Don't get me wrong, I love my Rick Steves guidebook, but his British-Yankee Vocab. guide is NOT helpful. Some of the terms he includes are out-of-date or never used, and other terms are so obvious they're hardly worth mentioning ("the full Monty" is applicable to both those complaints). Rather than write up an extensive translation list, I'm going to define only words that I hear on a regular basis, or words that I legitimately had to ask about because I had no idea what they meant. Also, I'm excluding words like "bloody" and "lift" which most people already know.
Bear in mind that I spend 40 hours a week at a community center in Camden Town. Very few terms on this list are going to be droll BBC-style anecdotes, and some may only be used by working-class or teenage Brits.
cheeky: ...?
(I still don't fully understand what this means, and it isn't on Rick Steve's list at all! A co-worker described it as joking around and crossing the line a bit, but I've also heard it in contexts in which it means flirtatious, sly or even rude.)
i.e. "I can't believe she made fun of my sweater! She's so cheeky."
chips: French fries.
i.e. "Can I have some ketchup for my chips?"
crisps: chips
i.e. "I'll have a bag of Salt and Vinegar crisps, please." (I can usually keep those two straight until I start thinking about it too hard...)
cuppa: cup of tea
i.e. "I'll have a quick cuppa before the meeting."
fanny: vagina... not butt!
i.e. "If you want, I'll show you my fanny." (This was what the little girl in "Billy Elliot" said to Billy Elliot, which is the only time I can remember hearing this word, but it's an important one to tell people to save them embarrassment and confusion.)
first floor: second floor
i.e. "You're on the ground floor, floor 0, so go up one flight, because the loo is on floor 1." (I still find this confusing.)
fizzy drink: soda, Coke
i.e. "I'd like a fizzy drink with my crisps."
fringe: bangs
i.e. "I should get my fringe trimmed this week."
half-four: four-thirty
i.e. "Oh dear! It's already half-four and I haven't had my afternoon cuppa!"
in'nit: isn't it
i.e. "Beautiful day, in'nit?"
Note: This term is often used in contexts in which it doesn't really make sense.
i.e. "You've got blonde hair, in'nit?"
knackered: exhausted
i.e. "I've been up since half-six... I'm knackered!"
Note: This expression originates from Cockney: cream crackered.
oh my days!: oh my gosh!
i.e. "Oh my days, is it teatime already?"
shoot off: leave, head out
i.e. "It's 9:30, so I'm going to shoot off for the night."
subway: underground walkway
i.e. "Just walk down this subway, tap in your Oyster card, then get on the tube."
take-away: take-out, carry-out
i.e. "Is this to eat in or for take-away?"
tick: check mark
i.e. "Just tick the box next to 'female'"
Note: "Tick" is also used in the expression "just a tick," which means, "just a second."
i.e. "Wait just a tick while I get the door."
trainers: tennis shoes
i.e. "I can't wait to go for a run in my new trainers!"
trolley: backpack with wheels
i.e. "Do you want to bring the trolley to carry the sandwiches?" (Someone at work asked me something to that effect, and I said no simply because I didn't know what a trolley was. But I got so curious that I had to ask later.)
queue: line
i.e. "The check out queue at Pri-Mark was sixty meters long!"
quid: pounds, money
i.e. "My new ring from Portobello Road Market only cost two quid!" (True story.)
zed: the letter Z
i.e. "The code is c, d, e, zed."
Monday, April 12, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
You say it's your birthday!!!
Du na na na NA na na na! I'm 21!!! Here's how I celebrated:
WEDNESDAY
My actual birthday got off to kind of a rocky start. I went into work for a few hours, though I told my boss ahead of time that I was leaving early to get ready to go out. Those few hours were very frusturating. Long story short, the office administrator was supposed to be back from vacation that week, but decided to stay in Mexico for a THIRD week. I was extremely stressed, but then my boss pulled everyone who was around into the dance studio and they sang happy birthday to me, which was embarassing but really nice! Then they gave me a chocolate cake, signed card, perfume and gummies. After we ate the cake, my boss made me leave.
So that night, Sean, Emily and I met in a pub in Ealing Broadway called Parkview. It's not the most exciting pub but they have a lot of good mixed drinks. Emily bought us all a shot and then I got a Long Island ice tea, which I had never had before! It was okay. Donnie met us as well, which was extremely nice of him, because from where he lives Ealing Broadway might as well be China. Donnie left after an hour and a half or so to start his trek home, and Sean, Emily and I went to this place called Finnegan's Wake. I love it because they always have live music. That night was open mic acoustic guitar night, so we saw some really good musicians along with a few bad ones.
