unhinged* n : unstable, syn. wacko, *unglued*, all bent out of
shape
*unlisted* [phone book] n : ex-directory
*up chuck* v : vomit
*up-front* vi : open and honest

*v*
*vacation* n : holiday
*vacuum cleaner* n : hoover
*vacuum* v : hoover
*vagina* n : fanny
*valedictorian* n : highest ranking graduating high school
student
*valence* n : pelmet hiding curtain rail
*vanilla* n : [the standard US ice cream flavour] ordinary,
default, often used in the computer industry to refer to the
standard version of some piece of hardware, software or
operating system
*varsity* n : principal athletic team at university
*vase* /vayz/ and /varz/ n : vase
*vest* n : waist coat
*vet* abr n : ex-service person
*vet* abr n : experienced, "she's a veteran of three space
missions"
*village fair* n : fˆte
*visit* vt : chat, spend time and chat with, "It was sure nice
visiting with you on the phone", "Let's visit tomorrow"
{*vomit*} v : chunda-[Aus], spiff (one's) biscuits

*w*
*wad* n : money, as in a wad of notes, "she blew her wad in Lost
Wages"
*wahine* /wah heen(a)/ n : surfer *babe*
*wall to wall* [carpet] n : fitted
*wall eyed* adj : opposite of cross eyed
*wannabe* n : want-to-be
*want ad* n : classified ad in newspaper, "check the want ads"
*wash up* v : wash your hands
*wash cloth* n : face flannel
*water cooler* n : cold water dispenser
*water heater* n : geyser (gas), immersion heater (electric)
*way* adj : very, "way cool"
*way!* intj : emphatic response to erroneous `no way'
*wax paper* n : grease-proof paper
*weather stripping* n : draught excluder
*wedgie* n : *snuggy*
*wet back* [from swimming the Rio Grande] n : illegal immigrant
*wet willie* : getting a freshly licked and slobbered (little)
finger thrust in your ear
*what's up?* n : what's going on? what's happening?
*white trash* n : white man, syn. *honky*
{*whore*} n : syn. scrubber, slag, tart
*weenie, wienie, weiner* inf n : penis, also twit
*wiener, weinerwurst* n : shorter frankfurter
*widget* n : gizmo
*wilson* qv v : loose control in a spectacularly dumb way, "do a
wilson into the [con]crete"
*wimp* n : ninny
*wimpy* adj : soppy
*windbreaker* n : windcheater
*windshield* n : windscreen
*with or without* v : black or white (coffee)
*woodwork* n : joinery
*work-out* v : exercise bout
*wrench* n : spanner
*wumpus* qv n : snonster

*x*
*XOXOXO* : postscript of an affectionate letter; the X's are
kisses and the O's are hugs
*y*
*yard* n : garden
*yellow turnips* n : swedes, syn. *rutabaga*
*yo-yo* n : nuisance
*yank*
*yawp* n : raucous noise, (barbaric yawp : primal yell - Walt
Whitman)
*yield* [road sign] n : give way

*z*
*z* /zee/ n : /zed/ used a lot in acronyms: E-Z (easy)
*z's* n : nap, "grab some z's"
*zero* n : nought
*zip code* n : postal code
*zucchini* n : courgettes, squash, marrow

*British --> American*

Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.
--Noel Coward

The English don't die they just become discreet
--Henry Normal

*L#*
*" " "* punc : inverted commas
*()* punc : brackets, round brackets
*[]* punc : square brackets
*{}* punc : curly brackets, brace
*.* punc : full stop
*L#* (a Latin L) : pound, symbol for pounds sterling. 1968 was
the year of decimalization of the British currency when a
pound became 100 new pennies. Prior to that a pound was 20
shillings, a shilling twelve pence (pennies) and the
smallest division of a penny was a farthing. It is written
L#/s/d and L#/s/- for even shillings. Unless otherwise
noted, all references to money will be to the old money.
From 1776 till WWII L#1 fluctuated between $3-$5 (1864
peak of $12). Since WWII it has fluctuated around $2 when
1d was 1› (low of $1.04 in 1985). Hence, the slang `dollar'
for 5/- was accurate until WWII.
*L#sd* /L S D/ n : pounds shillings and pence, money in general,
and the British monetary system in particular prior to
*decimalization*
*¬d* : symbol for a *farthing*, four to a penny, about the size
of a copper cent, went out of circulation in 1956
*«d* /haypnee/ : symbol for a *halfpenny*, about the size of a
thin copper quarter
*1d* n : symbol for penny
*2d* n : symbol for half groat
*3d* /threp*ns/ /thr*p*ns/ /thruhp*ns/ /thrup*ns/ : symbol for
threepence, threepenny bit, silver (about size of a dime)
until 1920, then 12-sided brass coin like a fat nickel
*4d* n : symbol for groat
*6d* /sicksp*ns/ : symbol for sixpence, about size of a dime,
syn. *tanner*
*1/-, 1s, 12d* : symbol for shilling (12d), about size of a
quarter, still in circulation, equivalent to 5p, syn. bob,
shilling bit
*2/-* : symbol for florin, two shillings, about the size of a
half dollar, still in circulation, equivalent to 10p
*2/6d* : symbol for half-a-crown, two-and-six (pence), larger
than a half dollar
*5/-* : symbol for crown, five shillings, huge, much larger than
a silver dollar
*10/-* : symbol for (brown) ten shilling note, ten bob
*10/6d* : half a guinea, ten-and-six (see Mad Hatter's *topper*)
*20/-, L#1, 240d*, 100*p* : alternate for L#1 (green), pound,
pound sterling, sovereign
*21/-* : symbol for guinea, twenty-one shillings*
L#1 : *symbol for one pound note (green), first issued in 1928,
new note issued in 1968, and reverting back to coins in 1983
*L#5* : symbol for five pound note (blue, though, like the
*tenner*'s, they used to be huge white sheets inscribed with
gold filigree, plenty of room to wrap some honey and money
in)
*L#10* : symbol for ten pounds (brown) or ten pound note
*L#20* n : symbol for twenty pounds or the twenty pound note
(rainbow colors)
*«p* : bronze 1971-1985
*1p* : bronze 1971
*2p* n :
*5p* n :
*10p* n :
*20p* : coin introduced in 1982
*50p* : seven sided coin introduced in 1969
*999* : emergency police number, like 911
*- on toast* suff : superlative, ""

*a*
*A levels* n : GCE (general certificate of education), advanced
level, state exams taken in major subjects at the end of
sixth *form* (age ~18) and usually prerequisite for college,
see *O levels*
*abominable snowman* n : *yeti*, syn. sasquatch, bigfoot
*abroad* n : continent of Europe, "we're going on holiday abroad"
*accumulator* qv-car n : rechargeable electric battery
*ackers* [Egyptian, ~akka~, one piastre] n : pound notes or money
in general
*acushla* /*kushlah/ [Irish „cuisle O pulse (of my heart)] n :
darling
*advert* inf n : used to refer both to TV commercials and ads in
magazines and newspapers, syn. ad, "I'm sick of the adverts
on the telly"
*aerial* n : antennae
*afters* n : dessert, *pudding*, *sweet*. It's quite customary
to have dessert following a main meal
*air gun* n : bee bee gun
*all right* /or(w)iet/ [the w would become a pronounced r in some
areas] intj : muttered to get attention as when trying to
get trough a crowd with a heavy load, to agree, to disagree,
or as an alternative to a grunt or hmm
*alsatian* n : german shepherd
*aggro* sl n : aggression, but often in reference to street
violence, syn. *bother
Ancient Lights n : *if such a sign has been posted over a window
for 20 qv years then no one may ever obstruct by building
*ankle biter* n : wannabe, esp *Sloane* wannabe
*annihilate* v : cream
*anticlockwise* adv adj : counterclockwise
{*annoy*} v : syn. bug
*anorak* n : parka
*apple mac* n : macintosh
*apples and pairs* crsl n : stairs
*arse* n : ass, "He's a right arse", "Stop arseing around"
*arsehole* n : asshole
*arse over tit* adj : snafu
*arterial road* n : expressway
*articulated lorry* n : trailer truck, tractor-trailer, semi
*assessor* [insurance] n : adjustor
*au pair* /oh peir/ n : foreign girl exchanging housework for
room and board in order to be exposed to the language
*aubergine* n : egg plant
*Auld Reekie* n : Edinburgh
*auntie* adj : eccentric, individual, conservative, and somehow
everlasting
*auntie's coming* n : that time of the month, "sorry, I can't,
auntie's coming"
*Autocue*(R) n : TelePrompTer(R)
*autumn* n : fall
*ay(e)* [Scot] interj : yes
*Aylesbury duck* qv n :

