For Americans, AYBS? is quite an introduction to British colloquialisms. Here's an introductory glossary.
| -A- |
| above oneself | presumptuous |
| Alsatian | German Shepherd |
| agro | aggravation |
| apple crumble | apple cobbler, apple crisp |
| argy-bargy | squabble |
| -B- | |
| banger | sausage, jalopy |
| Bath Oliver Biscuit | similar to a graham cracker |
| berk | dope |
| biro | ballpoint pen |
| black spot | danger area |
| bog | loo |
| bonnet | car hood |
| booked | made a reservation |
| boot | car trunk |
| braces | suspenders |
| bubble and squeak | greens and potatoes with meat fried together |
| bullocks | balls |
| busker | street entertainer |
| -C- | |
| cack-handed | clumsy |
| castor sugar | icing sugar/ confectioner's |
| catapult | slingshot |
| cave/cavey | keep cavey- stand lookout |
| char | abbr. charwoman- cleaning lady |
| chipolata | small pork sausage |
| clever dick | wise guy |
| clippie | female bus conductor |
| cloth ears | deaf |
| cock up | create a mess |
| combinations, combs | long underwear |
| commissionaire | uniformed doorman |
| conker | horse chestnut |
| conkers | a game played by tying string to a horse chestnut and knocking against another players' conker |
| council flat | public housing |
| -D- | |
| diddle | screw |
| dog's body | gopher |
| dole, the | unemployment |
| -E- | |
| each way bet | win or place |
| electric fire | heater |
| elevenses | coffee break |
| E.N.S.A. | Entertainments National Service Association |
| -F- | |
| fag | cigarette |
| faggot | spiced meatball; small wood bundles |
| fairy cake | cupcake |
| fell off the back... lorry | hot |
| fiddle | cheat |
| flat | apartment |
| flutter | small bet |
| fortnight | 14 days |
| fruit machine | one-armed bandit, slot machine |
| -G- | |
| get knotted | stop bugging me |
| get one's cards | pick up pink slip/ walking papers |
| get stuffed | get lost, also get f*%$# |
| get the chop | get fired |
| get the wind up | frightened, jumpy |
| get your knickers...twist | get excited over nothing |
| get up one's nose | get in someone's hair |
| gin and It | gin and Italian vermouth |
| Girl Guide | Girl Scout |
| git | jerk |
| give over | come on |
| go missing | disappear |
| go to the foot of our stairs | I'll be darned |
| go off | tire of |
| Grace and Favor | describes a residence occupied rent free courtesy of the monarchy |
| grotty | cruddy |
| ground floor | first floor |
| guide dog | seeing eye dog |
| guinea | a coin worth £1, 1shilling |
| gym slip | gym suit |
| -H- | |
| haberdashery | notions |
| hair grip | bobby pin |
| hard cheese | tough luck |
| have had one's chips | you've had it |
| have it off | have sexual relations |
| high tea | tea including eggs, bangers- light supper |
| hockey | field hockey |
| holiday | vacation |
| home and dry | achieve one's goal |
| hooter | nose |
| hoover | vacuum |
| hunter | pocket watch with hinged covers |
| -J- | |
| jankers | military jail |
| jerry | German (derog) |
| jersey | pullover |
| jim-jams | pajamas |
| jolly | very nice |
| jug ears | ears like pitcher handles |
| jumper | see jersey |
| -K- | |
| kip | sleep |
| kiss of life | mouth to mouth resuscitation |
| knacker's yard | animal rendering plant |
| -L- | |
| labour exchange | employment office |
| lacquer | hair spray |
| lie in | sleep late |
| lift | elevator |
| lino | linoleum |
| liverish | glum |
| loaf | head |
| local | neighborhood pub |
| locurn | doctor on call |
| lolly | money |
| loo | bathroom |
| lorry | truck |
| lost property office | lost and found |