FRIDAY
Donnie made reservations at this cute Indian tapas place in Leicester Square. Unfortunately I still don't know the name of it! Sean and I were talking to Donnie on the phone while trying to find it and I kept asking Donnie the name, but he wouldn't tell me... he just kept saying "I, M, P, D" or some letters like that. All I know is that the restaraunt name started with an "I." Anyway, when we sat down Donnie gave me the first present from him and Max (his roommate who I've been hanging out with a fair amount)... a book! Donnie said he'd been reading it lately and thought it was good. I asked him what it was about and he wouldn't tell me, so I still don't even know what genre it is (he was being mysterious that night!). Anyway, Sean and I ordered two different types of chicken curry and shared them, and that was quite good. After the meal was over, the waiters brought out a raspberry chocolate cake with candles! Donnie and Max had ordered it from their favorite bakery, and I must say it was really good. Finally, Donnie and Max gave me their third present! It was a dress I had tried on when I was shopping at TopShop with Donnie!! We'd both liked the dress, but I didn't have enough money to buy it.
After dinner, Donnie and Max left to get ready for an early flight the next morning. Sean and I wandered around looking for an affordable club, and we finally found one! It was only 5 pounds to get in with a coupon, and it was probably my favorite club we've found since I've been in London. It was a medium-size venue with fairly cheap drinks and LOTS of people our age (which is strangely hard to find sometimes... often clubbers are in their late 30's which is a bit too old for us...). They also played really good music like the Beatles and Passion Pit, which was a very welcome change of pace from the usual Lady Gaga/"Riverside"/etc.
SATURDAY
Birthday celebrations were over by Saturday, but I thought I'd put it on here anyway, as I had a fun day/night. The weather in the daytime was absolutely beautiful, so I went to Portobello Road Market, which I've been meaning to do. I was planning on just window shopping, but I found a really cool ring for 2 pounds! All in all though, I like Camden market better. Portobello has a lot of antiques and knicknacks, and I'm not into either one.
I wasn't planning on going out that night at all, but had dinner with my two new Austrian housemates. They were going to Ealing Broadway and asked if I wanted to come show them around, so I said why not. They are 17 and 18. They're funny because they when one gets the giggles, so does the other one, and they can't stop. Also, I never understand why the things they laugh at are funny...
Anyway, we met their two friends at the tube station and started to wander around. It didn't take long before I realized I had no idea how to get to any of our usual pubs without Sean, since I usually just follow him, haha! So I called him up and he joined us. We were going to go to O'Neill's, which was packed because of a big football game against Spain's two biggest and best teams, but there were very strict bouncers at the door, and since one of the girls isn't 18 yet we couldn't go in. So we went to Parkview, which doesn't card, and to the Red Lion, our staple and a personal favorite of mine. The girls wanted to go somewhere with lots of people our age, and dancing and music, which unfortunately we couldn't do, but they said they still had fun.
Today I HAVE to clean my room, which is even more of a mess than usual, and start writing papers. Boring, but necessary.
Cheers,
Rebecca
WEDNESDAY
My actual birthday got off to kind of a rocky start. I went into work for a few hours, though I told my boss ahead of time that I was leaving early to get ready to go out. Those few hours were very frusturating. Long story short, the office administrator was supposed to be back from vacation that week, but decided to stay in Mexico for a THIRD week. I was extremely stressed, but then my boss pulled everyone who was around into the dance studio and they sang happy birthday to me, which was embarassing but really nice! Then they gave me a chocolate cake, signed card, perfume and gummies. After we ate the cake, my boss made me leave.
So that night, Sean, Emily and I met in a pub in Ealing Broadway called Parkview. It's not the most exciting pub but they have a lot of good mixed drinks. Emily bought us all a shot and then I got a Long Island ice tea, which I had never had before! It was okay. Donnie met us as well, which was extremely nice of him, because from where he lives Ealing Broadway might as well be China. Donnie left after an hour and a half or so to start his trek home, and Sean, Emily and I went to this place called Finnegan's Wake. I love it because they always have live music. That night was open mic acoustic guitar night, so we saw some really good musicians along with a few bad ones.
