life in london: 3

3. notes on vocab

the british actually do use 'brilliant' as much as portrayed in the movies. and they actually still use 'chap' and 'bloke' in everyday language. or at least some do. some even still say 'cheerio'.

here are some terms/usages we've only ever heard used since coming here (it may only be because we're linguistically and culturally ignorant). for the record, we haven't listed some of the more typical ones (flat vs. apartment, brolly, wellies, etc.):

naff - tacky, unstylish, uncool
camp - fruity; can also be used to mean 'OTT' (over the top)
knackered/shattered - very tired, exhausted
(get) stuck in - get into, engage, dive in
sorted - taken care of (note the absence of 'out' after)
biro - ballpoint pen
stuffed (up) - screwed (up)
take on board - learn, internalize
wind up - tease, irritate
bespoke - tailored, custom made

minging - gross

gutted - very disappointed

blokey - masculine

chav(vy) - derogatory and un-pc, this is the british version of 'white trash'

fit - apparently means more than 'in good shape' and is used to describe something positive or someone very attractive; interchangeable with 'hot' when used to describe a person

this is clearly not an exhaustive list. as with accents, we tend to mingle with people from a lot of different places, both within and outside of the UK. we'll continue to add to this list as we pick up more slang. feel free to send in your additions!