Americans and others! Your favorite British English phrases?
Posted: Sat Aug 05, 2006 12:27 pm
[quote="Earwicker"][quote="rzs"]The ever-present "How'way Man" in the North East of England got old for me. I can only appreciate it now years afterwards.
This is a very over used expression that seems to mean anything the speaker chooses (e.g. "Get on with it," "Leave me alone," "You've gone too far," and just plain "How'way Man.") I'm not even sure if I spelled it correctly, having never seen it written. It was just spoken profusely.
I know there are some people on this board from the North East, so while we're at it, could you please verify spelling on this phrase as well as the on the also common (circa mid to late '90's) word "chava" meaning a specific type of Geordie teenage thug who wears a track suit in the summer, a Berghaus ski jacket in the winter and haunts Newcastle's Metro line asking everyone "lend us 10 pence, how."
Another favorite of mine is "playing silly buggers," referring to the type of procrastinating/general screwing around usually done by a family pet or small child.
They called cigarettes "tabs" there as opposed to "fags" which I think was more of a Southern thing??? I could be wrong, though.[/quote]
Not sure of the exact spelling of 'How'way man' but would expect it to be something along the lines of 'Ha'way Man' or 'How'ay Man!' or even dropping the H so it would be more like 'A'way Man! This H dropping version is the one more popular in this neck of the North Eastern woods and means, usually 'come on, now, please be reasonable'.
Now I am writing this and getting the strange sensation that I've already written this somewhere on this thread. If so I hope I was drunk and that that this is not an incredibly early indicator of Alzheimers Disease.
To add - the expression 'you/she/he has a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp' is a good one. There are alternative variations on the same theme.
Also around here I have heard olds term money 'spondoolix'. I think this might be Irish in origin but know no more than that but I like it and occasionally use it.[/quote]
I remember "spondoolix." That reminded me of another that I never understood the origins of, "cushdy" meaning cool/awesome/etc. For example:
Speaker 1- "Have you seen (insert name of really good movie here)?"
Speaker 2- "Aw, it was cushdy, that."
Is this still in use?
This is a very over used expression that seems to mean anything the speaker chooses (e.g. "Get on with it," "Leave me alone," "You've gone too far," and just plain "How'way Man.") I'm not even sure if I spelled it correctly, having never seen it written. It was just spoken profusely.
I know there are some people on this board from the North East, so while we're at it, could you please verify spelling on this phrase as well as the on the also common (circa mid to late '90's) word "chava" meaning a specific type of Geordie teenage thug who wears a track suit in the summer, a Berghaus ski jacket in the winter and haunts Newcastle's Metro line asking everyone "lend us 10 pence, how."
Another favorite of mine is "playing silly buggers," referring to the type of procrastinating/general screwing around usually done by a family pet or small child.
They called cigarettes "tabs" there as opposed to "fags" which I think was more of a Southern thing??? I could be wrong, though.[/quote]
Not sure of the exact spelling of 'How'way man' but would expect it to be something along the lines of 'Ha'way Man' or 'How'ay Man!' or even dropping the H so it would be more like 'A'way Man! This H dropping version is the one more popular in this neck of the North Eastern woods and means, usually 'come on, now, please be reasonable'.
Now I am writing this and getting the strange sensation that I've already written this somewhere on this thread. If so I hope I was drunk and that that this is not an incredibly early indicator of Alzheimers Disease.
To add - the expression 'you/she/he has a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp' is a good one. There are alternative variations on the same theme.
Also around here I have heard olds term money 'spondoolix'. I think this might be Irish in origin but know no more than that but I like it and occasionally use it.[/quote]
I remember "spondoolix." That reminded me of another that I never understood the origins of, "cushdy" meaning cool/awesome/etc. For example:
Speaker 1- "Have you seen (insert name of really good movie here)?"
Speaker 2- "Aw, it was cushdy, that."
Is this still in use?