This post was most recently updated on October 24th, 2017
Learning to speak English is one thing, learning to speak British English like a native is quite another. With a bewildering variety of slang phrases and idioms, the Brits have a way of expressing themselves that can leave the uninitiated in the dark.
But never fear – over the next few pages is our list of 101 words and phrases that will have you speaking the lingo as if you were born in England…
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- Hard lines – originating in the 1950s, this simply means bad luck.
- Blast – used to express surprise, particularly when something has gone wrong
- Spend a penny – visit the bathroom
- Dog’s bollocks – rude expression meaning extremely good (also known as “the mutt’s nuts”)
- Knock off – to steal, or sometimes counterfeit (“That’s not Chanel, it’s a knock off”)
- Mate – friend
- Gormless – clueless
- Wonky – unstable or not firm
- Collywobbles – extreme nausea or pain in the stomach as a result of stress
- Donkey’s Years – ages, as in “I haven’t seen that type of thing in donkey’s years”.
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