FRIDAY
Donnie made reservations at this cute Indian tapas place in Leicester Square. Unfortunately I still don't know the name of it! Sean and I were talking to Donnie on the phone while trying to find it and I kept asking Donnie the name, but he wouldn't tell me... he just kept saying "I, M, P, D" or some letters like that. All I know is that the restaraunt name started with an "I." Anyway, when we sat down Donnie gave me the first present from him and Max (his roommate who I've been hanging out with a fair amount)... a book! Donnie said he'd been reading it lately and thought it was good. I asked him what it was about and he wouldn't tell me, so I still don't even know what genre it is (he was being mysterious that night!). Anyway, Sean and I ordered two different types of chicken curry and shared them, and that was quite good. After the meal was over, the waiters brought out a raspberry chocolate cake with candles! Donnie and Max had ordered it from their favorite bakery, and I must say it was really good. Finally, Donnie and Max gave me their third present! It was a dress I had tried on when I was shopping at TopShop with Donnie!! We'd both liked the dress, but I didn't have enough money to buy it.
After dinner, Donnie and Max left to get ready for an early flight the next morning. Sean and I wandered around looking for an affordable club, and we finally found one! It was only 5 pounds to get in with a coupon, and it was probably my favorite club we've found since I've been in London. It was a medium-size venue with fairly cheap drinks and LOTS of people our age (which is strangely hard to find sometimes... often clubbers are in their late 30's which is a bit too old for us...). They also played really good music like the Beatles and Passion Pit, which was a very welcome change of pace from the usual Lady Gaga/"Riverside"/etc.
SATURDAY
Birthday celebrations were over by Saturday, but I thought I'd put it on here anyway, as I had a fun day/night. The weather in the daytime was absolutely beautiful, so I went to Portobello Road Market, which I've been meaning to do. I was planning on just window shopping, but I found a really cool ring for 2 pounds! All in all though, I like Camden market better. Portobello has a lot of antiques and knicknacks, and I'm not into either one.
I wasn't planning on going out that night at all, but had dinner with my two new Austrian housemates. They were going to Ealing Broadway and asked if I wanted to come show them around, so I said why not. They are 17 and 18. They're funny because they when one gets the giggles, so does the other one, and they can't stop. Also, I never understand why the things they laugh at are funny...
Anyway, we met their two friends at the tube station and started to wander around. It didn't take long before I realized I had no idea how to get to any of our usual pubs without Sean, since I usually just follow him, haha! So I called him up and he joined us. We were going to go to O'Neill's, which was packed because of a big football game against Spain's two biggest and best teams, but there were very strict bouncers at the door, and since one of the girls isn't 18 yet we couldn't go in. So we went to Parkview, which doesn't card, and to the Red Lion, our staple and a personal favorite of mine. The girls wanted to go somewhere with lots of people our age, and dancing and music, which unfortunately we couldn't do, but they said they still had fun.
Today I HAVE to clean my room, which is even more of a mess than usual, and start writing papers. Boring, but necessary.
Cheers,
Rebecca
Monday, April 5, 2010
Edinburgh, I'm Yours
Sean, Emily and I left for Edinburgh on Saturday morning at 7:55 a.m.! It was about a 4-hour train ride. When I wasn't trying to sleep, I saw lots of rolling green hills, sheep, horses, and even the ocean and its rocky beaches out the window! Absolutely beautiful.
We got to the city and checked into our hostel, Princes St. East Backpackers. The best thing about the hostel was its location: five minutes from the train station and about ten from the main street of the city. The second-best thing was the decor: cartoon characters, mermaids, and cool designs were hand-painted all over the walls. But most impressive to me were the bathrooms, which are definitely cleaner than Earlham's bathrooms! Emily and I threw our bags into our 6-person room, and the three of us headed out to find lunch.
After eating a great lunch in a pub in town, Emily and I went to Edinburgh Castle (Sean didn't go because he's been before and the tickets are 12 pounds). After waiting about 45 minutes in line, we saw Scotland's crown jewels, which aren't as impressive as Britain's but definitely still worth seeing. We also went into the room where Mary Queen of Scots was born, and into a chapel dedicated to the life of Queen Margaret. The chapel was built in 1130 so it's pretty amazing that it's still standing. We also marveled at the 70-million-year-old rock which made up part of one wall of the castle.
We ate dinner at a Pizza Express and spent the rest of the night pubbing and bar-hopping. I hardly ever drink whiskey, but I tried some and actually did like it (but it was probably better quality... it is Scotland, after all).
