![]() ![]() ![]() If you hear this expression, you can join the chat to share all manner of juicy gossip. A “chin-wag” is an informal conversation where you talk so fast your chin “wags” up and down as you go. This phrase is an invitation to talk aimlessly or gossip. So, if someone says “Quit your whinging” to you, you may want to quiet down and try to move on. The word “whinging” refers to fretful crying or whining. If someone tells you to “quit your whinging” then you may be annoying your new British friends. ![]() Henry lost his pass and threw a spanner in the works.” 7. If you’ve put “a spanner in the works,” then you have unwittingly brought an entire plan to a halt.Ī “spanner” is another word for a wrench, so you’ve basically thrown a wrench into whatever plans or processes were in order that day. If you’re standing near him though, you’ll probably want to get clear out of the way! 6. If you’re watching from the sidelines, you may want to offer the fellow some gentle encouragement. It can also be used to describe a player or a coach who gets in a fight. This phrase is used a lot in football, when a player performs poorly during a game. ![]() If someone has “lost the plot,” you’ll probably want to stay as far away from them as possible. When attempts to perform an aerial manoeuvre such as a loop went wrong, they described it as “pear-shaped” rather than the circle it should have been. The phrase origin is still disputed, but one story that dates back to World War II in 1940 claims it was used by British RAF pilots. When things have gone wrong you will hear this phrase on plenty of occasions! If you’re “chuffed to bits” than you’re just having a jolly good day, aren’t you, mate?įor example, “I’m chuffed that we saw the London Eye on our way to the museum - chuffed to bits!” 4. This is great news! If you’re “chuffed” it means you’re feeling happy or pleased about something. “Donkey’s years,” as it happens, is actually a variant rhyme of the phrase “donkey’s ears.” As you may know, a donkey’s ears can be very long, a fact that likely resulted in this funny expression. You’re witnessing something that hasn’t been seen in a very long time. It means they’ve made a blunder in speech, saying something inaccurate that might upset or embarrass someone.įor example, if you tell a new friend that her boyfriend is cute, only to find out that the guy wasn’t her boyfriend, you’ve just dropped a clanger. If someone has just “dropped a clanger,” things could get a bit awkward. They’ll help you “mind the gap” between two totally different styles of English. If you’re thinking about studying in the UK, learn these ten phrases and listen for them on your trip. Making conversation can be especially difficult when you don’t have an understanding of the local vernacular. That’s not exactly right, but you’d be surprised how turned around you can get just by listening to Brits talk. Qualifiers and context may be required to distinguish usage from the previous sense as ‘pleased’.You might think studying abroad in the UK would be a bit like climbing into a TARDIS, and clamouring about while the Doctor tries to get you to class on time. Often qualified by intensifiers DEAD, REAL, WELL, etc UK, 1957.Ģ displeased, disgruntled. Embellishments include ‘chuffed to fuck’ ‘chuffed to arseholes’ ‘chuffed to buggery’ ‘chuffed pink’ ‘chuffed to little mint-balls’ ‘bo-chuffed’ ‘chuffed to little naffy breaks’ ‘chuffed to naffy breaks’ and ‘chuffed to oil-bumps’. The current, more generalised usage was possibly spread by jazz fans. Originally northern English dialect meaning ‘proud’, adopted by military, then wider society. The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (2008) says:Ĭhuffed adjective 1 pleased, delighted flattered very excited. One can say chuffed pink (tickled pink) to mean 'pleased' or dead chuffed to mean 'displeased.' In the second sense, chuffed is synonymous with choked. This curious bit of antiquated army slang has two diametrically opposite meanings, depending on the context. Schur's British English A to Zed (2001) says: One is from David Storey's This Sporting Life and the other is from Celia Dale's Other people. The "pleased, satisfied" meaning has four quotations from 1957 to 1967, whilst the "displeased, disgruntled" meaning has two, in 19. The OED says chuffed is originally military slang, and has both meanings. I've only ever heard the pleased meaning. ![]()
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