Butty The British do not refer to a sandwich as a “butty” unless they’re talking about a “chip butty”. A sandwich is a sandwich or maybe a “sarnie”. A chip butty is simply two slices of buttered bread with potato chips in between. It originates from the North of England and is traditionally eaten with fish and chips. My husband ALWAYS has a chip butty when we have fish and chips. Like he doesn’t have enough carbs (carbohydrates) with all those chips! It makes me feel ill.
Cuppa (colloquial) You will hear this word in this expression: “Fancy a cuppa?” You are not likely to hear it on its own. People refer to a cup of tea as a cup of tea unless they are offering you a cup. More on ‘fancy’ later.
Fairy cake Yes we use this but cup cake has become more common now.
Peckish “I am feeling rather peckish. I think I’ll get something to eat”. Peckish means a little hungry. If you are really hungry you would say ‘I’m starving or ravenous‘.
CLOTHING
Muffler I have never heard this word used to describe a scarf, even though it is accurate. We say scarf. So don’t go into a clothes shop and ask for one as you will get blank stares from the assistants! We use ‘muffler’ to describe the automotive device in an engine to silence the noise. We also call it a silencer.
Pants We also call them “underpants“.
INSULTS
A note of warning: Insults are notoriously difficult to get right context-wise in a foreign language. USE them at your peril. You have been warned.
Knobhead This word is used but you will also hear “dickhead”. ‘Knob‘ and ‘dick‘ refer to the male reproductive anatomy.
Radge One of my readers, Louise Robertson has told me what “radge” means. Here is the explanation: “The word radge is a Scottish slang word, so probably not commonly heard south of the border. It is, however, widely used up here! It used to describe someone who is deemed to be a bit crazy or has done something that others consider to be crazy. ‘You’re a radge’ meaning you are a bit crazy is, while not a polite thing to say to anyone, very commonly used.”
Plonker Oh yes, this is quite commonly used to refer to someone who is not terribly clever. In other words, an “idiot”.
Sod Off If you tell someone to sod off you are telling them to go away. You’re either angry with them or you are joking. The seriousness of the insult depends on the situation. Some people will say it jokingly and others will be very serious. It used to be a taboo insult. Over the years it has become more acceptable in spoken English (within reason). The British also use ‘piss off’.
Slapper/Slag Both terms are extremely derogatory, insulting or disrespectful to describe a woman who is thought to be too easy. Please do NOT use them.
Tosser/Wanker Once again, these terms are highly insulting and NOT to be used unless you want to be hit!
SLANG
Dog’s Bollocks Mmmm, yes…I’m afraid you will hear this when someone is describing how fantastic something is. “The new Maserati is the dog’s bollocks“ You may also hear the word ‘bollocks’ in the following ways: ‘That’s just bollocks‘ meaning “That’s just rubbish”. ‘He got a bollocking from his boss” meaning “He got told off by his boss” Both terms are vulgar and not to be repeated. You might hear them, though.
Fancy (not strictly slang) The verb “to fancy” means to “l(fā)ike” or “desire”. It’s frequently used by the British. You will hear it everywhere. “Fancy a cuppa?”, “Do you fancy going to the cinema tonight?”, “Simon really fancies Greta”.
Gutted When someone say they are ‘gutted’ it means that they are disappointed or upset. This is often used.“He was really gutted he missed his uncle’s funeral”
Kip Yes, this word is used to mean a nap (short sleep). I love my afternoon kips.
“You will feel so much better once you’ve had a good kip.”Knackered/Zonked If you’re knackered you are extremely tired. Zonked can be used although ‘knackered’ is more common.Splash Out “Tim loves to splash out when he is trying to impress Jane”. Another common expression.
Waffle There is always one person who loves to waffle on in business meetings. It’s always so difficult to get them to stop.