*b*
*b&b* n : Bed and Breakfast
*baby's arm* n : strawberry filled pastry, syn. *dead man's arm*
*baby's dummy* n : pacifier
*bad deal* n : bum steer
*badge* n : pin
*bag* n : purse
*bakshee* [Hindi ~bak i ~ gift] sl n : free
*balaclava, balaclava hat* n : woolen cap covering head and neck
with hole for face
*ballocks* n : alternative sp. for *bollocks*
*balls* intj : testicles, but in this sense used exactly like
bullshit, syn. *bollocks*
*balls up* sl adj : screw up
*bally* euph : *bloody*, syn. darned, "bally colonials"
*balsa wood* n : strong but very light wood used in model making,
and occasionally used by implication to describe something
as insubstantial
*Bakewell pudding* (tart) qv n :
*bangers* sl n : sausages
*banger, old* sl n : decrepit old car, flivver
*banger* sl n : loud firecracker, syn. m80
*bangers and mash* n : sausage and mashed potatoes
*bank holiday* n : legal holiday
*bap* n : hamburger buns
*Bard, Bard of Avon* : William Shakespeare
*barmy* sl n : crazy
*barney* n : (public) scuffle
*bastard* [Aus] offn sl n : common Australian deprecation, "six-
fingered inbred bastard"
*basin* n : bathroom sink
*bat* [ping pong] n : paddle
*bath* n : bathtub
*bath* vi vt : to take a bath, and to bathe
*Bath bun* qv n :
*Battenberg cake* [German town] n : square four-checkered pink
and yellow sponge cake frosted entirely in *marzipan*
*batty* adj : crazy
*beach hut* n : cabana
*beak* sl n : magistrate
*beans on toast* n : Heinze Baked Beans warmed in a pan and
poured over hot (buttered) toast, the staple of poor
starving artists and other similarly underprivileged groups,
but also a popular part of many meals, see *toast and
dripping*
*beat* adj : tired, exhausted
*bed* n : sack
*bed bug* n : chinch
*Bedlam* n : mayhem
*Beefeater* n : Yeoman of the Guard
*beer mat* n : coaster
*beer* n : suds
*beetroot* n : beet
*Belisha beacon* /b`*lee*sha/ /b*lee*sha/ n : flashing orange
globe on pole by *zebra crossings*
*bell* v : call (on the telephone), syn ring, *tinkle*
*bender* n : hoser, *wanker*
*bent* adj : gay
*berk* [rsl Berkshire hunt] n : annoying or inept person
*Berkshire* /barksh*/ n :
*bespoke* n : custom-made
*beta* /beeta/ n : /bayta/-[US] the second letter of the Greek
alphabet
*biccies* /bikees/ col n : *biscuits*
*big dipper* n : roller coaster
*big wheel* n : ferris wheel
*bilge* sl adj : bs
*bill, the* n : police
*bill* [restaurant] n : check
*billingsgate* n : violent invective (from the scolding of fish-
women in the market)
*billion* n : billion = 10^9 in US and 10^12 in GB though it's
moving over to mean 10^9.
*bimbo* n : deb (debutante)
*bin* n : waste paper basket, trash can, waste bin
*bird* sl n : young woman syn. broad, chick, cute young thing
*bird, doing* vi : doing time in prison
*Biro*(R) n : ball point pen
*biscuit (sweet)* n : cookie
*biscuit with fig filling* n : fig newton
*biscuit (unsweetened)* n : cracker
*bizzy lizzy* n : ~Impatiens~ impatience
*Black Maria* qv n : prison van, patrol wagon, *paddy wagon*
*black or white* (coffee) v : with or without (milk)
*black pudding* n : spiced blood sausage
*blackleg* n : scab
*blighter* inf n : irritating person, "cheeky blighter"
*blighty* n : the British Isles
*blinkers* n : indicators, turn signal, turn lights
*blither* v : blather, "blithering idiot"
*block of flats* n : apartment building
{*bloke*} n : syn. {+} hunk, dude! {0} guy, dude, {-}dummy,
weinie, dingbat, dweeb, nerd, ding-a-ling, klutz, {--} fink,
stoopid, ditz, dork, bozo, dumb-ass, flake, {---} tard
*bloody* intj : generic English swearword as offensive, strong
and vulgar as fuck
*bloody queenslander* [Aus] sl : the ultimate insult
*bloomers* n : woman's baggy *knickers*
*blooming* adj : euphemism for bloody, "bloomin' idiot"
*blotto* sl adj : out of it (as in drunk)
*blower* inf : telephone, "get her on the blower"
*blow the gaff* n : syn, spill the beans
*bludger* [Aus] n : scrounger
*bluebottle* [from `bottle and stopper' crsl : *copper*] inf n :
uniformed policeman
*bob* n : shilling, "lend me a bob, mate"
*Bob's your uncle* n : everything's ok, syn. voila
*bobby* inf : policeman, syn. cop, *copper*
*bodge* n v : kludge
*boffin* n : research scientist usually renowned as a genius,
syn. Einstein
*bog* sl n : bathroom, restroom, hence public bogs, *bog-paper*
*bog paper* sl n : toilet paper, syn, *loo paper*, tp
*bogtrotter* n : generally deprecating term alluding to bathroom
fetish or affliction with diarrhoea or somesuch
*boiled sweets* n : hard candy
*boiler suit* n : overalls
*bollocks* intj : syn. bullshit, balls
*bolshie, bolshy* /bolshee/ & /bulshee/ [Bolshevik] n : ornery
*bolter* n : *Sloane* marital partner that runs off with
(foreign) lover
*bomb* n : great success
*bonce* sl n : head
*bonnet* n : hood
*bonkers* adj : crazy
*bonzer* sl [Aus] adj : excellent, awesome, rad(ical)
*boob toob* n : TV
*boob* n : boo-boo, blooper
*book* v : make reservation
*boost, rise* v : hike
*boot* n : trunk / rear deck
*bootlace* n : shoelace
*boozer* n : bar
*booze-up* v : festive occasion whose main activity is getting
*sloshed*
*borstal* n : reform school
*bosh* [Turkish] adj : nonsense
*botch* v : kludge
*bother* /both*/ /bov*/ /bovah/ n : trouble, usually in reference
to street violence but also any kind of irritation or
nuisance, syn. *aggro*
*bottle* n : guts, nerve
{*bottom*} n : syn. ass, butt, fanny
*bottom drawer* n : hope chest
*buoy* /boy/ n : /booee/
*bovver* n : see *bother*
*bowler hat* n : derby
*bowler/hard hat* n : derby
*box room* n : lumber room
*box shifting* n : discount selling
*Boxing Day* n : December 26^th, day after Christmas Day
*braces* n : suspenders
*Bradenham ham* qv n :
*brains* n : smarts
*brass* inf n : money
*brass tacks* n : nitty-gritty
*bread* [crsl bread and honey] n : money
*break* [school] n : recess
*breasts* n : syn. titties, ta-tas /tah tars/, bazooms (euph for
bosoms), tits, boobs
*bridge roll* n : hot dog roll
*brill, brilliant* adj : syn. sweet, bad, *safe*, bitchin', neat,
cool, fresh, rad
*briny* n : the sea
*bristol's* crsl [Bristol City] n : breasts, syn. *knockers*, ta-
tas
*British Isles, The* n : the geographical islands comprising GB,
Ireland, Channel Islands, and The Isle of Man
*brolly* n : umbrella
*brothel creepers* n : quiet thick soled shoes or ironically,
large clodhoppers
*browned off* adj : fed up, despondent
*brum* /brum/ [contr. of Brummagem /broomijum/ (Birmingham)] n :
person from Birmingham
*bubble and squeak* n : fried leftover cabbage and potatoes
*buckshee* n : free, *bakshee*
*bugger* sl n v : *bloke*, "silly old bugger", to screw, cheat,
ream, "I've been buggered!"
*bugger off* intj : scram
*bugger, bugger it* intj : darn, darn it
*buggered, buggered out* sl adj : tired, tired out, syn.
knackered, fagged out
*building site* n : construction site
*bully* adj : splendid, jolly good
*bum* sl n : butt or buttocks or anus
*bumf* [military] n : bum-fodder, toilet paper, bureaucratic
paperwork
*bum fluff* n : pubescent beard
*bundle* [school boy] n : fight or general brawl
*bung* sl v : throw carelessly, casually toss
*bunk, bunk off* sl v : to sneak off without telling anyone, to
sneak a ride "bunk the *tube* to Archway [tube station in N.
London]"
*bus shelter* n : covered or enclosed bus stop
*busker* (hence v busk, busking) n : person playing music for
money in a public place, lots in the tube stations
*butch* sl adj : syn. macho
*butcher* n : inept *chippy*
*butcher's* [butcher's hook] crsl v : look, get a load of, check
it out
*butt* n : large cask, as in rain butt the large barrel under the
gutter to collect rain water
*butter bean* n : lima bean
*butty* n : (bread & butter) sandwich, see *chip butty* and *jam
butty*
*buzz off* intj : scram
*by-law* n : ordinance

