13 (more) BRITISH WORDS I had never heard before moving to the UK // American in the UK

[@johnhockenhull2819]

In the UK you can scoff at somebody but a person can also scoff their food down. Same word, two meanings.

[@janetryan9779]

In the US one might scarf their food down (eat fast)- but it is also an article of winter clothing! It is so interesting to hear the differences between British and American words, even though it’s the same language! :)

[@emanuelfletcher8861]

@@janetryan9779we use scarf for both meanings in the uk as well

[@janetryan9779]

@@emanuelfletcher8861 Interesting! I’ve noticed that I and other members of my family sometimes use British terms that are not the norm here. I surmise it’s from having seen many programs from the UK on PBS (public television) through the years.

[@iangt1171]

That's the beauty of English So many words have multiple meanings so variations on how and where they are used are bound to happen. Fun fact: the best example of multiple uses is the word "set". In the OED, it has over 400 definitions and has the longest entry in any English dictionary ☺☺

[@nlwilson4892]

We can also use it as a noun to mean food. "Have you had scoff" , "scoff time" etc. very slang term though.

[@timglennon6814]

I have NEVER heard anyone in my 52 years call a person ‘Homely’. A house yes, but a person never. This house feels Homely.

[@tana1234]

I'm from the UK as well and never heard anyone call a girl homely, I'm not even sure it would really work as a phrase in the UK

[@Sine-gl9ly]

@@timglennon6814 I think I might have heard it ... but I have a Canadian SIL and we are both in our 80s, _and_ I'm pretty certain it was said by her to praise someone as I remember a conversation on the lines of 'What a lovely homely, welcoming woman she was! Couldn't do enough for us!' I will ask her when I next see her.

[@dbonk6264]

I said ðe same. I’ve never described a person as “homely” maybe it’s regional

[@quarkcypher]

I am Australian and I have used homely in the American context of plain- looking or unattractive. Obviously been influenced by American cinema and TV. Australia does tend more towards British English but America's influence is prominent. Some young Australians even pronounce the letter Z (zed) as zee, to my surprise.

[@nikkonch]

UB40 song Homely girl? who turned into a "beautiful woman". 1989

[@isotopiary]

I think ‘frumpy’ is the UK’s version of ‘homely’.

[@nlwilson4892]

There's a similar word "bonny" that is good in the north of England and Scotland but an insult in the south. In the north it would mean good looking, but not in a skinny model type of way, in the south it means chubby. I think it is very close to the way homely can be an insult in one place yet a compliment in another.

[@nlwilson4892]

@@toomuchjam That is not what I have been told my my southern cousin.

[@wessexdruid7598]

And then there's 'quaint' - which Americans see no issue using, while Brits get offended being described thus.

[@wessexdruid7598]

@@Catoperatheater As opposed to 'pretty'. When do men get called 'pretty'?

[@michaelmacaulay8074]

NO, definitely NOT 😮

[@jimlaker6552]

Have you covered "Couldn't care less" yet? I wince every time I hear "Could care less".

[@maudeboggins9834]

Yeah me too. If one could care less then they can go lower - hence could NOT care less. Or "he is panicked" instead of panicking.

[@phil2186]

David Mitchell covered this well in a KZbin video 😊

[@andym.6141]

Ditto. I scoff at the U.S. version.

[@lenroddis5933]

Ditto "tooth comb" - missing 'fine' is missing the point

[@jimlaker6552]

@@grahamstubbs4962 I think the equivalent opposite of dumbed down is wised up.

[@akaCol1987]

As a Brit, I have only heard the word "homely" used here to describe a house or hotel room as being comparable to one's home, or having the feel of being at home. Synonymous with comforting.

[@davidphenomenon]

In UK Engligh you can use homely to describe a person (usually a woman) who is simple and unpretentious although its usage is not widespread these days. For all Americans reading this Olivia Walton is a good example of someone Brits might call 'homely'. For the American version of 'homely' Brits would probably use the word 'frumpy' instead to describe (usually a woman again) who is unattractive and/or plain. A good example of this would be Alice Knight the teacher in Friends who was 26 years the senior of Frank (Phoebe's half cousin) but had an affair with him all the same.

[@zak3744]

Yeah "homely" is mainly for a place, but I think maybe if you described a person as "homely" I wouldn't think it meant _they_ were cosy and comforting (or plain and dowdy like in the USA), instead I'd think you meant that they themselves were someone who liked being at home and cosy, a "nesting" sort of personality. Which isn't positive or negative, just kind of descriptive.

[@ajc389]

Whingeing is the British pastime, as in whingeing Poms. A joke in this part of the World is; how do you tell if a plane load of Poms has just landed? The whining continues after the engines have stopped. Also check UB40'S song Homely Girl.

[@davidphenomenon]

@@Catoperatheater from the Oxford dictionary so please take your snowflaking up with them.

[@sallilas]

Me too! We never use this to describe people.

[@grahame9262]

Girl Gone London appears to have encountered the only person in the U.K. to describe a woman as ‘homely’. Well done.

[@mattlm64]

They must have confused her with an ornament.

[@SIMONWINTER-m6d]

The best lesson an American can learn about British English is your use of the term you used "well done" Dismissive sarcasm, I love it !!

[@kirstybrown1185]

Girl gone London appears to have a very passive aggressive comment section. I’m in West Yorkshire and I’ve heard it a lot. Usually from middle aged men and older. 😅

[@lindamarshall-wc4yt]

To describe a woman as homely, is to describe a woman who enjoys homely pursuits, such as cooking, sewing, decorating etc. That is in the UK.

[@matthewlewis2072]

And somehow still not been told to "jack it in"

[@wobaguk]

Ive only ever heard homely used in the UK to describe places not people. Something that has a the vibe of a home vs a house. The comfy welcoming aspect.

[@iangt1171]

I agree. I would never, nor do I know anyone, who would use homely to describe a person. I would use it to refer to an environment or a particular place.

[@zaftra]

an homely woman is used, means a housewife type, normally howglass body.

[@gio-oz8gf]

@@zaftra Cosa?

