Episodes

What does “Break a Leg” mean in British Slang?

One of my friends is a musician and he is performing at his first concert tomorrow! This morning I saw him for a coffee and said:

I heard you’re performing at the concert tomorrow, break a leg!

Looking at me with confusion and fear he repeated:

Break a leg? Why on earth would I want that.

You may be as confused as he was, so let’s explore this slang phrase….

What does “Ish” mean in British Slang?

After a long day at work my partner always asks how I am feeling. I usually reply with one of the two:

hungry-ish or tired-ish.

So what does this ‘ish’’ mean? Do I need to eat or go to bed?

What does “Mug” mean in British Slang?

Our slang word of the week is mug spelt M-U-G. This is a tricky word due to its vast range of meanings within both slang and formal English.

Now our first and formal meaning of mug is a noun meaning a vessel for hot drinks.

Every morning I drink a big mug of earl grey tea- It can also be used as the quantity that can be held in a mug, for example:
Oh no I just knocked over a mugful of tea!

Salty – What does “Salty” mean in British slang?

So you have planned three holidays, booked time off work and are totally ready to lay on a beach sipping pina coladas under the sun. This I am sure were many of your summer plans, unfortunately they have been put on hold due to the recent pandemic.

How do you feel now? Angry? Disappointed? Salty? Yes Salty!

What does “FOMO” and “JOMO” mean in British slang?

Have you ever suffered from FOMO or JOMO? If you’ve no idea what I’m talking about, then it could be argued that you’re in fact already a victim of them without knowing!

What does “Sick” mean in British slang?

My friend Kelly used to work at an Italian Pizzeria in Canterbury. She worked with many Italian chefs and would compliment them on the daily pasta specials looking ‘sick’.

Their response was usually one of embarrassment or anger, thinking she had insulted their cooking. A basic cardinal sin in Italy. This led to an awkward work environment to say the least, until so explained ‘sick’ was not an insult at all but in fact a compliment!

What does “A Few Sandwiches Short of a Picnic” mean in British slang?

Today we will be exploring idiomatic phrases that I would say are rare gems of slang. Before we start, I want to give you some context.

You and your friend have decided to go for a day at the beach, you have been planning this trip for a long time, you have organised everything and finally the morning comes. Just as you are about to set off your friend, who should be driving informs you that his driving license expired one month ago!

What does “Bob’s Your Uncle” and “Fanny’s your aunt” mean in British slang?

Things don’t seem easy these days, whether you’re setting up an online bank account, learning how to work i-teach platform to teach your students, or finding the right ingredients in the supermarket to make your boyfriend’s favorite cake.

I hope things feel easier soon, and to prepare you for when they are I have a few phrases to teach you today.

Imagine it is summer 2019 and you want to go to the beach, well hop in your car, drive for twenty 20 minutes and Bob’s your uncle you are there!

Beat – What does “Beat” mean in British slang?

As I have been trapped inside for a while now, I have been “face timing” many of my close friends who are far away, as I am sure you have all been doing. While speaking to my closest friend Ella I commented:

“woah! Your face looks absolutely beat!”

You may think this comment is strange as in formal beat BEAT the word beat has negative and strong connotations.

Shook – What does “Shook” mean in British slang?

Before we get started I wanted to say a few words about the current global situation.
In desperate times we feel panicked and scared for many reasons. I want to thank everyone who is helping us during this crisis, especially doctors and nurses tirelessly working against this pandemic.

All we can do is wait, be kind to each other and most importantly stay inside.