British slang expressions, 01

Recently I discovered that there was a band from my hometown called Beerjacket.  I hadn’t heard the expression before but someone explained what it meant and I thought it was quite interesting.

If you have a beer jacket on then you are not wearing a jacket because you have been drinking alcohol and you have over-estimated your ability to stand the cold.

 It gave me the idea to write down some other interesting expressions used in British English. Here goes.

Beer goggles – Similar to a beer jacket, if you are wearing beer goggles then you over-estimate how attractive something is because you have drunk too much alcohol.  After kissing a beautiful girl in the pub or nightclub, if she doesn’t look so beautiful the next morning then maybe you were wearing beer goggles.

To bite someone’s hand off – This means you are desperate to accept someone’s offer.  This is often used in sport.  For example, “If you offered him a draw now, he would bite your hand off.”

To chat someone up – To try to attract a boyfriend or girlfriend by talking to them.  For example, “I was chatted up by a pretty girl in the pub last night.”

A fag – In Britain this means a cigarette.  For example, “I am going to buy a packet of fags.”  In America this is a rude way to refer to someone who is gay.

Not my cup of tea – I don’t really like that kind of thing.  If someone invites you to play tennis you could answer, “To be honest, tennis isn’t really my cup of tea.”

It has gone (a bit) pear-shaped – It has gone badly or there has been some major problem.  For example, if you had made plans to go on holiday but the flight was cancelled you could say, “My plans have gone a bit pear-shaped.”

Someone’s round – If you drink in a pub with your friends in Britain then people generally take turns to buy drinks for the whole group.  For example, “Hey, Will!  Stop hiding in the corner.  It’s your turn to buy a round of drinks.”  There is a great skill in finding the right time to go to the toilet.

Ta – This is a very casual way to say thank you.  For example, in a shop, the clerk might say “Here’s your change,” and you can reply, “Ta,” as you receive the money.

To wind someone up – To make fun of someone, to play a joke on someone.  For example, on April Fool’s Day you might tell a lie to someone as a joke.  Then you might explain the truth, saying, “I’m sorry.  I was just winding you up.”