|
|
It contains only words that are *actually* used in everyday conversation, because if you read a slang dictionary, half of it is full of words nobody ever says - this is aimed to be the opposite of that! Also, I realised that some Americans *do* use the words on these pages, they just use others as well. So in those cases, they're here because we don't use your alternative at all. A QUICK NOTE: Some of the below terms or descriptions of them may be found offensive by younger viewers. This page has been given a PG-13 rating. If you have anything to add, or need any help, email me! Arse Used instead of 'ass', would also be used as an expression of disbelief (ie 'my arse') but Wes probably wouldn't use it in this sense too often. Also, to be 'in an arse' is to be annoyed, and (and this is one that Wes *would* say), "I can't be arsed" means "I can't be bothered". Autumn The season after Summer and before Winter. We don't use 'fall' at all. ---- Bangers and Mash Sausage and mashed potatoes! One of *the* best dishes ever invented! Bender I know that Americans use this in the sense of "he's on a bender" ie, he's out getting drunk. We do that too. However, to call someone a "bender" is an insult - used a bit like 'wanker' (see W). Bent If someone is 'bent', they're either a bit dodgy - in the sense that you shouldn't buy anything from them as it's probably come from off the back of a lorry - or it can mean 'gay' in the same way that 'queer' does. Bill This is what you ask for when you're in a restaurant and you want to pay. Wes would probably use 'check' when speaking out loud, but 'bill' if he were thinking it. Bin Trash can, I think would explain it best. And I've been reliably informed (cheers, Regina!) that where we would say "bin it", Americans would probably say "trash it." Bint Used like "bitch". Which we do use as well, by the way. But Wes wouldn't use 'bint' other than in exceptional circumstances - I'm mentioning it though, because Spike uses it quite a bit, and wouldn't want people to think that because he says it, Wes must :) Biscuits These are cookies! Blimey I can't see Wes using this word. It seems too ... northern. Not for someone as well brought up as Wesley, although I could see Spike and *possibly* even Giles (only in certain situations) using it. Bloody Hell Please, use it sparingly! It pops up in fics far too often as a way for the author to make the character seem more English. We do say it a lot, but not that much. Don't have him saying it every five seconds - have you seen him doing that on the show? You'd be lucky to get once every few eps!) Bloke A man. Brilliant Or 'brill'. Used to mean something is fantastic, although it is used in the sense of being smart, too. Bonnet Of a car. The hood. Boot Of a car. The trunk. Brolly Slang for umberella. Not too sure Wes would use it, but he might - as long as it doesn't sound out of place. Bugger Like "bloody hell", except more so. Wes would say this even less often than he would say "bloody hell", although he would say it. ---- Capital Means 'excellent' - "what a capital idea" would be "what a excellent idea!". Very Giles, and Wes would very possibly use it in conversation, although not too often. Cheers Phrase used to mean 'thanks', as well as being part of a toast. Wes would possibly use this, very rarely though. Chips Crisps Chips are what Americans would call 'fries' - deep fried potato, often sold with hamburgers in fast food places. Crisps, on the other hand, are what Americans would call 'chips' - salty potato snacks sold in packets. Coffee Erin's little rant: Coffee is not a sludgy brown fluid that tastes of hot water with mud in it, in England we drink coffee that will blow yor eyeballs away - pah, Americans dont even know what real coffee is! Crikey Like 'blimey', only Wes would be more likely to use crikey in a sentence. ---- Daft Means silly, or stupid. For example, "Don't be daft" means "don't be ridiculous" ---- Eejit This is Englishmen taking the mick out of Irish people - it's how some parts of Ireland pronounce 'idiot', but it's come to be a pretty often used word in the English language. ---- Father Dad (Either of these is fine. If anyone knows any other variations - Pop or Papa for example - it'd probably be best if you steered clear, simply because they seem too affectionate for the way we've seen Wes think about his father. Unless you have reason to change, I'd stick with the norm.) For goodness sake! Like "for God's sake", only non-blasphemous, and more common. Wes would probably say this quite a bit as a sign of frustration - more often than "bloody hell", anyway! Football Wes would call it football, rather than soccer like Americans would. He would call your football 'American football' Full Stop Used in grammar, instead of 'period'. ---- Git Another insult. I suppose the easiest way to describe it would be to say it means fool - most commonly heard with 'stupid' ie "stupid git", although still often heard alone. Quite a strong word, but still sometimes used as a joke insult. ---- Handbag Bags that women carry round, known as a 'purse'. Hob The bits that heat up on the top of the oven that you put pans on - 'burners'. ---- Ice lolly Popsicle. ---- Jam Jelly I've lumped these together as it helps to explain. 'Jam' is what you call 'jelly'. 'Jelly' is the wobbly dessert you get - it sometimes has fruit in, which I'm reliably informed you call jello. ---- Knackered Used in two senses. 1) in the sense of being tired - ie, "I'm knackered." 2) in the sense of being broken - ie, "Are you playing football tonight?" "No, my leg's knackered"/"I've knackered my leg." Also applies to objects - "can I borrow a pen? Mine's knackered." Knickers Also known as 'pants' to us. 