9 British Phrases I Had NEVER Heard before Moving to the UK

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[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

Someone please tell me you have an uncle named Bob.

[@leftmono1016]

Bob is actually by auntie’s live-in lover. So pretty close 😉

[@FalcomScott312]

No, I have an Uncle Robert here!

[@TheEulerID]

My father's name was Bob, and he was also an uncle, just that of my cousins'.

[@bobanob1967]

I am a bob and I am an uncle.

[@RoyCousins]

Bob's your Uncle and Fanny's your Aunt. By the way "Swings & Roundabouts" refers to the original meaning of Roundabouts (spinning drum playground equipment).

[@kevinthorns6238]

I was in nyc in 2015. We shared a breakfast table with an American family. The teenage daughter was full of beans and her mother said to me. She is always full of spunk she gets that from her father. I smiled and my wife glared at me and said don’t you dare respond to that.

[@peterjemmett6036]

The door was wide open, how could you not go in?

[@Vehlin]

@@peterjemmett6036because her dad got their first

[@matthewbishop9342]

I'd have to bury my head in the menu and pretend it didn't happen cos there's no way I could keep me mouth shut 😂😂😂😂

[@gmaureen]

i'm American, from the midwest, the saying,"'he/she is full of beans" was fairly common back in the 60's and generally applied to children. I don't think anyone uses it now. Spunk was also common. referring to energy/bravery. Again, I don't think it's used much anymore.

[@michaeldibb]

​@@gmaureenspunk can mean that in the UK, but it often means semen.

[@peteince]

The full "Swings and Roundabouts" phrase is "What you lose on the swings, you gain on the roundabouts," and relates to fairground rides. The saying originated from fairground owners. They may have lost money on the swings, but they balanced it up on the roundabouts. In the US, I believe roundabouts are known as carousels.

[@shanstergoodheart5177]

I don't know if it actually comes from fair ground owners but it is also from a poem. Roundabouts and Swings by Patrick R Chambers.

[@andracious]

A similar phrase would be 'it will all come out in the wash'

[@MarkLikesCoffee860]

It's as broad as its long

[@OldNintendoNerd]

One of my favourites. “All fur coat and no knickers!” 😂

[@mummylove5]

Love that one, too 😂

[@raindancer6111]

Red hat, no gloves, knickers to match. 😅

[@Rachel_M_]

😂 I haven't heard that for years

[@marshac1479]

All mouth and no trousers

[@crossleydd42]

There's also, "Champagne manners on lemonade money!".

[@TheWkdwiz]

Just to confuse you more, the full phrase of "Bobs your Uncle" is " Bobs your Uncle and Fanny's your Aunt"

[@Simon-lw4uc]

And we all love a fanny don't we 😂😂

[@raindancer6111]

Bob's yer uncle, Charlie's yer aunt. 😂

[@rogermellie8068]

Robert is your mother's brother 😂👍

[@darrin2382]

Bobs your Uncle, Fanny's your mother's sister.

[@johnberry5296]

“swings and roundabouts “ is referring to children’s swings and roundabouts in the park nothing to do with roads or driving.

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

didn't know that, thank you!

[@grahamtruckel]

I think the original phrase was "what you lose on the swings, you gain on the roundabouts".

[@Canalcoholic]

Roundabouts in this context is what you might think of as fairground carousels.

[@user-in2jm3yu5f]

Swings and roundabouts is more a reference to different things can be seen as the same thing in certain context. It’s sometimes used when reflecting on good luck/ bad luck. Similar to you win some you lose some, or two sides of the same coin.

[@Alucard-gt1zf]

​@@Canalcoholicno it isn't, it's the spinny things in a playground, the ones where you get in the middle and have a friend pull on the rail to rotate it

[@fishtigua]

A 'Chock' is a wedge for a wooden block. When old wooden Navy ships were hauled out to clean and repair, wooden blocks were laid out for the hull to sit on. To tighten these blocks, wooden wedges would be hammered under the blocks to tighten the contact patch:- hence Chock-a-Block.

[@crossleydd42]

"Bits & Bobs" originated from carpenters' tool kits containing parts for a drill, with bits used for making holes while bobs are routing or screwdriving drill attachments.

[@vikkirobinson4131]

My mum sent me into hysterics once when she exclaimed as a mark of surprise and disbelief "Well I'll go to the foot of our stairs!". I have heard it occasionally since, but it still strikes me as odd!

