- agony aunt = advice column writer
- approved school = juvenile hall
- bedsit = studio apartment
- boardies = swimming trunks
- bum bag = fanny pack
- bumf = useless paperwork
- cagoule = parka
- cleg = horse-fly
- compere = emcee
- courgette = zucchini
- crotchet = quarter note (in music)
- dodgems = bumper cars
- electric fire = space heaters
- engaged tone = busy signal
- fairy lights = Christmas lights
- gaffer tape = duct tape
- gutties = tennis shoes
- hundreds-and-thousands = sprinkles
- ladybird = ladybug
- minim = half note (in music)
- OAP = senior citizen
- off-licence = liquor store
- pram = baby-carriage
- sleeping policeman = speed bump
- Tipp-Ex = Wite-Out
- vegetable marrow = squash (vegetable)
- Y-fronts = tighty whities
- zebra crossing = crosswalk
Now that I'm looking over this list again, it's kind of top-heavy. Lots of words that begin with 'a,' 'b,' and 'c.' But looking over the Wikipedia article I got these from, that list is kind of top-heavy too. Oh well...
haha I can honestly say the only one I've actually heard spoken is "pram" for baby carriage, but I heard that back in the States as well...
ReplyDeletelol. my favorites are sleeping policeman and bumf. clearly, all people need a specific word for "useless paperwork"!
ReplyDeleteI have definitely heard some of my British acquaintances say 'engaged tone,' 'hundreds-and-thousands,' and 'Tipp-Ex,' so maybe that adds a little bit of credibility to this list...
ReplyDelete