Hetalia's weirdest book

British Phrases

England: oh ok.
Me: England, even though I am a brit, I will let you take over
England: alright

America: we're learning british phrases!
Italy: Ve~ I wonder why us-a of all-a people
Australia: let's get this going. Crikey. I might know some of them.

England: A few sandwiches short of a picnic
America: how can you be sandwiches short?
Italy: Ve~ this doesn't make-a any sense
Australia: that's a weird one. M8.
Me: Someone that lacks common sense might be described as "a few sandwiches short of a picnic."
Italy: Ve~ it's a weird phrase
America: agreed

England: Anorak
America; a word?
Italy: it-a must be a sentence
Australia: that's a weird word, mate
Me: Although it's more often used as a synonym for raincoat, an anorak is something slightly different in playground slang.
Australia: just tell us m8
England: be bloody patient
Me: Someone that's a little bit geeky, with strong interests or expertise in a niche area, might be referred to as an "anorak." This probably originates from the "uncool" appearance of anorak coats and the people wearing them.
America: Ok then...

England: Bagsy
America: confused
Italy: Ve~?
Australia: oh. I've heard that before
Me: Calling "bagsy" is the equivalent of calling "shotgun" or "dibs" when something, like the front seat of the car, is offered up to a group.
America: oh ok
England: Schoolkids might call "bagsy" on items from their friends' pack lunches, like an apple or a cereal bar, that the friend isn't going to eat.
Me: for example..
England: Does anyone want thi—
Me: bagsy!

England: Bee's knees
America: I use that!
Italy: Ve~ What does it-a meanL
Me: The "bee's knees" referred to small or insignificant details when it was first documented in the 18th century. Since then, the phrase has evolved and refers to something at the "height of cool."
Australia: example.
England: The Beatles are the bee's knees
Me: they are

England: Bender
Me: before u guys talk. I'll explain it.
All: alright.
Me: Someone on a spree of excessive drinking and mischief is "on a bender."
England: Benders often last over 24 hours, and so you might say that someone is on "a weekend bender," or a "three-day bender."

England: Blinder
Me: To "pull a blinder" involves achieving something difficult faultlessly and skilfully.
England: The phrase is most commonly used when the individual has been lucky and the person saying it is in disbelief that the first person has managed to pull it off.
Me: "And did you see that equalising goal in the last minute of injury time? He pulled a blinder there."

England: Bloody or "Bleeding"
Me: This intensifier can be added to practically any sentence in order to demonstrate incredulity or anger.
England: Some people consider "bloody" offensive (the origins of the word are widely disputed, so we can't be sure why) and it was considered a profanity until the mid-20th century.
Me: The origins of the word are widely disputed. Some believe it's derived from the Dutch word "blute," meaning "bare." Others believe the word is a contraction of the 17th century phrase "by our lady," and is blasphemous. This second theory has been disproved, however, by the slang's documentation predating the popularity of the phrase "by our lady."
England: Nowadays, "bloody" is used widely — it's even used in children's films such as "Harry Potter" — and is arguably one of the most quintessentially British words on the list.
Me: "That was bloody good."

England: Bob's your uncle
Me: The very British equivalent to "Hey presto!" or "Et voila!"
England: This phrase is used to describe a process which seems more difficult than it actually is
me: "Press down the clutch, put it into gear, then slowly ease off the clutch again. Bob's your uncle — you're driving!"

England: Bog-standard
Me: Something that is "bog-standard" is completely ordinary with no frills, embellishments, or add-ons
England: Its origins are somewhat unclear, but a "bog" is another word for a toilet in British slang, adding to the connotations that something "bog-standard" is unglamorous and unspecial.
Me: "How was the hostel?"
England: "Oh, nothing exciting to report. Just your bog-standard dorm, really."

England: Boot
me: The "boot" is the compartment at the back of the car known as the "trunk" in American English.

England: Botch job
Me: A repair job that's been completed in a hurry and will probably fall apart reasonably soon is considered a "botch job."

England: Brolly
Me: never heard that one..
England: Abbreviation of "umbrella."

England: Budge up
Me: An informal way of asking someone to make room where they are sitting for you to sit down, too, would be asking them to "budge up."
England: It's similar to "scoot over" or "move over."

England: Builder's tea
Me: u have to explain that one
England: The name of a strongly-brewed cup of English breakfast tea with milk — the way that tea is most commonly drunk in the UK.
Me: oh yeah....
Me: It's common courtesy to offer a labourer or builder working on your house a builder's tea while they're working — especially if they're working out in the cold. This is probably how the term came about.

England: Butchers
Me: Butcher's hook" is Cockney rhyming slang for "look." Therefore, if you're "having a butchers," you're having a look at something.

England: Cack-handed
Me: A task performed in an awkward or uncomfortable fashion, usually clumsily, would be described as "cack-handed."
England: "Cack" is old-fashioned slang for faeces.

England: Cheeky
Me: An act which could be deemed as impolite or shameless, but for some reason comes across as funny or endearing to others, would be described as "cheeky."

England: Chinese whispers
Me: "Chinese whispers" are rumours that have been circulated and watered down until they only vaguely resemble the truth.
England: The phrase originates from the game "Chinese Whispers" commonly played at children's parties. A phrase is whispered around a circle and the last person to hear the phrase has to guess what the initial phrase was.

England: Chinwag
Me: A "good old chinwag" is a good chat, catch up, or gossip with someone.
England: The action of chatting away — with the jaw bobbing up and down — resembles a chin "wagging" like a dog's tail.

England: Chockablock
Me: Something full to the brim, or rammed, could be described as "chockalock."
England: This is sometimes shortened to "chocka."

England: chuffed
Me: Overjoyed; full of pride.

England: Clanger
Me: An obvious and indiscreet mistake or blunder
England: Unrelatedly, "Clangers" was also a children's TV show from the 1970s about pink mouse-like creatures that lived on the moon.

England: Codswallop
Me: Something untrue — often made up for dramatic effect
England: Although no one is completely sure of the word's origins, it could derive from the words "cod" and "wallop," which historically meant "imitation" and "beer" respectively — implying that "codswallop" is the kind of rubbish you make up when drunk.

England: Cost a bomb
Me: expensive

Me: that was all for today, cya tomorrow for more british slang ...I mean phrases lol