'Panties', I think you would call them - girls underwear. ---- Lift Not many British people use the word 'elevator'. Wes would definitely use 'lift'. Loo Pretty well known this one, a word for toilet. Love As in, 'come here, love'. Definitely the kind of endearment Wes would use - and works much better when spelled 'love' than 'luv', as some people tend to do. ---- Manky Couldn't really imagine Wes, Spike or Giles saying this - however, if you have any characters from Yorkshire or the north east, then they would say it. If something is 'manky', it's disgusting. Minging This one has many different meanings - bearing in mind it's a fairly new expression, Wes probably wouldn't use it, but I thought I'd educate you! He's minging - he's ugly. He mings - he's ugly. He's a minger - he's ugly. That's minging - thats disgusting It's minging down - it's raining really hard. Mint Another word that isn't particularly Wes, more Yorkshire area. If something is 'mint' then it's brilliant. Mother Mum Mama is a maybe. I could see someone of Wes's background using it, but not Wes, for some reason. I would suggest avoiding it unless it *really* goes in your fic. (NOT Mam or Mom - most non-British people probably wouldn't even know the former, but you'd be surprised how many times it pops up! He's too well spoken to use Mam, and he's not American, so never mind how long he's lived there, he won't use Mom!) ---- Pavement British equivalent of 'sidewalk'. Pickle Relish, apparently! Pillock Not so much a Wes word, but Giles does say it a lot. 'Pillock' is a word used to call someone a fool - I think that's the easiest way to describe it. It's an insult. "You pillock." Pissed Pissed Off Unlike in America, if someone is 'pissed', they aren't annoyed, they're drunk. To use this to mean 'annoyed', you have to say 'pissed off'. Poof Means 'gay', but, like a lot of the other words on this page, is often just used as an insult - especially by Spike. And James Marsters pronounces it completely wrong, but that's another story! Posh Describes hoity-toity people, usually thought of as being rich and snobby. I was amazed that you guys don't use this, actually! Pounds, Pennies and Pence I'm going to look up the exchange rate (round about) for this page, in case you ever want to know. Basically though, there are 100 pennies in a pound. Pennies and pence are pretty much the same thing, only you can't have one 'pence', but you can have more than one 'penny'. We have the following coins: 1 penny, 2p(ence), 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p and £1 and these notes: £5, £10, £20, and £50, although notes above £20 are rarely seen, and some shops won't even take higher for security purposes. Prat Like 'pillock', means 'fool'. Used as an insult. "Don't be a prat." To pull Uses: I've pulled - this guy likes me! I'm out on the pull - I'm out for the night looking for guys ;) Purse Ladies wallet. Pylon A big metal tower that carries electricity - usually found in fields. ---- Quid Slang for a pound. "Ten quid?" instead of "Ten pounds?", or "It only cost a quid." Nobody would say "one quid" - that would just sound unnatural! However, I think the only time Wes would use it would be if he ever went like Giles when he reverted to his teens - Wes would never use it now. ---- The School system Too hard to explain here how it works! If you need any details on this, email me and I'll be glad to help. For the meantime, the bare facts: Primary School: You attend primary school from the age of 5 til the age of 11. Also known as Years 1 - 6 Secondary School: You start secondary school in year 7, and continue til year 11. The school year in which you have your 12th birthday, and stay there until you are 16. After 16, you can leave, but a lot of people (like me, at the moment) stay on to do. In year 11, you take GCSEs. Sixth Form: 16-18 year olds, years 12 & 13. I'm 17, and I'm currently in year 13 (or Upper Sixth as most call it - year 12 being Lower Sixth.) Then you take your AS-Levels in year 12, which is half an A-Level, and your A2s in year 13, which is the second half of the A-Level. This is a relatively new system - Wes would have just taken the full A-Level at the end of year 13. Even most of the people taking these exams don't understand them - so if you want to know anything about it, email and I'll do my best! That probably didn't help a lot. Like I said, any problems or questions, email me! Serviette A napkin. Shag To shag someone would be to have sex with them. Snog French kissing. Spanner Wrench Sweets Candy. ---- Take Away Take out. Tap Fawcett. Tea The point here isn't the fact that we use it - it's *how* we use it. (I myself hate the stuff, but I'm one in a very small amount!) Thanks to Erin for her fantastic descrption! We English love tea - adore tea in fact. tea is like, the elixer of life, e.g: "Darn, I broke my leg" "Here, have a cup of tea" "Thats it! I'm leaving you!" "Tea?" "I've been gunned down and have approximatly three seconds to live" "Just enough time for me to put the kettle on then" Tit Used like 'fool' - again - in the sense of "don't be such a tit" - although we do use it in the women's body part sense too! Trousers Not pants - pants are what you wear underneath your trousers. Although when talking to the others, Wes may use the word 'pants' rather than 'trousers', in his own thoughts he would certainly use the English version. Traffic Cones Those bright orange (or at least they are over here!) cones that some Americans call 'pylons' To Take The Piss To make fun of someone - "are you taking the piss?" Twit Yet another word for 'fool'! We have plenty of them! ---- Underground British equivalent of subway, although its mainly just London that has one. Everywhere else just uses a regular, above ground train. ---- Wanker To 'wank' is masturbation, but the word 'wanker' is an insult. We've already heard Wesley use it at least once - to Angel when Angel didn't want to wear the pink bicycle helmet (because it was girly). Used towards men only.) Windscreen The big glass window at the front of a car.
[updates] [site info] [links] [main] |