#british phrases

[ghostflowerdreams]

British Phrases/Slang

In writing, colloquialism works by using common terms and phrases to create a sense of authenticity and informality, which can enhance dialogue. For this reason, I'm making a short list of what I've seen and heard in British television, film, and books.

Taking the mickey (out of someone): Teasing or making fun of someone.

Example: "Are you serious, or are you just taking the mickey?"

Knickers in a twist: Getting upset or overly worried about something.

Example: "Don't get your knickers in a twist; it's just a minor issue."

Full monty: The whole thing or complete package.

Example: "I want the full monty – don't leave anything out."

On the blink: Not working properly.

Example: "My computer's on the blink; I need to get it fixed."

Sod's law: The idea that if something can go wrong, it will.

Example: "Of course, it started raining right after I washed the car – sod's law."

Off one's trolley: Crazy or insane.

Example: "Did you hear what he said? He must be off his trolley."

Lost the plot: Became confused or irrational.

Example: "I have no idea what he's talking about; he's completely lost the plot."

Bob's your uncle (and Fanny's your aunt): It's basically 'there you have it'. It is used to convey that something is very easy or straightforward, and that success or a positive outcome is guaranteed. The addition of "and Fanny's your aunt" is often used for humor and emphasis, without changing the meaning significantly.

Example: "Just turn the key, and Bob's your uncle – the car starts."

Example 2: "Just follow these instructions, and Bob's your uncle, and Fanny's your aunt, you're done!"

Taking the biscuit: Going too far or being unreasonable.

Example: "Asking me to work on a Sunday? That really takes the biscuit!"

Arse over elbow: Tumbling or falling over.

Example: "He tripped on the pavement and went arse over elbow."

Pop one's clogs: Die or pass away.

Example: "If I don't get enough sleep, I feel like I might pop my clogs."

Spend a penny: Go to the bathroom.

Example: "I need to spend a penny before we leave."

Throw a spanner in the works: Cause a disruption or problem.

Example: "The unexpected delay really threw a spanner in the works."

Throw a wobbly: Have a temper tantrum or get upset.

Example: "She'll throw a wobbly if she finds out we lost her keys."

Chuffed to bits: Extremely pleased or proud.

Example: "She was chuffed to bits when she got the promotion."

Flog a dead horse: Waste time on a hopeless cause.

Example: "Trying to fix that old computer is like flogging a dead horse."

Up the duff: Pregnant.

Example: "She's up the duff and expecting a baby in the spring."

On the pull: Trying to attract someone romantically.

Example: "He's always on the pull when we go out to the bars."

Example: "He's dressed up tonight; he's definitely on the pull."

Pear-shaped: To go wrong or fail unexpectedly.

Example: "After weeks of planning, the project went completely pear-shaped when we realized we had underestimated the budget."

The bee's knees and the cat's whiskers: Something excellent, outstanding, or the best of its kind.

Example: "This new phone is the bee's knees and the cat's whiskers – it has all the latest features."

All mouth and no trousers: Someone who talks confidently or boasts but fails to follow through with actions or achievements.

Example: "He talks a big game, but when it comes to actually doing something, he's all mouth and no trousers."

A storm in a teacup: A small or insignificant issue that is blown out of proportion.

Example: "Don't worry about that argument; it's just a storm in a teacup."

Have a butcher's (at something): To take a look at something; derived from "butcher's hook," which rhymes with "look."

Example: "Can I have a butcher's at your new phone?"

A stone's throw away: Very close in proximity; a short distance.

Example: "The shop is just a stone's throw away from here."

Bee in your bonnet: An idea or obsession that someone can't stop talking about.

Example: "He's got a bee in his bonnet about recycling; he talks about it all the time."

Mum's the word: Keep a secret; don't say anything.

Example: "I know about the surprise party, but don't worry, mum's the word!"

Cut the mustard: To meet a required standard or expectation.

Example: "His performance didn't quite cut the mustard, so he didn't get the promotion."

Bugger all: Nothing at all; absolutely nothing.

Example: "I've got bugger all to do this weekend."

Bag it up: Prepare or get ready.

Example: "Bag it up, mate – we're heading out."

On the ball: Alert, attentive, or quick to understand.

Example: "She's always on the ball at work."

Bits and bobs: Various small items or things.

Example: "I picked up a few bits and bobs from the store."

Knock it on the head: Stop doing something or take a break.

Example: "Let's knock it on the head for today; we can continue tomorrow."

Taking the piss: Teasing or mocking someone.

Example: "Are you serious, or are you just taking the piss?"