[@Poliss95]

@vikkirobinson4131 Also 'Shut that door'.

[@stephenlount4943]

@@Poliss95 Or "shut the back door!"

[@julianbarber4708]

Love that one!

[@philroberts7238]

""Go to the foot of our stairs" is a Northern (English) expression, not used in the South. I first heard it as a kid on Corrie and my dad, who was from Manchester, had to translate it, as well as a few others, such as, for example, : 'a bit parky', 'once in a Preston Guild, 'mithering', and 'a bit poorly'

[@habari5251]

My son when he was about 8yo started a new family saying “Take the cow to the market”! He was being deliberately funny and the way he said it was hilarious. He’s now 20 and that is a common phrase for us. 😂

[@topguydave]

Another one for 'bits and bobs', is 'odds and sods'.

[@John.Mann.1941]

Or “odds and ends”.

[@duntalkin]

Doesn't everyone have an odds and sods drawer in the kitchen the one with all the bits and bobs that might come in handy one day, I've also got an odds and sods folder on my email account for all the emails I want to keep but don't fit anywhere else 😉

[@andyp5899]

@@duntalkin TThe drawer also contains thingamajigs, whatchamacallits and oujamaflips but never a tin of elbow grease.

[@duntalkin]

@@andyp5899 I bloody wish it did sometimes 😔, as for the other whatjacallits I got those but the bucket load

[@kh23797]

Was about to say this... :)

[@petersmith4423]

Chock-a-block is a naval term and comes from working the rigging of a sailing ship.

[@sean65xjrurwin61]

My Gran used to say "up the wooden hills to Bedfordshire" meaning to go upstairs to bed ... 🇬🇧

[@joeloliver9544]

Yes my mum said that one

[@prva9347]

'do' intentionally sounds understated. If about oneself it's probably self-deprecating. "I'm having a do" (or even "I'm having a bit of a do") is what you'd say if you're having a lavish landmark birthday party with a hired venue, plenty of food and drink, hired entertainers/caterers/DJ etc!

[@robertweaver7210]

There was even a UK tv sitcom named "A Bit of a Do" starring David Jason back in 1989 (2 series).

[@tomski199]

I love these idioms translated into other countries where the analogies are different. The German for “six of one, half a dozen of another” is “acht und acht” (8 and 8). Their version of “it’s all Greek to me” is “I only understand railway station”. The Spanish for “it’s a small world” is “the world is a napkin” Toodle-pip :-)

[@jajabez8379]

Tangentially, I wonder if it's true that in medieval English a 'napkin' was a small 'napron' for a while, but then the big version became 'an apron'.

[@oida6599]

@tomski199: In which part of Germany did you hear “acht und acht”? I‘m from the South and I can‘t recall ever having heard it. The expressions I know are “Jacke wie Hose” (a jacket’s as good as a pair of trousers), and, in my local dialect, “ghupft wia gsprunga” (roughly, a hop is as good as a jump)

[@garysmith5025]

In parts of Scotland and north-east England, instead of “six of one, half a dozen of another” you'll hear "six and two threes".

[@helenwright3201]

Toodaloo I'd say lol

[@KevinAmatt]

I like the phrases ‘keep your shirt on’ meaning don’t lose your temper. And ‘don’t get your knickers in a twist’ land girls from the war. If they removed them too fast they got in a twist.

[@BrightonandHoveActually]

Also keep you hair on.

[@henrycopeland7316]

“You are about as much use as - 1)a chocolate fire guard, 2) a chocolate tea pot, 3) a one legged man in a butt kicking contest

[@Yandarval]

Arse kicking. Your one legged man, fell at the last British fence :)

[@NickfromNLondon]

Arse kicking contest please.

[@user-bj3jk2sm5e]

Arse

[@davew4998]

​@@user-bj3jk2sm5eI wanted to write Arse on its own, but you beat me to it.

[@tonys1636]

"Its all gone tits up" is a favourite, meaning all gone South or Pear shaped, the plan has gone wrong or it's now dead, thrown out.

[@martinhughes2549]

It's all gone Pete Tong

[@speleokeir]

And if someone falls over they've gone "Arse over tit".

[@wessexdruid7598]

_"Take the mickey" may be an abbreviated form of the Cockney rhyming slang "take the Mickey Bliss", a euphemism for "take the piss." It has also been suggested that "mickey" is a contraction of "micturition," in which case "take the micturition" would be a synonymous euphemism for "take the piss."_ Wikipedia It's been around since before WW2.

