|
(S through "Zed"):
salt beef - n.
- corned beef
Saturday fortnight - n.
- two weeks from Saturday
sellotape - n.
- Scotch tape
serviette - n.
- napkin
shag - v.
- have sex with. Austin Powers: "I bet she shags like a minx!"
shambolic - adj.
- messy, disorganized
single - n.
- one-way ticket (compare: return)
Sinn Fein - n. phrs.
- the political wing of the Irish Republican
Army (the latter
considered a terrorist organization by the British government).
sit exams - v.phrs.
- take exams
skint - adj.
- broke
slag - n.
- slut
slap-up - adj.
- excellent (typically said of a meal)
Sloane-y - adj.
- (from Sloane St.) said of a spoiled, rich young adult. Think of the analogous denizens of Beverly Hills.
snogging - n.
- kissing; cuddling; necking
sod - n.
- fellow (vulgar usage)
sod all - n.
- nothing (compare f*ck-all)
sod off - exclam.
- go away, quit bothering me, piss off
solicitor - n.
- a type of lawyer who advises clients, but is not allowed to plead a case in court (compare to barrister)
sorted - adj.
- fixed, solved
splash out - v.
- splurge
spot on - adj.
- exactly, precisely
squiffy - adj.
- drunk
starkers - adj.
- naked (from "stark naked")
starters - n.pl.
- appetizers
stockist - n.
- stockclerk (?)
stone - n.
- a unit of weight equivalent to 14 pounds.
Commonly used to convey a man's size. E.g., a rugby player might go
fifteen stone or more. You will also hear someone referred to pejoratively as, say, "a seven stone weakling" (compare "98-pound weakling").
stuffed - adj.
- screwed, f*cked. Careful: don't use after dinner to express fullness or satedness.
subway - n.
- pedestrian underpass, e.g. under a busy road.
(Compare with "Tube" or "Underground"; by contrast, these words are the
equivalent to the American concept of a subway). Also, do not confuse
with the American chain of Subway sandwich restaurants.
suss out - v.
- check out, figure out
sweater - n.
- sweatshirt (compare to "jumper")
sweet - n.
- candy; dessert course
sweets - n.pl.
- candy; desserts
swish - adj.
- fashionable, elegant
swot - v.
- study, cram
ta - exclam.
- thanks (informal)
table - v.
- bring a topic up for discussion (opposite to the American meaning!)
take a flyer - v.phrs.
- try something experimental, "send up a trial balloon"
take away - adj.
- carryout, "to go" (said of food)
taking the mick - v.phrs.
- "taking the mickey out of someone". Same basic meaning as "take the piss," if perhaps a gentler expression to use in polite company.
taking the piss - v. phrs.
- teasing someone; pulling someone's leg. Short for "taking the piss out of someone." "Londoners rather take pleasure in taking the piss out of Americans."
taxi rank - n.
- line of taxis
tea towel - n.
- dishtowel
theatre - n.
- theater (for the performance of a play, as opposed to a cinema)
tights - n.
- pantyhose
tin - n.
- can (of food)
tits-up - adj.
- non-functioning, failed
torch - n.
- flashlight
Tory 'wet' - n.
- a moderate Tory. Tory is to Labor as Republican is to Democrat.
tosser - n.
- jerk
treat, a - adj.
- (slang) enjoyable, gratifying. "You'll find it a treat."
tube - n.
- subway system (or subway car), specifically the Underground subway system in London. Also commonly capitalized (Tube). "If all four of us are going, why don't we get a taxi rather than going by tube?"
tuck into [food] - v.
- begin eating
Tuesday week - n.
- a week from Tuesday
twat - n.
- silly person, fool, contemptible person. "Don't be such a twat."
twee - adj.
- cute or precious, especially something that is unbearably so. "The Cotswolds are full of twee cottages."
up the left - adj.
- not functioning properly, closed
verge - n.
- grassy roadside
wank - n.
- act of masturbation (by a male).
v.
- to masturbate
washing up - n.
- dishwashing. "Could you give me a hand with the washing up after dinner?"
way out - n.
- exit
wellies - n.pl.
- rubber boots (short for: Wellington boots)
whacking - adv.
- large, massive, impressive. "There is a whacking great concentration of intelligence in this room."
whilst - pron.
- while. (By way of comparison, "while" may be used to mean "until" rather than "for the duration of", e.g. "Wait while the light turns green.")
whinge - v.
- whine, complain. "Oh, do stop whingeing!"
whinger - n.
- a complaining person
white coffee - n. phrs.
- coffee with cream
yob - n.
- youth (back slang for "boy")
zebra crossing - n.
- pedestrian crossing
Pronunciation, a note on
- the first syllable of "schedule" is "shed".
Many place names have swallowed letters or syllables. Some are familiar
to Americans (Greenwich) while others take some getting used to (e.g.,
"Tottenham" is pronounced "tot-num"). The last letter of the alphabet is
"zed," not "zee." When reading numbers, you'll hear digits as "double x"
or "triple y." E.g., "800.555.1227" would be read as:
"8, double-nought, triple-five, one, double-two, seven."
Spelling, a note on
- Some of the more common patterns of spelling variation: humour/colour/favour vs. humor/color/favor; specialise/commercialisation vs. specialize/commercialization; tyre vs. tire; instil/instalment vs. instill/installment; licence vs. license; kerb vs. curb; judgement vs. judgment; gaol vs. jail; pedlar vs. peddler; connexion vs. connection.
| 
