Thinking of
taking a trip to London? Be careful. There's a world of English that people
speak in London that you may have never heard before. Prepare yourself with
London’s most common lingo below!
Blimey! This is a popular
expression to use when you are surprised. For example, "Blimey!
The weather's terrible today!"
Keep your hair
on. Your hair isn't really going anywhere. This expression really means stay
calm. For example, "Keep your hair on. It's an easy problem to fix."
Pear-shaped. This is used to
describe a situation that went wrong. For example, "I started
my new job the other day and I was so nervous, it all went pear-shaped."
Have it large. You say this
when you plan on going out and having a good time. For example, "It's
Saturday! We're gonna have it large tonight!" You can also
say, larging it.
Bob's your
uncle. If someone says this to you, it doesn't mean you have a long, lost uncle
named Bob living in London. Londoners use this expression to announce that something
is finished or OK. For example, "You just plug it in, turn on the power, and
Bob's your uncle!"
Dog's dinner. When people say
something is like a dog's dinner, they're saying it's a mess. For example,"Your
hair looks like a dog's dinner," means your hair
is a little messy, not that their dog would like to eat it!
All over the
shop. This expression has nothing to do with shopping. It describes a person who
is disorganized. If someone tells you, "you're all over the shop," you should stop
and think for a while. Londoners also say, all over the
gaff.
Smashing. No, this is not
about breaking things! It's really used to describe something that's good or
great. For example, "Last night's party was smashing!"
Hank Marvin. If someone says, "I'm Hank
Marvin!" it isn't his or her name. It really means that person is very hungry. For
example, "What do you want to eat for dinner? I'm Hank Marvin!" This is an
example of London's rhyming slang - Hank Marvin rhymes with starvin', which means
hungry.
Let's have a
bubble bath. Don't worry, Londoners aren't really asking you to take a bubble bath with
them. A bubble bath really means a laugh. They just want you to laugh along with them.