[@JohnSmith-xi3sq]

Yup, early in our relationship my American wife and I visited a friend of her & on the way home I said that their apartment was homely. Whoa did I find out then about the different interpretations?

[@stevesales4263]

@@iangt1171 At one tim, saying someone was homely was very common.

[@H20.]

I noticed a lot of Americans use the phrase " on accident". It's "by accident", at least here in Ireland, and probably the uk also. On accident does my head in lol

[@coldwhite4240]

Ugh, yes that grates on me too!

[@jerry2357]

Yes, it’s “by accident” in England, too. “On accident” sounds WRONG!

[@JustMe-dc6ks]

If it’s any consolation, some of your phrases grate on our ears too. Unfortunately “by accident” isn’t one of them. We all just have to cope.

[@Sara-jp2nq]

It does my head in too. I presume the Americans are equating the phrase "on accident" to "on purpose". However doing something on purpose accompanies an active verb, and something getting broken is passive and needs "by accident" to describe how it happened.

[@smorris12]

Ugh, "by accident" is the most horrible phrase. What on earth is wrong with the word "accidentally"?

[@stuartfaulds1580]

We also use Strop to refer to someone who is having a tantrum ie They are having a strop.

[@Christographer_UK]

Strop can also be conjugated as a noun or a verb in UK English. Noun a device, typically a strip of leather, for sharpening razors. Verb sharpen on or with a strop. "he stropped a knife razor-sharp on his belt"

[@coldwhite4240]

Yes, a person who is in a bad mood and snaps at you can also be called "stroppy" - as in, "he's a right stroppy git!"

[@jerry2357]

Or “she’s in a strop”, for someone in the middle of a tantrum.

[@matthewlewis2072]

Or "she's got a right strop on" (note: different to "strap-on" 😮)

[@stevewest4994]

Isn't "stroppy" a jokey shortening of "obstreperous"?

[@danielradford1716]

Knickers is another favourite of mine with Americans. As in don't get your knickers in a twist. I have so much fun with that one in the US.

[@SIMONWINTER-m6d]

Yes,that's a word I like getting into.

[@nemesislooms6315]

(Very) old ex police officer here. 'Blag' originally meant a robbery (in British law, theft accompanied by violence or threats of violence). I believe it was originally London slang which became pretty much nation-wide, used by offenders and bobbies alike throughout my service. - Hence the modern coining.

[@colinhumphreys5916]

Also can’t wait to see how many words she can come up with for the peelers over Here 👍

[@colinhumphreys5916]

@@Catoperatheater the founder of the first police force in Britain if my old demention brain serves me right and his first name’s William hence old Bill , please all others feel free to stand me corrected 👍

[@GUser-y8p]

The father of modern policing was the prime minister Robert Peel. Hence police were originally called Peelers or Bobbies. Peelers can often be used as a term for eyes, probably from keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. The term Old Bill appears to have many theories as to how it originated, many of them plausible.

[@simonmetcalfe5926]

I'm a pretty decent blagger. It's not something I'm proud of, but it made me a good 'Double Glazing' salesman back in the day.

[@Stuart_Cox1969]

Yeah, she should watch some episodes of "The Sweeney", top cop show from our 70's tv, love it.

[@michaelpidgeon4348]

Skive comes from the tanning industry, ie animal pelts. Skiving was a skilled but not strenuous part of the process. Hence the skiver was considered to have an easy job. If you look online you will find skiving knives for sale.

[@michaelmacaulay8074]

skAve, not shive

[@nigelhamilton815]

Good reply.

[@wbertie2604]

Even second-hand skiving knives have probably never been used.

[@charlottewebster4233]

I've never heard "table it" before. My first thought was that it meant put something on a table as in food i.e. to plate up / table it.

[@wessexdruid7598]

Putting it in a table, i.e. on the agenda.

[@paulgee1355]

Have you never heard of someone in government, for example, tabling a motion? It's a parliamentary procedure that involves formally submitting a motion to be considered.

[@leod-sigefast]

To table a motion. It is used in politics and business-speak.

[@bi111ion]

Table, as in table a motion. We would understand it that way in a committee meeting.

[@affalaffaa]

So we're all agreed here then, we say everything other than "table it"

[@EASYTIGER10]

I once accused an American of "whinging" in comments. He said there was no such word and that I was illiterate.

[@Poliss95]

😂😂

[@SIMONWINTER-m6d]

Don't forget to remind any Australians you should bump into that there's no such thing as a whinging pom !! Incidentally when I was typing in the word "whinging " the spell checker completed the word for me,oh and it did it again in the " version !!😅

[@vtbn53]

@@SIMONWINTER-m6d As a pom who grew up and still lives in Australia I can confirm that there is such a thing as a whinging pom, but there are lots of whinging Aussies we just whinge about different things e.g whinging pom "oh it's so hot", whinging Aussie "Oh it's so cold".

[@wbertie2604]

Burglarise I never understood when burgle will do.

[@wbertie2604]

​@@vtbn53 on the same day?

[@RichWoods23]

In the UK, 'skip' can be used for almost any reason for deliberately not doing something (eg, "I'm going to skip the next step in the recipe because I don't like coriander leaf") while 'skive' is typically used when the reason for skipping something is laziness, lack of interest, and/or a preference towards something not comparatively wholesome (eg, "I'm skiving off the last lecture on Friday because it'll be as boring as hell and I'd sooner hit the pub early").

[@SIMONWINTER-m6d]

A skip would be a good place to put this video.

[@BryTee]

Isn't "skive" always followed by "off"? Unless you're calling someone a "skiver" (normally preceeded by "f*ing") as an insult.

[@SIMONWINTER-m6d]

@BryTee No,you can skive, skive off,be a skiver or be skiving.

[@UnmistakableSoundOf]

Skive also has an additional connotation of avoiding work even while you are there. If someone is at work but taking a suspiciously long break you might say they are skiving or skiving off. You can also use it as a noun. If you are doing an incredibly easy task that requires little effort compared to other tasks at your work, you could describe that task as a skive.

[@WreckItRolfe]

Yeah. "Skipping" just sounds like it has no negative connotation at all.

