5 Britishisms you should know about

Having lived in England for two years I can definitely say that British slang is regional. I lived down in Kent, so there was probably a fair few Northumbrian Britishisms that I didn’t get to hear for having not visited. These are a few of the ones I heard, and that earned either a look of confusion or a touch of horror on my part. Learn from my confusion and listen for these when you visit England next!

#1. You a’right?

This is the English equivalent of a a casual “How are you?” You’ll hear it a lot when you enter shops. The first time I was asked I happened to be furniture shopping and, now feeling more than a little self conscious, answered “Yes, I’m fine thank you,” before stealing a look in a nearby mirror just to make sure I wasn’t pale or sickly looking. I was fine, and after comparing notes with Atlas, a dear friend who had also recently moved to England, we figured out that this was just a casual greeting.

#2. Fine.

In Canada, we don’t say just “fine,” to anything, unless we’re upset. We’ll say “That’s fine,” or “Yeah that’s fine,” but just “fine” is reserved for those moments when a Canadian couldn’t be less ‘fine’ and wants you to know as much, but doesn’t want to kick up a fuss because then they’ll be the least polite person in the conversation. It took me a while to adjust, but ‘fine’ in England just means ‘fine’. It’s all good, it really is truly fine.

#3. Ta!

It’s a mix of thank you and goodbye. If you’ve just bought yourself a pint, you won’t be using ta. You’ll be using cheers. If you’ve just made a purchase at a store and want to thank the cashier, you’ll be using either cheers or ta. The only difference is in the leaving. If someone says “Ta!” to you, they’re about to depart from your presence! It took Atlas and I quite a while to figure that one out.

#4. I’m really chuffed.

They’re pleased. If you watch the Great British Bake Off you’ll know this one, but to anyone else ‘chuffed’ really isn’t an obvious choice of words for being happy. I have no idea where this came from but I suspect it’s deeply rooted in some sort of Victorian terminology.

#5. Knackered or Shattered.

If you’re knackered, you’re super tired. You could really use a nap, a hug, and maybe something sweet or salty depending on your preference du jour. If you’re shattered you’ve gone beyond the need for any sort of dignity, and would be willing to crawl under your desk for just a minute or two of sleep.

Give me a like if you’d like to see more, because I have plenty of phrases and slang words that caught me off guard!