Thanks to TV, movies, and a few too many dodgy impressions, people around the world think Brits wander around saying things like “jolly good” and “pip pip.” The truth is, most of those phrases haven’t been said in decades, if ever. Some sound charming, others … Read more
British English is full of everyday expressions that sound perfectly normal to locals but leave Americans either confused, amused, or wildly misinterpreting the situation. From odd turns of phrase to casual slang, these are the kinds of things you might hear in daily conversation that … Read more
“Bob’s your uncle” is a common British expression which means something like “and that’s done”, or “and there it is”. It is an everyday expression which is used as a kind of marker of satisfaction with a job or something that you’ve done. The result … Read more
To be “as thick as two short planks” means simply to be very stupid. It’s a common British expression used to describe a person. It’s a fairly recent expression, not seeming to go back much further in time than the 1970s. It’s not as popular … Read more
If someone has “bigger fish to fry”, it means that they have more important things they need to be attending to. It may be used when someone has been asked to do something they don’t have time to do—because they have “bigger fish to fry”. … Read more
To be “as thick as thieves” means to be very close friends. Two people who are inseparably close, who share lots of secrets together. This is not to be confused with the common British use of “thick” to mean stupid. The phrase was originally a … Read more
“The pen is mightier than the sword” is a common English idiom which means that the written word have more power than violent actions. The written word is a more powerful medium for social change. It’s what’s called a metonymic adage. It was coined by … Read more
To be “dressed to the nines” means to be dressed up to perfection. It’s used when someone has gone all out in dressing up for an event, or indeed just for staying at home or whatever they are doing. “To the nines” is a broader … Read more
To do something “by the skin of your teeth” means to do it by a very narrow margin—to only just achieve it. You came very close to failing but you managed to “snatch victory from the jaws of defeat”. You succeeded just barely and may … Read more