[@MrBulky992]

... or choosing to work at a slower pace or playing computer games instead of getting on with official work.

[@Nosmo90]

I prefer to use the word ‘doss’ to describe an easy job or task, but it’s definitely true that people use the word ‘skive’ to describe those. 🙂

[@angusog5227]

Skiving originates from the Shoe making Industry (Cobblers), where the only person who would work sitting down was the person Skiving.

[@markkieran1004]

But cordwainers make shoes - cobblers repair them! Cobblers also means ...you're talking rubbish!​@angusog5227

[@markharris1125]

I used to get 'hokey cokey' wrong but I turned it round. That's what it's all about, in the end. 😊

[@l3v1ckUK]

Favourite British slang word.... Wazzock.

[@parshakamarsh]

I thought the word 'homely' was more used to describe a cosy house rather than a person 🤔

[@sixfootbear]

A plain woman could be described as homely..

[@parshakamarsh]

@sixfootbear I'm sure that they could, I've just never heard the word homely used that way in the UK

[@Equiluxe1]

Here is a British phrase not often used any more, "He is as bent as a nine bob note" meaning crooked or untrustworthy" a usage would be Kier Starmer is as bent as a nine bob note. To blagg something is also used to mean steal such as to blagg the bank. Bolshy is another word for stropy.

[@BryTee]

Probably not used since 15th February 1971?

[@AdamCooper-u1k]

In my family we say you "wolfed" it down... like the animal 😂

[@James-ld2jc]

Or 'troughed'. As in troughed their nosebag

[@charlottewebster4233]

@@James-ld2jc Was just about to say the same "troughed" but as in a pig trough.

[@AdamCooper-u1k]

I've not heard "troughed" before in that context, but im going to try and slip it in tomorrow when I have my roast with the family 😂

[@charlottewebster4233]

@@AdamCooper-u1k You should sit down and excitedly go "Eeeeeh that's look good for troughing"

[@coldwhite4240]

Yes, living in the South of the UK I've heard and used "wolfed it down" before, but never "troughed". Regional variations, perhaps?

[@davidjones332]

"Scoff" as a verb meaning "to eat" or as a slang noun for "food" is generally believed to derive from Auguste Escoffier c.1847-1935, who was a celebrated French chef, latterly working in London. He is credited among other inventions with the Peach Melba.

[@pixie706]

Is that related to the northern England " scran" ?

[@davidjones332]

@@pixie706 Probably not. The Oxford Dictionary gives "scran" an obscure 18th century origin. "Scoff" may derive from a Dutch or Afrikaans word brought back to Britain by the soldiery in the Boer War period.

[@HordrissTheConfuser]

Momentarily = in a moment Momentary = for a moment

[@seanmcmichael2551]

Yep ... and I'd probably use the phrases, not the single word.

[@sallilas]

Not in the UK. Here “momentarily” means lasting for a brief time too, as in ‘She was daydreaming and momentarily lost her train of thought”. It is an adverb (a word that describes a verb). Momentary is very similar, but is the related adjective (a word that describes a noun).

[@nikkonch]

She paused momentarily?

[@sallilas]

@@nikkonch You are using it as an adverb - to describe HOW she paused (the verb).

[@sallilas]

@@nikkonch It still means “for a short time”

[@djacobs47]

Blagging it is more like "bullshitting your way through something", rather than conning someone. It's usually not that pejorative, more a sort of 'respected achievement'

[@agingflowerchild]

In French, blague means a joke

[@bi111ion]

Maybe like "winging it"? Is that a US phrase?

[@hatherlow]

Its not respected if you are the one being theived from

[@mrchom]

For whinge and whine I’d say that in the UK whine can be used but it’s more a description of the sound, usually ascribed to little kids more than anything. A whine can also be a whinge but a whinge is just more describing a level of petty complaint as opposed to a sound. Pitch it low enough, though, and it probably just turns into grumbling instead!

[@rbettsx]

Yes. For me, the root of the 'whine' metaphor is the noise made by an anxious puppy or dog. A human baby might 'whinge' .. a much quieter continuous vocalisation of discontent.

[@simonmeadows7961]

I've come across the homely/homey difference before, but never as a description of a person. It's always been a description of a location. For example, if you've just moved in, everything is in boxes, you have no personal decorations up, you might say, "It's not very homely yet."

[@JustMe-dc6ks]

Conversely, in the US we say “homey” for warm and cozy or “feels like home”, while homely is an old fashioned word that means someone, usually a woman, is plain. As in not pretty, as in ‘the point is they’re not attractive to look at’. And unsurprisingly it can be treated as a synonym for ugly and could also be extended to describe other things as either ugly or at least notably lacking aesthetic appeal. So a bare undecorated room would be more likely to be homely than homey.

[@silveraudi2]

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say "Table it". I would have no clue.

[@paulchambers3142]

Never come across this....sounds like an Americanism creeping in..

[@sc3pt1c4L]

@@paulchambers3142 We table an amendment in our meetings at work when we want to change something in a policy document

[@cheesedoff-with4410]

Generally something would be, "tabled for discussion ". During the war when a British military delegation visited Washington, they were confused after insisting a matter be tabled for discussion, only for the Americans to say, "No, we have to discuss it."

[@davidsummerfield2594]

Table it is new to me, In meetings that l attended to delay or even refuse to answer a question the head of table would say, Lets put that question on the back burner! we will deal with it later.

[@beckyallsopp5695]

We would say 'shelved' not table it

[@alanwatson7560]

The British English version of the American "tabled" might be "shelved" (to put off or aside from consideration: to shelve the question)

[@PollyDayDream]

Maybe 'park it' also

[@mattlm64]

"Set aside" would perhaps be more proper. To shelve something often implies to cancel or disregard something entirely.

[@thescrewfly]

I tend to think of the UK version as "it's on the table in front of us (let's deal with it)" and the US version as "put it on that table over there (for later)".

[@hughtube5154]

​@thescrewfly I wonder if the US version is based on Abraham Lincoln? He was the first person to use the pocket veto, leaving a bill from Congress on his desk without signing it until Congress was out of session so it couldn't become a law.