*c*
*cack-handed* adj : clumsy
*cake hole* sl n : mouth
*candy floss* n : cotton candy
~*capsicum*~ n : green and red peppers
*car park* n : parking lot
*caravan* n : trailer
*carrageen* n : qv red dulse (~Chondrus crispus~) prepared in
Ireland as a porridge, stew or (by stewing in milk) extract,
which sets like Jello, and eaten as food or to sooth the
stomach (especially the morning after)
*carborundum*(R) n : whetstone
*caretaker, porter* n : janitor
*carrier bags* qv n : plastic carry bags
*caster sugar* n : powdered sugar
*catapult* n : slingshot
*Catherine wheel* n : rotating firework
*Catherine wheel* n : cart wheel, "turn Catherine wheels"
*cattle grid* n : Texas gate
*catty* abbr : *catapult*, "trusty catty"
*centre, city or business* n : downtown
*centre reservation* [road] n : median strip or divider
*champers* /shampers/ n : champagne
*chap* n : fellow, syn. guy
*char* sl n : tea
*char* abbr n : char lady
*chartered surveyor* qv n :
*chat* v : rap
*cheap* n : inexpensive
*cheap and nasty* adj : syn. mickey mouse, *made in Hong Kong*
{*cheat*} v : syn. gyp, bum steer, bunk, screw, ream, scam
*cheeky* adj : impudent, syn. ballsy, smartass
*cheers* n : a toast to your good health (when drinking),
otherwise thanks, ok, best wishes
*cheese on toast* n : cheese melted on toast (open faced),
another staple like *beans on toast*
*cheesed off* adj : teed off
*chemist* n : druggist, pharmacist
*chemist* n : drugstore, pharmacy
*cheque* sp n : check
*chi* /chie/ n : tea
*chicory* n : endive
*chillum* [Jamaican: pipe] n : large funnel shaped *joint*, or
one made from a tube of clay, wood, or even a hollowed out
carrot
*chimney* n : smokestack
*china* crsl [china plate] n : *mate
chip butty n : *bread and butter sandwich made with fries, quite
popular especially after a few beers (real cholesterol
special)
*chippie* [from chip on shoulder] adj : resentful
*chippy* inf n : carpenter, purveyor of fish & chips
*chips* n : french fries, only larger and greasier
*chiropodist* n : podiatrist
*chirpy* inf adj : cheerful and lively
*christmas cracker* n : fire cracker, traditional christmas party
favor containing paper party hat and a fortune cookie-like
message. Occasionally used to describe something that's too
brief, "He came like a christmas cracker"
*choccy biccies* /chokee bikees/ inf n : scrumptious chocolate
biscuits
*chock-a-block, chock-full* n : completely full
*choked* n : speechless with emotion
*Cholmondesley* /chuhmlee/ : a last name famous, as are *Fanshaw*
and Cockburn /kohbern/, for its surprising pronunciation
*chopper* sl n : penis
*CID* : Criminal Investigation Department is the GB equivalent of
the FBI
*christian name* n : first, given name
*chuffed* adj : pleased, syn. stoked
*chunder* /chuhndah/ v : throw up
*cinema* n : movie theater
*claggy* [Geordie] n : filthy, syn. grody, crusty
*clanger* inf n : blunder, syn. blooper
*clarts* [Geordie] n : clods of earth, hence clarty = muddy,
filthy
*class* [school] n : grade, syn. form
*clear off!, clear out!* inf intj : go away! syn. beat it!
*click* inf vi : realize, flash of understanding, the moment of
getting a clue, syn. catch-on, cotton, cotton-on, *twig*,
*tumble*
*clingfilm* n : saranwrap
*clink* sl n : prison
*clishmaclaver* qv [Scot] n : gossip
*cloakroom* n : checkroom
*clobber* [Yiddish] sl n : clothing, gear, *kit*
*clot* inf n : fool
*clothes peg* n : clothespin
*clotted cream* n : really thick rich cream used like butter on
pastries, scones, etc
*clout* v : hit, slap, clip
*clown* n : hoser
*club, in the* adj : pregnant
*cob* n : foul mood, "He's got a cob on"
*cock-up* n : screw-up
*Cockney* n adj : person born within the sound of Bow /boh/
Bells, City of London, syn. *east ender*
*codger* inf n : old man
*codswallop* n : hogwash
*cold water dispenser* n : water cooler
*collar stud* n : collar button
*collar stiffener* n : collar stay
*collywobbles* sl n : nervousness
*comfy* contr adj : comfortable
*comic* n : comic book, strip cartoons
*commissioner for oaths* n : notary public
*Commonwealth, the* n : informal grouping of the UK and the
majority of its former dependencies
*complain* v : bitch
*conk* sl n : nose, syn. *hooter*
*conker* inf n : buckeye, horse chestnut
*conscription* n : draft
*continent* n : the continent of Europe, "we're going to the
continent this summer"
*convoy* n : caravan
*cooker* n : stove
*coon* offn sl n : black person, syn. nigger
*copper* n : penny
*copper* inf : policeman
*coppers* n : pennies, money, "I can spare a few coppers"
*coppice* n : thicket, copse
*cor* intj : syn. wow, gee
*corn* n : generic term for cereals (barley, wheat, oats, rye,
etc), though growing it is usually wheat-UK or oats-
Scotland, corn-on-the-cob type corn is called maize
*cornet, ice cream* n : cone, ice cream
*cornflour* n : cornstarch
*cos lettuce* n : romaine lettuce
*cosh* n v : bludgeon, club
*cot* n : babies crib
*cotton* inf v : realize, syn. *twig*, *tumble*, *suss*
*cotton* n : thread
*cotton wool* n : cotton (balls)
*couch grass* /kooch/ n : crab grass
*counterpane* n : bedspread
*courgettes* n : zucchini
*Coventry, send to* v : ostracize
*cow* derog sl n : irritating woman, "silly old cow", "silly old
moo", syn. bitch
*cow gum* n : rubber cement
*cranial fins* sl n : ears
*cranky* adj : eccentric
*cravat* n : ascot
*crayfish* n : crawfish, crawdad
{*crazy*} adj : insane, syn. unglued, kooky, unhinged, wacky
*cream cracker* n : soda cracker
*create* sl v : kick up one hell of a fuss
*creek* n : stream, bay, inlet or section of river affected by
tides due to proximity to sea
*creep* n : obnoxious or servile person, syn. fink, hoser
*creche* n : day nursery, day care
*crematorium* n : crematory
*crikey* intj : expressing astonishment, syn. geeze
*cripes* intj : syn. whoa!, criminy
*crisps* n : potato chips
*crispies* n : money
{*criticize*} v :
*cropper* inf n : victim of a disaster, "He came a right cropper"
*cross* adj : angry
*cross roads* n : intersection
*crumpet* n : muffin
*crumpet* n also pl : woman as sex
*Crunchie* n : [candy bar] similar to Butterfingers
*crushing bore* n : mercilessly boring person or situation
*crutch* n : crotch
*cul-de-sac* n : dead end, not a through street
*cupboard* n : closet
*currant bread* n : raisin bread
*currant bun* crsl : sun
*current account* n : checking account
*curriculum vitae* n : r‚sum‚
*custard* qv n : thin, yellow, sweet soup made with milk (sets
when cold), popular as a, or with, dessert, and considered
by the French to be the only sauce the English are capable
of making
*custard apple* n : sweetsop
*cwm* [Welsh] n : valley

*d*
*d* n : symbol for penny, syn. *copper*
*daft* inf adj : silly, foolish "daft *ha'p'orth*" /daft hayp*th/
*dag* [NZ] sl n : the dried clumps of manure matted wool around a
sheep's butt, hence "rattle your dags" -get a move on.
Also, means mate, good guy, alright bloke
*darbies* sl n : handcuffs
{*darn*} intj : exclamation of surprise, annoyance, syn. {++}
awesome, way cool, totally rad, {+} wow, gee, whoa!, {0}
geeze, shucks {-} criminy, darn, heck, {--} shoot
*dead man's arm* n : strawberry filled pastry, syn. *baby's arm*
*dear* adj : expensive
*death duties* n : estate tax
*decimalization* n : the changeover from *L#sd* to decimal
currency, initiated in 1968 with introduction of 5p and 10p
coins and completed by 1971 with the «p, 1p, 2p, 20p and
50p, where 100p = L#1
*decorator* n : paper hanger
*deerstalker* n : Sherlock Holmes hat, cap peaked front and back,
ear flaps tied up or down
*degree* : bachelor's is graded: fail [F], pass [E], honours;
honours are third class [D], lower second (2:2) [C], upper
second (2:1) [B], first class [A], and `starred first' [A+]
indicating exceptional merit
*dekko* [Hindi] v : look, glance
*dental probe* n : explorer
*depot* /depoh/ n : service or storage buildings for buses or
trains
*depressive* n : downer
*Derby, The* /darby/ n : annual horse race at Epson *Downs* in
Surrey, syn. Kentucky Derby
*derv* n : diesel fuel
*Devonshire cream* n : *clotted cream* from Devon (& Cornwall)
*diagonally opposite* adj : catty corner, kitty corner
*dialing code* n : area code
*diamante* n : rhinestone
*diary* n : small calendar book
*dicey* adj : risky
*dicky* sl adj : unsound, syn. *dodgey*, flaky, "the kids are at
home in bed with dicky tummies"
*diddle* inf v : swindle
*diddums* in : mildly sarcastic commiseration said to over-
reacting hurt person, especially children
*diddyman* n : small man
*Digestive Biscuits(R)* n : dangerously addictive drug with no
known remedy
*digs* n : lodgings
*digger* sl n : Australian
*dim* col adj : dim witted
*dinkum* [Aus, NZ] adj : genuine, right, "fair dinkum"
*dink* acronym : dual income, no kids
*dinky* inf adj : tiny, also nifty
*directory inquiries* [telephone] n : information, "ring
directory enquiries"
*dismal* inf adj : dreadful
*disembark* v : debark
*disembark (from a plane)* v : deplane
*district* n : precinct
*div* [from deviant?] n : syn. weinie
*diversion* n : detour
*DIY* : Do-It-Yourself, a DIY shop is equivalent to Builder's
Emporium
*docile* /dohsiel/ n : /dos*l/
*doctor's spatula* n : tongue depressor
*doddle* n : push-over, piece of cake
*Dodgem's(R)* n : bumper cars
*dodgey* adj : flaky, tricky
*dog-end* n : cigarette butt
*doing his nut* n : throwing a fit, having a BIG cow
*dole* n : government unemployment benefits, hence `on the dole'
*dollar* sl n : five shilling piece, 5/-, five bob, 25p
*dong* n : penis, syn. ding-a-ling
*donkey's years* inf n : long time
*dope* sl n : refers often to marijuana and hash rather than
drugs in general
*Doris* n : proverbial dumb blonde secretary
*Doris trap* n : domesticated distant cousin of the Kite-eating
Tree that lays in wait for *Doris*'s (in places like loose
floor boards)
*doss* sl v : sleep, bum around
*dosser* n : transient, bum
*doss house* n : flop house
*dotty* adj : slightly touched
*double dutch* n : gobbledygook
*The Downs* n : undulating chalk and limestone uplands; The North
Downs are mostly in Kent and The South Downs are mostly in
Sussex and Surrey
*drain* [indoors] n : sewer pipe, soil pipe
*draper* n : dry goods store, dealer in fabrics and sewing
supplies
*draught* sp : draft
*draught excluder* n : weather stripping
*draughts* /drahfts/ n : checkers
*drawing pin* n : thumb tack
*dress circle* n : mezzanine
*dressing gown* n : bath robe
*dribble* v : drool
*dripping* n : fat saved from roasted meat used as savory butter,
*toast and dripping* being a popular snack
*druggist* n : *chemist*
{*drunk*} adj : blitzed, tanked, three sheets in the wind,
canned, squiffy, squiffed, jagged, smashed
*dual carriageway* n : divided highway
*duds* n : clothes
*dummy* n : pacifier, sauger-[German]
*dungarees* n : overalls, pants with bib and shoulder straps
*dunny* [Aus] sl n : outhouse, syn. *bog*
*dustbin lorry* n : garbage truck
*dustbin man* n : trash man, garbage man
*dustbin* n : garbage can, trash can
*duty* /jooty/ n : /dooty/
*duvet* /doovay/ n : quilt, down comforter, *eiderdown*
*dynamo* n : generator

