British Slang Words & Phrases

Discussion in 'Evolution of Language' started by Hal Pollner, Jun 26, 2018.

  1. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    I just came upon another term I was unfamiliar with: twee. Is that a commonly used word?
     
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  2. Patsy Faye

    Patsy Faye Supreme Member
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    Not now so much - unless you mix in certain circles :p
     
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  3. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    What people would use the word. As I understand it, it is exaggerated pretentiousness or some such thing.
     
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  4. Patsy Faye

    Patsy Faye Supreme Member
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    Ladies that have tea, in their finery - would use the word twee
    It means dainty and quaint - awfully nice isn't it :p
     
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  5. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    Ooooh, I found another one I like. "Naff."
     
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  6. Holly Saunders

    Holly Saunders Supreme Member
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    Yep that's really quite commonly used , it has a couple of ways of using it...... it means uncool... , or unfashionable


    ...or it's an alternative use for the 4 letter F word!!...as in ''Naff Off''!!
     
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  7. Holly Saunders

    Holly Saunders Supreme Member
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    Twee is a very old fashioned word...hardly ever heard these days , more often used in print, ..... it means' overly sweet, or sentimental....

    A book like Little Women for example might be described as being ''too twee''
     
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  8. Tom Galty

    Tom Galty Veteran Member
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    I use to say this to my self as a young boy when being told off by some one in higher authority

    "Yes sir no sir three bags full sir"
     
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  9. Holly Saunders

    Holly Saunders Supreme Member
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    LOL, I think we all did that!!:D
     
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  10. Beth Gallagher

    Beth Gallagher Supreme Member
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    Hah. Now I have a new expression, and no one is the wiser. :evil:
     
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  11. Bess Barber

    Bess Barber Veteran Member
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    Loved reading this thread. Was like watching BrittBox channel on TV. I grew up in the rural south. Everyone else sounds cool to us since we grew up using words and phrases someone probably made up 150 years ago while sipping way too much moonshine.
     
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  12. Hal Pollner

    Hal Pollner Veteran Member
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    Pardon me, guv...I've got to visit the Loo."

    Harry
     
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  13. Tom Galty

    Tom Galty Veteran Member
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    This is a nice American couple who have lived in England for about 4 years and make blogs about living here.

     
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  14. Holly Saunders

    Holly Saunders Supreme Member
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    Only a man would use the word Guv to another man, and then rarely ... so those words put together in sentence like that would never happen. No guy would ever pardon himself to go to the loo another man using those words ... and aside from that, generally it's women who use the word ''loo''...most men colloquially say "lav'' ''Bog'' or Toilet...

    British English is like any foreign language ..in that for example you may learn Spanish theoretically by reading the words , but generally speaking, when you put them into a sentence in conversation with a Spaniard they're out of context..
     
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  15. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Holly Saunders "for example you may learn Spanish theoretically by reading the words , but generally speaking, when you put them into a sentence in conversation with a Spaniard they're out of context..

    My friend, Greg Sanchez, born and raised in New Mexico by parents born in Spain, explained to me that correct Spanish and "Mexican Spanish" can be quite different. For example, there is a river in New Mexico the sign for which states "Rio Puerco". To most Mexicans, that translates to English as "Pork River"; the grocery stores here label all their pork meat as "Puerco". Greg grew up believing "puerco" means "dirty".
    Frank
     
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