Britishisms sneaking into American vernacular

[GHT]

This will amuse you: Britishisms in American Vernacular.
There is a comment on the way the British use the term: 'Bloody.' I have always understood the word to be corrupted from it's original, which was: By Our Lady. Calling on the mother of Jesus was blaphemous, so it corrupted into bloody. Which is probably untrue, but when you have been caught saying it, as a seven year old, by a tyrannical teacher, and given the scolding of your life, you believe it.

Back in the 1940's, many a GI amused themselves with our colloquial expressions, took them back to The States after the war, Hollywood heard them, now they are not even 'isms' anymore. 'I heard it through the grapevine,' was one, another was : 'Cat caught your tongue.'

 

[Zombie_61]

A couple of British phrases I really like and wouldn't mind making a part of my vernacular if I could pull it off:

"How rubbish is that?" and "Who's he/she/it when he/she/it's at home?"

I've taken to using "rubbish" quite often in recent years, i.e. "Oh, that's rubbish!", especially in situations where the eight-letter word for male bovine excrement would be inappropriate.

As for pulling it off, it's simply a matter of being comfortable with using such words, as though you've used them all of your life. Transitory slang words like "groovy" or "dawg" are more difficult to pull off because they generally fall out of favor rather quickly, but "rubbish" is merely a synonym for "garbage" or "nonsense" (depending on the context) and has been in use since the late 15th century.

 

[Shangas]

When I was about 12 years old, a friend of mine who spent a year or two in London with his family came back to school. It was AGES since we'd seen him (when you're 12, a year seems a long time) and I remember him once saying:

"I haven't got the foggiest idea how this works!" (or words to that effect).

And half the kids in class just stared at him. I think they started teasing him about trying to put on airs and graces or something. It was the first time I'd heard that expression outside of a British movie.

 

[HudsonHawk]

This will amuse you: Britishisms in American Vernacular.
Back in the 1940's, many a GI amused themselves with our colloquial expressions, took them back to The States after the war, Hollywood heard them, now they are not even 'isms' anymore. 'I heard it through the grapevine,' was one, another was : 'Cat caught your tongue.'

"Heard it through the grapevine" is an American expression, going back possibly hundreds of years. It was recorded in American dictionaries as early as the 1860's. Some say it was in reference to the vine-like appearance of early telegraph wires, but more likely it orginated in the slave community long before that, as slaves were the word-of-mouth pipeline off the plantation. Booker T. Washington uses the term in his autobiography to refer to just that.

ETA: I do try to work "gobsmacked" into a conversation whenever I can though. I got it from my Brit friend Ray, who we all affectionately call "Limey".

 

[Shangas]

A favourite of mine from Churchill (which someone on FL has as his signature): "KBO. Keep Buggering On".

A noble sentiment, but questionable. 'Buggering' means a lot of different things in British English...Use with caution.

 

[HudsonHawk]

"Dodgy" is another Briticism I like to use.

I probably doesn't help that much of the British I know I learned from watching Top Gear.

 

[Shangas]

Here in Australia we use a lot of British expressions and slang. Dodgy is one. Another which I don't think I've ever heard any American use, is "Shoddy". As in "Shoddy work" (substandard or poor-quality work).

According to one documentary I saw, it comes from at least the Victorian era. Back when the Rag and Bone Man still made his rounds. When people made clothing at home, they kept the useful leftover cloth for themselves, and sold the scraps and cutoffs to the rag-and-bone man.

Depending on who he sold that to, it was either made into paper, or it was unwoven, and the old threads were respun and rewoven into new cloth. Because it was secondhand cloth from secondhand thread and clothes, quality was not always assured. Since the scraps of cloth were called 'shods', anything made from them was of "Shoddy" or questionable quality.

 

[HudsonHawk]

"Shoddy" is very common in the US. It has been since at least the US Civil War.

 

[Zombie_61]

"Dodgy" is another Briticism I like to use.

I probably doesn't help that much of the British I know I learned from watching Top Gear.

I rather like "dodgy", and have included it in my vocabulary as well. And I learned much of my "British" from watching Monty Python.

 

[Stearmen]

As some one who has built custom motorcycles for almost 40 years, I like the term, "bodge job!" It is sometimes a put down, but can also be a back handed complement.

 

[GHT]

I like the term, "bodge job!" It is sometimes a put down, but can also be a back handed complement.

As is Heath Robinson.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've lately started to hear kids saying "Oi!" to get your attention rather than "Hey!"

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Better than "Yo!"

 

[Shangas]

I've lately started to hear kids saying "Oi!" to get your attention rather than "Hey!"

I've been doing that one for years.

 

[BR Gordon]

Is the expression "tickety-boo" still used in the UK? That is one that I have always liked.

 

[Stearmen]

As is Heath Robinson.

No, the key is to make it simple, not complicated. Just, the execution is not always refined.

 

[GHT]

Is the expression "tickety-boo" still used in the UK? That is one that I have always liked.

You rarely hear it in everyday speech, but it's well known because it's still used on TV in period dramas and such like.

The internet is opening up the world to each other's idiosyncracies, you might like to check these out.

20 British Expressions You Will Never Hear in the US

Effingpot explains British slang.

 

[W-D Forties]

I use 'shonky' a lot but is it a particularly British word?

 

[GHT]

Shonky, as far as I know, is an Aussie/Kiwi derivative of shoddy. Meaning, of poor quality.
You know, there is one area of language that every English speaking country always understands, and that's swearing. Or, using words of a sexual nature. Times I have come across non english speaking imigrants who know, and use, the 'F' word. But it got me wondering.

In the US, women's underwear is refered to as panties. Here in the UK we tend to use panties, but prefer knickers. In the US, knickers have a slightly different definition. However, in Brit speak, women will always refer to the outline of their knickers by the acronym VPL, meaning: Visible panty line. To overcome this, the more daring of our ladies will go commando. In other words, take their underwear off. Any other english speakers use the term commando? Or have you even heard of it?

Another expression, although no longer in use, was a make believe Saxon/Scandinavian name: Otto Titzling. Growing up in the 50's, I truly believed that he invented the modern bra. Talk about naive, my sister was in fits over my 'innocence' of the term. "it's slang for a bra," you silly arse, she chided. "A tit sling." She still embarrasses me to this day over that.

And then we have that word arse. So much more emphatic than ass. Common to both of us is A-hole, but in Brit speak you can flex the word. "Can't be arsed." means cannot be bothered. "Rat-arsed." Means legless, or, drunk to the point of not being able to stand. "Arse-about-face," "arse over tit," so many ways we use the term.

 

[Shangas]

Just be careful when you have a Brit and a Yank and a pack of cigarettes. Misunderstandings abound, I'm sure...