[@davew4998]

'Take the micturation'? You're 'aving a laugh, aintcha?

[@lynby6231]

@@davew4998he’s taking the mictuation innit

[@davew4998]

@@lynby6231 I think he is!

[@2eleven48]

Kalyn...just to clarify. The 'roundabout' here refers to a circular contraption that kiddies climb onto and then spin around on (hence the name). They were often seen in playgrounds, as were swings, but I'm not sure would be allowed now for safety reasons. Robert, uk.

[@MikeBradleyUK]

Have you not been to a playground for a long long time, these roundabout contraptions still exist and still get installed.

[@stephenlee5929]

They are still allowed, they are generally set flush in the ground, so legs cannot be trapped under them now. An alternative phrase might be 6 of one and half a dozen of the other.

[@BrightonandHoveActually]

@@MikeBradleyUK I've not seen a witch's hat for yonks - which (not witch) gives us another term. "Yonks" - "Donkeys' years" - meaning a very long time.

[@KenFullman]

@@BrightonandHoveActually The word "yonks" comes from the amalgamation of Years mONths and weeKS

[@julietannOsfan1972]

@@BrightonandHoveActuallyI used to call it the umbrella.

[@PedroConejo1939]

A local one from where I grew up, and which I'm forever having to explain is, 'It's come up reet black over Bill's mother's', meaning the sky is dark (stormy) over there.

[@joanmduncan]

I say "it's looking black over Bill's mother's" I live in West Yorkshire.

[@robertweaver7210]

@@joanmduncan My family said this for years when I was a child (MANY years ago). I'm from the Midlands (a Brummie).

[@Drew-Dastardly]

The "reet" gives it away as Geordie to me (Newcastle/Tyneside for anyone outside of the UK). I'm a Scouser but love the Geordie accent!

[@accomuk]

Common Northamptonshire expression.

[@PedroConejo1939]

@@Drew-Dastardly Derbyshire

[@michaelwhitcombe7749]

For roundabout think carousel, not the traffic island!

[@jamesbeeching6138]

I love "Don't get your knickers in a twist!!" ...."A Bit of a Do" was also a brilliant comedy drama series in the 80s which starred David Jason....

[@nigelhamilton815]

Black over bills mother. Common in the west Midlands. A lot of our rain comes from the Stratford area, where bill Shakespeare was born.

[@missprimproper1022]

I'm amazed that you immediately thought of the roads when you said "swings and roundabouts". Roundabouts are a common playground apparatus, the same as swings, slides or seesaws are.

[@anonymes2884]

"Chuffed to bits" or "rough as a badger's arse" have to be my contenders for most British phrase I actually use daily (honorary mention, as always, to "the dog's bollocks" :). (one I sometimes use purely in a toast is from Scotland, "Lang may yer lum reek" - literally "Long may your chimney smoke" or basically "I wish you good fortune"/"Here's to you")

[@etherealbolweevil6268]

While in the pet animal domain "face like a cats behind / arse" usually applied to gentleman with luxuriant facial hair and a pink pout.

[@LordToogood]

The origin of phrase "Bob's your uncle" is somewhat debated, but the most widely accepted theory traces it back to British political history in the late 19th century. The story goes like this: in 1887, British Prime Minister Robert Cecil, also known as Lord Salisbury, appointed his nephew, Arthur Balfour, to a series of important government positions, including Chief Secretary for Ireland. The appointment was seen by many as nepotism. Since "Bob" is a common nickname for Robert, and Balfour was his nephew, people began saying "Bob's your uncle" as a way of suggesting that success or promotion was easily achieved through family connections, or that something was as simple as having a powerful relative. Over time, the phrase evolved into a more general expression meaning "there you go" or "everything is sorted."

[@grapeman63]

The only problem with this ingenious explanation is that the first attested use of the phrase is not until 1924 - almost 30 years after the events to which it is ascribed.

[@davemagrel3349]

The expression apparently dates back to 1887 when the original "Uncle Bob"-British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury-made his nephew (Arthur Balfour) Irish Secretary in a move that reeked of nepotism.

[@grapeman63]

@@davemagrel3349 For that to be a credible explanation you will need to prove that the phrase was in use prior to 1924. No-one has, so far, managed to do this. Perhaps you'll be the first...