*e*
*earth wire* n : ground
*East Anglia* n : England's eastern counties that form the
characteristic rounded bump in the south-east
*East End* n : London east of the City as far as the River Lea
*east ender* n : person from the East End, *Cockney*
*eccles cakes* [Eccles - town in Lancashire] n : fancy currant
cakes
*egg flip* n : eggnog
*eiderdown* n : comforter
*eidetic memory* n : photographic memory
*eisteddfod* [Welsh] n : competitive arts festival
*elastoplast* n : bandaid
*electric cooker* n : range
*elevenses* n : mid-morning tea break
*Emerald Isle* n : Ireland
*endive* n : chicory
*engaged* [phone] adj : busy
*estate car* n : station wagon
*estate agent* n : realtor, real-estate agent
*ex-directory* [phone book] adj : unlisted
*exercise bout* n : work-out

*f*
*face flannel* n : washcloth
*fag* n : cigarette
*fag end* n : cigarette butt, syn. *dog end*
*fagged out* adj : tired out
*faggot & mushy pea batch* [Northern] n : meat ball in hamburger
buns with *mushy peas* applied like gravy
*fair* n : syn. *fun fair*, carnival, amusement park
*fair dinkum* [Aus] n : honest, true, genuine, thorough, complete
*fanny* n : vagina
*Fanshaw* n : spelling of *Featherstonehaugh* because of how it
is pronounced
*farthing* n : *¬d*, coin of least value, "haven't got two brass
farthings to rub together"
*Featherstonehaugh* /fanshor/ n : persons surname, see
*Cholmondesley*
*feck* [Ir] sl intj : weak euph for fuck
*feckless* sl adj : ineffectual, *gormless*
*fˆte* n : village fair
*fiberboard* n : masonite
*film* n : movie
*filofax* n : Daytimer(R)
*filth, the* n : police
*fire brigade* n : fire department
*first floor* n : second floor
*fish slice* n : spatula
*fitted* [carpet] n : wall to wall
*fiver* sl n : five pound note, *L#5*
*fizzy drink* n : syn. soda
*flaked out* adj : tired out
*flannel* n : face cloth, wash cloth
*flash the Vs* n : equivalent of flipping the bird
*flat* n : apartment
*flatware* n : knives and forks
*flautist* n : flutist
*flex* n : electric cord, twisted pair
*flibbertigibbet* n : flighty gossiping woman
*flicknife* n : switch blade, swish blade
*flip, flipping* sl v : euph for qv fuck, "flippin idiot", syn.
darned
*flob* v : to spit
*flog* sl v : sell, often illicitly
*florin* n : two shilling bit, *2/-*
*fly-over* n : overpass
*football* /fu"*/ n : soccer
*forehead* /fo-red/ n : /forhed/
*form* [school] n : grade, form 1 grade 6, etc, form 5 ( grade
10) last legal class, form 6, lower and upper ( grade 11
and 12) required prior to university
*fortnight* [fourteen nights] n : two weeks
*foyer* n : lobby
*Fred Karno's* [popular comedian noted for troupe of whimsical
oddities and caricaturists] intj : mayhem, bedlam, "What in
Fred Karno's is going on here?"
*french bean* n : green bean
*french letter* n : condom
*french loaf sandwich* n : hero sandwich
*fried grated potato* n : hash browns
*fringe* [hair] n : bangs
*fripperies* n : knickknacks, trivialities
*fruit machine* n : one-armed bandit
*full stop* punc : period, and also used as emphasis - "I'm not
going, full stop!"
*funeral director* n : undertaker
*fun fair* n : carnival

*g*
*gaffer* n : boss
*gaffer tape* n : duct tape
*gallery* [theater] n : balcony
*galoshes* n : rubbers
*gammy* adj : bad, "gammy leg"
*gangway* n : aisle
*gansch* n : qv ?
*garden* n : yard
*gazump* [Yiddish gezumph - swindle] v : raise house price after
verbal agreement
*GB* n : Great Britain = England + Scotland + Wales (unofficially
since 1603 when James VI of Scotland also became James I of
England, officially since 1707); colloquially GB refers to
the UK (GB + N. Ireland)
*gear box* n : transmission
*gear stick* n : gearshift, gear lever
*gentlemen, gents* n : mens room
*Geordie* n : person from Newcastle (Tyne and Wear)
*get knotted!* intj : jump in the lake!
*get out of your head* expr : get high
*get stuffed!* intj : take a hike
*getting off at Redfern* [Aus, Redfern is the last stop before
Sydney Central] : coitus interruptus
*geyser* [gas] n : water heater
*giggle* n : lark, harmless prank
*gilbo* n : phlegm, syn. loughie
*ginger beer shandy* n : *shandy* but made with ginger beer in
place of *lemonade*
*git* n : stupid person, jerk
*glandular fever* n : mononucleosis
*GmbH* [German] abbr : Gesellschaft mit beschr„nkler Haftung -
incorporated, limited liability company
*goal* [sp] n : jail
*gob* n : mouth
*gob* v : spit
*gob-shite* n : pernicious blabbermouth, blatherskite
*gobstopper* n : hard candy, syn all day sucker, sourball
*god bothering* expr : fervent religious grovelling, syn, bible
thumping
*gold top* : bottle of milk with a gold top indicating rich milk
about equivalent to 5% fat milk
*golliwog* n : like a pickaninny doll
*gone for a Burton* qv : gone on an errand, trip, or journey of
unexpectedly long duration, syn. a Brodie
*gong* n : medal
*Good Life, The* [TV show] n : Good Neighbors
*goods, the* n : a true *Sloane* seen as a potential mate
*goods train* n : freight train
*goods truck* [railway] n : freight car
*goolies* n : nuts (balls)
*goon* sl n : stoopid or playful person
*goosegog* /goozgog/ col n : gooseberry
*Gordon Bennett* [founder of NY Herald, son sent Stanley to find
Livingstone] intj : uttered in surprise, "Gordon Bennet!
Fancy bumping into you here!"
*gormless* adj : dork, foolish, lacking sense
*graft* v : work real hard, syn. ass in gear
*grease-proof paper* n : wax paper
*green gage* [Sir William Gage (1777-1864), botanist, introduced
plum from France] n : green plum
*green fingers* n : green thumb
*green grocer* n : shopkeeper of fruit and vegetable store
*green grocer's* n : fruit and vegetable store
*grizzle* v, n : whine, whining person (usually of small
children)
*groat* n : 4d, silver coin 1351-1662, fourpenny bit 1836-1856,
small sum, "don't care a groat"
*grockle* n : tourist, day tripper, holiday maker, esp by
southerners of northerners
*grotty, grot* adj : unpleasant syn. scuzzy, crusty, gnarly
*ground maize* n : grits
*ground floor* n : first floor
*grub* n : food
*gruel* n : punishment
*grumble* n rsl [grumble and grunt] : cunt
*grummet* sl n : cunt
*guard* [railway] n : conductor
*gubbins* n : junk, *kit*, stuff
*gubbins* n : gadget syn. widget
*gubbins* n : foolish person, usually self referential
*guff* n : qv
*guinea* n : gold coin last coined in 1813, but still used to
refer to 21/- values
*gun dog* n : bird dog
*gunge* /gunzh/ n : gunk, crud, indeterminate viscous yuck
*Guy Fawks* n : qv

*h*
*haberdashery, etc* n : notions
*hackney carriage* n : taxi cab
*haggis* [Scot] n : oatmeal, onions, and suet mixed with minced
sheep's offal and boiled in it's maw
*hair grip* n : bobby pin
*hair lacquer* n : hair spray
*hair slide* n : barrette
*half-crown* n : the *2/6d* coin, about the size of a silver
dollar
*half a crown* n : a value of *2/6d*
*half a dollar* sl n : half a crown, *2/6d*, (12«p)
*half inch* crsl v : pinch, steal
*halfpenny* /haypnee/ /hayp*ns/ n : *«d*
*handbag* ([ladies]) n : purse
*hang about* imperative : wait a moment
*Hants.* abbr : Hampshire
*ha'p'orth* /hayp*th/ n : halfpenny's worth, but used in
reference to any trifling amount
*hard case* n : tough guy, hence hard = tough, "he's acting hard"
*hard case* [NZ Aus] n : eccentric, funny person
*hard core* n : the rubble used as back fill for roads, building
foundations, etc
*hard lines* col : hard luck
*hardware* n : housewares
*hassle* n : bother qv
*haver* v : dither, hem & haw, [Scot] blather
*head waiter* n : maŒtre d.
*Heath Robinson* adj : Rube Golberg
*herb* /herb/ n : /erb/
*high street* n : main street qv
*high tea* n : evening meal ð brunch
*hire purchase* n : installment plan, finance
*hire* v : rent
*hoarding* n : billboard
*hob* n : qv flat top of *cooker*
*hobby horse* n : qv
*hod* n : bricklayer's open box on a pole for carrying bricks
*Hogmanay* n : Scottish New Year's Eve festivities
*holiday* n : vacation
*Home Counties* n : the counties closest to London
*homely* adj : domestic, simple, pleasant
*hooray Henry* n : a male blessed with a little too much success,
magnanimity, and time
*hoover* v : vacuum (Velcro, kleenex, and xerox)
*hoover* n : vacuum cleaner
*How do you do?* n : formal greeting like, How are you?
*house agent* n : realtor
*house train* v : house break, potty train
*housewife* n : sewing kit, syn. ditty bag
*hump* v : carry
*hundreds & thousands* n : sprinkles, spreckles (see silver
dragees)

