# What do these Britishisms mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 29, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623 "2009-10-29T16:32:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/21 "2009-10-29T21:39:39Z")
The lighthearted usage of “cock” heard in Top Gear was largely pioneered by the show itself. “Dick”, for a person, is more common, and when referring to an actual penis, “cock” is still pretty rude. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/22 "2009-10-30T00:39:36Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I have an orange cat that the boyfriend calls “Ginger Minge”. It was the longest time before I found out that minge wasn’t a synonym for winge, but in fact is a derogatory word for female genitals. I also didn’t know that Packy (for Pakistani) is derogatory until someone on this board told me. Then I realized that all of our European aquaintances throw racial slurs at one another so I don’t know if they’re actually racist or if it’s just good natured teasing. I think it’s “Paki”. Anyway, “ginger” is **also** used as a derogatory term (especially in the UK). Witness [Tim Minchin](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0IVuGK7sAw) :D. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/23 "2009-10-30T01:12:10Z")
“Paki” is certainly a very offensive word in the UK, and not one to be used for light-hearted teasing. Unless you’re [royalty](http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/news/123700/Watch-Prince-Harrys-racist-outbursts-on-video.html), of course. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/24 "2009-10-30T01:42:22Z")
I have occasionally heard “cock” used to refer to arrogant, obnoxious, and usually stupid guys in the US. I feel there’s a slightly different connotation than with the far more common “dick”, perhaps because “cock” also evokes the image of a strutting rooster. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/25 "2009-10-30T01:52:31Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I have occasionally heard “cock” used to refer to arrogant, obnoxious, and usually stupid guys in the US. I feel there’s a slightly different connotation than with the far more common “dick”, perhaps because “cock” also evokes the image of a strutting rooster. I agree with this. (BTW James May’s use of “Oh cock” as a general-purpose expression of dismay seems to be pretty unique to him. At least I’ve never heard anyone else say it.) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/26 "2009-10-30T01:56:55Z")
My favorite Britishisms include “fag” for “cigarette” and “braces” for “suspenders.” ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/27 "2009-10-30T02:12:47Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > My favorite Britishisms include “fag” for “cigarette” and “braces” for “suspenders.” So what do Americans call what we call “suspenders” (as in what holds up stockings on ze sexy French maids?) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/28 "2009-10-30T02:25:33Z")
Garters? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/29 "2009-10-30T02:28:18Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Garters? Hmm. According to Wikipedia that would be a garter belt. Well you live and learn. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/30 "2009-10-30T02:31:27Z")
And so what do the Brits call those things on your teeth that Yanks call “braces”? ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/31 "2009-10-30T02:33:34Z")
Garters are the round ones, one per leg, that grooms traditionally remove from the bride and toss to the assembled gentlemen. Garter _belts_ are the lingerie piece seen so often in Rocky Horror. Okay, my turn for a question: I had a Brit friend once who broke up with a girl because she was hanging out with too many “Charves” and was becoming a bit “Charvish”. What’s a Charve, and why are they bad? He wasn’t able to explain it ever. Also, what is/was a Teddy Boy? I think it was another social type, back in the 60’s-early 70’s? ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/32 "2009-10-30T02:44:29Z")
> [@Oni no Maggie](#): > > Okay, my turn for a question: I had a Brit friend once who broke up with a girl because she was hanging out with too many “Charves” and was becoming a bit “Charvish”. What’s a Charve, and why are they bad? He wasn’t able to explain it ever. I think you mean [Chav](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chav). ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/33 "2009-10-30T02:47:50Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > And so what do the Brits call those things on your teeth that Yanks call “braces”? Those are braces too. It’s usually clear from context which you mean. **Oni no Maggie** - teddy boys were a subculture in the 50s and 60s who wore dandified Edwardian-style clothing (Edward - Teddy). Also known as “Teds”, I guess you could say they were the first proper British teenagers. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/34 "2009-10-30T03:25:06Z")