[@barneylaurance1865]

For context on the Chief Secretary for Ireland thing: in 1887 Ireland was part of the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland". Most of Ireland left that union in 1922.

[@grapeman63]

Just checked my source "The Oxford Dictionary of Idioms", and it seems that the phrase is actually not attested until the 1930s, so I was giving you a decade. It's actually over 40 years later.

[@john_g_harris]

"I've got the Lurgi", from the Goon show. Newspapers and the Oxford dictionary say it's now spelt lurgy, but one of the jokes in the program that made it popular doesn't work if you spell it with a y.

[@MatthewBrannigan]

And America has cooties - it's funny that both countries have a word for a completely fictional disease!

[@Lily-Bravo]

We always had the lurgy at primary school in the 1950s. Spelled with a "y". When we played chase (tag) and caught someone we shouted "You've got the lurgy".

[@zollykod2541]

I think this rather shows just how beautiful and expressive British English is - I love the fact that we have these colourful and varied expressions that just don't have an equivalent in the US.

[@leroytrio5227]

If the sky is threatening bad weather in the distance we use the phrase "its black over Bill's mother's". Bill being William Shakespeare and his mother was Mary Arden. Her house being close to Stratford-upon-Avon.

[@kgbgb3663]

_Black over Bill's 'taters,_ for me. But I have no idea how potatoes come into it. Maybe someone called William had an allotment a bit to the west, where the weather comes from.

[@kgbgb3663]

_Black over Bill's 'taters_ where I come from. I've never heard of it being connected with Shakespeare; I always imagined that someone called William must have had a potato farm a bit to the west of where the saying arose, the west being where the weather usually arrives from in England.

[@kgbgb3663]

Strange, my first reply just disappeared, but now it's back.

[@kgbgb3663]

My wife has corrected me. _It's black o'er our Jack's 'taters._ She's from Lincolnshire. Lots of potatoes in Lincolnshire.

[@dunebasher1971]

The phrase is only recorded from the very early 20th century, and there's no particular reason to link it to Shakespeare; nobody knows for sure, but it probably came out of music hall. Bill and his mother most likely aren't referring to any specific people, it's just a more interesting and characterful way of saying "over there".

[@idristaylor5093]

A "99" obtained mostly from an ice cream van; meaning a wafer cone filled with soft ice cream that has a flake added, optionally with raspberry source and kibbled nuts.

[@arthurerickson5162]

Yes! A favorite of mine! When I visit my friends in the UK, the first 2 things I get are a pint and a 99😉. At home (New Jersey), I have a supply of Cadbury flakes and use them whenever I get a soft ice cream!

[@Poliss95]

@idristaylor5093 No one has yet discovered the origin of 99. Cadbury don't know.

[@TheHookahSmokingCaterpillar]

​@@Poliss95It comes from the days when Italians owned ice cream parlours in the UK and was a marketing thing to them. IIRC a king of Italy had 99 guards, so it was a way of saying that something was special or the best - which 99s are 🙂

[@dunebasher1971]

@@TheHookahSmokingCaterpillar There's no actual evidence to support that, unfortunately. And people have looked :)

[@Poliss95]

By Jove I've got it! The American equivalent of 'swings and roundabouts' is 'You win some. You lose some.' I know it's American because I heard it on Charlie Brown. 😁😁

[@envitech02]

Another very Britishy phrase - whoopsadaisy!

[@topguydave]

In swings and roundabouts, the roundabout refers to a child's roundabout in a play area or park, next to the swings, and not a traffic roundabout.

[@dazo69]

Some say that taking the Mick or Micky is from Cockney rhyming slang "take the Mickey Bliss", a euphemism for "take the piss."

[@drzander3378]

Or from the medical term micturition, i.e. urinating.

[@dazo69]

@drzander3378 I have heard that as well, but somehow I don't think your average Londoner who spoke rhyming slang would even know a word like that.

[@SvenTviking]

Exactly that.

[@SvenTviking]

@@dazo69you’d be surprised.

[@isotropisch82]

The best translation of "bits and bobs" is "odds and ends"

[@brumplum]

Like many British idioms originating from workmen's jargon , "bits and bobs" comes from wood workers' tools, which included Bits for making holes, and Bobs for routing or similar attachments, of both of which a well-equipped worker would have plenty. The term then came to mean a collection of small items that may be similar and can't be easily identified by name, and from there any collection of random things. Similar phrases from other backgrounds include "odds and ends" or "bits and pieces"

[@chemistmanuk]

For someone standing in your light “you make a better door than a window”.