*i*
*ice, sorbet* n : sherbet
*iced lolly* n : popsicle
*icing sugar* n : confectionery sugar
*identification parade* n : lineup
*idiot* n : syn. ding-a-ling, tard, retard, dork, nerd
*immersion heater, electric* n : water heater
*interval* [movies] n : intermission
*inverted commas* n : quotation marks
*Irish moss* qv n : ~Chondrus crispus~ carageen
*Irish stew* n : lamb stew with onions, potatoes, etc, not stewed
leftovers
*ironmonger's* n : hardware store
*ivory tower* adj : ivy league

*j*
*jab* n : shot
*Jaffa cakes* n : LU(R) Pim's orange fancy cookies (yummy)
*jail* n : jug
*Jaffa cakes* n : [cookies] Pims
*jam* n : jelly, preserves
*jam butty* n : *jam* sandwich, also sl. for *panda car* which
were white with a bright red day-glo strip along the side
*joanna* crsl : piano /pyan*/
*Jock* sl n : Scotsman
*John Bull* n : Englishman
*John Smith* n : syn. John Doe (Jan Modaal [Dutch])
*johnny* n : condom, syn. rubber, *rubber johnny*
*joinery* n : woodwork
*joint* [food] n : roast
*jollies* n : kicks, good time, whatever gets you off
*jostling throng* n : crowd
*jug* n : pitcher
*juggernaut* n : truck, very large
*jumble sale* n : rummage sale
*jumper* n : sweater
*junk* n : garbage

*k*
*kedgeree* n : European dish of fish, rice, eggs, etc. and hence
the breakfast dish with kippers, (Indian dish of rice, split
pulse, onions, eggs, etc.)
*kerb* [sidewalk] n : curb
*ketchup* n : catsup, ketchup
*Khyber* crsl [Khyber Pass] n : ass
*kieselguhr* n : diatomaceous earth
*kiosk* n : booth
*kip* v : sleep, nap
*kipper* n : smoked herring
*kirby grip* n : bobby pin
*kit* n : piece of equipment "that computer is a nice bit of kit"
*knacks, knackers* n : testicles, syn. nuts, *balls*
*knackered* adj : tired, worn out
*knees-up* inf n : party, dance
*knickers* n : ladies underwear, undies
*knickers in a twist* adj : frustration over insurmountable
trivialities, "Don't get your knickers in a twist"
*knob* n : penis
*knock* inf v : criticize
*knock back* inf v : gulp down (a drink)
*knockers* sl n : tits
*knock up* v : wake up call
*knock up, knock around* v : practice warm up prior to game
proper (tennis, etc)

*l*
*L plate* n : learner plate, large white sign with big red letter
L attached to rear (and front) of student driver's car
*label* v n : tag
*ladder* n : run in tights
*ladies handbag* n : purse
*ladies* n : ladies room
*lady bird* n : lady bug
*Lady Godiva* rsl : *fiver*, L#5
*larder* n : pantry
*lash-up* n : thrown together
*lavatory* n : john, bathroom, restroom, porta potty, toilet
*lay-by* [road] n : pull-off
*leader* [in newspaper] n : editorial
*leader* n : concert master
*learner, learner driver* n : student driver
*learner plates* n : see *L plate*
*leave off* intj : give me a break
*leave it out* intj : be serious, you're kidding, get real
*left luggage office* n : baggage room
*leg it* v : walk
*leg over* v : have sex, screw, "get a bit of leg over"
*lemonade* n : commercial lemon flavored carbonated soda, unless
qualified as `home made'
*let, `To Let'* v : lease, rent, `To Rent'
*letterpress* n : text in a book excluding illustrations
*level crossing* [railway] n : grade crossing
*lido* n : outdoor pool or beach recreation area
*life jacket* n : life preserver
*lift* n : elevator
*lift* n [car] : ride
*light switch* n : in UK, up is off, down is on
*Lilo*(R) n : air bed
*limited company* n : private corporation, see *ltd*
*lip salve* n : chapstick
*liver sausage* n : liverwurst
*liverpudlian* n : person from Liverpool
*living room* n : den
*Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch*
[Welsh: Parish (of) Mary (in a) hollow (of) white hazels by
the rapid whirlpool (and) parish (of) Tysilio (with the) red
cave] n : a Welsh village name contrived to be the longest
British word
*loaf* crsl [loaf of bread] n : head, "use your loaf"
*local* n : your most frequented or local pub
*lolly* n : money, cash, syn. dough
*lolly* n : popsicle, *iced lolly*
*lollypop* n : sucker, also popsicle
*lollypop man *n : crossing guard
*lombard* acronym : lots of money but a real dick
*loo* n : bathroom, syn. john, *bog*
*lorry* n : truck
*lost property* n : lost and found
*lounge suit* n : business suit
*ltd* [abbr] n : limited company, syn. *plc*, Inc., *pty ltd*,
*p/l*, *GmbH*, *SA, NV*
*lucern* n : alfalfa
*lughole* n : ear, syn cranial fins
*lugs* [abbr] n : *lugholes*
*lumber room* n : room in a household used for storage
*lump o' lead* crsl : head
*lure* v : come-on
*lurgy* /lergee/ [invented on ~The Goon Show~] n : fabled highly
contagious dreadful and terminal disease, "The dreaded
lurgy", syn. cooties
*lynx* n : bobcat

*m*
*mac(k), mac(k)intosh* n : raincoat
*mad* adj : crazy
*Madeira cake* n : pound cake
*maize* n : corn
*man on the Clapham bus* n : man in the street, syn. John Q.
Public
*Mancunian* n : person from Manchester
*mangelwurzel* n : large coarse yellow-orange beet used for
cattle fodder.
*manky* adj : shaky, flaky, rotten, decrepit, *naff*
*manual* [car] n : stick shift
*Marathon* [chocolate bar] n : [candy bar] Snickers
*marrow* n : squash
*Mars bar* n : [candy bar] Milky way
*marzipan* n : sweet colored almond paste used as a cake frosting
*mate* n : buddy, pal
*material* n : fabric
*maths* n : math
*mean* n : stingy
*mens* n : mens room
*metal* n : road-metal, small rocks for surfacing dirt roads,
hence metalled road
*methylated spirits* n : denatured alcohol
*metier* n : shtick
*mick* offn n : Irishman
*The Midlands* n : inland counties of central England
*Milky bar* n : [candy bar] Three Musketeers
*mince* v : look, see *minces*
*mince* v : walk with affected delicacy, strut
*mince meat* n : hamburger meat
*mincer* n : meat grinder
*minces* crsl [mince pies] n : eyes
*mingy* adj : miserly, also meager
*moggy* n : *manky* cat
*momentarily* n : for a moment
*moo* derog sl : woman, see *cow*
*moolah, mulla* /moolah/ sl n : money
*month of Sundays* [Ir, figure about 31 weeks] n : long long
time, syn. *yonks*
*motg* n : morally obliged to go (to some formal occasion,
especially if you are some vip, royal, or person of
distinction)
*motorway* n : freeway
*mudguard* n : fender
*mug* n : scapegoat
*mug up* v : study up
*muggins* inf n : simpleton
*mush* [Romany] n : face
*mushy peas* [Northern] n : dish made from a kind of starchy pea
cooked till the consistency of *porridge*
*muslin* n : cheese cloth

*n*
*nacks* n : see knackers
*naff* adj : undesirable, tasteless, syn. crusty, gnarly, "it's a
bit naff?"
*naff off* intj : piss off
*nail varnish* n : nail polish
*nappy* n : diaper
*narked* adj : annoyed, syn. pissed
*natter* v : chit-chat, blab [French: ~bavard~]
*navvy* n : worker, laborer
*neat* adj : straight, a neat whiskey is a whiskey straight
*neat* [Aus] adj : even, "three dollars neat, thanks"
*neep* [Scot & N] n : turnip, "neeps and tatties"
*nelly, not on your* [crsll Nelly Duff, puff, breath of life,
life] intj : not on your life, not likely
*net curtains* n : sheers, underdrapes
*netty* [Geordie] n : bathroom, often outhouse
*newsagent* n : newspaper store, usually carries candy and
tobacco also
*nick* v : steal
*nightdress* n : nightgown
*nine bob note* sl n : gay, "he's as queer as a nine bob note"
*ninny* n : wimp
*nip off* n : take off
*Nissen-type hut* n : Quonset hut
*nit* n : fool, stupid person
*no worries* [Aus] expr : no problem
*nobble* v : con, acquire underhandedly, tamper with
*noddle* col n : head
*normal* n : regular
*North Country* n : northern England, Northumberland
*nosey parker* n : busybody
*nosh* [food] n : food
*nosh-up* n : big meal or feast.
*not done* n : no-no
*not cricket* : not playing the game, no-no, not the thing to do
*note* n : bill
*notice board* n : bulletin board, pin board
*nought* (also naught) /nort/ n : zero
*noughts & crosses* n : tic-tac-toe
*now't* /nowt/ [North] n : beans, as in nothing
*number plate* n : license plate
*nut* sl n : head
*nutcase* n : crazy, nuts, stupid
*NV* [Naamloze Vernootschap - Netherlands] : public corporation,
syn. *Ltd*

