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1 vote
1 answer
116 views

The meaning of schneid (not sure of the spelling) in colloquial British English (London centric)

The word schneid is used commonly in London (UK) slang to mean that someone is devious and not to be trusted - like a spy for example. It is highly derogatory. I have read that on this site that the ...
Mark Sutton's user avatar
-2 votes
2 answers
164 views

Is "bugly" used in British English?

Is "bugly" (from 'butt ugly') used in British English? And if it is, is it more common in some regional dialects than others?
Swenglish's user avatar
  • 107
2 votes
1 answer
130 views

Unusual conjugation of "to be" [closed]

I encountered several times a certain type of sentences (in colloquial contexts) which were clearly grammatically incorrect but seems to be widely spread and, as a non-native English speaker, I would ...
Falcon's user avatar
  • 121
0 votes
1 answer
738 views

Use of “innit” in informal English English

“innit” etymologically started as a contraction of “isn't it?” and can obviously always replace it. I also know it can now replace any negative tag interrogative such as “wasn't he?” or “can't they?” ...
Zorf's user avatar
  • 139
0 votes
1 answer
69 views

“I'd swing for him”

I occasionally hear this phrase from English characters on the telly, and struggle to guess whether it means “I'd welcome an opportunity to swing a fist at him” or “I'd willingly swing from the ...
Anton Sherwood's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
161 views

How is "soc" (UK abbr for Society) pronounced?

How is "Soc" (shortened form of "Society") pronounced in England? I'm reading a piece of fiction set at an English university, and they keeping talking about joining societies, ...
Nathan Hinchey's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
229 views

What does "arse-knit" mean?

In Alan Hollinghurst's 2004 novel The Line of Beauty, winner of the 2004 Man Booker Prize, there appears the term arse-knit. What does it mean? In context, it seems to be some kind of uncomfortable ...
someone's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
946 views

What does this bit of Cockney mean?

In the 2nd episode of the 3rd season of Would I Lie To You?, a fragment is shown from a 1985 episode of London Weekend Television's The Six O'Clock Show, with someone purporting to be a former Teddy ...
SQB's user avatar
  • 421
-2 votes
3 answers
442 views

Is "green ones" not slang for money? [closed]

I wish I could bring in some green ones. I cannot bring in the green ones. I'm making tons of the green ones. Are these proper English/American English sentences? Can you use "green ones" ...
M Kelzenberg's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
1k views

Where does 'po-faced' come from etymologically, geographically, and chronologically?

The entry for po-faced in Merriam-Webster's Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary (2003) reads as follows: po-faced adj {perh. fr. po chamber pot, toilet, fr. F pot pot} (1934) Brit : having an assumed ...
Sven Yargs's user avatar
  • 165k
1 vote
0 answers
155 views

What's a wedding pip? [closed]

At a wedding, the son of the bride said, "I wish I could have put up a pip for you." What was he talking about?
St Cyn's user avatar
  • 21
0 votes
1 answer
188 views

Olden version of "psychopath"

Apparently, the term "psychopath" was coined in 1888, and at that point, it might not have even been used by the laypeople. So, I*m wondering about a word used for people that display ...
A. Kvåle's user avatar
  • 2,147
2 votes
2 answers
8k views

Origin of the slang "L7"

What's the origin of the (I believe Brit) slang "L7"? In particular what decade (or even century) did this come from? Region? Footnote - entirely possible it is not British; IDK. Could ...
Fattie's user avatar
  • 10.7k
1 vote
1 answer
476 views

On a certain pejorative in contemporary British English

According to the OED https://www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/67623) "faggot" and "fag", used to refer to gay men in a derogatory way are "originally and chiefly North ...
Edward.Lin's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
5k views

Elegant way to say - I'm just curious

On the website we have two account types. One is car expert account and another is just a basic account. Website purpose is to have professionals share their experience with non professionals. ...
ZuzEL's user avatar
  • 327

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