[@katejackson7432]

sountrack of my youth lol

[@laurelcosten1012]

Now that’s one we use in California!

[@duntalkin]

We used it to the kids when they used to stand in front of the telly 😮😅

[@Lily_The_Pink972]

I'm a fan of adding ' ...said the actress to the bishop' to certain sentences. Adds a certain tone of innuendo to an innocent phrase.

[@duntalkin]

I still add it to some sentences sometimes just to get a reaction 😊😅😂

[@Lily_The_Pink972]

@@duntalkin Good lad!

[@duntalkin]

@Lily_The_Pink972 ooo, I've not been called a lad in 50 years or more. Thanks for the downgrade 😂🤣😅

[@Lily_The_Pink972]

@@duntalkin 🤣🤣 A good northern term!

[@Sandysand701]

you could say: he was smartly dressed, or even suited and booted.

[@scrappystocks]

I think bits and bobs might have referred to old coinage. Bits were small coins. For example we had coins worth three pence that were called threepenny or thruppeny bits. Bobs were names give to coins, such as the shilling. Give me a couple of bob or give me two shillings.

[@stephenlee5929]

Sorry, I don't think so, I think its the carpenters tools, Bits for drilling holes Bobs for Routing or screwing. I think the US equivalent is Odds and Ends, which in UK can be Odds and Sods as an alternative.

[@grahameandrew5510]

The exact equivalent in the US is Nickels and Dimes! Now the coinage has changed it means small items (l am old enough to remember the old coins)

[@clivemason-ms8ju]

Hi, great video as usual. The roundabout in swings and roundabouts I believe refers to the merry-go-round often found in parks for children to play on, sort of like a carousel in the US, rather than the roundabout found on roads.

[@lukecarruthers]

Lovely video, great work. Ah well done! I was going to mention that roundabout in the phrase meant a carousel type thing rather than the type of road junction. Good job 😊 Most British phrase or idiom: Someones suggested "a whole different kettle of fish" above "Sod's law" you might come across, meaning basically 'anything that can go worong, will go wrong' 😊 One you might possibly hear from a much older person but which I'd not repeat EVER is that [a person], was "as black as your hat", meaning someone of African/Caribbean heritage.

[@olivergunner4135]

The other uses for the word smart is derived from its original meaning in Old English of sharp pain which is why you may hear someone say “It smarts” if they cut themselves. The common usage now comes from a person being mentally sharp aka smart. Another similar idiom for looking smart is looking sharp.

[@TukikoTroy]

'Bits and bobs' originated from carpenters' tool kits containing parts for a drill, with bits used for making holes while bobs are routing or screwdriving drill attachments.

[@pwblackmore]

Or plumb bobs

[@GenialHarryGrout]

Where I'm from and maybe in other UK places, the term mickey mouse usually refers to something that isn't very good, whether that is a person doing a bad job or an item. Chocolate fireguard is also used for an item that is useless

[@timrobertson1571]

As is "chocolate teapot".

[@PLuMUK54]

A Mickey Mouse degree...

[@stephenlee5929]

@@PLuMUK54 Worse , A Mickey Mouse Degree, but also a Desmond.

[@kgbgb3663]

@@timrobertson1571 _A chocolate teapot_ has become a technical term in sudoku. It's when you have three cells, which you know have between them three values, but each cell has two possibilities so you don't actually know the value of any of them.

[@ravenclawgraduate2900]

A spanner in the works comes from the early days of machinery breaking in the early industrial revolution when people wanting to sabotage the machinery would throw spanner, for example, into the moving gears to destroy the machinery, Sabotage is, in fact, the French equivalent as it comes from workers throwing a clog - wooden shoe -(sabot in French) into working machinery.

[@srb93ma]

One of my favourite UK TV series was "A Bit Of A Do", which each week centred about a party or a social gathering.. 😃

[@lawrencegt2229]

Missing our pair of greeting words, derived from the habit of sharing news and information: "Watcher" = hello, a contraction of "What cheer" i.e. what news have you got, what's up, what's going on? ...and its closing partner... "Cheerio"

[@milu9099]

I think we have the "swings and roundabouts" in swedish to. The full meaning would then go something like "You gain back on the swings what you lost on the carosels".

