Help with the language.

[Torus34]

Its been said that GB and the USA are two countries divided by a common language. Sitting here on the left bank of the Pond, I'm sometimes mystified by the words coming from 'over there.' Recent case in point; chuffed.

Can one of you Union Jack types provide an up-to-date lexicon of recently-minted words?

While on the topic, check out the new translation of the Bible into Aussie!

 

[magicmonkey]

Grrrr, Americans claiming to speak English again!!!

Chuffed just means happy, been around for decades now, here's a link to its entry in dictionary.com:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chuffed

other words from around the same time:

blag: to spin a con, one can blag or be blagged, one can even be a blagger, this relates more to petty idiocy than 'con artists'

Chav: check out www.chavscum.co.uk it'd take too long to explain but the closest US equivalent I can think of is 'trailer park trash'

Vex: means the same as vexed but the abbreviation has become acceptable.

Rag: to 'rag' and engine is to over rev it, works with other things, basically pushing something beyond it's designs to the point of breaking it.

Lets not get started on cockney rhyming slang!

Anyone else got more?


Aussie bible?!?! I might actually read that one...

 

[GoM]

Lets not get started on cockney rhyming slang!

Best. Language. Ever.

 

[magicmonkey]

There sure is alot of it, I only understand the really basic stuff but I bet if you put it all together it would be bigger than the dictionary!

 

[Torus34]

Thanks, Mate.

Think I'll have a drink with my fork 'n knife. Everything here's just tickety-boo.

Quick story 'bout that last golden oldie:

B-17, WWII, US crew, badly shot up and limping back toward base in GB. Worried stiff about possible German fighters. Pilot looks out, sees Spitfire flying wing. Radio comes alive with a cultured British voice: 'Hello there, Big Friend. Is everything tickety-boo?' Deepfelt sense of relief. With Spit escort, they knew they were going to make it home.

I know you blokes did, after all, invent the language. And a marvelous instrument it is.

 

[JohnMF]

i think we like to take credit for it but mostly all the words in english come from latin, germanic, norse and french.

I have a friend who is german and she knows several languages including english and latin. I like to go through the english dictionary to find the most obscure word that i can find, and often don't know the meaning of myself, and ask her what it means. Even if she's never heared it before, she can usually figure out what it means by familar sounding words in latin.

 

[Chiller]

Funniest thing I ever had happen with the language. I have a close internet friend in Aberdeen Wales. She asked me one time..."do you speak British or American. " I said. Canadian eh:lmao: :lmao:

 

[captain-spanky]

the word 'Avocado' comes from 'Aguacate', the Spanish word for testicles.

 

[captain-spanky]

Torus... check the link below out.. it will help with your 'british' no end and it might even make your barking spider twitch with laughter!

http://members.lycos.co.uk/Tim_Bracey/fun/rogers.htm

 

[Alison]

the word 'Avocado' comes from 'Aguacate', the Spanish word for testicles.

Oh man, you had a ruin a good thing didn't you. :lmao:

 

[magicmonkey]

lol, for somereason it was derived from the earlier latin for lawyer:

avocado
1763, from Sp. avocado, altered (by folk etymology influence of avocado "lawyer," from same L. source as advocate) from earlier aguacate, from Nahuatl ahuakatl "testicle." So called for its shape.

Never heard of a soft lawyer before!

 

[Torus34]

Cap'n:

The link was eyebrow-raising, to be sure. However, I was looking more for those words which might show up on this site. Another example; 'duff.'

 

[Arch]

Another example; 'duff.'

?...... i dont use that word!.... maybe like in the 80's you'd say.... 'the batteries are duff'...... meaning they dont work..... but i havent heard that for a long time.


Some more you may come across..... all fairly modern....

Mainly used in the south east.....

'Safe'....... as in.... 'yea, he's safe'..... or in conversation.... '

john:... 'i'll pick up some ciggs for you at the shop if you want'.....

Steve: ...'Safe'...... or 'safe, cheers mate'

'seen'...... used to reply to something you've just found out.... or already knew.......in conversation would be....

John: 'hey, mikey is going out with sarah now'......

Steve: 'seen'...... or with the accent its usually dragged out a bit... like... 'seeeeen'

not sure if you guys use these already......

'Sorted'....... used to suggest that everything is ok and you've got something you wanted..... derived from 'sorted out'..... and commonly used when scoring drugs.

which brings me to..... 'a score'......

If you ask someone how much something is...... and they say 'a score'.. this means 20 pounds..... and is derived from the drugs trade..... a score is a 20 pound bag of grass (pound as in sterling!!)........ but this word, like many others from the 'street' are used commonly in conversation now....

another one is.....

'Mint'......used to say something is good or great..... as in..... 'that watch is mint'...... or.... 'i like her, she's mint'....

If i think of more i'll add them here.....

 

[magicmonkey]

This is where you all learn about my little bit of pedantry! I'm afraid I'm a bit of a language pedant and it's about to come out....

Score: meaning 20, derived from shepards marking a notch in a stick for each 20 sheep, first known to be used in 1742 (www.etymonline.com) meaning that it's because of sheep that your bag of grass costs you a score.

My appologies for being such a pedant, I just can't help myself when it comes to english (typos aside!)

 

[Arch]

fair do's..... i only knew the drugs version