On Sunday morning, Emily, Sean and I got crepes for breakfast, then Sean got a train home. Emily and I had some time to kill before our walking tour at 1:00 p.m., so we decided to go to the Camera Obscura, which has been in Edinburgh since the mid-1800's. I still don't really get how it works... I just know that it's a mirror that tilts on an antenna, and lenses transfer the image to a convex screen, so that you can see everything within a mile or so radius from the camera's location.
At 1:00, Emily and I met a group for a free walking tour. Our guide was really funny. He basically told us about some of the lesser-known oddities of Edinburgh, including "the dirtiest spot in Edinburgh" (where the tax office used to be located, there's a heart made of bricks where people used to spit), and an awful, out of proprotion statue of an old Scottish leader in Roman garb. He also told us a few stories of famous murderers. The tour was supposed to last for 3 hours, but we left after about two, as it was really windy and freezing. We grabbed lunch at a really cute restaraunt that I think was called Maxine's, where I got a traditional Edinburgh draft beer and an enchilada. After lunch, we went into a tartan store to do a little shopping. One side of Emily's family was Scottish, so we looked for things labeled "MacBean" and asked an expert about the history of the name. He also looked up "Ogle" even though it's traditionally British and told me that it had its origins around the 1300's, when Richard II was king. After we finished shopping, Emily and I went to a cute coffee shop for some spiked hot chocolates. Then we went back to the hostel, grabbed our bags, and caught our train for another 5-hour journey. All in all it was a great weekend!!
I'll update soon with 21st birthday celebration stories. With so many things going on in the past couple of weeks, I've been really behind on this blog...
Cheers,
Rebecca
We got to the city and checked into our hostel, Princes St. East Backpackers. The best thing about the hostel was its location: five minutes from the train station and about ten from the main street of the city. The second-best thing was the decor: cartoon characters, mermaids, and cool designs were hand-painted all over the walls. But most impressive to me were the bathrooms, which are definitely cleaner than Earlham's bathrooms! Emily and I threw our bags into our 6-person room, and the three of us headed out to find lunch.
After eating a great lunch in a pub in town, Emily and I went to Edinburgh Castle (Sean didn't go because he's been before and the tickets are 12 pounds). After waiting about 45 minutes in line, we saw Scotland's crown jewels, which aren't as impressive as Britain's but definitely still worth seeing. We also went into the room where Mary Queen of Scots was born, and into a chapel dedicated to the life of Queen Margaret. The chapel was built in 1130 so it's pretty amazing that it's still standing. We also marveled at the 70-million-year-old rock which made up part of one wall of the castle.
We ate dinner at a Pizza Express and spent the rest of the night pubbing and bar-hopping. I hardly ever drink whiskey, but I tried some and actually did like it (but it was probably better quality... it is Scotland, after all).
On Sunday morning, Emily, Sean and I got crepes for breakfast, then Sean got a train home. Emily and I had some time to kill before our walking tour at 1:00 p.m., so we decided to go to the Camera Obscura, which has been in Edinburgh since the mid-1800's. I still don't really get how it works... I just know that it's a mirror that tilts on an antenna, and lenses transfer the image to a convex screen, so that you can see everything within a mile or so radius from the camera's location.
At 1:00, Emily and I met a group for a free walking tour. Our guide was really funny. He basically told us about some of the lesser-known oddities of Edinburgh, including "the dirtiest spot in Edinburgh" (where the tax office used to be located, there's a heart made of bricks where people used to spit), and an awful, out of proprotion statue of an old Scottish leader in Roman garb. He also told us a few stories of famous murderers. The tour was supposed to last for 3 hours, but we left after about two, as it was really windy and freezing. We grabbed lunch at a really cute restaraunt that I think was called Maxine's, where I got a traditional Edinburgh draft beer and an enchilada. After lunch, we went into a tartan store to do a little shopping. One side of Emily's family was Scottish, so we looked for things labeled "MacBean" and asked an expert about the history of the name. He also looked up "Ogle" even though it's traditionally British and told me that it had its origins around the 1300's, when Richard II was king. After we finished shopping, Emily and I went to a cute coffee shop for some spiked hot chocolates. Then we went back to the hostel, grabbed our bags, and caught our train for another 5-hour journey. All in all it was a great weekend!!
I'll update soon with 21st birthday celebration stories. With so many things going on in the past couple of weeks, I've been really behind on this blog...
Cheers,
Rebecca
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