[@thisisnev]

The origins are uncertain, but a common hypothesis is that the expression arose after Conservative Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury ("Bob") appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1887, an act of nepotism, which was apparently both surprising and unpopular. Whatever other qualifications Balfour might have had, "Bob's your uncle" was seen as the conclusive one. (from Wikipedia) If true, I'm inordinately pleased that a satirical expression from the 19th century is still in current usage well into in the 21st!

[@ralphbrades4378]

"Black over Bill's Mother" is used in Derbyshire to indicate incoming rainstorm.

[@davefrench3608]

There was actually a TV program called A bit of a Do, it was great fun

[@chrissouthgate4554]

From Wikipedia "Conservative Prime Minister Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury ("Bob") appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary for Ireland in 1887, an act of nepotism, which was apparently both surprising and unpopular. Whatever other qualifications Balfour might have had, "Bob's your uncle" was seen as the conclusive one." It is the explanation I had heard. One you did not mention is "Odds & Ends" another version of "Bits & Bobs".

[@CaptainQuo]

Or its even more confusing long lost cousin, 'odds & sods'

[@TheHookahSmokingCaterpillar]

Although the OED says it doesn't occur until the 1930's

[@kittykatty2898]

Bits and Bobs , also means many different little things like: screws, nails, odd little buttons , every houshokd has got a drawer full of bits& bobs. I believe " bobs" derives from " bobbins" , and the whole saying comes from the industrial background , factories , mills etc

[@dhaosandy]

There is a difference between a spanner and a wrench, at least in the UK.

[@MatthewBrannigan]

Yes, a wrench in the UK is adjustable, whereas a spanner isn't, so saying "adjustable wrench" (aka crescent wrench) in the US is fine, but redundant in the UK.

[@Poliss95]

@@MatthewBrannigan You can get adjustable spanners. The difference is actually that spanners are used to fit nuts and bolts whereas wrenches are used for gripping round objects such as pipes.

[@MatthewBrannigan]

Ah - thanks for the clarification, I think I've been away from the UK too long!

[@MastG]

There a few sayings we use that come to mind; "looks black over will's mother" - meaning the sky is getting darker and a storm coming. "Black as Newgate knocker"-meaning as black as you can get, or burnt when my mother cooked! And my grandparents were Geordies and used the saying "is Tommy on the bridge?"- meaning yes of course, similar to is the pope a catholic?

[@toddie3910]

Context is SUPER important. If for example you bump into someone (a literal bump) and they turn and say "are you taking the mikey???"...there's nothing lighthearted about that. 😅

[@Xantec]

bits n bobs... we also have "odds n sods" too

[@nigelhamilton815]

Bobs your uncle referred to prime minister Robert (Bob) Powell who famously awarded public works contracts to family members. " we won the contract, bobs your uncle"

[@alastairtomlinson1261]

Taking the mick is a shortened rhyming slang, it could also be said taking the mickey or the full rhyme is taking the mickey bliss and the original saying they are rhyming is taking the piss, a saying that may originated from people having to transport urine from urban areas to tanners. People would accuse others of taking the piss when they thought they were lying or joking about their actual cargo

[@MrSensible2]

A few of my faves... 'To have a face like a slapped arse' (to look grumpy or unhappy) 'Well I'll go to the foot of our stairs!' (to be unexpectedly amazed by something). 'To make a dog's breakfast' (to make a terrible mess of something)

[@danensis]

When I worked at BT, there was actually an employee called Bob Sherunkle.

[@skasteve6528]

Swings and roundabouts is a fairground expression originally. If one ride was doing better than the other, what the owner lost on the swings, he or she gained on the roundabouts. Bob's your uncle possibly originates from Prime Minister Robert Cecil appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary for Ireland but as there have been other Prime Ministers called Robert, it's history is confusing. It first seems to have first appeared in print in 1937 which seems rather too recent to be connected with the usual Roberts that it is claimed to depict (Walpole, Peel and Cecil).

[@vinay7397]

This is an old one "it's all ship shape and Bristol fashion now", Picard used it in Star Trek in season one.

[@garypaulflynn9596]

Swings and roundabouts = six of one half a dozen of another

[@davidpaterson2309]

I don’t think so. It used to be “what you lose on the swings, you gain on the roundabouts” (or vice versa) meaning that “eventually things even themselves out, gains offset losses in life”. That was often shortened, (50 years ago) to “well, what you gain on the swings…”. And eventually “it’s just swings and roundabouts, isn’t it?” and then (shrug) “swings and roundabouts, eh?” And only then did the original meaning get blurred into a generalised comparison.

