Comments for Not One-Off Britishisms

Comment on “Fit” by JamesBrett

JamesBrett — Sat, 25 May 2013 13:43:50 +0000

(From the southern US and) I understand David Carr’s words to mean a husband who is attractive and trim, suggesting that a pill to excite a woman would be neither needed nor desired if her husband were not overweight and less than handsome. The stereotype for a UPS guy is young and fit (trim) with an athletic build, maybe even a bit rugged.

I could be wrong, but I don’t think many Americans would read the word fit there to mean sexually attractive; the whole description would be understood that way, but because handsome and in shape together more or less equal sexually attractive.

Comment on Index of entries by znepj

znepj — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:15:32 +0000

“Wang” as penis is an Americanism that’s crept into British English; “wang” as in throw is older (as in the welly-wanging contests mentioned above).

Comment on “Nervy” by Catherine Rose

Catherine Rose — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:33:04 +0000

I think ‘nervy’ in the British sense means ‘prone to nervousness’ rather than actually nervous. As in ‘ooh she suffers something terrible with her nerves’. In other words, it’s someone who has nervous attacks – rather an old-fashioned concept now I feel. Nowadays this might be diagnosed as depression or agoraphobia, or perhaps panic attacks.

Comment on “Hard man” by Catherine Rose

Catherine Rose — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:16:50 +0000

I think there are two meanings of ‘hard man’. E.g. ‘you’re a hard man, Smith’ means that Smith is mean or ruthless, but not necessarily physically violent – for example, he might have refused help or just sacked someone. But ‘Smith’s a real hard-man’ would mean to me that he was a tough guy in the physical sense. I think the hyphen is important.

Comment on “Pudding” by Catherine Rose

Catherine Rose — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:13:57 +0000

Please don’t forget Yorkshire pudding, or batter pudding which can either be sweet or savoury. Also steak and kidney pudding, which is made by lining a bowl with a suet crust, filling it with steak and kidney, topping it with suet, sealing the top and steaming for at least two hours (depending on the size). You can make sweet versions of this too – e.g. Sussex Pond Pudding which is filled with muscovado sugar and a whole lemon.

Comment on Index of entries by IvanOpinion

IvanOpinion — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:11:25 +0000

50 yr old Brit and never heard the first two, but doesn’t mean they are wrong.

An alternative to the bishop/actress phrase would be “Nudge, nudge, wink, wink!”, from the Monty Python sketch.

Comment on Index of entries by IvanOpinion

IvanOpinion — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:06:21 +0000

As a Brit I have always understood this to signify selfishness. Often used to refer to the behaviour of someone else who is unwilling to do something about a problem because it does not affect them personally. Perhaps Americans would say “Not my problem!”?

Comment on Index of entries by IvanOpinion

IvanOpinion — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:57:28 +0000

Chuffed means pleased (about anything). “I was so chuffed to win the competition.”

Comment on Index of entries by IvanOpinion

IvanOpinion — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:54:51 +0000

It can have the intensifying meaning. So the meaning of “I am quite exhausted” could be “I am slightly exhausted” or “I am completely exhausted”, depending on how you say it. But I think the latter would be considered old-fashioned usage in the UK.

Comment on Boden by Peter

Peter — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:52:17 +0000

In the UK yummy mummys love Boden.