| lumbered with | saddled with, put upon |
| -M- | |
| moggy | pussycat |
| monkey nut | peanut |
| -N- | |
| NAAFI | Navy, Army, + Air Force Institutes |
| nail varnish | nail polish |
| nanny | child's nurse |
| nappy | diaper |
| newsreader | newscaster |
| nick | arrest someone; in the nick- under arrest |
| nicker | quid, pound |
| nippy | waitress |
| nip round | visit, pop round |
| nob | head |
| Norfolk turkey | native of Norfolk |
| not on | impracticable |
| not on your Nelly | rhyming slang- not on your life |
| nought also naught | zero |
| Number 10 | Prime Minister's address |
| nutter | crazy person |
| -O- | |
| off license | liquor store |
| off the peg | off the rack |
| on appro | on approval |
| one off | one of a kind |
| on form | in great shape |
| on the game | to be a prostitute |
| Our Ada | our refers to a relative belonging to "Us" |
| -P- | |
| packet | package |
| paddle | to wade |
| palaver | affair |
| panda car | police car |
| panto, pantomime | Christmas theatre-traditionally fairy tales with varieties of entertainment |
| pants | underwear |
| paper knife | letter opener |
| Parson's nose | chicken bum |
| pasty | sim. to a knish |
| pavement | sidewalk |
| peckish | empty |
| penny dropped | he got the message |
| petrol | gasoline |
| pink gin | gin with angostura bitters |
| pinny | apron |
| pip | beep |
| pip at the post | nosed out |
| plum duff | plum pudding |
| po | chamber pot |
| pong | stink |
| poof | pansy, cushion |
| posh | stylish, smart |
| Postman's knock | game like post office |
| Pub crawl | make the rounds at pubs |
| pudding, pud | dessert |
| Pudding Club | pregnant |
| pull one's socks up | shape up |
| punch up | fist fight |
| puncture | flat |
| put one's back up | to upset |
| put one's feet up | relax |
| put the boot in | kick hard |
| -Q- | |
| query. | complaint |
| queue | get in line |
| -R- | |
| rag and bone man | junkman, peddler |
| raver | knockout |
| redundant | unemployed |
| removal man | moving man |
| rising damp | moisture in the walls of a house |
| roll up | come over here |
| roundabout | merry go round |
| -S- | |
| sauce, sauce box | cheeky |
| savories | tidbits (cheese, pâté, hors d'oerves) |
| scrum | melee |
| scrumpy | rough, hard cider |
| season ticket | commuter's pass |
| sellotape | scotch tape |
| semi-detached | two family house |
| sent to Coventry | to turn one's back on |
| shandy | beer and lemonade |
| shepherd's pie | meat hash topped with potatoes and baked |
| short back and sides | crew cut |
| skint | dead broke |
| skirting board | base board |
| snip | bargain |
| spend a penny | use the washroom |
| spotted dick | sponge cake with currants or raisins, steamed, served with custard sauce |
| starkers | stark naked |
| stop | to stay |
| sultana | white raisin |
| sweets | candies, preserves or dessert |
| swizz | swindle |
| -T- | |
| tart up | to doll up |
| tiddler | minnow, shiner |
| tights | pantyhose |
| toad in the hole | sausage baked in batter |
| toff | a swell |
| toffee-nosed | stuck up |
| Trades Union | labor union |
| transport cafe | all night truck stop |
| trillby | slouch hat |
| trolley | a pushcart |
| twig | catch on |
| -U- | |
| up the spout | in a fix |
| -V- | |
| V.A.T. | value added tax; sales tax |
| vest | undershirt |
| -W- | |
| way out | exit |
| week | a week from... |
| wellies | Wellington rubber boots |
| whip round | collection, pass the hat |
| Wimpy | Wimpy Cheeseburgers are similar to White Castles |
| wind up | raise one's hopes falsely |
| winkles | small edible shellfish |
| -Z- | |
| zed | Z |