[@hotchocbooks]

I think the most British thing I've ever said is actually a spin on one of these - we don't say taking the mick where I'm from, we make it weirdly formal, so it's not uncommon to hear one of us say 'oh you are absolutely obtaining the blessed/bloody Michael today' 🤣🤣 I have no idea why we do that!

[@hesketh1965]

'More tea Vicar?' That's a strange one Google it for usage.

[@Lily-Bravo]

Which might lead on to "As the actress said to the bishop" which you might say if someone says something in innocence which might be a double entendre.

[@michaeldibb]

An alternative to Swings and roundabouts might be 'Six of one and half a dozen of the other'.

[@dhsadara7363]

"That really is the dog's bollocks!" = That's really great! (No uncle Bob - but i do use the phrase regularly.)

[@adlam97531]

Bobs your uncle comes from a term which was originally used to describe a apolitical appointment by the then PM, who from memory was a Robert Cecil, hence the Bob. He appointed his nephew to do a job and it was said he was the only candidate, and it was all done very quickly and without much thought. A form of nepotism. One of my favourite sayings is, it will all come out in the wash, which means it will sort itself out.

[@paulmidsussex3409]

The equivalent of Spanner in the works would be wrench in the works, it refers to putting a foreign object into machineries working parts with a view to disrupting production.

[@davidmartin8211]

I'm the USA, I've heard the phrase spanner in the works but I cannot recall anyone saying wrench in the works.

[@pwmiles56]

The original Bob was Robert, third Marquess of Salisbury, who was prime minister on and off from 1885 to 1902. He was notorious for appointing his relatives to the government, hence "Bob's your uncle".

[@davidmartin8211]

Most the examples she referenced are expressions that I, as an American have encountered in books, movies, radio, podcast, etc. Also some of the expressions she cited were normal in the United States in the 1800s and early 1900s. For example, I have often read the expression full of beans in American books pre 1950. Also, the word flat used to be used to describe a rental dwelling but was replaced by apartment. I do enjoy using the random English word or expression, for example fate, lucky dip, tin, bonnet, motor, etc.

[@vijay-c]

"I mostly just wear hoodies" - You & me both, Kalyn!

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

Comfort > Fashion, you get me. :)

[@kh23797]

A weird US usage is, "How are you?"... "Oh, I'm good!" In the UK, we used to say, "I'm fine!", though my kids leapt on the "good" option as being much cooler. Good, in UK terms, used to mean well-behaved-but it went Stateside quite a while ago.

[@solentbum]

There was a very funny TV show, short series, called 'A BIt of a Do'. with David Jason many years ago. It puts 'a Do' in context.

[@kategray9]

Office party in Yorkshire is called a fuddle.

[@Bossman1959uk]

We call them the same in Derbyshire 👍

[@1127924]

im from Canada and use all of these phrases

[@djs98blue]

I tend to say bits and pieces rather bits and bobs. Not sure why though!

[@Lily-Bravo]

Me too, and there was a song in the 60s called "Bits and Pieces" by the Dave Clark Five.

[@robt2778]

'To not give a tinker's' meaning to not be concerned or bothered about something (or the consequences). The full phrase is 'to not give a tinker's cus' ( a tinker's curse) Tinkers were travllers ( often Irish) who moved about undertaking season work. Because they were outsiders they were usually distrusted by the communities they visited. They were also suspected of having ' powers' thus being cursed by travelling folk was to be avoided. Because tinkers moved about they often picked up a variety of skills, particularly in repaing farm machinery etc. so that 'to tinker' also means to fiddle about with machinery or mecanical objects in the hope of fixing them. Can also be used metaphorically as in to tinker in other people's lives.

[@GirlGoneLondonofficial]

this is so interesting, thanks for sharing!

[@linedwell]

I had an uncle called Bob. When I started work in the steel shop, a welder explained a job to me and finished with, "And Bobs your uncle, Fannies your aunt" I replied with, "Actually, my aunt's called Joan.." 😂 As for favourite saying.. "like a ferret up a trouser leg.." Might not be a saying, but me dad said it alot.. it meant 'move fast/do something quick' Eg:."The shop had a sale on mince, so I got down there like a ferret up a trouser leg"

[@williamharrold1422]

We may not say 'do' often, but we do say 'to-do'.. When someone is making a fuss or big deal about something, we can say they are making a big to-do. The connotation is largely negative though, like making a mountain out of a mole hill.