[@radman8321]

In political circles you table something to be discussed, but if it is not the right time to discuss it, it would be allowed to "lie on the table".

[@danielradford1716]

I'm a Brit living in America and I remember saying to my American wife in a small argument "Don't loose your rag" she stopped her ranting in shock and asked "What did you just say". After the initial shock I explained to her it meant don't loose your temper and leave you guess what she thought it meant. Anyway afterwards we had a good laugh about it together it completely killed the argument and we had a nice evening.

[@crossleydd42]

To get the true meaning, you use the expression with the word 'lose' and not 'loose'!

[@shaunfarrell3834]

@@crossleydd42 Are we being pernickety or just persnickety?

[@RushfanUK]

I've never heard the word homely used to describe any person, it's used to describe a place as being comfortable, like home.

[@WreckItRolfe]

4:00 Game? It's a dance...

[@LecheVitrineUK]

We use 'mardy' in Sheffield to man bad tempered/ grumpy, or 'got the face on'. We used 'wagging it' for skipping school or ' bunk off'.

[@djacobs47]

Mardy is pretty much a northern word: I'm originally Liverpudlian and it is used there, but rarely. Heard it more often in Manchester. Say it in London and people will think you're speaking French.

[@PollyDayDream]

I think mardy is fairly widespread - I'm from E Mids - great word for summing up moody, stroppy, sulky! I'd also say done a bunk, bunking off, or skiving! 🤣

[@JimmyJr630]

@@djacobs47We all use mardy in the midlands too

[@daelra]

Agree. Mardy is common in Northampton so not that northern. Northampton is pretty much on the line between 'baath' and 'barth' too.

[@michaelcaffery5038]

I was told 'wagging it' originated in Birmingham and refers to a dog wagging its tail when it is pleased. Because you're glad to get out of the work.

[@vikkirobinson4131]

How about the word "watershed" in UK it means a line that divides the drainage basin of 2 rivers, often a line along the ridge of a hill. In the USA it seems to mean the drainage basin itself. The word watershed, in TV timings, only makes sense in the UK.

[@Gribbo9999]

Australia, NZ, Indian subcontinent and Malaysia follow the British usage of watershed/catchment area.

[@paulfaulkner6299]

To table a discussion has opposite meanings either side of the pond. Here in Blighty it means to bring forth for discussion imminently, in the States it means to cancel or postpone such a discussion to a later date

[@davidjones332]

"Jacking something in" generally carries a sense of frustration or annoyance -you might jack in a job you don't like, or give up a hobby because you have lost interest or it has become too expensive.

[@JustMe-dc6ks]

Packing it in means to stop or give up often with a sense of failure.

[@radman8321]

@@JustMe-dc6ks Not necessarily. Packing in smoking for example.

[@guyharrison5773]

I think the closest US equivalent I have encountered is "quitting".

[@nicholasthorn1539]

I thought we said "chucking it in". At least I'm 90% certain that's what we said when I was younger.

[@nicksmallwood8828]

I would say that the word momentarily is used for both descriptions in Britain.

[@roderickwheatley9946]

No, not in British English

[@thisperson5294]

No.

[@mattlm64]

"In a moment" is more common.

[@grahamlive]

People do use it but it's a creeping Americanisation.

[@shaunfarrell3834]

Confusing momentarily with momentary.

[@RebeccaPotter-u4t]

I've only heard momentarily in the 'in a moment' sense and I'm from the uk. So I guess both meanings are used here?

[@interrobang8645]

I've seen things like "paused momentarily" but that's usually a written thing.

[@michaelcaffery5038]

I've never heard it used that way except on tv from the US. I'm guessing you are young and used to the imported version.

[@michaelcaffery5038]

​@@interrobang8645but that means 'for a brief time' rather than 'soon'.

[@PatDemitras]

I will be pushing the button momentarily, momentarily. I will be pushing the button for a moment, in a moment.

[@parabot19]

Thanks for this video. It's nice to see someone delve into the topic and not just repeat the same old, same old. In your defence, I can remember my parents use the term homely for a person but it wouldn't be heard nowadays and it would have been used for a house or a home far more often.

[@DJHyperreal]

Skive is very British - can mean missing something like School, or just slacking off. An easy job or task can be a skive. Blag is usually used if you are trying to obtain something - blag a lift, blag a pint etc usually via some creative patter.

[@deniseblake6214]

I think momentarily is used for both contexts in UK

[@stevetaylor90]

It's not.

[@andrewgahagan2085]

It is

[@judsdragon]

@@stevetaylor90 it is but it depends on the context or the sentence used, a well spoken shop assistant would say "i will be with you momentarily" basically meaning shortly or soon but sounds more professional

[@djacobs47]

Never heard it used in the American meaning. Though perhaps the prevalence of US TV and films means that "the younger generation" has adopted the American meaning. Otherwise, those old gits like me never heard it used apart from meaning "very briefly"

[@gio-oz8gf]

@@stevetaylor90 It is.

[@Sine-gl9ly]

To me, hokey cokey is the dance, and hokey pokey is a type of icecream which contains bits of honeycomb (not bees honeycomb, but the sort made from caramelised sugar and bicarb)

[@Alan-ln3ls]

"Hokey pokey, penny a lump, The more you eat, the more you jump."

[@Sine-gl9ly]

@Alan-ln3ls YES that's the rhyme! THANK YOU! I knew there was one, but I kept thinking of treacle toffee (led there by the thought of honeycomb toffee in hokey pokey ...) which led me to bonfire night and please to remember the fifth of November!

[@raindancer6111]

I was just about to mention the ice cream. My late father often mentioned it being sold by vendors on the street from a cart, well before ice cream vans.

[@Sine-gl9ly]

@@raindancer6111 Same as mine did! Handcarts, with two big buckets inside, the whole thing packed with ice and when the first bucket was empty he opened the second, and he'd sold out, off he went.

[@raindancer6111]

@Sine-gl9ly Yes, and sometimes it was tutti fruity.

