English (British) language

[Nigella]

 

There is no such think in the UK as Hard Cider, ask for a Cider and it will contain alcohol - usually lots of alcohol (Scrumpy Cider is very different - usually very dry and extremely high in alcohol).

 

I was reading a long and argumentative thread about "Hard Cider" on another message board and didn't have a clue what they were talking about! Didn't realise that cider in some places had no alcohol.

It's what many of us had as our first tipple and made ourselves so ill on it we can't touch it as adults. Not talking about myself, of course!

[DYKWIA]

Steak and Kidney Pudding is not something you eat at the end of a meal!

 

Angus Steakhouse is NOT the UK equivalent of Morton's and is best avoided.

 

A1 steaksauce is generally not available - HP Sauce is our equivalent and in pubs and cafes is usually referred to as Brown Sauce (This is not Gravy) - other brands are available.

 

If you ask for Mustard you're generally offered English or French (Dijon). Whilst English Mustard looks like American Mustard it has a hell of kick c.w. any American mustard I've ever tried (particularly if it is freshly made up). Colmans English Mustard is a good one, Heinz is a rubbish one.

 

Spotted Dick is not a medical complaint but a pudding (Not made out of steak or kidney)

Edited June 19, 2015 by DYKWIA

[sddsddean]

An excellent piece of work by JB! (thats another fiver you owe me!!:D).

The bit about lengths reminded me that if you are planning on doing a bit of DIY (Do It Yourself) whilst you are here, plasterboard is sold in sheets that are 2.4 metres long by 4 feet wide! As the Americans say...go figure!

Oh...one last point...Toad in the Hole is quite nice to eat!:D

 

Simon

Edited June 19, 2015 by sddsddean

[Bob++]

On matters culinary: Steak and kidney pudding is meat, onions and gravy in a suet crust outer. Now when I make them, the crust is light and not too thick but this is not always the case.

 

Yorkshire pudding usually accompanies roast beef. This is made from flour, milk and eggs and although it may look pretty big on the plate, it is mostly air. Yorkshire pudding with sausages is the aforementioned toad-in-the-hole.

 

Food in restaurants and pubs is generally pretty good because there is loads of competition. The exception is anywhere on a busy main road (with a few exceptions) because their clientele wants fast food and is not likely to return anyway. Any pub you have to go out of your way to get to is likely to be pretty good, or at least trying hard.

 

When ordering, do not be shy to ask about going off menu. For example, my wife is not a big eater so often has a starter as a main course. We also sometimes share a pudding (sweet). No one minds. When our children were small, we usually ordered a meal for us and an empty plate for the youngest. Then they could have what they wanted from our plates. Again no one ever objected.

 

Virtually all of these establishments are happy to take major credit cards although it might be wise to check when you order.

[SteveH2508]

I was reading a long and argumentative thread about "Hard Cider" on another message board and didn't have a clue what they were talking about! Didn't realise that cider in some places had no alcohol.

It's what many of us had as our first tipple and made ourselves so ill on it we can't touch it as adults. Not talking about myself, of course!

 

Cider without alcohol is called apple juice (surprisingly logical for us Brits);).

 

I can't drink cider without ill effects - I am a beer drinker - drinking cider has the same effect on me as putting diesel into a petrol engine.:eek:

[newport dave]

Cider without alcohol is called apple juice (surprisingly logical for us Brits);).

 

I can't drink cider without ill effects - I am a beer drinker - drinking cider has the same effect on me as putting diesel into a petrol engine.:eek:

Same with me.

 

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[newport dave]

If someone describes you as being 'Off your head' it either means you are extremely drunk or you are ever so slightly mad (in a good way) and fun to be with.

 

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[paddingtonbear]

What is a "free house"?

[SteveH2508]

What is a "free house"?

 

It is a pub which is not tied to a particular brewery. In theory, they are able to sell whichever beers they want to.