[@rottieshepcalibre9156]

We love using Bob and dogs in phrases. Especially dogs

[@fianorian]

One I had not heard until I moved to East Yorkshire is, "Jobs a good 'un" . It means that the job is done well enough to pass inspection.

[@AnthonyValentine-vm1yc]

I love these little common speech quirks we use; without any thought, you find interesting & brought to our attention. They are phrases that come from sooo many sources from our history. EG; loose cannon, wayward unpredictable person. Navy, from an actual canon that has not been lashed down.

[@MichaelJuska]

Taking the Mick is also sometime used if you feel a bit ripped off. “They’re taking the Mick with those prices” “yeah defo a bit steep” Would be a perfectly normal interaction. Most my dads mates call him bob. Bobs your uncle! A shocking revelation as a chid. 😢

[@seijika46]

A classic for me has always been "as much use as a chocolate kettle".

[@southcol7911]

An American lady who I worked with in the 1980s took much delight when I used the phrase "Fine words butter no parsnips". It means, of course, that actions are more important than words. Alternatively, that flattery achieves nothing.

[@contessa.adella]

“Bits and Bobs” just means odds n’ sods. Er’ ok I see the issue😂. “Bob’s your uncle” has tailpiece, often followed by ‘Fanny’s your aunt’.

[@missprimproper1022]

"Bob's your uncle" and "Fanny's your aunt" - two very common sayings when I was growing up in the 50's.

[@chrisoram1266]

Bits and bobs = odds and sods and the beans in full of beans relates to jumping beans.

[@cleverclogs2244]

You might get some bits and pieces while grocery shopping, but not bits and bobs - bits and bobs refers to random small objects - like in that drawer everyone has in their kitchen. I have a feeling it derives from a carpenter's tool box containing drill bits and plumb-bobs - small items...

[@andrewwilson3448]

"Up the creek without a paddle" = your in a situation where there appears to be no way out. It comes from the Napoleonic wars when injured soldiers were brought by boat to Royal Naval Hospital Haslar. They were taken to the hospital up Haslar creek near Gosport in narrow boats to be treated at the hospital, to be either returned to the fighting front or to the graveyard.

[@grapeman63]

A personal favourite would be "going to see a man about a dog" meaning that I'm about "to spend a penny".

[@chrisgoddard9236]

"got to go and turn my bike around", "got to go and sprinkle my boots"

[@derekmills5394]

To shake hands with the unemployed

[@drzander3378]

It doesn’t always refer to going to the lavatory though. It can be any sudden or unexpected departure when the speaker wishes to keep his reasons for leaving to himself.

[@pwblackmore]

To illuminate the 'penny' reference, public toilets (aka 'public conveniences' - itself a more delicate term*) required a penny being out into the lock slot to open the door. This in turn became known as 'the penny tax on women', since it was only the womans' toilets with doors to them that required a coin - although men needing to open their toilet door would have to pay the penny if they had to do the euphemistic No.2). * And to go one step further, Americans, with a heightened sense of either propriety or prudery would call a toilet a 'washroom' or, strangely, a 'restroom'

[@philarthur2777]

My father's alternative version was "Going to see Old Nick from Bisham". Bisham is a small place near Marlow, about 4 miles from where we lived. But who was "Old Nick"? I can't find any internet reference to this phrase.

[@etherealbolweevil6268]

We often had a "doofor/dufor" something which would do for the task at hand but wasn't the correct or proper item.

[@nachoshaw7084]

Taking the mick can also be said as 'you are taking the proverbial michael now!'

[@lottie2525]

The roundabout in 'swings and roundabouts' isn't the round road junction, it's a spinning ride in a children's park, to go with the swings.

[@banzakidimye348]

My diary is "chock a block". The street was "chock a block" with cars/people/bikes. The car is "chock a block" full (of people, baggage,etc).

[@alisonbrowning9620]

i had never heard of a do as an event until i went to the North of England

[@jeffreyjoshuarollin9554]

“Taking the mick” can also mean something close to bunking off or acting inappropriately. “He was sacked for taking the mick,” - he was fired for not turning up, not doing any work, taking too many breaks, that kind of thing.

[@johnmcnaught7453]

In the US, a spanner is a type of wrench often used in conjunction with firefighting.