British Phrases

Even though I’m a native English speaker, UK English and American English tend to be just a tad different, to put it lightly. All accents aside, sometimes it can still be a bit hard to understand what people are saying, mostly because of the different idioms, colloquialisms, words, and phrases used here as opposed to in the US.

So, just for fun, here are some that have come up since I’ve been here, followed by the American translation. Here we go!

Aubergine – eggplant

Bangers and mash – sausages and mashed potatoes

Bin – trash can

Biscuit – cookie

Braces – suspenders

Budge up – make room

Can’t be asked – can’t be bothered to do something

Chav – low class person

Cheeky – witty, flirty

Cheers – thanks

Chips – French fries

Courgette – zucchini

Crisps – chips

Cuppa – cup of tea or coffee

Daft – stupid, dumb, idiotic

Fag – cigarette

Fit – handsome

Fiver – 5 pound note

Flat – apartment

Gone pear shaped – gone wrong

Jam – jelly

Jelly – Jell-o

Jumper - sweater

Knackered – tired, exhausted

Lift – elevator

Mate – friend

On the pull – going out with the intention of hooking up with someone

Pants – underwear

Pissed – drunk

Porridge – oatmeal

Pudding – dessert

Quid – slang for British pound (i.e. it costs 10 quid)

Rocket – arugula

Rude – promiscuous, but could also mean rude like how we use it in the states

Shattered – tired, exhausted

Slag – slut

Smart – well dressed

Smashed – drunk

Snog – kiss

Suspenders – the clips used to connect stockings to underwear

Take the mickey – joke with someone, more innocent version of “take the piss”

Take the piss – joke with someone

Tenner – 10 pound note

Trousers – pants

Waistcoat – vest

Wanker – idiot; not to be confused with "have a wank," which means masturbate

Yank – American

They also tell time just a little bit differently. Instead of saying “seven thirty” they’ll say “half seven,” whereas “quarter past nine” means “nine fifteen.”

Although it’s the same language, it’s still fun to notice the differences and poke a bit of fun at both cultures. The Brits and Scots that I’ve met love cheeky (witty) banter, so it’s always fun to joke with them once you get used to the dry sarcasm in England and the intense accents in Scotland. They also think it’s hilarious when yank’s use these phrases in awful renditions of their accents (take your pick of region in the UK other than London for added comedy) and they’ll love you bit more for it.

There you have it! If you’re ever in the UK, these phrases seem to be used throughout all of England and Scotland, and most likely Wales and Northern Ireland as well. Cheers, mate!