Apropos of nothing: What's your favorite British saying?

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#1 Post by **shapu** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 9:03 pm

I'm a big fan of British colloquialisms and sayings, because we just don't have anything nearly as obscure here in the states (at least, nothing that I consider obscure). So I'm curious as to whether other people are as big fans as I am of things like that.

My favorite English expressions are:
"On a bit of a sticky wicket" - to be experiencing problems
"Bob's your uncle" - things will work out alright in the end.
"Brilliant!" - Everyone who isn't Irish will like your beer.

Ammer · #2 Post by **Ammer** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 9:43 pm

I like,

"That just takes the pee right out of me!" -- Someone finding something hilarious.

(The word is not "pee", it's a synonym)

My brother-in-law's cousin from England said that while watching Friends.

Harmonize · #3 Post by **Harmonize** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 7:54 am

Is it bad that I'm from England and I dont know any British sayings? :thinking:

werepup · #4 Post by **werepup** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 9:01 am

What's that got to do with the price of cheese - That's got no relevance to anything.

Biff-Boff · #5 Post by **Biff-Boff** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 10:04 am

Mine's either "It's all gone Pete Tong!" (Cockney rhyme for "It's all gone wrong!")

OR

"TUNE!" (followed by a T-sign), meaning a song is good.

OR

"You spanner" (like calling some an idiot)

Rachel · #6 Post by **Rachel** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 10:36 am

"you scared the living daylights out of me!" always makes me laugh. its hard to know if its a british/english phrase until someone stops you when you say it and goes "what now?!"

Ixist · #7 Post by **Ixist** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 11:24 am

Harmonize wrote:Is it bad that I'm from England and I dont know any British sayings?

Nope. It's because our sayings don't sound like 'British sayings' because we use they all the time. It's like we would classify "Y'all" as an American saying, bu the people who say it wouldn't.

Mine are "Aye", "Naw" and "You goit!"

charlixsparkles · #8 Post by **charlixsparkles** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 12:53 pm

Harmonize wrote:Is it bad that I'm from England and I dont know any British sayings?

Just what I was about to say :roflol:

Or maybe I just can't spot them being said lol

I just make some stuff up but I can't exactly call them "sayings" :oops:

Anoohilator · #9 Post by **Anoohilator** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 2:30 pm

You're havin a giraffe! (You're having a laugh = You must be kidding)
Alrite mate, you're boring (Used when someone won't shut up)

and no more come to mind..

Nessa · #10 Post by **Nessa** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:55 pm

rachel wrote:"you scared the living daylights out of me!" always makes me laugh. its hard to know if its a british/english phrase until someone stops you when you say it and goes "what now?!"

I've always said that before, I never thought it as a british saying o.0

I would say ya'll is a southern word btw, just like wooder is from Philadelphia.

Anoohilator · #11 Post by **Anoohilator** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 4:19 pm

Nessa wrote:
rachel wrote:"you scared the living daylights out of me!" always makes me laugh. its hard to know if its a british/english phrase until someone stops you when you say it and goes "what now?!"

I've always said that before, I never thought it as a british saying o.0

I would say ya'll is a southern word btw, just like wooder is from Philadelphia.

What's wooder?

Nessa · #12 Post by **Nessa** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 4:23 pm

Anoohilator wrote:
Nessa wrote:
rachel wrote:"you scared the living daylights out of me!" always makes me laugh. its hard to know if its a british/english phrase until someone stops you when you say it and goes "what now?!"

I've always said that before, I never thought it as a british saying o.0

I would say ya'll is a southern word btw, just like wooder is from Philadelphia.

What's wooder?

Water haha.

Anoohilator · #13 Post by **Anoohilator** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 4:29 pm

Nessa wrote:
Anoohilator wrote:
Nessa wrote:
rachel wrote:"you scared the living daylights out of me!" always makes me laugh. its hard to know if its a british/english phrase until someone stops you when you say it and goes "what now?!"

I've always said that before, I never thought it as a british saying o.0

I would say ya'll is a southern word btw, just like wooder is from Philadelphia.

What's wooder?

Water haha.

That's a new one for me

pipsqueeek · #14 Post by **pipsqueeek** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 5:26 pm

Not sure if they're british sayings or just things that one of my teachers(who's british) says, but she's got these sayings like "popped his clogs" and "shuffled off his mortal coil" for people dying. (She's the scholars' bowl coach, so she gets to talk about dead people a lot)

Mongrel · #15 Post by **Mongrel** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 6:29 pm

Nessa wrote:
rachel wrote:"you scared the living daylights out of me!" always makes me laugh. its hard to know if its a british/english phrase until someone stops you when you say it and goes "what now?!"

I've always said that before, I never thought it as a british saying
o.0

I would say ya'll is a southern word btw, just like wooder is from Philadelphia.

I agree on both counts. But it's y'all, not ya'll--you're combining you and all, so the apostrophe goes between the y and the a to show where you're removing letters.
I was wondering, is a'ight a southern US word, or is it more national? Most people have probably heard that one, but it's a shortened/slurred way of saying "all right."

British sayings...well, I like it when people use bloody the same way you use effing. "Bloody vikings" and such. I know that's not properly a saying, but no particular British sayings are coming to mind.