![]() ![]() “I tried to do my Christmas shopping on Oxford Street on Christmas Eve – what a kerfuffle!” “I bumped into Margaret at the corner shop – we popped in to Dilly’s for a cup of tea, a scone and a chin wag.” “There are all sorts of bits and bobs in Grandpa’s attic – see if you can find the croquet set and the stuffed lion’s head.” “Since they solved the problem with the foxes digging up the rose bushes, everything’s been hunky dory.” “Make sure you wear a coat to the Spring Fête – it’s brass monkeys out there.” “We’d planned a lovely summer picnic on the village green but what with all the wasps, the chilly wind and James being depressed about the football results it was a bit of a damp squib.” “I can’t believe that young man didn’t hold the door open for Princess Mary, I’m Gobsmacked !” Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window).Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window).Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window).They seem to think it’s one of those British slurs that doubles as a term of endearment. This term, meaning one who engages in self, erm, stimulation, is a milder version of w**ker, which – perhaps you’ve noticed this too - Americans have recently adopted but serially misuse. In the U.S., “whore” and “slut” mean much the same thing. These two clangers are the most commonly used, yet they’re insults only the most dedicated American anglophile or British gangster movie aficionado will have encountered. In the UK, we’re unhealthily attached to nasty words that describe a “loose woman”. Brits have borrowed Jim Henson’s name for furry, be-stringed critters and tweaked it to mean someone who’s stupid, gullible and incapable of independent thought. When a British Goldman Sacs employee resigned last year in an open letter and said that some colleagues in London had called their clients “muppets”, Americans at the firm were left wondering what he meant. equivalent would probably be trailer trash. These unpleasant slang terms, originally used to refer to Irish or Romani gypsies, have evolved to mean a certain type of flashy working class kid clad in designer sportswear and gold jewelry. Shout this at an American loner kid, however, and he’ll assume you’re a lunatic. It’s mild and reassuringly vintage but roam a UK school playground on your own looking miserable and you might still have this barked at you from across the tarmac. Brits are want to precede either word with “you daft…” or “you utter…” I’ve used “twat” around Americans and who think it’s got a satisfying ring to it. Still, it’s a less offensive version of the other single syllable word that means the same thing. This is one of the harsher terms on the list, perhaps because of its literal meaning: lady parts. Synonyms include: wally, berk, prat, numpty, knob-head, nincompoop and tit. It’s one of those semi-affectionate insults we might throw at a family member or friend who’s behaving in a less than cerebral manner. Curiously, however, the book doesn’t shed much light on what it actually means to be a twit. Alas, it’s merely one of many hundred words we’ve evolved to refer to a somewhat idiotic, oafish individual.Īmerican Roald Dahl fans might be familiar with this one from reading The Twits – a wonderfully vile tale of a dysfunctional married couple who keep pet monkeys and systematically abuse each other. To American ears, this might sound like some kind of unadventurous English fish. If you’re looking for a way to insult an American woman without her realizing, this is ideal. Popularized by the late, great and hilariously foul-mouthed Big Brother contestant Jade Goody over a decade ago, the term meaning unattractive female is still fair game in Britain. Should you feel compelled to use your hands to offend in the U.S., stick to the universally recognized raised middle finger. ![]() This has come up before on MTG, but just to reiterate: stick two fingers up at an American and they’ll be no more affronted than if you’d waved hello or nodded. While the big, punchy swears are the same all over the English-speaking world, some of our milder, more idiosyncratic slights will leave the uninitiated scratching their heads. ![]()
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