[@Granny_Cat_Lady]

In my entire 51 years of being a Brit living in England I have never heard of a person being referred to as Homely, it's generally used to describe a cosy place, like a room or even an entire house. I have heard the phrase Scoff in the context of laughing at, or ridiculing a person's: "They scoffed at my suggestion" but for the most part it is used in the sense of: "He scoffed down those sandwiches like he was starving." Table It is generally not used here in the UK, it's usually Shelve It, meaning to put it to one side for the moment.

[@wessexdruid7598]

In the UK, if you table something, you table it _for discussion,_ i.e. put it on the agenda.

[@rbettsx]

I have heard ’homely’ used with reference to appearance, as a backhanded compliment once or twice.. but for me it actually connotes the attractiveness of the 'girl next door’

[@BennyDogwasp]

@@rbettsx Yes, 'homely' is sort of pleasingly ordinary. It's used as a way of saying someone is not pretty, but without giving offence. You would never use it as an outright compliment. It's a Dickensian style of word that hasn't persisted in the modern day.

[@radman8321]

I have heard homely. It's not common, but generally means the type of girl you would set up home with, not high maintenance, down to earth etc. Of course since "female emancipation" lots of women would take it the wrong way, so that's why it has fallen out of common usage.

[@Granny_Cat_Lady]

@@rbettsx I think I've heard it said on TV once or twice - when the characters are talking about another character, but it's not a phrase I've heard in conversation when talking about the person in real life ... I don't think it's insulting by the way it's being used, I would consider myself to be a chubby, 50+ crazy cat lady who is rather homely 😂

[@ThinTinTwister]

Have you come across 'to mither' (it's pronounced 'myther', but I think that's how you spell it), meaning to pester someone constantly in an irritating kind of way? I think it may be one used mostly in the north of England.

[@SIMONWINTER-m6d]

If one can't be mithered they can't be bothered.

[@polyvg]

Yes, see the entry in Wiktionary. I first came across it in mid-Wales and there do seem to be connections with Welsh language. And the possibly similar, possibly related, moither.

[@shaunfarrell3834]

Born in Devon but I know and use mither and mithered

[@kgbgb3663]

@@polyvg I'm from South Wales and I learnt the word mythered (as I have always spelt it, never having seen it written down) from my wife, who is from Humberside. And only in the sense of whinging rather than being willing to take the bother of doing something, as Simon Winter uses it above. That would be "I can't be bothered", or more colloquially, "I can't be arsed".)

[@polyvg]

@kgbgb3663 I'm sure that there are several spellings, and quite possibly several words which might even be distinct! Found this: mither (English) Origin & history I Late 17th century, unknown origin, possibly Welsh moedrodd to worry or bother. Possible alternative from the Welsh meidda ("to beg for whey") or perhaps meiddio ("to dare or venture"). Bear in mind that the "dd" in Welsh corresponds in sound to the "th" in mither, and English also has moider and moither.

[@PurushaDesa]

One of my favourite lines in a film : “ _Pack it in, Frank, you silly bastard!_ ” 😂 No action film will contain a line that British ever again.

[@l3v1ckUK]

Here comes the fuzz.

[@josmith4173]

I’m from London and use the word momentarily as ‘I’ll been with you soon’ etc I.e. in a minute ‘I’ll be with you momentarily’

[@1947dave]

Likely picked up from watching American TV shows. I annoyingly use 'movie' instead of film sometimes, for that very reason! ;)

[@thescrewfly]

Probably a generational thing. US cultural influence is much stronger on social media platforms.

[@Nosmo90]

@@thescrewfly It’s a far older phenomenon than social media, but you’re correct that it’s accelerated significantly as a direct result of social media. 🙂

[@BryTee]

I avoid these, and say either: "I'll do it in a moment" "I'll do it for a moment"

[@nigelogilvie9450]

In a business situation, you could table a proposal to do some project. Oddly I've never heard "table it". Skive off means to illicitly leave the workplace, or to do so with a false reason; but at the workplace you could skive by being present but dodging doing much actual work, by for example concocting necessary trips to the stores to get parts that you already have to hand.

[@Denise-ki9ii]

In UK nit picker is what I hear instead of pernitickey. Homely means plain physically or someone who loves their home and nesting. There are a lot of regional variations as well - for example, as a southern Brit when I saw Even Stevens my northerner friends had never heard of it. Thanks for another fun video.

[@michelesouris]

A New Zealander might just say "picky".

[@stevesm4]

In addition to "homely" being used (in the UK) to describe a place, I have sometimes heard it used to describe rhetoric or imagery which is relatable and easy to understand.

[@BillyWhittle-t3p]

The guy that invented the hokey cokey died. When they buried him they got his left leg in and that's where the trouble began

[@SIMONWINTER-m6d]

His right hand was permanently in the "wanker" position due to the word I can't spell but goes something like Riga mortise!!

[@stephenlitten1789]

@@SIMONWINTER-m6d Is Riga mortise a Latvian joint? Asking for a friend

[@SIMONWINTER-m6d]

@@BillyWhittle-t3p Rigor mortis. That apparently is the correct spelling as to whether it is a Latvian joint or not that one was lost on me.

[@jamescalverley8694]

​@@SIMONWINTER-m6d Riga is the capital of Latvia.

[@SIMONWINTER-m6d]

@@jamescalverley8694 Forgive my ignorance but the joint part ?

[@jerry2357]

At a meeting in the UK, to “table” a paper often means to bring a paper to the meeting for discussion, without sending it round in advance, with the agenda and other meeting papers.

[@grahamwilburn6070]

You don't hear it quite as often nowadays, but in the UK people would say aomething was "going like a bomb" meaning it was going all out (think of a racing car with all noise and movement) meaningit was being successful and it could be applied to a film that was selling tickets at a great rate.. Hence my surprise when something (eg a film) that "bombs" in the US is a major failure.

[@beckyallsopp5695]

Yep if your 'bombing it', you're going fast

[@SIMONWINTER-m6d]

Also something very expensive costs a bomb.Again you don't hear it much now.

