If you were getting a new home built and didn’t pay for any upgrades beyond the builder’s basic finishings, you’d get a “bog-standard” house. Something bog-standard is basic, or “standard issue” as Americans might say. Primark, a chain of clothing stores, is often called cheap and cheerful. A dark and grimy chip shop would never be considered cheap and cheerful no matter how affordable the food is. It’s not enough to just have low prices–a measure of quality and ambience have to be present. These places offer products or services that are basic but decent quality and offer good value for money. Like the American slang “budget-friendly”, cheap and cheerful is mostly used to describe businesses like shops and restaurants. In general, a product that does what it says on the tin is adequate–it performs as expected but doesn’t have any extra bells and whistles (excuse my use of slang to describe more slang!). It’s a similar meaning to “gets the job done”, though the closest American slang equivalent is probably “as advertised”.įor example, a shampoo that claims to bring out the natural curls in your hair–and actually works when you use it–would be described as doing what it says on the tin. You’ll come across this British saying a lot when you’re reading product reviews. Here are some common British phrases you’ll encounter in daily life, along with a few sayings that will throw Americans for a loop. I don’t know if it’s their cultural love of wordplay or if I’m just imagining things, but it seems like Brits use more slang in their everyday speech than Americans do. RELATED: An Expat’s Guide to London Grocery Storesīritish English slang is an essential part of the language. Place next to road where pedestrians walkīritish vs American Names for Food British Name Part of oven that produces high, direct heat RELATED: 8 Things Americans Moving to England Need to Know British vs American Words List Definition This post will be a crash course in American vs British words and sayings for expats and travelers, from cheeky pints to washing up liquid. If you can’t understand what’s wrong with the sentences above, you’ll find out by the time you finish reading this post.Įven after 3+ years living in the UK, I’m still learning new British expressions–and discovering that some American ones have VERY different meanings across the pond.
But if you said this to a Brit, they’d be shocked and confused! These statements sound fine to Americans. Can you fill me in if I miss the beginning?” “I want to change into nicer pants before the meeting. Take this seemingly innocent conversation for example: But there are more differences between British vs American words and slang than you might realize. It is an English-speaking country, after all. Most Americans in the UK don’t expect there to be a language barrier with the locals.
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