Britain is a country full of unusual sayings.
I'm not usually very good at using them, but my husband is always coming out with some phrase I have never heard of.
With all this rain pouring down at the moment, I would either say it's raining cats and dogs, meaning it's raining very hard, or lovely weather for ducks.
"Gordon Bennett" is an exclamation of surprise you might often hear on the streets of Britain as well as "do you want a brew?" which means "do you want some tea?"
My northern friend Katie always used to ask me if I wanted a cup of char, which threw me the first time but I soon got used to it.
While living in Grimsby, I also learned the word "mardy" for moody as in "don't be such a mardy mar" and in Shropshire, "mithering" for worrying or bothering as in "'stop mithering me."
Proverbs are also commonly used in Britain. I'm sure many are also familiar in Canada. Popular ones include "a stitch in time saves nine" which means if you act early. you can save a lot of time. or "don't count your chickens before they hatch" which means don't expect something to happen before you're sure it will.
Then of course there's cockney rhyming slang, which is another dialect altogether. Although I don't know many phrases, certain words have worked their way into everyday language.
"Cream Crackered" is slang for "knackered," which is slang for being tired or exhausted. So after a long day at work, you can say "I'm cream crackered."
In Britain, if you are really pleased with something, you could say you are "chuffed to bits" about it, or perhaps "pleased as punch."
Being "cheesed off" with something means you are annoyed while a "butty" is another name for a sandwich. A "chip butty" means a sandwich filled with fries (not the healthiest food).
If you were at a loss for words, you would be "gobsmacked" and "jammy" means very lucky so you might describe someone as a "jammy bugger" if something particularly unexpected goes their way.
If someone is very angry, try saying "keep your hair on!" as in calm down, which is sure to work.
Someone who is as "mad as a hatter" would describe a crazy person. It's also rather reminiscent of the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland.
In Britain, a "dodgy" area would be somewhere not very nice and best to stay clear of but it would be a good idea to have a " gander" around a safe part of town.
Language and the way it develops is fascinating. I always have to ask whether a certain phrase makes sense to people in Canada or whether it's a purely British expression.
My colleague Carter seems to think I make expressions up just to amuse him but with such a varied language as English, I don't think there's any need to do that just yet.
Rebecca can be reached at 691-1258.