[@JustMe-dc6ks]

Going gang busters would be an, old, American equivalent meaning “going all out” or “going very successfully”. More currently a majorly successful film is a block buster.

[@lomax343]

1:27 The American usage of Momentarily is still current in Britain, though it's rare. One recent usage - when Harry Potter arrives at Hogwarts, Professor McGonagall announces that "The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily."

[@andybaker2456]

Yes, it all depends on context.

[@steveannells9252]

....and there was I thinking that usage was inserted for an American audience - or a slip by an American scriptwriter......

[@lomax343]

@@steveannells9252 You may be right. In the novel Prof M says "Shortly."

[@glenrea]

My grandparents always used ‘presently’ to mean this.

[@andreasstavrinides6980]

The best definition I saw of blagging was "to obtain something by wheedling or cadging". Alternatively, "to obtain by persuasion or guile". For example, you might blag your way out of a speeding ticket. It implies a gift of the gab.

[@jackybraun2705]

I agree. I don't think she has quite understood "blag". Otherwise she is very observant and makes many original and interesting points.

[@gregorypaton2081]

Blagging is a verb (an action) and it derives from an earlier commonly used description of the person who seeks an existence by such deceptive means… a ‘blaggard’

[@krisinsaigon]

I live in Asia and teach children - when Americans do the hokey cokey, they don’t do the “woah the hokey cokey” part. They put their legs in, put them out, do the hokey cokey & turn around. But the bit where everyone runs headlong into the center and out, and everyone falls over, they don’t do!!! And that’s the best bit!!!!

[@FishareFriendsNotFood972]

"suss" in the US tends to always mean suspicious, ironic that in the UK it's used to mean figure something out, lol

[@Mr.NiceUK]

Not really, if you are suspicious of a situation, you want to figure it out.

[@glen1555]

Suss is used in Britain, the infamous suss laws, where people, usually young black lads were picked up by the police on suspicion of being upto no good. But often it was just the cops being racist. Reference the Constable Savage sketch from Not the 9 o'Clock News

[@andyp5899]

@@Mr.NiceUK You seem to have got that sussed. 😶

[@JustMe-dc6ks]

Not really. Sussing things out is old and, in the US, currently outdated. Suss as in something seeming suspicious or suspect is new slang, I think.

[@BennyDogwasp]

It means both in the UK. Being "done on sus" is an old term meaning being arrested by the police on suspicion of committing a crime.

[@MikeCrawford-eb6pc]

Skive is an old word meaning to cut into strips or shave off. This was a real job in shoemaking, and was the only job that was done sitting down, and was considered the easiest job in the factory. Hence the idea of skiving to mean 'be at work, but taking it easy'. A similar phrase 'swinging the lead', a job done on a boat when you were incapable (or pretending to be incapable) of doing more strenuous work, as it involved sitting at the front of the prow and throwing a lead weight on a rope into the water to check it was deep enough for the boat. Hence another phrase - 'plumbing the depths'.

[@FlbcImp]

There's a very simple rule of thumb,the British version is always the correct version as the language is English not American.

[@Jeni10]

In England and the Commonwealth, we use English. In the US it’s Noah Webster’s version of English, since the responsibility for all the clashes we have with US English falls squarely on his shoulders. I’m Australian and we use mostly English as given to us by the British, however we have also made it our own by using a lot of slang, much of it is British slang, but we’ve also created our own and each generation drops some and adds new words, most of which, I, as an older Australian, do not understand. Slang is also location based, different words from different areas.

[@SIMONWINTER-m6d]

Ultra correct use of the English language !!

[@JustMe-dc6ks]

And is it lions or tigers that are the correct version of cat?

[@Jeni10]

@ Lions live n the Savannahs in Africa while Tigers live in the jungles of Asia and India.

[@Jeni10]

I’ve used homely quite often, but always in relation to a house, never about a person. You walk into a country cottage in England and it’s rather quaint with different decor in each room, lots of comfy lounge chairs, a hearth that burns wood in the winter to keep warm, trinkets, small statues or carvings, a mirror or two, a candlestick on the table with a vase of fresh flowers from the garden, the whole place feels inviting, very much a home, inviting, therefore homely and comforting.

[@nickgrazier3373]

Hi! Seemingly you’ve forgotten the most famous usage of the word “Homely”! It’s from the JRR Tolkiens “Lord of the Rings”. This being the description of the Half Elf Elrond's house in Rivendell, also known as The Last “Homely” House East of the Sea

[@beth_smith]

Yes! I'm an American and when I first read LOTR 25 years ago, I couldn't understand why Elrond's house would be described as "homely" (plain and unattractive)! It didn't look that bad in the movie!

[@Summers-lad]

It's first called that in The Hobbit.

[@PompeyDave-w6m]

Always a pleasure to hear your thoughts , lots of little day to day things that you really wouldn't think of . Homely is a potentially embarrassing one , the American meaning is a shocker . Some are slang words that have found their way into the dictionary, others very old indeed .

[@douglascorrea8761]

We use squinny as well as whinge, but that's quite a local phrase to Pompey 😉

[@melvincain5012]

I have never used the word "pernickety" although I have heard it. I would say "finicky"

[@catw4729]

I use it, but I’m not sure if it’s from my mother’s Scottish vocabulary.

[@Summers-lad]

'Pernickety' means what Kalyn said. I'd use 'finicky' for something awkward or fiddly, like repairing some small piece of electronics. I've never heard it used of a person.

[@JustMe-dc6ks]

A person can be finicky if they’re very picky or extremely particular about what they like or don’t like. Someone who’s finicky about food is a finicky eater. Persnickety can be similar, fussy. But sometimes it’s more like stroppy or whinging.

[@evertonshorts9376]

To "skive" was a part of the shoe making process. It means to thin the edge of the leather to make sewing easier. It was the first job that could be done sat down, hence the implication of laziness from workers further up the chain who couldn't.

[@Wee_Langside]

Thank you now I understand what the song "Homely Girl" is about. "Pack it in" to this Brit is a stern stop doing that. I think "Suss it out" is fairly new I don't remember it before the 1970s.

