Lost in translation

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UK / Canada



getting yourself sorted / getting ready

sod it / heck with it

bloody / darn or damn (or something like it)

don't want to know / not interested or not open to it

bangers (is it still in use?) / sausages

boot / trunk

lorry / truck

petrol / gas

aluminium / aluminum

dinner / lunch

arse / ass

can't be arsed / can't be bothered

knackered / tired


that's all i can think of for the moment

UK / Canada


ramble = walk / ramble = talk endlessly

wee / itty bitty or small or little

slag / skank or slut

skint / broke

chap / guy or dude

pavement / sidewalk

mushy peas / ewww gross

i'm with Canada on this one!

More usually, talk without point or direction.
People either ramble at length (pointless chatter) or go on a ramble (walk).

More usual in Scotland or thereabouts.
'dahn sarf' in the UK, "wee" means urine (generally used by younger kids), or the passing thereof (have a/go for a wee).

Rarely. It's a bit of a stereotypical joke to use "chap"; more likely just "guy" or "bloke".
The younger variety could also be "lad". (from whence, "laddish" = a bit of a drinker; often loud, uncouth or coarse - and "ladette" = the female version)
"Dude" is quite rare but than again, I don't get out much.

Absolutely.

And at the front end - "bonnet" / "hood"

just to crowbar QI into here, 'has your mother sold her mangle'

& some curious english terms..
for surprise..
'bloody hell' or 'blooming heck/bloomin'eck' or bleeding hell/heck or even blinking..
'blimey' or 'cor blimey' +guv'nor if you're hopelessly cockney.
& some playfully derogatory terms
'numpty'
'plum'
'donut'
'silly sod' <<bit worse, but still

&some rude ones, kinda
'berk'
'charlie'

Oh well, if it's mildly rude ones you're after...
Knob, knobhead, tool, twat, bell-end = a jerk or fool, or other type of two-legged annoyance.

not very subtle except maybe tool.. but they have that in US & Canada, right?
to clarify, i'm not from the east end, i just knew a cockney once.. he was a right proper charlie but that's another story.

has tosser been mentioned?

Ah, "tosser". One of my more well-used ones, that.

& the annoyingly popular 'geezer' as in "a'wight geezer?"

my definition of ramble is as correct as your "talk without point or direction", which is to say... we are both half-correct. you can see here (link) that, in combination, our separate parts form the complete definition.


*cough* was Scotland kicked out of the UK?


bloke is one i didn't think of, and not lad either. chap, bloke, and lad are all words we do not use at all.

Maybe daft?

Don't know what it means in the UK, but we say "I'm stuffed" when we've had too much to eat.

How about "kerfuffle"? (UK) I believe that's spelled right. Means general misery, confusion, chaos etc. Sounds like a description for a slight cold..or perhaps what someone does to their pillow

I don't think I've heard it used here in the states

No no, just that "wee" (small/tiny) is more usual in that end of the UK.

Gah. Typo.

Likewise, but the other use is 'in trouble' or 'broken/badly damaged'. Also, "stuffed-up" as an alternative.
"He's really stuffed now he's lost his job".
"That car is stuffed-up and should be wrecked".

Also seen as "The journey was a complete stuff-up" = went badly wrong or was a pointless effort.

ETA: and to make a mess of.
"He stuffed up his interview and didn't get the job"

Last edited by Cornflake on 06 Jun 2011, 6:59 am, edited 1 time in total.