*o*
*O levels* n : GCE (general certificate of education), ordinary
level, state exams taken in each subject at the end of fifth
*form* (age ~16), see A levels
*oaf* n : clumsy idiot
*och* /okh/ [Sottish & Irish] intj : oh, ah
*och aye* /okh ie/ [Sottish & Irish] intj : oh yes, ah yes
*off licence* n : liquor store
*offie* abbr : *off licence*
*okra* n : gumbo
*The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street* n : Bank of England
*ordinary shares* n : common stock
*o.t.t* n : over the top, too much
*oven cloth* n : pot holder
*overtake* [traffic] v : pass
*owner-occupied flat* n : condominium
*oz* (cf) n : ounce, see fifth, *pint*

*p*
*p* /pee/ n : symbol for new penny, about the size of 1›, 100p =
*L#1*. `New' money has 1p /wun pee/, /nyoo penee/ or
/penee/; 2p /too pee/ sometimes /tuhp*ns/: about the size of
a large copper quarter; 5p: exactly the same size shape and
value as the old shilling, about the size of a quarter; 10p:
exactly the same size shape and value as the old two
shilling piece, about the size of a half dollar; 20p: a
small five sided brass coin about the size of a thin nickel;
50p: seven sided coin about the size of a silver dollar; and
finally the *sov*=100p
*p/l* [Aus] n : *pty ltd*
*pack*
*packed lunch* n : sack lunch, brown bag lunch
*paddy* n : Irishman, syn. mick
*palava* n : commotion
*pancake* n : crˆpe
*Pancake Day* n : Shrove Tuesday, day after Ash Wednesday
*panda car* n : police car, usually high performance and in use
on *motorways*
*pantechnicon* n : moving van
*pants* n : underwear, syn. shorts, briefs, boxer shorts
*paracetamol* qv n : mild pain relieving drug
*paraffin wax* n : paraffin
*paraffin* n : kerosene
*paralytic* adj : blind drunk
*parky* adj : sharp, biting windy weather
*patience* n : solitaire
*pavement* n : sidewalk
*pawky* [Scot] adj : drily humorous, canny
*pearlies* qv n : costermongers' dress with mother of pearl
buttons
*pease pudding* n : baked split peas (originally the Carlin pea)
flavored with ham (and eggs)
*pecker* n : courage, spirit
*peckish* adj : a little hungry
*pelmet* n : valence hiding curtain rod
*pelting down* v : raining cats and dogs
*penis* n : syn. pecker, John Thomas, dick, schlong, meat, bone,
wanger, weenie, pee pee
*person from* n :
*personal call* [phone] n : person to person
*perspex* n : plastic sheets, like plexiglass
*perv mag* [perverted magazine] n : porno mag
*petrol(eum)* n : gas(oline)
*phlid* /flid/ [contraction of thalidomide] offn n : *spaz*
*pickaxe* n : pick
*pillar box* n : mailbox, the GB pillar boxes are over 6' tall,
made of cast iron and painted bright post office red
*pillock* n : idiot
*pinafore* n : jumper
*pint* n : pint of beer; the imperial pint is 20 fl oz, which are
a tad larger than US fl oz (only 16 of which make an
American pint), hence is more than 20% larger than a US pint
*pip* sl n : irritation, "He gives me the pip"
*piss off* intj : scram, beat it
*piss-up* n : drinking party, syn. *booze up*, *slosh up*
*pissed off* adj : pissed
*pissed* adj : drunk
*plaits* /plats/ n : braids
*plant* n : construction equipment, machines and vehicles, "plant
for hire"
*plaster board* n : sheet rock
*plates* crsl [plates of meat] n : feet
*play dead* v : play possum
*plc* n : public limited company, syn. inc., ltd
*plimmies* n : *plimsoles*, syn. tennies
*plimsols* n : sneakers, syn. tennis shoes
*plonk* n : cheap table wine
*plonk down* v : drop down, as in plop down wearily into a chair,
or plonk down money - finally succumb to payment
*ploughman's lunch* n : *pub* lunch consisting of hunk of bread
and cheese and a *pint*, "let's just get a ploughman's"
*plum duff* [duff = dough] n : steamed suet pudding with raisins,
syn. *spotted dick*
*plus-fours* n : knickers
*pneumatic drill* n : jackhammer
*point, power point* n : electrical outlet, socket
*poke* n : screw
*polyfilla* n : plaster [replaced by Artex(R)?]
*pom, pommy* [Aus, rsl pomegranate rsl Jimmy Grant rsl immigrant]
n : English person
*Pompey* n : Portsmouth (major port and navel base on the south
coast)
*ponce* n : pimp
*ponce* n : gay or affected person
*pond*, also The Herring Pond n : Atlantic Ocean, "across the
pond"
*pong* v : reek, stench
*pontoon* n : twenty one
*pony* [racing] sl n : L#25
*poof, poofta* n : gay
*pooped* n : exhausted, syn. *shagged out*
*poppet* n : term of endearment, syn. honey, sweetie
*porridge* n : oatmeal
*post* n : mail
*postal code* n : zip code
*Postman's knock* n : pubescent children's game: They take turns
in a closet and the rest take turns to pretend to be a
postman knocking, and then enter and kiss for some specified
time
*potter* v : "he's pottering about in the tool shed"
*potty* adj : silly, crazy, slightly soft in the head
*pram* [perambulator] n : baby carriage
*praps* contr : perhaps, whatever
*prat, pratt* derog n : *twit*
*press studs* n : snaps
*primary school* n : grade school
*produce* /prod(y)oos/ n : fruits and vegetables
*promenade* n : boardwalk
*pseud* n : flake, *trendy*, person badly disguising lack of
coolness
*pty ltd* [Aus] n : proprietary limited company, syn inc., *ltd*,
*plc*
*pub* n : n : bar. Pubs in GB usually have two sections: the
public bar (bar stools, sawdust on floor, billiard tables,
darts), and the saloon bar (posher section, leather couches,
tables). Not uncommon, especially in less urban areas to
have a beer garden. Hours are usually 11am - 3pm, then 5pm
- 12midnight. These are social places rather than meat
markets or refuges for the lonely and lost souls
*public convenience* n : comfort station, restrooms
*public prosecutor* n : district attorney
*publican* n : *pub* proprietor
*pudding* n : dessert, "what's for pudding!"
*puncture outfit* [bicycles] n : patch kit
*punnet* n : small, 1/2 pint fruit basket
*purse* n : coin purse
*push bike* n : bicycle
*pushchair* n : stroller
*put a sock in it* v : shut up
*put down, entered* v : charged (goods bought)
*put through* [telephone] v : connect
*pot(h)een* /pucheen/ [Ir] n : strong illicitly made Irish
liquor, from potatoes, syn. moonshine, hooch

*q*
*quay* /kee/ n : wharf, pier, dock
*queer* n : fairy, fruit, gay
*queue* n : line
*queue* v : stand in line, line up
*quid* n : *L#1*, one pound sterling, same as buck for dollar
*quis, ego* /kwiz, egoh/ [L who? I!] : A person (usu school kids)
announces something for free with "quis!" and the first
person to say "ego!" gets it
*quod* sl n : jail

*r*
*rabbit* [rsl rabbit and pork - talk] v : talk incessantly
*RAC* n : Royal Automobile Club, syn. AAA
*rag* v : tease
*rag & bone man* n : junk man
*rag-tag and bobtail* n : riff-raff, the dense unwashed masses
*rag week* n : fund (hell) raising program by students including
college newspaper, stunts, parades and entertainment, syn.
rush week
*railway carriage* n : railroad car
*railway* n : railroad
*randy* adj : horny
*raspberry* [orig rs raspberry tart = fart] n : syn. Bronx cheer
*rave up* n : wild party
*RE* abbr : religious education, *RI*
*Reader* n : associate professor
*real* adv : really
{*realize*} v : syn. get a clue
*rear ender* derog sl n : gay guy
*reception (hotel)* n : front desk
*Red Arrows* n : exhibition RAF crack flying team, syn. Blue
Angles, Thunderbirds
*reel* n : spool
*removal man* n : moving man
*return ticket* n : round trip ticket
*reverse charges* v : call collect
*reversing lights* n : back-up lights
*RI* abbr : religious instruction
*Ridings of Yorkshire* n : England's largest county comprises the
East Riding, West Riding and North Riding
*ring up* v : call, phone, syn *tinkle*, *bell*
*rise* [pay] n : raise
*rock* n : large boulder
*rock* n : a 12" long 1" thick candy cane found in the beach-side
stalls of coastal tourist towns with the name of the town
all the way through it, e.g. Southend rock, Brighton rock,
Blackpool rock
*rocket* v : spirited rebuke or telling off, syn. bawl out
*Rods* contr n : Harrods (the department store in the *West End*)
*rollocks* intj : euphemism for *bollocks*
*roly-poly, jam roly-poly* n : suet pastry pudding, often served
with *jam*
*root for* v : buck for
*roundabout* [road] n : traffic circle (imagine a four way stop
where you only had to give way to the person on your right)
*royal* n : any member of the royal family
*RS* abbr : religious studies
*rubber* n : eraser
*rubber johnny* n : condom
*rubbish* n : trash/garbage
*rubbish bags* n : trash bags/garbage bags
*rucksack* n : camping backpack
*rum* adj : odd, curious, queer
*rum & black* n : rum & black currant juice
*runner beans* n : green beans, scarlet runner