[@SIMONWINTER-m6d]

Note in the song the homely girl BECAME a beautiful woman.

[@JustMe-dc6ks]

Suss it out feels older to me. Like gangsters and film noir. But I don’t know.

[@Wee_Langside]

@@JustMe-dc6ks you could be right.

[@andybaker2456]

Another confusing difference is the use of the word "quite". Our US-based Chief Finance Officer asked us to implement a new travel service provider, and we all worked hard to do that in as short a time possible. After the project was done, we had an email from the CFO saying that the project had gone "quite well", by which I was instantly offended as I thought it had gone REALLY well, and we'd all worked really hard to ensure that! To me, "quite well" implied that it was OK, but there was room for improvement! But apparently, that's not the case in the US, where saying "quite well" is like us Brits saying "really rather well". 😊

[@PedroConejo1939]

I don't think this is widespread, but in our house at least, we say 'presently' for the American 'momentarily'. My favourite American word we should import is 'ornery'. It _feels_ right. We'll let you use 'skive' because it's more nuanced than 'skip'. My job is a proper skive.

[@Phiyedough]

In a vehicle a momentary switch is a button that does not stay in eg the horn button.

[@Summers-lad]

I've never understood what 'ornery' means. To me it sounds like a mispronunciation of 'ordinary'.

[@danmayberry1185]

He'll be along presently. Good word, that.

[@PedroConejo1939]

@@Catoperatheater Ornery to me is a good, woody word, whereas narky is a bit tinny. I do however, use mardy and the derivative mardarse with abandon.

[@PedroConejo1939]

@Summers-lad Ornery is sort of grumpy with malice. It is indeed a mispronunciation of ordinary.

[@karenbrammall7914]

I think most of us Brits use the word “momentarily” to mean “imminently”, not to mean “for a short period of time”. For that we would say “momentary”. Love the channel! 😁

[@iam433]

Blag is probably something that a blaggard would do. A lot of modern British words and phrases are derived from naval slang, for instance “not enough room to swing a cat” with the cat not being feline but the cat of nine tails. Or being very drunk as in “he / she was 3 sheets to the wind” with sheets referring to sails (sheets) on a Royal Navy ship of the line.

[@theturtlemoves3014]

You could add 'swinging the lead' for pretending to work to your list.

[@susanpilling8849]

Sorry to be pedantic but in sailing terms 'sheets' are not sails but ropes

[@iam433]

Pedantic is good, I actually should have remembered that from my days sailing albeit a LONG time ago. Thanks for the correction.

[@susanpilling8849]

@@iam433 Some people don't take constructive criticism well so I try to be polite. You are more than welcome.

[@douglascorrea8761]

So many people are saying 'Can I get' instead of 'Can I have' now too, just improper use. If you're ordering something, the person serving you will get it and bring it to you!

[@ruthcole1948]

Or more correctly MAY I have

[@Troubleatmill-h6d]

If you say "can I have" you are only asking whether it is possible. If you say "may I have" it is a definite request.🙂

[@davidphenomenon]

In relation to 'Jack it in' I'd be inclined to extend Kalyn's original definition to say that when you 'Jack it in' not only do you stop doing whatever task/activity you are doing, but you also abandon it and don't care about the consequences of not completing it. For example if you were painting a wall and 'jacked it in' you would probably just walk off and abandon all the tins of paint and paint brushes without any care for the person who has to tidy up your mess once you have left the situation. Conversely I would also say if you 'pack it in' you still abandon the task/activity, but you at least give some consideration to whoever may come along to continue it after you (maybe by packing some of it away).

[@Lazarus-zf2sw]

Leave it out.....

[@nowt1002]

I think the skive thing might be regional. Where I live, in Yorkshire, truancy from school is called wagging school or wagging it. Skive is more like when you're at work but avoiding actually doing any work.

[@stuartrowe3006]

I think momenterily is used both ways in the UK. I, and a quick check with my family, would use it to both mean a brief moment in time, and something that is about to happen shortly. Though i think we are more inclined to say "in a moment" before momentarily, when saying something is coming up.

[@thisperson5294]

That's US influence

[@davem12dim17]

@@thisperson5294 nah, momentarily means "in a moment" in both British English and American English the word for something that takes or lasts only a moment is "momentary"

[@jerry2357]

@@davem12dim17 “Momentarily” is an adverb, “momentary” is an adjective. “We will stop momentarily” or “we will make a momentary stop”, both meaning that we will stop for a moment. Concise Oxford Dictionary: “momentarily /ˈməʊməntrəli / ▸ adv. 1 for a very short time. 2 N. Amer. very soon.”

[@smahier]

Check also "geezer". In Britain (especially in London) this word is analogous to "dude": he's a top geezer, a diamond geezer or (rhyming slang) a real fridge freezer. In North America it just means old man.

[@jldisme]

How about "take a punt" meaning to take a risk or give it a try. Or "I haven't a scooby" which means I haven't got a clue (from Cockney rhyming slang "Scooby Doo means clue). Or "Get in" to express joy at succeeding at something.

[@JustMe-dc6ks]

Yeah, those would definitely be British.

[@Catoperatheater]

I would add that 'punt' is referring to old Irish currency - hence a bettor is a punter. But I had never heard of 'get in' so I learned something. Thank you.

[@nicholasthorn1539]

As a Brit I tend not to use "momentarily" but spell it out, so to speak, and say either "in a moment" or "for a moment".

[@Ellie.12866]

I'm Canadian and I use 'scorf' which is a hybrid of both UK and US terms 😂

[@JustMe-dc6ks]

As an American, I think I’d be less confused by scorf than scoff for scarfing. 🙂

[@andyg1957]

I've heard homely used in the UK with both meanings when applying to a person. IIRC, it's in a Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, which dates it somewhat. Strop also means a leather sharpening tool for a cutthroat razor, and another meaning is a rope or heavy strap used for fastening or tying down something.

[@guybellerby8298]

A good northern word is "skriking" particularly used within the context of children and pestering etc ...

[@radman8321]

Skriking is not pestering. Skriking is crying.

