All Questions
Tagged with single-word-requests british-english
121
questions
32
votes
6
answers
10k
views
Sleepy tired vs physically tired
I'm trying to figure out if there is a better way to distinguish between being sleepy-tired, and being physically tired.
Scenario A: You didn't get much sleep last night. It's only 10am so you've not ...
- 1,838
30
votes
10
answers
12k
views
What would a British person call the biscuits that Americans put gravy on?
What are the biscuits that Americans put gravy on called in British English? They're very different from British biscuits. I like both kinds of biscuits, but the British ones would not be good with ...
- 770
25
votes
17
answers
5k
views
A question asked in order to expose ignorance
I am looking for a particular word that describes:
a question that is asked in order to expose ignorance/lack of
knowledge.
As with a rhetorical question, the questioner knows the answer, but ...
- 251
25
votes
7
answers
5k
views
Does British English have a word for dry, starchy savoury snacks that are not fried slices of potato?
Everyone, the world over, enjoys savoury snacks, particularly dry, starchy ones. Far and away the most popular kind in the Anglosphere are the ones made from deep-fried (sometimes baked) thinly-sliced ...
- 1,045
22
votes
5
answers
7k
views
What is the name of the era under King Charles?
In the UK, the Elizabethan era has come to an end. Previously we have had Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian eras. Under King Charles III, what is the name of the era now?
- 912
17
votes
4
answers
9k
views
Is there an English word for the receiver of a confession?
When I confess to someone (like a priest, or police), is there a word in English for this this person?
For example:
"The suspect just made a confession" said Anna.
"Oh", said Bob, "who was [the ...
- 615
15
votes
6
answers
20k
views
British and American most common term for rubber/eraser shavings
I've been looking for the name of the rubbish left when one uses a rubber (UK), eraser (US). I've come across a plethora of terms but it isn't clear which are more “universal”. (After all, a sharpener ...
13
votes
10
answers
3k
views
American Equivalent of "Bog Standard"
I'm searching for an American English phrase that is the most readily equivalent to the British expression bog standard (which means, as I understand, plain, ordinary or unremarkable).
I'm tempted to ...
- 440
13
votes
5
answers
2k
views
Very unusual meaning of "abortion"
The following use of the word "abortion" got my attention. It is from Graham Greene's The End of the Affair, published in 1951. Here is the context:
"...Listen. I met a man on the Common today with ...
- 7,863
11
votes
6
answers
3k
views
What is the American equivalent of a "backie"?
From Collins
informal Brit a ride on the back of someone's bicycle
And here the words backie or backy is listed as an "untranslatable", the blogger found no American equivalent.
The BBC have been ...
- 7,260
10
votes
9
answers
38k
views
What could be the equivalent term in British or Australian English to the American English word “hillbilly”?
In Wikipedia, “hillbilly” is defined as:
… a term referring to certain people who dwell in rural, mountainous areas of the United States, primarily Appalachia but also the Ozarks. Owing to its ...
user15851
10
votes
10
answers
15k
views
A word for old-fashioned, dirty bar/place (spit-and-sawdust)
Is there a (common) single word for an old-fashioned, non-modern, simple, dirty, untidy bar/place ?
A noun would be preferable.
Details:
There is an informal British term:
spit-and-sawdust Used ...
- 63.4k
9
votes
5
answers
19k
views
When someone praises me awkwardly too much, how to reply? [closed]
When someone praises me awkwardly, as in too much, to make me happy or to get some help or something else from me, how to say "don't do that".
Like, "I'll do that for you, you don't need to --- me."
...
9
votes
3
answers
954
views
What's the AmE and BrE for "tartaruga"?
In Italian the term "tartaruga" (turtle) is used also to refer to well defined abdominal muscles on the notion that they look like a turtle shell:
Is there a slang/colloquial term or short ...
user66974
8
votes
10
answers
36k
views
word(s) to describe someone judge others by one tiny detail
I wonder if there is a word or a few words or phases that describe a person very often:
judge a person based on one or two tiny details or critise harshly over small mistakes that one made (probably ...
- 91