35 British English Expressions that Confuse the Rest of the World
All languages have saying that do not translate well into other languages. There are many British English expressions which fall into this category. Many of these seem very strange initially and will need to be explained. Once you learn these and understand their meanings then you will be able to converse better with British English native speakers. Here are 35 British English expressions that confuse the rest of the word:
Bob’s your uncle
Meaning: There you are!
Example: Bob’s your uncle, I knew you would be success.
It was working a minute ago
Meaning: It is broken and you do not want to admit you broke it.
Example: The radio was working a minute ago, so what happened?
There’s a bit of a mix up
Meaning: Someone has ruined an event through double booking so the event cannot now happen and someone will be disappointed. The person who ruined the event does not want to admit it is their fault.
Example: There’s a bit of mix up, I can’t now come to your birthday party.
You’ve lost the plot
Meaning: You have lost your temper without good reason.
Example: You’ve lost the plot as the situation was not what you had assumed it to be.
Penny for your thoughts
Meaning: You seem to be not concentrating and you are thinking about something else.
Example: Penny for your thoughts please, as I would like your comments on the discussion which we had at the meeting just now.
Manky
Meaning: Something that is old, gross, bad or off
Example: The potatoes are manky. Throw them away!
Bog standard
Meaning: Something is very ordinary
Example: The lecture was bog standard
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Brolly
Meaning: Umbrella
Example: Remember to take your brolly as the forecast is for heavy rain.
I’ll see how I feel
Meaning: It could well be an excuse as you do not really want to go to the event.
Example: I’ll see how I feel tomorrow as to whether I go to the party.
Botch job
Meaning: A repair job that was not carried out properly or finished too quickly.
Example: He did a botched job putting up the cupboard yesterday as it collapsed since then.
Cack-handed
Meaning: A task performed very clumsily.
Example: He was cack-handed with the saw when he tried to cut the tree down.
Chuffed (to bits)
Meaning: Absolutely delighted.
Example: She got the job she wanted so she is chuffed to bits.
Builder’s tea
Meaning: This is a drink of strong tea with milk which builders drink a great deal of in Great Britain.
Example: I made 12 cups of builder’s tea today for the workmen who were fitting my new kitchen.
Clanger
Meaning: An obvious error or mistake
Example: She made a clanger by giving out the result of the competition in advance.
To let the cat out of the bag
Meaning: To announce something that is or was meant to be a surprise
Example: He let the cat out of the bag by telling his friend about her surprise
birthday party on Friday.
Chinese Whispers
Meaning: These are whispers that change slightly every time they are told to someone else so in the end the whispers are not what they were in the beginning.
Example: “Anne heard from Kate that you had left the company”
“No, I just had two weeks holiday”. This has to be Chinese Whispers!
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Chinwag
Meaning: To have a good catch up with someone you have not seen for a while.
Example: Richard and Edward had a good chinwag as they had not seen each other
since they last met in June.
Chock-a-block
Meaning: Full to the absolute brim
Example: We should not have used this motorway as it is chock-a-block with people
going on holiday and there are far too many cars on the road.
Cost a bomb
Meaning: Something which cost a great deal of money to buy.
Example: That dress you are wearing is fabulous. It must have cost a bomb to buy!
Flog
Meaning: To sell something very quickly and cheaply.
Example: He flogged his car as he needed the money.
Dog’s dinner
Meaning: To make a complete mess of something
Example: You made a dog’s dinner of icing that cake! It looks awful!
Doddle
Meaning: A job or task which is easy to do.
Example: He finished making the cake very quickly as it was such a doddle to do.
Full of beans
Meaning: Full of beans describes a lively or energetic person.
Example: You are full of beans this evening. Why? What has happened?
Gutted
Meaning: This refers to someone who is truly upset over a situation.
Example: She was gutted that she did not get promotion.
Miffed
Meaning: This means that someone is irritated or annoyed by a situation or someone.
Example: I was miffed because I could not go to the party.
Leg it
Meaning: This means to run away from a situation as soon as possible.
Example: He legged it as he knew he was in trouble.
To catch the lurgy
Meaning: This means that a person has caught a cold or flu from someone else.
Example: She caught the lurgy from one of her colleagues in the office.
Mint
Meaning: This refers to something which is of excellent quality and is perfect.
Example: The handbag is in mint condition.
Pear shaped
Meaning: A situation which has gone wrong.
Example: The outcome went pear shaped and the result was not what we expected.
Over-egg the pudding
Meaning: To over-do something to a product that the final product is not how it should be.
Example: We understand that you are hurt. Do not over-egg the pudding by exaggerating your injuries.
Pea-souper
Meaning: This refers to a thick fog.
Example: A pea-souper is forecast for rush hour driving tomorrow so drive very carefully!
Shambles
Meaning: This means that a situation is a complete mess.
Example: This room is a shambles. Whatever happened?
Spanner in the works
Meaning: A situation is disrupted either by a mistake or planned on purpose.
Example: The spanner in the works was the arrival of the unwanted guest.
Sod’s law
Meaning: If something will or can go wrong, then it definitely will. Sod’s law can also mean bad luck.
Example: It is sod’s law that I spilt the red wine all over the new carpet!
Tickety-boo
Meaning: Something which is satisfactory and acceptable
Example: Everything is tickety-boo as all the arrangements for the party have been made satisfactorily.
Enjoy learning these very British English expressions which confuse the rest of the world. Some may make you laugh whilst others may take a little more time to understand. Keep a notebook to write these new expressions in with their meanings. This will help you remember what can initially seem to be rather strange British English expressions. British English native speakers will use these and many more on a regular basis.