I'm pissed: Drunk or intoxicated from alcohol.

Example: "I had a few too many drinks at the pub, and now I'm pissed."

Example 2: "At the pub quiz, Sarah confidently shouted out 'Elephant' as the answer to every question. When asked why, she just grinned and said, 'I may be a bit pissed, but who doesn't love elephants? They're the answer to everything!'"

Bent as a nine-bob note: Dishonest or fraudulent.

Example: "That deal sounds bent as a nine-bob note."

Give us a bell: Call or contact me.

Example: "If you need anything, give us a bell."

Tickety-boo: Going well or in good order.

Example: "Everything is tickety-boo with the project."

Budge up: Move over or make room.

Example: "Budge up; make some space for me on the sofa."

Flog it: Sell or get rid of.

Example: "I need to flog my old clothes at the market."

Bloody hell: An expression of surprise or frustration.

Example: "Bloody hell, did you see the size of that spider?"

Full of beans: Someone is lively, energetic, and full of enthusiasm. It is often used to describe someone who is in high spirits or has a lot of energy.

Example: "Goodness, you're full of beans this morning!"

Wind your neck in: To tell someone to stop being nosy, interfering, or to mind their own business.

Example: "Maybe you should wind your neck in and not jump to conclusions about my friendships."

Wind-up merchant: Refers to someone who enjoys teasing, provoking, or playing pranks on others to elicit a reaction.

Example: "Oh, don't take it seriously; he's just a bit of a wind-up merchant."

Can't be arsed: Is used to convey a lack of motivation, interest, or willingness to do something.

Example: “I can’t be arsed with doing the assignments.”

What a load of poppycock: Is an expression used to dismiss something as nonsense or absurd.

Example: “They are changing the offside rule? What a load of poppycock!”

Chocka: Is short for “chockablock”, which is most often used when talking about something that’s completely packed, like a jammed road.

Example: “I’ll be home in ten, love, hit a chocka!” 

A few sandwiches short of a picnic: Is a humorous way of saying that someone is not very intelligent or mentally sound. It can also imply that the person may be lacking common sense.

Example: “Perhaps it’s best not to task them with this. They’re a few sandwiches short of a picnic.”

To bodge: Is to mend, or repair something clumsily.

Example: "Bob forgot his toolbox, so he had to bodge a fix for the leaky pipe using chewing gum until the plumber arrived."

That's rubbish: When something is of poor quality, disappointing, or not good.

Example: "I thought the film was rubbish – the plot was weak, and the acting was terrible."

Happy as a pig in muck: Very happy.

Example: "I'm as happy as a pig in muck with all these new books to read."

Were ya born in a barn: Is used as a playful or humorous way to chide someone for not closing a door behind them.

Example: “I just got it warm in here, were ya born in a barn?”

Not give a monkey’s (uncle or toss): Not caring at all about something, being indifferent, or not attaching any importance to a particular situation.

Example: "I don't give a monkey's about what they think."

Making a right pig’s ear of something: Refers to a task or situation that has been poorly handled or executed.

Example: "You've made a right pig's ear of that plumbing job!"

You’re peckin’ me ‘ead: When someone is annoying, bothering, or getting on your nerves.

Example: "Would you give it a rest, you’re peckin’ me ‘ead!"

Curtain twitcher: Refers to a person who is overly nosy or prying, someone who frequently peers out of their window, often through the curtains, to observe the activities or affairs of their neighbors.

Example: "She's a real curtain twitcher, always watching and commenting on everyone else's business."

Half past: Is a way of expressing the time, particularly when indicating that it is 30 minutes past the hour on a clock.

Example: If someone says, "It's half past three," they are stating that the time is 3:30.

Innit: Is a contraction of "isn't it" and is often used to seek agreement or confirmation. It's an informal way to tag a statement, turning it into a question or seeking validation.

Example: "It's a nice day, innit?"

Smarmy: Is used to describe someone who comes across as scheming or untrustworthy.

Example: "I don't trust him – he's a smarmy geezer."

Swot: Is used to describe someone who studies hard, is diligent in their academic pursuits, or is generally focused on their work or studies. It is similar to "nerd" or "geek" in American English. It's sometimes used in a mildly derogatory manner to refer to someone who is perceived as overly studious.

Example: "She's always buried in her books, a real swot."

Bagsy: Is used as a way of claiming or reserving something for oneself. It's similar to saying "dibs" in American English.

Example: "Does anyone want thi—"

"Bagsy!"

