Category: Local Language

Underwear.

A sweater or dress that is pulled on over the head.

(Cockney rhyming slang, also said as “apples and pears”) Stairs.

A side dish made from the leftovers of a proper roast dinner. Main ingredients inclue mash and cabbage, but other items such as corn, peas, brussels sprouts (even meat) can be found in bubble and squeak.

Mashed potatoes.

Sausage(s).

A “market” where private individuals sell their unwanted household jumble from the boot of their cars in a shared space or hired location. (Do you like how we are building on words we have previously learned?!)

Junk, like the stuff you sell at a yard sale (which is not called a “yard sale” here. Stay tuned).

Cigarette butt.

slang. A name to call someone who stays out too late. (Using this term implies that you think the person in question may have been up to something naughty while being out too late.)

Sandwich.  Chip butties are quite popular in London.  (Yeah, that’s big fat American”fries” on bread.)

Bachelor party, sometimes lasting more than one day or night.

Bachelorette party, usually complete with fancy dress.

Friend.

Similar to the American term “take out”, though sometimes used as a noun.  i.e. Let’s get a take away tonight.

Coaster for beer.  (I guess you could put other beverages on it as well, but it would still be a beer mat.)

A truck commonly used for carrying goods and materials, ranging from van size vehicles to 18 wheelers.

Bandage, like a Band-Aid.

Period.  (Think back to the time of telegraphs…  Usually used to give emphasis to a statement.)

(slang) Female genitalia. [Careful, tourists…  No, it’s not called a “fanny pack” in London.]

Most commonly, a diaper.  Also, a shallow cooking or serving dish with sloping sides.

Term referring to the public transport via underground trains, the sections of trains are called “cars”.

Very.  As in, “I am well capable of doing my own dishes.”

Trunk, as in the trunk of a car.

(slang) Shot, injection.

(slang) A term to describe arms which feature the build-up of fat and/or extra skin that hangs from the underside of the upper arms.

People who engage in the practice of performing in public for tips and gratuities.  Busking is the term for the practice itself.

A flash mob (or flashmob) is a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse.  (Yes, like in the mobile phone commercial.)

To complain in a moaning manner. (Don’t whinge about the winter weather.)

Any blend of a number of spices, especially those used in Asian/Indian cuisines. (I used to think curry was a spice. Now, it gets on my nerves that people say they don’t like curry. If they say that, it is obvious they don’t know what curry is.) A meal that is flavored with curry or…

You can read all about treacle on Wikipedia, but basically you can use it as a substitute for molasses in recipes. This is important to know if you are making chocolate chip cookies.

A Haberdashery is a shop where sewing notions are sold.

Odds and ends.

A Bap is a large, soft bread roll, usually 5-6 inches in diameter (like a gourmet hamburger bun).

(UK) Cookie–and sometimes cracker (US) Small, savory, bread-based food item eaten most commonly at breakfast

Philately: The study and collection of stamps Philatelist: Someone who collects stamps Correct use of these words in a conversation:  Hey, have you seen Dr. Philately?  I heard he had a Philatelist on the show the other day; apparently they are working through his addiction to that stuff on the back of lickable stamps.  Quite tragic,…

(slang) Short for Wellington boots.

(slang) Lipstick.

(slang) Umbrella.

Offensive, disgusting (I left a glass of milk on my desk for a few days and it is minging.)

(rhymes with ringing)  Offensive, disgusting. ex. I left a glass of milk on my desk for a few days and it is minging.

In most cases, a dessert.  Upon further research, I think almost everything is pudding.  Or is a pudding.  Or is gross sounding.

(slang) Tired, unfit to work.

Basically, shrimp.

A Sultana (also called the sultanina or sultani) is a type of white, seedless grape of Turkish or Iranian origin. It is also the name given to the raisin that is made from it.