Mobile is more precise than cell phone?
I think you’ve pitched it just right but you may be being too specific. “bint” is a multipurpose word and can be applied to a wide variety of situations.
In the one above “dozy bint” would work very nicely. If my wife forgets something she immediately dubs herself a “dizzy bint” I guess it has a slightly derogatory flavour to it but I it see more as the female equivalent of “sod”
“Sod” can be affectionate teasing between family/friends but can also be aggressive towards strangers (the driver who cuts you up, for example). And “bint” is a bit arcane these days: probably just as well, since it was picked up by soldiers returning from the Middle East in one or other world war (from the Arabic "daughter of " in women’s names), so there is potential for causing offence there too if you’re not careful.
(Bolding mine).
No, no, no, please don’t use “Fandabidozy” as some sort of cute Britishism. It was solely the catchphrase of the rather odious “comedy” duo, The Krankies. The very fact that their official website uses an animated gif and Comic Sans italic tells a lot of what you need to know.
Most of the UK needed some serious brain bleach after the duo - a married couple in real life - went public with their fondness for swinging. Shudder.
I use the words “rubbish” and “bollocks” pretty often. My pub trivia team is named The Dog’s Bollocks, because my teammate is from England.
We didn’t seem to cover a few I use when appropriate:
Bodge (as in a hasty, crappy fix)
Bog Standard (but not bog-roll or the like)
Pillock (“Clarkson, You Pillock”)
Others (well, of the many idioms I’ve absorbed from decades of exposure to British culture, from Monty Python thru Doctor Who thru Carry On to Two Ronnies to Are You Being Served to Eddie Izzard Top Gear to Weeble to Ashens etc, etc.), like Chav or Essex Girl or Bird, just don’t work in normal American conversations. Oh well.
BTW, speaking of “Bint”, any UKians still use that old derogatory phrase “Cow”…
Didn’t KFC a few years back use “11 herbs and spices” in their TV commercials (with the H pronounced).
And my favorite pronunciation example, for Jaguar automobiles - the commercial itself used the British pronunciation “Jag-U-Whar”, while the local dealer blurb for that commercial used the American “Jag-whar”.
Around here a lot of commercial restrooms have fixtures by a company called Crane Plumbing. I like to joke that their motto is “You stand on one leg in the middle of a bog”.
You have to keep on your toes when European.
:eek::eek: Oy (or should I say “oi”). I had no idea; I’d assumed it was from a cartoon. Pass that bleach my way, if you please.
No, it’s more precise than CELLULAR, which describes the technology, not the device itself (and it’s an adjective, besides).
While we’re nitpicking, I don’t think “oi” is used like that. The context I’ve seen “oi” is like “hey,” when someone is getting another person’s attention. Maybe you’re thinking of “oy vey” to express distress, which is more of a Jewish thing rather than British.
An actual Brit please correct me if I’m wrong.
Yes you’re right, but I also think that WOOKINPANUB is aware of the distinction.
OI!
On a similar vein - pronunciation - I’ve watched so many episodes of “Columbo” now, I can’t remember whether I should be pronouncing his rank (Lieutenant) as “Loo-tenant” or “Lef-tenant”(as the UK does.)
Ooh, quite right. But as an adjective, innit ? Hand me the cunt keys and shut your cunt mouth, that sort of thing.
I don’t take care of my teeth and look down on the lower classes. And I am a Champion Dart Player.
Bloody. As a mild curse it just works for me.
I’ve also gotten fond of the British pronunciation of “aluminum”.
You’re all trying very hard and we really appreciate it. As a gesture of international harmony and solidarity, I will use ‘gotten’ a bit more (but only when ‘become’ will not suffice).
“Knob” would be a good related insult. ![]()
Or Knob Jockey
or Knobstick