Foreign Slang: The United Kingdom of timey wimey slang

 

(Here is a picture of Ann and I with 'bacon cobs').

Upon my third night in Brussels I had the opportunity to meet a woman from Notting Hill named Ann. Not only was she rather friendly, but she talked to me about her native country of England with great enthusiasm. I asked her about slang in the area where she lived before recently moving here to Brussels to work for UPS. Here are a few terms which she explained to me which sounded also a bit Aussie:

1. Barbie: barbeque
2. Twitchel: alleyway
3. Stick of Rock: for candy that is almost like a candy cane
4. Wee lad/lass: a small boy or girl
5. Bloody: darn
6. Ace: brilliant
7. Barmy: which is the same as crazy
8. Brassed off:  fed up
9. Cheerio: goodbye
10. Chivvy along: hurry up
11. Brilliant: great, awesome
12. Bloke: male
13. Cabbage: a slow person
14. Cakehole: mouth
15. Copper: policemen
16. Flippin': freakin'
17. Gab: talk a lot
18. Grub: food
19. Ciggy/fag: cigarette
20. Dodgy: shady
21. Nutter: crazy person
22. Pants: underwear
23. Trousers: pants
24. Chips: French fries
25. Crisps: chips
26. Whack it on the barbi: throw it on the barbeque
27. Jelly: jello (so no peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in England!)
28. Jam: jelly
29. Bacon cob/bob: bacon, bread, ketchup, and butter plus whatever else you want to add
30. Marmite: a kind of gravy base/paste, good with bread especially toast

Throw some bacon on that barbie!

What interests me most about these terms is that English as my first language, but these terms might as well be Chinese. Even being a new traveler, I have noticed there are different kinds of slang depending on what country you are in despite having the same language. Of course everyone uses different words depending which country they are from, even with inappropriate slang (curse words). Keep checking our blog for a new installment of foreign slang!




Oh and by the way if you haven't tried it yet--Tetley tea is pretty popular in England and tastes good with some milk.

Cheerio mates!!

Did anyone catch the inconspicuous Doctor Who reference? Do you have any other English Slang terms for me? Shout 'em out in the comments!

Photos: Klarissa Meinholtz, Flickr user Vegansoldier