 

Unfortunately it does not serve free beer:(.

[DYKWIA]

More food related ones.

 

Black pudding - again, not a dessert - a blood sausage.

 

Cheerio - nothing to do with the breakfast cereal this is a friendly way of saying goodbye

 

Britvic Orange - cheap orange juice sold in pubs

 

******s - completely different meaning here - type of meatball popular in certain parts (the word has been censored by CC , it is Fag & Gots)

 

Baps, Cobs, Barm Cake - local terms for bread rolls. Confusingly some of these are not used everywhere. Careful using the term Baps - avoid saying things like "madam your baps look great" as baps is also slang for breasts.

 

Pickled Onions - delicious - particularly Garners.

 

Entree on a menu can mean Starter

 

Jelly is a cold dessert in the UK, if you want the stuff you spread on toast ask for Jam

 

Lemonade is fizzy and Clear (like 7 up)

 

Last but not least - Toad In The Hole - which is bangers in Yorkshire Pudding - hope that's clear :D

Edited June 20, 2015 by DYKWIA

[newport dave]

More food related ones.

 

Black pudding - again, not a dessert - a blood sausage.

 

Cheerio - nothing to do with the breakfast cereal this is a friendly way of saying goodbye

 

Britvic Orange - cheap orange juice sold in pubs

 

******s - completely different meaning here - type of meatball popular in certain parts

 

Baps, Cobs, Barm Cake - local terms for bread rolls. Confusingly some of these are not used everywhere. Careful using the term Baps - avoid saying things like "madam your baps look great" as baps is also slang for breasts.

 

Pickled Onions - delicious - particularly Garners.

 

Entree on a menu can mean Starter

 

Jelly is a cold dessert in the UK, if you want the stuff you spread on toast ask for Jam

 

Lemonade is fizzy and Clear (like 7 up)

The starred out word is F aggots, obviously CC being US based they think this is a desultory word.

 

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[Nigella]

Cider without alcohol is called apple juice (surprisingly logical for us Brits);).

 

I can't drink cider without ill effects - I am a beer drinker - drinking cider has the same effect on me as putting diesel into a petrol engine.:eek:

 

Apple juice, exactly!

 

I'm not sure what it is about cider, even the normal very commercial stuff, but a lot of people can't drink it.

And don't get me started on Scrumpy :eek:

[GUT2407]

A bob is 10p

 

Bet you can't work out two bob.

[pinkpanther52]

Ta as in Ta very much means Thank you. I confused my American friends with that one.

[GUT2407]

Ta as in Ta very much means Thank you. I confused my American friends with that one.

 

 

But ta ta doesn't mean thanks twice, it means goodbye.

[GUT2407]

Apple juice, exactly!

 

I'm not sure what it is about cider, even the normal very commercial stuff, but a lot of people can't drink it.

And don't get me started on Scrumpy :eek:

 

 

But apple juice with bubbles.

[sddsddean]

A bob is 10p

 

Bet you can't work out two bob.

 

Actually a bob was a shilling (in old money [pre 1971]) which is 5p in new pence.

Two bob was 2 shillings (abbreviated to 2/-) or a florin.

Half a Crown was (two and sixpence) 2/6, so a crown was 5/-.

Many years ago we had a halfpenny(pronouned ha'penny) and a farthing (1/4 penny). Thats why early bikes with one large driving wheel and a little back wheel are called penny farthings.

Even earlier than that we had groats, which I think was 4d (oh forgot to say, old pence is abbreviated to d....me neither!)

Actually its because old money was L.s.d (Pounds shillings pence) from the Latin librae, solidi and denarii.

 

Simon

[GUT2407]

Actually a bob was a shilling (in old money [pre 1971]) which is 5p in new pence.

Two bob was 2 shillings (abbreviated to 2/-) or a florin.

Half a Crown was (two and sixpence) 2/6, so a crown was 5/-.

