British Expatriate Network

We used to have some good sayings and words when I was a kid that you never hear in the States.

For example, she's running around like a blue-arsed fly.

Use your loaf!

She's so gormless.

I'm so nervous, I'm having kittens.

He's as daft as a brush!

drunk as a lord

spend a penny

arse over face

she,s a tart

bloody bonkers

penny for your thoughts

ship shape and bristol fashion

useful as a chocolate fireguard

silly daft apath

the dogs bollocks

can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear

I never heard that, but I heard 'useful as a chololate teapot' or 'useful as a solar powered torch' (which co-incidently you can buy now)

I like 'Its the dogs bollocks'. Really confuses Americans that one.

Also, 'making a pig's ear/dog's breakfast/dog's dinner of it'.

Useful as an ashtray on a motor bike.
Go to the foot of or stairs
No better than she should be
Fur coats and no knickers
I'll be jiggered.

Apparently "Expat" is a Britishism??? I told a bunch of people I'd joined an expat site they had no idea what I was talking about .

I think Bloomin and Blimey should get an honourable mention too.

they are up there with *sod off *

*useless as tits on a turkey* is one of my favourites .. not sure its originally british thou

there is a movement afoot here to revive as a everyday expression the famous C**T word by a lot of feminist activists such as eve ensler. and germaine greer .

http://www.matthewhunt.com/cunt/reappropriation.html.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vagina_Monologues

its a EVERYDAY word in uk ... in america its taboo

I thought my mother was the only person to say "as daft as a brush".
She also had some odd expressions, a mix of Brit and Australian,
including the phrase "I was running round like a cut snake" - meaning
pretty frantic.

I've heard the expression "they were going on like a pair of pork chops",
mainly in Australia, but usually by people of Brit descent. It appears to
mean babbling, or arguing.

I'm amused by "sod it", some Canadians understand it, but most do not.
It's useful for sort of swearing without being detected. There's
a sod farm (ahem, turf farm) with the URL http://justsodit.com/
just outside of town.

Is anyone else familar with the expression "to give a croggy", or was
it scroggy - meaning you rode your bike with someone sitting on
the cross-bar.

Another expression, that I though was just East Midlands, but which
aparrently is more widespread, is the negative attitute "mardy",
meaning grumpy, irritable and uncooperative.

Dave.

Mardy is a great word.

It should, though its etymology makes me cringe. Cor blimey meant literally "God Blind Me."

A few Bristolian ones: -

gert lush - really nice
gert macky - very large
jammy - lucky
Ark at 'ee - Listen to Him/Her
drive - driver (bus)
air-re-all - area
Bristle - Bristol
Daps - plimsolls / gym shoes

Getting tricky
Don't mug me off
You getting lemon
I'll hit you so hard you'll wake up with chalk mark around you
Smashed the granny out of her
A squash like a kebab
Don't be a dry lunch
Better shake out
Have it on your toes

UKMOcha, you are the inly other person I know to use the word Daps. Hubby does and he's a geordie. Port cities eh!

Jammy is a very good one.
Never heard Daps, we always called them "pumps".
Another one I like - "he's a real Bobby Dazzler."

Sprogs and nippers are cute words for kids that you never hear here. Where on earth did sprogs come from?