Guest Post: English Lingo by Stephanie Abbott

Guest Post Compiled by Stephanie Abbott- For Orangeberry Book Tours

England and America are two countries separated by the same language.  – George Bernard Shaw.

Here’s a fun little glossary for those who might find English usage “across the Pond” amusing:

• Fag: a cigarette.  Respectable usage: “I just need five minutes to suck on a fag.”
• Cider: a mild-to-moderate alcoholic drink currently more popular than beer in some parts of England, especially with underage girls.
• Pouf: a soft place to sit, e.g., an ottoman.  Also, a male homosexual.
• Slag: an unattractive and or dirty woman of ill repute.
• Wank: how a male pleasures himself.  Common insult: “You wanker!”
• Sacked: Fired. 
• Footballer: a professional soccer player and (usually) national hero.
• Football Hooligan: someone who uses his or her support of a sports team to bully, insult, or physically threaten those who support other teams.
• Panda cars: black and white police cars.
• Rent boy: male prostitute.
• Page Three Girl: A beautiful topless female featured in a British newspaper as a sort of daily confection, like horoscopes or the crossword puzzle.
• Dog-end: a cigarette butt.
• Row: argument, loud quarrel.
• Mate: friend.
• Detached house: a house unattached to any other, with a surrounding yard.  In some parts of urban England, most homes are “flats” – one-level apartments – or “row houses,” each dwelling literally attached to the next.  For some people, the ultimate middle-class status symbol is a house that doesn’t touch either neighbor’s.
• The Tube: London’s underground subway system.
• Tosser: person who masturbates.  More commonly, a despicable person.
• “Gagging for it”: desperate for sex.
• Bugger off: go away
• Flannel: a washcloth
• Ginger hair: red.
• Gastro-pub: a bar that serves food.
• NHS: National Health Service, universal healthcare in Britain.
• A.A.C.D.: American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, because “American” denotes a white smile and cash up front.
• Top-Drawer: the best.
• Take the Mickey: to make someone feel like a fool.
• Open University: education open to all adults seeking career training or self-improvement.
• Ward sister: head nurse.
• Top yourself: commit suicide.
• Pudding: any dessert.
• “In the club”: pregnant.
• Scarper: run away.  Also known as “doing a runner.”
• Screw: prison guard.
• Winging: whining, complaining.
• Pensioner: senior citizen, also called an Old Age Pensioner, or O.A.P.
• “Put you in the picture”: fill you in.
• Petrol: gasoline.
• Braces: suspenders.
• Dustman: garbage collector.
• Boxing Day: traditionally December 26th, the day when service people – post carriers, dustmen, etc – are presented with a gift of money.
• “Early days yet”: too soon to tell.
• Lady Day: March 25th, Mary’s Feast of the Anunciation.
• Doolally: insane.

I think the above sample proves we have a way to go before we comprehend our English cousins.  For more about the similarities and difference between our language, please check out three of my favorite reference books: British English A to Zed, 3rd Edition, by Norman W. Schur; Watching the English by Kate Fox; and The Anglo Files by Sarah Lyall.

About the author - Stephanie Abbott is the face behind the popular pseudonym, S.A. Reid. Well-known for her “real and likeable characters”, she also writes paranormal fiction (a new series titled Past Lives is currently being penned), fantasy, and sci-fi. Additionally, she also pens cozy mysteries as Emma Jameson.