British things Americans don’t say

  • aggro – (trouble, aggravation, violence)
  • and all – (anawl – as well)
  • any joy?
  • argy-bargy, (a loud argument, preferably in a pub)
  • as well – (too)
  • back to his/hers/mine/ours – (Americans would always specify ‘house’)
  • barney, to have a – (see row)
  • berk – (silly person, don’t ask about the etymology)
  • bird – (meaning woman – Americans apply it to old ladies)
  • bleedin’
  • bloke
  • bob’s yer uncle
  • bog
  • bugger
  • bugger-all
  • bollocks
  • bollocks-up, to
  • cheeky
  • cheers – (meaning thanks)
  • chuffed
  • collect, to – (americans “pick up”)
  • clear off, to
  • cotton on, to
  • cross – (angry)
  • dead cert
  • do a runner, to
  • do one – (meaning “go away”)
  • doddle
  • dodgy
  • done/stitched up [optionally followed by “like a kipper”] – (meaning tricked or conned)
  • dozy
  • drop a clanger, to
  • fair-do’s
  • fuck-all
  • full-marks/top-marks
  • full of beans – (in America means “full of shit”)
  • get a place on a course, to – (you’d get into it, and wouldn’t call it a course)
  • getting on a bit, to be
  • geezer – (meaning bloke – in the US it means old man)
  • go spare, to – (meaning to get very angry)
  • gob
  • gobsmacked
  • gone for a burton
  • gormless
  • guv
  • have a go, to
  • have you got – (do you have)
  • have the hump, to
  • have a barny, to – (meaning have a heated argument/fight)
  • hoover, to
  • hosepipe – hose or pipe, not both
  • ..in [as a postfix e.g. “a cup with milk in”]
  • jim jams – (meaning pyjamas)
  • keep your hair on
  • knacker
  • knackered
  • knackers-yard
  • luv – (or “love” as in “morning luv, I’ve come to fix the washing machine. Is the kettle on ?”)
  • mouthful, to be given a – (meaning be verbally assaulted)
  • ready to collect
  • packed up
  • polyfilla – (it’s “spackle”)
  • queue
  • range, a new – (as in “sainsburys has come out with a new range of sandwiches”)
  • row – (meaning argument)
  • scarper
  • scheme – (in the sense of a system)
  • set-to, a – (an altercation)
  • smallest room, the – (the bathroom/restroom/bog/shitter)
  • snowed under – (in the busy sense)
  • spend a penny – (meaning to urinate)
  • stroppy
  • take the mick/mickey/michael/piss, to
  • tastes of – (would taste like)
  • tower blocks
  • tuck-in – Americans dig-in
  • turn up for the books (or a “turn up”)
  • twat, to
  • twig, to
  • what’s he on about?
  • whilst
  • whinge
  • wobbler, to throw a – see “go spare”

Leave a Reply