Builder's tea: Refers to a strongly brewed cup of tea that is typically enjoyed by construction workers or builders during their breaks. It's characterized by being a simple, no-nonsense cup of tea with milk and sugar, often designed to provide a quick and energizing break.

Example: "A bacon sandwich and a builder's tea. Now that's a proper breakfast."

Dog's dinner (or dog's breakfast): Is often used to describe something that is disorganized, messy, or done in a haphazard and unattractive manner. It can refer to both physical appearance and, more commonly, to a situation or event that is poorly executed.

Example: "You've made a real dog's dinner of this room!"

Kip: Refers to sleep or a short nap. It's a casual way to express the act of resting or taking a quick snooze.

Example: "I'm feeling tired, so I'm going to have a quick kip before we head out for the evening."

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

If Frank gets annoyed hearing the different pronunciation of caramel

Than he's gonna love hearing how some folks will pronounce Worcestershire sauce

yeah...

[blossoms-phan]

really devastating connections being made due to rewatching old amazingphil videos 2nite

[bucksboobs]

Really funny how I distinctly remember seeing a fic last week where Buck runs to Eddie after Tommy makes light of Gerrard getting hurt and now we have Eddie literally dancing as Buck has a silent panic attack about Gerrard like…

[ingravinoveritas]

Audio of Michael with Kathy Burke on the Where There's A Will There's a Wake podcast being asked who would play Aziraphale if he dies and saying that he'd want David to play both parts. Transcript below (bold emphasis mine):

KB: "What about your colleagues' response? I mean, if you're in the middle of--I mean listen, in Nye, when you're doing theatre work, you do have understudies. But let's say you're were doing a new series of Good Omens with the great David Tennant--" Michael: "Well, I don't know about the great, but okay. With David Tennant, yeah." KB: "Who would replace you? I mean, who would put up with him, do you think?" Michael: "I mean, I'm loath to say it...but really, he should play both parts. Because originally we were--originally I was--Neil Gaiman, who wrote the original book with Terry Pratchett that the series was based on--when I first started talking to Neil about it, when he told me that he was going to do it, originally we talked about me playing the other part, the part David played. And one of the sort of things about us doing it is we'd never really acted opposite each other before because we'd usually be up for the same parts for many, many years. I think it was sort of between me and him for Casanova when he did Casanova. I mean, he's far too egotistical to let me know the parts I got over him--" KB: "--Of course." Michael: "There we are. That shows what the relationship is like. I'm quite happy to say the part that he got over me. But so, the fact that we were together in this was quite unusual, because normally we would be playing the same part. So that's quite good in a way, cause they're both, they're sort of light and shade of the same person in a way. So once I did pop my clogs, maybe he would have to then--you know the way they do it, do you remember that film Dead Ringers where Jeremy Irons played twins? So I'd quite like to see David playing both parts. And it would be his homage to me."

[notllorstel]

What is... the natural shocks au comic? What is natural shocks? Is it a show?

it’s a fanfiction, A Thousand Natural Shocks (link) by @dubsdeedubs cool version of neverhuman au (the fic started before I revealed what Stan was, then I “jossed it”)

anyway entity!stan 🫶

and the comic is about that I remember started drafting some pages for a scene from one of the chapters which been looking around for to finish but looking like may need to redo.

[bookinit02]

fics that are so aggressively british i can hear the accent in my brain

[hometoursandotherstuff]

[bahoreal]

enjoyed wonka. my review is that timothy candelabra was not half insane enough. there was that Wonka Glint in his eye like twice but it felt forced. with paterson joseph and mathew baynton serving absolute evil chocolatier cunt opposite him it was like timmy was in a whole different genre. they were 100% committed, singing about chocolate fraud like if their fan dance wasn't sexy enough their chocolate monopoly would crumble and tim reacted like hwuh? like girl if you are not going to commit to the chocolate is life chocolate is love chocolate runs this damn town genre why are you here!

[thinkinginscripts]

I saw on AO3 someone thanking their beta for "brit-picking" and I LOVE this phrase. I'll happily brit-pick any lines, scenes, even whole fics if there's a non-Brit author out there who's looking for an authentic British tone/London feel to their fics and needs to sense check something!

[capseycartwright]

the real problem with exclusively writing fic for an american tv show is that i have SO many good phrases that just. don’t work because they’re not americanisms. “I plan to give them a row” for example. phenomenal. 10/10

[natjennie]

the reveal of this very good lasagna clue and then laurie's answer and adam going "laurie, I'm gonna go out on a limb and think- that you- you pre- I don't think you thought it was mouseburger did you? I don't think you thought it was mouseburger, if I'm honest."

