Questions tagged [british-english]
This tag is for questions related to English as used in Great Britain, and sometimes Ireland.
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British school terminology "given yards"
In a recent Tom Scott video, an older gentleman who is currently serving as the town crier of Honiton recounts his childhood involvement in the "hot penny festival".
We used to wear gloves, ...
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Understanding of -pants vs. "pants" in UK speakers
My wife, a native Spanish speaker, today asked me about why a youtuber would call themselves 'craftypants'.
I explained that -pants was added to something as synecdoche, so for example an intelligent ...
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What's up with the syntax of "more fool me"?
In UK English, the idiom "more fool me" means something like "and I'm a fool for doing so".
But how might you try to understand the underlying syntax? Is "fool" an ...
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What is the particular word for a person who thinks in-depth when s/he is lonely?
I am looking for a word that describes a person who can think independently, and in-depth when s/he is alone. A single word is preferrable.
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Context for "There was nothing could be done for him."
Sentences (1)-(2) below are grammatically/semantically correct.
Sentences (1)-(2) are traditionally explained by deletion of a nominative case relative pronoun. However, in my view, sentences (1)-(2) ...
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Can ‘manage’ mean ‘achieve with difficulty’? [closed]
I often find myself using sentence constructions like:
Although the train was full, she managed to squeeze on.
I passed the chemistry exam, but never managed history.
Everybody complained about the ...
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The British equivalent of "X objects in a trenchcoat"
Today while giving a technical presentation to our research group, I used the expression
3 [Insert technical thing here]s in a trenchcoat.
Our advisor (British/African roots, but has been in the US ...
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Is the phrase "put paid to" widely understood outside of the UK?
A comment on this question notes that the phrase "put paid to" (meaning put a stop to) is unlikely to be understood in the US. Another comment indicates that the phrase is widely understood ...
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"This is a good one, this is" [duplicate]
I have long been curious about a particular English (in parts of GB) phrasing habit.
For example:
Oh she's lovely, she is.
That's a nice one, that is.
You should keep doing that, you should.
I am ...
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Origin of "get back on terms"
I'm interested in finding the origin of the phrase "get back on terms". Commentators in the Tour de France and other big bike races use it all the time. I understand it in context; its ...
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Is "in case of need" idiomatic British English?
I've been shown an Out of Office template, and one of the sentences in it asks the sender to contact someone else within the company "in case of need", as the email will not be forwarded.
I'...
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Shouldn't the answer to this question be not given? [closed]
Here is a link to the full passage:
https://ieltsfever.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ieltsfever-general-reading-practice-test-3-pdf.pdf
There's a question in the IELTS reading section. Here is the ...
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Meaning, origin, and usage of 'mitch' to mean lucky/unlikely
Wuthering Heights' Joseph is, in my opinion, one of the more annoying characters in the book, because of a) his temperament, and b) the opaque transcriptions of his thick Yorkshire accent and ...
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Is "hadn't got" correct? [closed]
Yesterday in my English class, I tried to say 'I hadn't got that book' and my teacher told me my sentence was incorrect, she said I should say 'I didn't have that book'.
I bought Grammarly, and it ...
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Is the difference between "what a nerve" and "what nerve" regional?
I understand "what (a) nerve!" means "how rude".
I somehow always thought "what a nerve" is more common and was surprised at the exchange made in this question. ...
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