I think I understand the meaning to this one, it’s the pronunciation I’m not sure about: to get the wind up. It’s an expression I’ve encountered mostly in Agatha Christie novels, so I suspect it’s rather old-fashioned now. I gather from context that it means to become nervous or frightened. But is it “wind” as in “the wind is blowing” or “wind” as in “I forgot to wind my watch”? Since it’s “get THE wind up” I’m thinking it’s the former, because we use the definite article to refer to the weather kind of wind. On the other hand, the expression would seem to be related to the use of “winding up” to mean deliberately annoying or trying to trick someone, as in “Is that true or are you just winding me up?” ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/35 "2009-10-30T03:41:06Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I think I understand the meaning to this one, it’s the pronunciation I’m not sure about: to get the wind up. It’s an expression I’ve encountered mostly in Agatha Christie novels, so I suspect it’s rather old-fashioned now. > > I gather from context that it means to become nervous or frightened. But is it “wind” as in “the wind is blowing” or “wind” as in “I forgot to wind my watch”? Since it’s “get THE wind up” I’m thinking it’s the former, because we use the definite article to refer to the weather kind of wind. On the other hand, the expression would seem to be related to the use of “winding up” to mean deliberately annoying or trying to trick someone, as in “Is that true or are you just winding me up?” I believe it’s wind, as in wind, as in the gentle breeze that caresses the treetops. [http://www.word-detective.com/2008/04/11/put-the-wind-up/](http://www.word-detective.com/2008/04/11/put-the-wind-up/) supports this theory. Winding someone up, on the other hand, is the other wind, like winding a watch. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/36 "2009-10-30T04:12:18Z")
Let’s talk about the word “ginger” that is used in the UK to talk about red hair like mine. Why ginger? Ginger isn’t remotely red or orange. Raw it’s [light tan](http://www.sonshineimports.com/UploadFiles/Ginger%20root.jpg) and ground it’s [yellowish](http://www.foodsubs.com/Photos/groundginger.jpg). So why ginger when there are other spices or foodstuffs that are actually red or orange? And why for redheads instead of blondes? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/37 "2009-10-30T05:23:53Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > My favorite Britishisms include “fag” for “cigarette” and “braces” for “suspenders.” I once heard (in the US) that they are “braces” if they attach via buttons sewn into the waistband, but “suspenders” if they attach with clips. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/38 "2009-10-30T09:01:07Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Those are braces too. It’s usually clear from context which you mean. > > **Oni no Maggie** - teddy boys were a subculture in the 50s and 60s who wore dandified Edwardian-style clothing (Edward - Teddy). Also known as “Teds”, I guess you could say they were the first proper British teenagers. Calling someone a Ted is a mild insult in Liverpool where I’m from. The [urban dictionay entry](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ted) (No. 4) is about right - someone who is completely out of step with modern thinking / trends. _We’re playing Villa on Saturday - town will be full of bad teds._ [QUOTE=Dervorin] I believe it’s wind, as in wind, as in the gentle breeze that caresses the treetops. [http://www.word-detective.com/2008/0...t-the-wind-up/](http://www.word-detective.com/2008/0...t-the-wind-up/) supports this theory. Winding someone up, on the other hand, is the other wind, like winding a watch. [/QUOTE] That’s true. An old -fashioned expression is to call someone ‘windy’ - meaning cowardly, not up for the fight. I saw it used in a Guardian cartoon [this week](http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/cartoon/2009/oct/21/steve-bell-if-gordon-brown-mps-expenses), but you don’t hear it often. Brits also talk about **bottle** in a similar way: \*He doesn’t have the bottle for it \*-he doesn’t have the guts, fortitude etc. _He’s bottled it_ - He’s choked. Similar phrase that was recently popularised \*He doesn’t have the minerals for it \*. Staying on the theme, the word **shithouse** is an insult in Northern England meaning coward. Often used broadly and playfully - _John’s not coming out tonight, he’s staying in with his wife to play scrabble - what a shithouse!_ but can be serious / aggressive - _You bottled it, you’re a shithouse_ ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/39 "2009-10-30T09:07:43Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Let’s talk about the word “ginger” that is used in the UK to talk about red hair like mine. Why ginger? Ginger isn’t remotely red or orange. Raw it’s [light tan](http://www.sonshineimports.com/UploadFiles/Ginger%20root.jpg) and ground it’s [yellowish](http://www.foodsubs.com/Photos/groundginger.jpg). So why ginger when there are other spices or foodstuffs that are actually red or orange? And why for redheads instead of blondes? You are curry Tumeric and chile powder. – an old orangutan ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2009, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623/40 "2009-10-30T09:09:18Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Let’s talk about the word “ginger” that is used in the UK to talk about red hair like mine. Why ginger? Ginger isn’t remotely red or orange. Raw it’s [light tan](http://www.sonshineimports.com/UploadFiles/Ginger%20root.jpg) and ground it’s [yellowish](http://www.foodsubs.com/Photos/groundginger.jpg). So why ginger when there are other spices or foodstuffs that are actually red or orange? And why for redheads instead of blondes? I was always taught that ginger refers to the lighter version of red hair, which is fairly close to the color of your yellowish link. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-these-britishisms-mean/515623.md?page=3)