*s*
*SA* [French: Soci‚t‚ Anonyme] n : corporation, syn. inc., *ltd*
*sacked* v : fired
*safe* col adj : syn. sweet, bitchin', neat, cool, fresh, rad,
*brill*
*sales talk* n : hype
*saloon car* n : sedan car
*salt beef* n : corned beef
*salted cracker* n : saltine
*sanitary towel* n : sanitary napkin
*Sassanach* [Scottish and Pictish] derog n : Saxon folk south of
Hadrian's Wall
*satchel* n : child's school bag, often backpack
*sarney* n : sandwich
*sausages, pork* n : sausage links, links
*sbd* n : acronym: Silent But Deadly, a silent fart, also "that
one had slippers on"
*scallion* n : kind of onion or shallot with cloves like garlic
but milder or onion flavor
*scarper* v : run away, syn. high-tail out
*scent* n : perfume
*Sceptred Isle* qv n : England
*schedule* /skejool/ n : /shejool/
*scoff* v : gobble down, syn. scarf
*scones* n : biscuits
*scot* n : Scottish person
*scot free* adj : unharmed, unpunished, "He got off scot free"
*scotch* n : whiskey
*scotch woodcock* n : anchovies on toast
*scouse* n : person from Liverpool
*scouse git* offn n : person from Liverpool
*scrubber* n : whore
*scrump* v : steal fruit from orchards
*scrumple* v : crush, fold
*scrumpy* n : rough cider
*scuffers* n : police
*sea wall* n : mud embankment circumscribing the entire coast of
the British Isle where necessary to prevent encroachment of
the sea and generally with a footpath along its top
*season ticket* n : commuter ticket, seasonal bus or train pass
*secateurs* n : hand pruning shears
*seduce* v : make
*"see you, Jimmy"* [Glasgow] n : "I'll fuckin' killya!"
*see-saw* n : teeter-totter
*sellotape* n : scotch tape, [Aus] sticky tape
*semi-* /semee/n : /semie/
*semi-detached* n : tract houses built in pairs back to back, but
often seen as a symbol of lower class struggle to reach an
unenviable middle class
*send-up* v : ridicule by mimicry, also a parody or satire
*sent to Coventry* v : ostracized
*senior lecturer* n : assistant professor
*seppo* [Aus] sl : American, syn. Yank
*septic tank* (hence *seppo*) [Aus] rsl n : American, syn. Yank
*service flats* n : apartment hotel
*serviette* n : napkin
*settee* n : love seat
{*sex*} v : syn. pop, screw, ride
*shag* v : screw, fuck, "shag off"
*shagged, shagged out* inf adj : tired out, exhausted
*shandy* n : half beer, half *lemonade* drink - sounds gross but
surprisingly refreshing on a hot Summer's day
*sherbe(r)t* n : flavored fizzy candy powder
*shirty* adj : huffy
*shite* euph : shit
*shooting break* n : station wagon, estate car
*shop* n : store
*shop assistant* n : sales clerk
*shop walker* n : floorwalker
*shopping trolley* n : shopping cart, caddy
*shtum, schtoom* [Yiddish, common in E London] *shtumf* intj : be
quiet!
*sideboards* [hair] n : sideburns
*silencer* [car] n : muffler
*silver top* : bottle of milk with a silver top indicating
regular milk about equivalent to Vitamin D milk
*Sindy* n : *Barbie* clone
*single ticket* n : one way ticket
*singlet* n : undershirt
*sink* n : kitchen sink
*The Six Counties* : of Northern Ireland
*skint* [pp of skinned] adj : flat broke
*skip* n : dumpster
*skipping rope* n : jump rope
*skirting board* n : baseboard
*skive, skiver* v : shirk, shirker
*slag* n : whore
*slag* sl v : criticize
*slash* v : urinate, syn. take a leak
*sleeper* [rail] : tie
*sleeping policeman* n : speed bump, *speed retarder*
*Sloane* n : *Sloane Ranger*
*Sloane Ranger* n : *pseuds*, well-heeled yuppie scum, upper-
class preppies, the royals, their groupies, and other
*ankle-biters* that frequent the *West End* clubs in and
around Sloane Square, and recognized for their own Sloane-
Rangese lingo not so much for its vocabulary () as for its
delivery
*slobber* v : drool
*slog* v : work real hard
*sloshed* adj : drunk (hence slosh-up : *booze-up*)
*shreddies* n : qv
*smalls* [washing] n : underwear
*smart alec* n : smart ass
*smoke* col n : London, especially apt prior to 1963 when coal
fires were banned and the smog was sometimes as thick as pea
soup
*smog* [contr] : smoke + fog (coined in 1905 by a representative
of the Coal Smoke Abatement Society)
*smoo(d)ge* [Aus NZ] v : behave in fawning or ingratiating manner
*snags* [Aus] inf n : sausages, syn. links, *bangers*
*snog* v : neck
*snooker* [from a strategy in snooker, a pool like game] v :
caught in a bind, "he's snookered"
*snout* sl n : cigarette
*snuff it* v : to die
*sod* [sodomist] n : clod, irritating fool, oaf
*sod* intj : "sod!", "sod it!", "sod off!"
*sofas* abr : suitable occupation for a *Sloane*
*sohf* abr : sense of humor failure
*soign‚* /swan(g)ay/ [French] adj : chic
*solder* /sold*/ v : /sahd*/
*solicitor* n : lawyer, attorney
*soppy* adj : effete, sappy, wimpy
*sout* pp : sat, sitting, from northern slang dialect
*sov* col abbr : sovereign
*sovereign* n : gold coin worth L#1, now used to refer, with a
hint of irony, to the new brass pound coin about the size of
a squat fat quarter, there are five kinds differing by the
inscription on the side and the design representing the four
countries comprising the UK and the UK as a whole; pound
notes were done away with in 1986
*spanner* n : wrench
*spaz* offn n : spastic, person acting in a spastic manner,
uncoordinated person.
*speed retarder* n : speed bump
*spend a penny* n : go to the bathroom, "I've got to spend a
penny!"
*spiffing* adj : excellent
*spigot* n : winding part of a faucet
*spinnaker* [yacht] n : chute
*spinney* n : copse
*spirits* n : liquor
*spiv* sl n : swanky but dubious freelance salesperson
*splendid* adj : way cool
*splodge* v : splotch (connotation is with porridge or paint
rather than ink or milk)
*sponge bag* n : small waterproof bag for toilet articles
*spot on* adj : on the nail
*spot of bother* n : ruction, see *bother*
*spotted dick* n : steamed suet pudding with raisins, syn. *plum
duff*
*spring onion* n : green onion, scallions
*sprog* (hence sproggie, etc) [Scot] sl n : baby, small child
*spuds* n : potatoes
*spunk* n : semen
*squash* n : zucchini
*squat* n : a settled *flat*
*squatter* n : person residing in an otherwise abandoned or
vacant building. At one time a person establishing
residency of a property by staying a night (as evidenced by
their bed) could only be legally removed by the city council
by relocation, not eviction. This `loophole' was for a time
widely exploited
*s.r.* abr : sanctioned ritual
*staff* [academic] n : faculty
*stalls* [theatre] n : orchestra seats
*stand* [public office] v : run
*standard lamp* n : floor lamp
*starkers* [stark naked] n : utterly naked, "he was absolutely
starkers"
*starters* n : appetizers
*state governor* n : gubernatorial
*state school* n : public school
*stick* v : abide, "I can't stick him"
*sticking plaster* n : adhesive tape
*sticks* n : boondocks
*sterling* n : British currency, syn pound, see L#
*stockings* n : nylons
*stodge* n : thick, heavy food
*stone* n : 14 lbs
*stone* n : rock
*stone* [fruit] n : pit
*stone the crows* expr : expression of (usu disappointed)
surprise
*store* n : department store
*stout* n : dark, sweet beer
*straight* n : cigarette made of tobacco not cut with *dope*
*stream* n : creek
*strimming* qv [Welsh?] n : weed trimming
*strine* [Aus] contr adj : Australian, "in strine, we say..."
*stroppy* adj : belligerent, bad tempered, awkward to deal with
*stuff* v : have sex, syn. screw
*stump* v : baffle
*stupid* adj : dumb
*sub-editor* n : copy-reader
*suit cases* n : bags
*suitcase* n : grip
*sultana* n : large yellow kind of raisin
*sump* [car] n : oil pan
*supermarket trolley* n : shopping cart
*surgery* n : doctor office
*surgical spirit* n : rubbing alcohol
*surname* n : last name
*suspender belt* n : garter belt or garters for holding up
stockings
*suspenders* n : garters
*suss, suss out* sl v : figure out
*swarfega*(R), hence swarf n : mechanics' grease-cutting hand
cleaning gel
*swede* n : turnip, rutabaga
*The Sweeny* crsl [Sweeny Todd] n : The Flying Squad
*sweet* n : dessert
*sweet, sweetie, sweets* n : candy
*sweet shop* n : candy store, syn. tuck shop
*swipe* v : pilfer
*Swiss roll* n : jelly roll
*switch back* n : roller coaster
*swop* alt sp v : swap
*swot* n : an assiduous student, syn. nerd
*swot* v : to cram (for exams)

