Logophiles and British Slang

British terminology is weird. And I mean that in a completely inoffensive but baffled way. Because if you listen to a British person talk, it almost seems like they're saying things as Americans do, then suddenly they've thrown in a word you've never heard before and you have to use context clues to solve this mystery.

People are generally familiar with some of the terms, like how french fries are 'chips' and elevators are 'lifts', but there are some terms that took me by surprise when I crossed the pond. So to prove I am actually learning something over here (and I mean beyond all the astronomy, mythology, Shakespeare, and writing skills) I figured I could finagle a bit of a vocabulary lesson into this blog post. I'll try and keep it simple, using just the words I've heard used.

I'll try this set up, so in the list below the terms and slang are laid out as such: American word = British word. Here we go.

Bus = Coach
Chips = Crisps
Apartment = Flat
Idiot = Knob
Parking Lot = Car Park
Pants = Trousers
Underwear = Pants
Sweater = Jumper
Husband/Wife/Girlfriend/Boyfriend = Partner
Two Weeks = Fortnight
Recycle = Refuse (they are very particular about recycling here)
Trash = Rubbish
Want = Fancy
Dessert = Pudding (this will also depend on your economic/social class, according to one of the professors)
Professor = Don
Bangers and Mash = Sausage and Mashed Potato
Movie Theater = Cinema

The word 'Cheers' is used quite frequently over here, and for a while I was unsure of its true meaning. To be honest, after asking about it, I discovered that it hasn't really got a particular meaning. It's been generalized to basically cover 'hello', 'goodbye', 'thank you', 'you're welcome', 'have a good day', and in the rare occasion, 'sorry I almost hit you with my bike'.

The word 'mate' is not used as often as you'd think, though I have gotten a few odd looks when I've excitedly exclaimed 'dude' in the street. That may have also been because I was excited and shouting though.

Their money is called a couple of things as well. As a whole it's pounds as opposed to dollars, but the paper money is called notes while the coins are pence. There is no note worth one pound though, only a pound coin, and the coins come in every size and amount from two pence to two pounds. I often look like a knob as Tescos or Sainsburys trying to read on the coins how much each is worth. All of their notes are different colors and sizes though, so it's incredibly convenient whenever I need to pay for things in pounds efficiently.

In other news, we've been making plans for going to Paris for about a week next month. We've officially entered sixth week of term, so I only have the next few weeks before I'm officially done with my academic semester. That's a weird feeling, but at the same time I'm feeling a little drained from all the paper writing I've been doing, so I'm excited to be getting out and traveling around next month. Until then I have to buckle down and get my papers done, which is taking more and more motivation as time goes on and I have a higher desire to go to a castle or wander Oxford.

It's been raining more lately, though, so that's kind of forced me to stay in and finish up my papers. I think it's a sign when the weather wants me to be productive.

Regardless, things are going really well over here, and I'm having a lot of fun.

With that, good night Oxford and good morning California,

Sam