You might think you know how to speak the language of Great Blighty, but just because you picked it up as a child doesn’t mean you’ve fully grasped its intricacies. Thankfully the internet is full of helpful advice for those trying to master British English, and in this post I’m going to round up some of the key findings for you.
Food
Every guide seems to begin with food words. In Britain, eggplants are called aubergines and zucchini are called courgettes. Then we have some more useful translations from YMT Vacations:
| Word | Translation into British |
|---|---|
| Chips | Crisps |
| Beer | Jar |
| Cheetos | Puff snacks |
| Doritos | Doritos |
| Slices of cured ham | Rashers |
Vogue add that flapjacks are “not pancakes”, though they have no information about what flapjacks actually are.
Nouns
What do you call that thing? If you want to avoid just pointing at something, you need to know its name. Thankfully Vogue knows a lot more about what things are called.
| Word | Translation into British |
|---|---|
| Toilet | Loo |
| Elevator | Lift |
| Uniform | Kit |
| Pregnancy | Up the Duff |
Quintain Living helpfully throw in some more common nouns that you might require. Don’t make the mistake of using the words on the left if you want to avoid being laughed at.
| Word | Translation into British |
|---|---|
| Kiss | Snog |
| Man | Bloke |
| Toilet paper | Bog roll |
| Police officer | Rozzer |
On that final point, YMT Vacations also helpfully share their understanding that the common British term for a police car is “jam sandwich”.
Idioms and phrases
If you really want to speak like a native Britisher, you should sprinkle some common Brit-sayings into your conversation to convince the locals that you too are from Fair Albion’s green and pleasant shores. Vogue have soaked up the culture and offer the following extensive list.
| Word | Translation into British |
|---|---|
| Weird | Dodgy |
| Cray | Bonkers |
| Gross | Gammy |
| Ugly | Butters |
| Dating | Courting |
YMT Vacations don’t know many common phrases, but they do know that if the weather is bad you should say it’s “blowing a hooley”.
We will give the last word to Quintain Living, though, who recommend avoiding the heavily Americanised phrase “go away”. Instead you should tell British people to “sod off”.
With all this advice you should have no trouble fitting in to British society and you’ll be the King of Downton Abbey in no time. Pip pip!