*t*
*ta* /tar/ intj : thankyou
*ta-ta* /ta tah/ intj : goodbye, syn. bye, later
*table* v : shelve a meeting item
*Taffie* sl n : person from Wales
*tail back* n : traffic jam
*take away* [food] v : to go
*tanner* sl n : sixpenny bit, sixpence, "spare us a tanner, mate"
*tap* n : faucet
*tap handle* n : spigot
*take away* n : restaurant specializing in take out food,
"Chinese take away"
*take the piss* n : make fun off, syn. piss take. take the mickey
*tart* n : whore
*tat* n : junk, kitsch
*taters* crsl [taters (potatoes) in the mold] adj : (very) cold,
"brrrr!, ta"ers, ayn'it?"
*tato(e), tatties* sl n : potatoes
*tea boy* n : gofer (go for)
*tea towel* n : dish towel
*teat* [baby's bottle] n : nipple
*telly* n : T.V.
*tenements* n : block of *flats*
*tenner* sl n : ten pound note
*think tank* n : brain storm
*tick* v, n : check
*tiddly* adj : a little drunk
*tiffin* n : light lunch
*tights* n : panty hose
*tin* n : can
*tinker* n : gypsy
*tinkle* v : call (on the telephone), syn *bell*
*tip* n v : dump, "council tip"
*tipper* qv n : dump truck
*tipsy* adj : a little drunk
*tip your lid* v : kowtow
*titfer* crsl [tit for /f*/ tat] n : hat
*toad in the hole* n : sausage in pudding pastry casing
*toady* n : apple polisher, brown nose
*toast and dripping* n : popular snack, see *dripping*
*toby, toby jug* n : large mug in form of squat 18C gentleman
wearing a tricorne
*tod, on your* n : on your own, "He did it all on his tod"
*toffed (up)* adj : spruced (up)
*togs* inf n : clothes
{*toilet*} n : syn. head, john, bathroom, porta potty, porta pot
*ton* n : 100 mph
*tonning it* v : going about as fast as you can (see *ton*), syn.
pedal to the metal, floor it
*topper* n : top hat
*torch* n : flashlight
*toss* v : to masturbate
*tosser* n : syn. jerk, jerk-off, *wanker*
*toward* v : towards
*traf* back-sl v : fart, "he traffed"
*tramp* n : bum, transient, hobo
*trash mag* n : comic book or any worthless magazine
*treacle* n : molasses
*trendy* adj : very fashionable, chic
*trendy* n : person who thinks they're chic, syn. *pseud*
*trilby hat* n : fedora
*trillion* n : [UK] 10^18, [US] 10^12, see billion
*trolley* [supermarket] n : cart
*trousers* n : pants
*truant* v : hooky
*truncheon* n : nightstick, billyclub
*trunk call* v : long distance
*tube* n : subway, hence tube ride, tube train, tube ticket...
*tube* n : TV
*tuck* n : food
*tuck shop* n : candy store, usu for kids
*tumble* v : realize
*turn-ups* n : cuffs
*turps* qv n : turpentine
*twat, twot* sl n : contemptuous person
*twee* adj : trite
*twelve noon in China* : your flies are undone
*twenty-five cents* n : quarter
*twerp* n : stupid and annoying person
*twig* v : realize, syn. click, the penny drops
*twit* n : idiot
*twopence* /tuhp*ns/ n : 2d, two pennies, half groat
*tyre* n : tire

*u*
*UK* n : United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK
= *GB* + Ireland since 1801, but GB + Northern Ireland since
1927)
*underground* n : subway, hence underground train, underground
journey, underground ticket...
*undertaker* n : mortician
*union Jack* n : British flag
*unit trust* n : mutual trust
*unpaved road* n : dirt road
*upper circle* n : first balcony
*urinal* n : syn. the head, pisser

*v*
*V sign* n : the `fuck off' gesture made by extending the first
and middle fingers at the same time as arcing the hand
upwards, palm facing in, and ending with a slight flip, syn.
the bird
*vacant site* n : vacant lot
{*vagina*} n : syn. clam, bearded clam, crack, pussy, twat,
twelge, muff, snatch, beaver, "A planked, split, wet
beaver"--John Irving
*valve* [radio] n : tube
*varnish remover* n : nail polish remover
*verge* n : curb, roadside, "grass verge"
*vest* n : undershirt
*vile* adj : scuzzy
{*vomit*} v : syn. barf, up chuck, toss cookies, honk, ralph,
hurl, blow chunks, chunks

*w*
*wagger pagger bagger* n : waste paper basket (an exquisite
example of obsequiously decadent Sloane Rangese)
*waist coat* n : vest
*wallet* n : billfold, mens wallet
*wally* n : conspicuous fool
*wango dingo* inf adj : crazy, syn. nuts
*wank* v : masturbate
*wanker* n : jerk
*wardrobe* n : armoir, closet
*wash up* v : do the dishes
*wasp* n : yellow jacket
*waste paper bin* n : trash can
*WC* n : bathroom
*wee* [Scot] n : small
*wee* v : urinate, "mummy, I need to go wee!" (small boy, legs
tightly crossed, bright red face)
*weed* n : nerd, "last one in's a wet and a weed"
*Wee's lettuce* n : iceberg lettuce
*a week monday* n : next monday plus a week
*wellies* col n : wellington boots
*wellington boots* n : rubber boots, gum boots
*Welsh dresser* n : hutch
*welsh rabbit (rarebit)* n : cheese on toast with *Worcester
sauce*
*West End* n : entertainment and shopping (ponsey) area of London
west of the City
*West Country* n : the south-western counties of England
*wet* adj : ineffectual
*wet* n : nerd
*wet paint* n : fresh paint
*what's up* n : what's the problem
*wheel barrow* n : push cart
*whinge* v : bitch
*whip* v : steal
*white spirit* n : turps substitute
*willy* n : penis
*Willy Wagga Dagger* n : William Shakespeare
*Wimpey* n : English caf‚, like Denny's, syn. diner, greasy
spoon, (Back formation: We Import (Imploy) More Paddy's Each
Year)
*windcheater* n : windbreaker
*windscreen* n : windshield
*wing* n : fender
*winkle out* n : to extract or displace
*winkle pickers* n : pointed shoes or boots, once fashionable
*Worcester sauce * /wust*/ n : savory sauce
*wrinklies* n : parents or person over 40
*wog* offn n : black and sometimes asian person, syn. nigger,
coon
*wonky* adj : unstable, unreliable
*wotcha* low intj : hello, syn. hi, howdy
*wrm* abr : what really matters

*x*

*y*
*Yank* sl n : American
*yeti* [Sherpa, Tibetan: Meetoh Kangmi - little man-like animal]
n : Himalayan version of bigfoot, *Abominable snowman*
*yobbo, yob* [backslang boyo [Ir], boy] n : hooligan
*yocker* v : spit
*yokel* n : country bumbkin, clodhopper
*yonks* n : long long time, syn. *donkey's years*

*z*
*z* /zed/ n : pronounced /zee/ in US
*zapping* [TV] n : channel surfing
*zebra crossing* /zeebr*/ n : ped xing
*zizz* n : nap

*References and further reading:*

~*The Story of English*, A companion to the PBS television
series~, Robert M^CCrum, William Cran, Robert M^CNeil, Viking
Press 1986, ISBN 0-670-80467-3

This book accompanies nine hours of documentary of the
English Language, which is available in many public libraries,
and absolutely worth viewing. The language is not only traced to
its source, but also shown how it is evolving in the most
surprising places. There are highlights of English in Australia,
previously Celtic regions, the colonies, and of course the USA,
as well as many other areas. It is most enlightening.

~*The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language*~, David Crystal,
Cambridge University Press, 1987 ISBN 0-521-42443-7

For an overview of all the worlds languages, including
linguistics this is a most excellent and accessible volume.

~*The English Language*: A guided tour of the language by the
presenter of BBC Radio 4's English Now~, David Crystal, Penguin
1990 ISBN 0-14-013532-4

~*British/American Language Dictionary*~, Norman Moss, Passport
Books (1973) 1984

This is a proper dictionary in that it goes both ways, and
has informative commentary on each entry.

~*British Self Taught*: with Comments in American~, Norman W.
Schur, Macmillan Company 1973

This is mostly for Americans learning British.

~*Understanding British English*~, Margaret Moore, Citadel Press
1989

A book of British English for Americans.

~*The Joy of Lex*~

A humorous read about the absurdities of the English
language, with a chapter on British English for its American
audience.

~*Welcome to Britain*~, Whitehall Press 1971.

~*A common Language, British & American English*~, BBC & Voice of
America 1964.

~*British & American English Since 1900*~, John W. Clark, Eric
Partridge, Greenwood Press, NY 1951, 1968

*~British and American English~*, Peter Streven,
Collier-Macmillan 1972

~*A Personal Kiwi-Yankee Slanguage Dictionary*~, Louis S. Leland
Jr., John M^CIndoe Ltd, 51 Crawford Street, Dunedin, New Zealand
1980, 1987

This explains NZ words to Americans (one way), and the rest
of us. Designed to amuse and enlighten. It does the latter, and
the difference between the two languages does the former anyway.
This book is thorough and includes many explanatory details.
Since a lot of NZ jargon comes from GB it compliments the above,
though it must be noted that it is mostly their own (and the
Maoris').

~*The New Hacker's Dictionary*~, Eric S. Raymond, The MIT Press
1991, ISBN 0-262-68069-6

The definitive dictionary of the hacker culture jargon.
Because of the particular peculiarity of the subject, namely
computers, communications and (until the 1990's) self-contained,
the compiled list of jargon terms has been subjected to realtime
feedback and updating by the many thousands of computer folks.
It has become a self-sustaining, real-time record of its own
evolution which, again, by its nature (namely, new, unique, and
very rapid), is also a glimpse of the process of language itself
evolving.

*The Author*

Jeremy Smith, reputed to be someone else of the same name,
was born at an early age, supposedly on his birthday.
Jeremy Smith was born in London, and lived there and in the
home counties for 24 years. He has spent the latter part of his
life in the USA: 6 years in Southern California, 2 years in the
San Francisco Bay Area, and 7 years in Oregon. He has an
American x-wife, 6 English nephews and nieces, 7 American nephews
and nieces, and a daughter who is half and half /hahf n haf/.

Time flies like an arrow
Fruit flies like a banana

ãîà ãçî ¢î çà -- Homer, ~Illiad~
--
auto-flammage bit not set

[bruce bowser]

The "town was renamed Council Bluffs after a site approximately 20 miles to its north where the Lewis and Clark Expedition members had sat in council with the Otoe Tribe on bluffs near the Missouri River".

-- https://www.councilbluffs-ia.gov/2125/Our-History#:~:text=By%201852%20many%20Mormon%20settlers,bluffs%20near%20the%20Missouri%20River.