Cor blimey, what’s all this poppycock? These British sayings have been used for yonks, but if you haven’t been in the UK long, you might not know what they mean. Read on to learn the words that will impress the locals and amaze your professors…
1. Gobsmacked
Meaning: Utterly shocked or astonished.
Example: “I can’t believe that young man didn’t hold the door open for Princess Mary, I’m gobsmacked!”
2. Damp squib
Meaning: When something fails to live up to expectations.
Example: “We’d planned a lovely summer picnic on the village green, but what with all the wasps, the chilly wind and James being depressed about the football results, it was a bit of a damp squib.”
3. Brass monkeys
Meaning: Bone-chillingly cold — or your average British weather.
Example: “Make sure you wear a coat to the Spring Fête – it’s brass monkeys out there.”
4. Hunky dory
Meaning: Things are going very well!
Example: “Since they solved the problem with the foxes digging up the rose bushes, everything’s been hunky dory.”
5. Bits and bobs
Meaning: A random assortment of items or things.
Example: “There are all sorts of bits and bobs in Grandpa’s attic – see if you can find the croquet set and the stuffed lion’s head.”
6. Chinwag
Meaning: A good chat or gossip.
Example: “I bumped into Margaret at the corner shop – we popped into Dilly’s for a cup of tea, a scone and a chinwag.”
7. Kerfuffle
Meaning: A fuss or commotion.
Example: “I tried to do my Christmas shopping on Oxford Street on Christmas Eve – what a kerfuffle!”
8. Collywobbles
Meaning: An uncomfortable feeling.
Example: “Walking to the pub in wintertime through Old Castle Lane gives me the collywobbles.”
9. Lurgy
Meaning: Illness or infection.
Example: “I’ve got fifty flapjacks to make for the rambling club’s autumn party, don’t give me your lurgy!”
10. Spend a penny
Meaning: Use the toilet.
Example: “Hang on, I need to spend a penny before we go and look at this shire horse.”
11. Tickety-boo
Meaning: All in order.
Example: “Don’t worry about me, I love rough seas — I’ve got my cocoa, my life jacket is on snugly, I’m tickety-boo!”
12. Easy peasy
Meaning: Simple, very easy.
Example: “Making beans on toast and old-fashioned lemonade is easy peasy!”
13. Plonker
Meaning: A foolish person.
Example: “If you stop being such a plonker we could be millionaires by this time next year!”
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14. Oops-a-daisy
Meaning: An expression of surprise or to acknowledge a small mistake.
Example: “Oops-a-daisy! Don’t worry the daffodils and the bone china are all in one piece!”
15. Gobbledegook
Meaning: Something silly or foolish.
Example: “After he’s had a few ales you won’t get any sense out of Frank — most of it will be gobbledegook, or statistics about United…Then he’ll probably go and mark out the football field if the moon’s out.”
16. Kip
Meaning: A light nap or snooze.
Example: “After a large Sunday roast it’s sensible to have a large afternoon kip, in my book.”
17. Whinge
Meaning: To complain about something.
Example: “Cousin Jimmy from Down Under says you’re the world’s greatest whinger, Jack, and I have to say — I agree!”
18. Poppycock
Meaning: Something foolish or nonsensical.
Example: “Poppycock! I don’t whinge, I just describe a situation truthfully.”
19. Codswallop
Meaning: As above (there are lots of expressions for nonsense!)
Example: “That is pure codswallop! What about the time you complained for three years because your neighbour had chopped two small branches off your oak tree that hung over into their garden?”
20. Cor blimey
Meaning: An expression of excitement or surprise.
Example: “Cor blimey! Did you see the blonde fella in the flowery shirt and tweed jacket? What a looker!”
21. Gumption
Meaning: Spirit, initiative, resourcefulness.
Example: “The one thing you can say about Grandma Beatrice is she had gumption! They say the stuffed lion’s head in Grandad’s attic was a lion she killed with an umbrella when it attacked their camp whilst they were on safari.”
22. Spiffing
Meaning: Wonderful, marvellous, splendid.
Example: “Hot mince pies and mulled wine at the church carol service tonight — spiffing!”
23. Skew-whiff
Meaning: Not straight, literally askew.
Example: “I do believe you’ve had too much mulled wine (or too many mince pies) — the goal line is skew-whiff. Why are we marking out the football pitch at this time of night anyway?”
24. Twopenn’orth
Meaning: An opinion (that’s generally unsolicited).
Example: “If I had wanted your twopenn’orth, I’d have asked for it. That goal line is perfectly straight!”
25. Yonks
Meaning: A long and overdue amount of time.
Example: “It’s been yonks since we marked out the football pitch, it simply can’t wait any longer. Watch out for that baby hedgehog!”
26. Snog
Meaning: A long kiss and cuddle.
Example: “Oops-a-daisy, it’s all right, I missed it! Ah, it was in this corner of the field that I snogged Eleanor Byerley-Long. She was the first girl I kissed, you know.”
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