Many years ago we had a halfpenny(pronouned ha'penny) and a farthing (1/4 penny). Thats why early bikes with one large driving wheel and a little back wheel are called penny farthings.

Even earlier than that we had groats, which I think was 4d (oh forgot to say, old pence is abbreviated to d....me neither!)

Actually its because old money was L.s.d (Pounds shillings pence) from the Latin librae, solidi and denarii.

 

Simon

 

 

That is historically correct.

 

But if someone tells you they need two bob don't give them 10p, or that's what I found.

[John Bull]

Actually a bob was a shilling (in old money [pre 1971]) which is 5p in new pence.

Two bob was 2 shillings (abbreviated to 2/-) or a florin.

Half a Crown was (two and sixpence) 2/6, so a crown was 5/-.

Many years ago we had a halfpenny(pronouned ha'penny) and a farthing (1/4 penny). Thats why early bikes with one large driving wheel and a little back wheel are called penny farthings.

Even earlier than that we had groats, which I think was 4d (oh forgot to say, old pence is abbreviated to d....me neither!)

Actually its because old money was L.s.d (Pounds shillings pence) from the Latin librae, solidi and denarii.

 

Simon

 

Yes, it used to be 12 pence to the shilling (bob), 20 shillings to the pound (quid).

In more exclusive shops prices were in guineas (21 shillings).

All very simple, I don't know why they changed it ;)

 

Where prices nowadays tend to be something like 99p or £9.99, they used to be something like 19/11d or £9-19-11.

 

Slang for 2/6 was "half a dollar", because those who travelled knew that a pound was worth four US dollars.

Since then I believe the exchange rate has slipped a little (example of British under-statement, as per the Eagle's post ;)).

 

But groats are only remembered by a few of us older contributors, because they went out of circulation in 1662 ;)

 

JB :)

Edited June 20, 2015 by John Bull

[Cotswold Eagle]

That is historically correct.

 

But if someone tells you they need two bob don't give them 10p, or that's what I found.

 

Where and in what context, I wonder? I don't think I have ever heard two bob mean anything other than a florin, so 10p, in a monetary sense.

 

It's much more common now as a vulgar piece of rhyming slang (and that's a whole other topic!)

[SteveH2508]

Where and in what context, I wonder? I don't think I have ever heard two bob mean anything other than a florin, so 10p, in a monetary sense.

 

It's much more common now as a vulgar piece of rhyming slang (and that's a whole other topic!)

 

I thought that the rhyming slang was 'threepenny bits';).

 

I believe that the basic 12-sided design of the old brass threepenny bit is coming back in for the new pound coin?

 

Re guineas - horses are still priced in guineas apparently, but I believe it went from 21 shillings pre-decimalisation to £1 10p after decimalisation (22 shillings). (They are also measured in hands - 1 hand = 4 inches).

 

And yes, we do still use ounces, both avoirdupois and troy (for precious metals).

 

Confused yet?:D

[Cotswold Eagle]

I thought that the rhyming slang was 'threepenny bits';).

 

Maybe in Chelsea, two-bob bit in the East :)

[John Bull]

Maybe in Chelsea, two-bob bit in the East :)

 

...... and out here in the pick-and-mix, they're Bristols. :)

http://www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/

 

JB :)

Edited June 20, 2015 by John Bull

[SteveH2508]

...... and out here in the pick-and-mix, they're Bristols. :)

http://www.cockneyrhymingslang.co.uk/

 

JB :)

 

Bristols are also admired in London:D - I didn't want to confuse our septic friends more than they are already!;) (BTW to our US cousins, septic is also rhyming slang and is not meant to be insulting).

[SteveH2508]

Maybe in Chelsea, two-bob bit in the East :)

 

In Chelsea I believe they use other expressions - n*rks for instance. Personally I do not get involved in those types of discussion - my DW would object!:rolleyes:

 

Need to a bit careful or we could get modded.;)