[@Disco_Jay]

How about slow coach vs. slow poke? As for skive, in terms of missing a class we would actually say to bunk off or bunking school in the UK.

[@madmark1957]

Skiver can also describe someone who is lazy and avoids work. As in "I'm a natural born skiver"

[@John.Mann.1941]

Edited for typos: I was thinking along similar lines. Someone might skip something, a class for example, for good reasons. A student might skip a class because the already know that material, someone could skip a meeting because of a dental appointment. Skiving , on the other hand, was always associated in my mind with getting out of something. Someone might grumble that some of their workmates are skiving off in the lunchroom. At least that’s how I understood the term years ago when I grew up in England. I haven’t heard the word skive or it’s derivatives much in the 57 years I’ve lived in Canada, though I think it would be understood the same way.

[@Jinty92]

I would use skiver as you described but also shirker for the same thing. Scot here.

[@madmark1957]

@@Jinty92 I am Scottish as well. I live in the states currently but lived in Scotland for 55 years.

[@SteveParkes-Sparko]

As a 74-yr-old Brit, I'm familiar with the American use of the word 'homely', as I've seen it used in American cartoons several times when a character (usually perceived to be female) appears quite ugly! As others have said here already, though, it's NOT a word we ever seem to use in the UK about people's appearance! A house you may be considering moving to is more likely to be described as 'homely' - "It was a lovely place - really HOMELY inside!" Yes - I've heard expressions like "The CEO tabled a motion today about absenteeism..." , which means he opened a discussion about it. The opposite would be "they SHELVED that discussion for another day". "Jack it in" means to STOP doing that! We also say "Pack it in!" which means exactly the same thing in the UK.

[@idristaylor5093]

You can skive by being there and letting others do the work, thus you can still get credit for attending and a share of the group effort.

[@Yandarval]

Skiving is a practice in leatherworking. Not physically demanding, but skilled. Using a very sharp knife to shave or chamfer the edge of the leather to make it thinner. This is where the word comes from. You are doing the "easy" stuff, instead of the physically demanding tasks like moving wet hides around.

[@BobN54]

The difference that embarrassed me once was 'prevaricating'. I used it to say that I couldn't make up my mind what to do about something. The American that I was talking to thought that I meant that I was lying about it,

[@jamesbeeching6138]

If I said you were homely you might get "The monk on"....IE be upset or in a strop! Another version which is especially "northern " is "Getting a cobb on!!"😅

[@tonys1636]

IE is the international 2 letter country code for Ireland, i.e. should be used. Ingratia example.

[@radman8321]

or you could also say "having a bag on"

[@johnadey9464]

I think that should be "Sus' it out" and a "Skiver" was a leather worker who due to the nature of his job was the only worker seated, hence Skiver = taking it easy.

[@alanj9391]

I found "momentarily" strange when I first heard the American usage in Disney years (decades) ago, and still do. What I do also find ridiculous is the American word "burglarized" instead of burgled - why make words more complicated?

[@nowster]

Also coronated instead of crowned.

[@JimAttenborough-jp1ls]

As you move out of the home counties you will find that words and phrases have alternative meanings. Remember that the Pilgrim Fathers originally came from North Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and South Yorkshire but prior to sailing from Boston, they had been housed in Norfolk, this to some degree accounts for the accents that come from the New England area. Also many words used in the USA appear to have retained their 16th/17th century English meanings.

[@nic3525]

I live in the uk and have never heard of the first word

[@vinceely2906]

Live?

[@nic3525]

@vinceely2906 what's wrong with that word may I ask

[@vinceely2906]

@@nic3525 I?

[@WreckItRolfe]

@@nic3525 He's presumably asking/making the point that your comment suggests you're also foreign.

[@nathan260575]

@@vinceely2906 Stop being so pernickety. 😀

[@charlestaylor3027]

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family.

[@ruthholbrook]

The Hokey C/Pokey was originally a song mocking the Catholic church for all it's ritual gestures such as genuflecting, crossing yourself, dabbing your head with Holy Water on entering a church, the elevation of the bread at communion - and so on. It referred to all the Hocus Pokus - so (I hate to admit) Hokey Pokey is probably correct.

[@iallso1]

Strop is used here in NZ in a totally different context, it is a tie down strap, often canvas or nylon, and usually with a ratchet to tighten down whatever is being secured.

[@SIMONWINTER-m6d]

Two Nations devided by a common language and a fucking great ocean thank God.

[@stephenlitten1789]

Thanks for using the "plane landing momentarily" example

[@nickk6518]

'Momentarily' can be used in both senses in the U.K. At least, I do!!

[@theborderer1302]

In the North of England, if the weather is very cold, we say "it's right parky". And if your very cold, you'd say "I'm starved of cold". But you'd also say "I'm starved of hunger". And if you feel the cold more than most people you'd be "nesh".

[@matthewlewis2072]

"Parky" also in Bristol

[@clivewilliams3661]

I suggest that us Brits need a generous benefactor to print mini versions of OED for distribution to all US hotel rooms as late night educational reading. Far more appropriate in our diverse society than a Bible.

[@nowster]

Oh my Gideon-t!

[@cr10001]

"The doctor will be with you momentarily". "That's not good, we had hoped for a proper consultation."

[@COMEINTOMYWORLD]

The Hokey Cokey is named after George Cokey who invented the egg timer. The song lyrics are self explantory.

[@pamelahugh4]

Stroppy is a great Brit word. I believe it comes from 'obstreperous'

[@dinger40]

Whinge is more an Australian term, but is also use in the UK. Skive is a is a term used in leather working, meaning to thin out.

[@jimlaker6552]

Whinge is commonly an Australian term used to describe the UK, eg. "Whinging Pom".

[@capitalb5889]

Whinge is an everyday wor in the UK.

[@RollerbazAndCoasterDad]

I feel like many of these we have both meanings in UK English. For example scoff. I think you haven't quite got skive on the nose. Skive involves doing something sneaky to be lazy. So you can skive off your job without not turning up by finding a sneaky work around or an easier task to do. As a Londoner we always said bunking off for describing simply skipping school.