[chussyracing]

wishlist for summer break except it gets more specific and unhinged as you read:

leo and roscoe joint content

lewis hanging out with his bestie fencer

ferrari posting a mixtape of bryan activating charles' praise kink agressively for all of us who have second hand praise kink

fernando alonso posts a video of himself twerking on tiktok (shirless for the people who need to see the samurai tattoo shaking as it happens)

pierre obtaining a dog tail butt plug, taking a pic of it and posting it on main with one singular dog emoji attached thinking he is incredibly funny only to get cancelled on twitter by the moms thinking he is ruining the youth

alex gets a new pet, this time it's a parrot named chilly and the reason he chose him is because he can teach him a few phrases that will annoy carlos to no end, so he can bring him to some races next year when carlos gets too cocky

logan joining youtube to give his fans vlogs from his daily life and routine that start off normally by going to target and stopping by starbucks (while calling it errands) but by the end of the summer break he is already making 2017 logan paul esque kissing contest videos and throwing patriotic parties

valtteri sadly runs out of seat options for 2025, so he starts his own initiative called cycling grand prix championship where he travels with f1 and makes a cycling race on the circuit on thursday of each race weekend (carlos is welcome to join anytime williams won't have the second car for him)

oscar gets lost and nobody thinks anything of it, knowing he prefers to only spend time with his close ones away from the public eye and he never posts during the break, only for everyone to freak out when mclaren posts official announcement he has gone missing, they call up theo pourchaire because he is always their last choice for everything and when they bring him to zandvoort they discover oscar has been there for a while now, taking a nap, waiting for the season to continue

lando speeds through 6 new landogates during the summer break (including but not limited to: being danica patrick's whistlerblower on who in the paddock is probably a reptilian, hogging kate middleton to himself while she was away from public eye and getting accused of keeping an affair with zak brown to get preferential treatment in the team over oscar when grainy photos of them in compromiting positions on a golf course start making rounds on tiktok gossip pages)

daniel gets a minor role in a new hollywood romcom with anne hathaway in the main role through his management agency and he is very excited to reunite with the bestie he found in anne during the met gala last year, except he plays a porter that she barely sees as she steps into a hotel and go past him straight to the reception, so when the shooting is finished the director has to explain it was daniel ricciardowho tries to speak to her because anne believed it was adam sandler the whole time

guanyu tries to find a new hobby over the break after spending all of his free time with his little ball of fluff that is Sweetcorn and since he is vulnerable to peer pressure and Valtteri started rubbing off on him, he gets talked into making a nude calendar like Valtteri did, except this time they cannot make ass jokes so they go full out with the concept - full frontal and all - Guanyu gains so many new fans and sponsors that Red Bull replace Checo with him for the rest of the season

frederic vasseur keeps low profile during the summer break and everyone thinks he is just having a nice quiet time with his family and friends except he formed a petanque team with some other ferrari employees and they went on a tour across croatia entering as many games as they could and nobody found out because the grandpas they played against generally had no social media or any idea who fred is until tumblr tifosi discover a team named charlie's angels and break their cover

max spends most of his days of summer break streaming his sim races on twitch way past 3am not necessarily because he wants to but because he would do anything to piss off helmut marko who coincidentally sees the content on social media and gets so angry the monica geller esque vein on his forehead pops, he gets taken into a retirement home and randomly screams names of red bull juniors when watching tv from his bed, spitting his puree all over the room

estie bestie finds out about dashcon 2024, decides to support it and turn up to the event, he cosplays batman with full gear, makes his partner wear catwoman costume and even gets two more (last standing) alpine employees into costumes and inside his batmobile specially bought for this event, what a surprise it is to him when he enters and the only thing that welcomes him is a singular kid sized ball pit

lance discovers what child defiance means and decides to get a personal trainer to learn to play tennis on a professional level, he starts preparing for his atp tour debut without letting his father know and then announces he is leaving in the middle of f1 season, leaving mike krack scraping for a replacement (lance is very decent which surprises not only his father but also a few doubters among the fans)

[urmomw4ntsme]

also bit miffed at one of u

[marieshyperf1xations]

Before we all get busy watching the pre-race show and build-up, I wanna just show off my nails real quick 😌

[candyfloss-esophagus]

actually? fuck it. do you know how good it was to hear someone speaking in a cockney accent who was not only a main character in a piece of mainstream media, but a good guy? it was so fresh to see a cockney guy that wasn't victorian streetrat #6. daniel kaluuya did a fucking fantastic job on hobie i don't know why i don't see more praise for him.