Having spent most of my career working for American companies, I have come across many funny incidents over the years where I needed to translate my British English.
I have put together a random glossary of British slang so that we are not lost in translation!
Bang - It has nothing to do with your hair. To the Brits, this is an unattractive way of describing having sex. Watch out when you go into a British hairdresser's.
Bangers = sausages
Barmy = gone mad or crazy.
Bog = toilet
Bonk / shag / hump = to have sex
Brolly = umbrella
Budge up = move and make some space (using when sitting down)
Bugger all = nothing
Cardie = a cardigan
Cheerio - Not a breakfast cereal. It's a friendly way of saying goodbye. Or in the north of UK "tara" which is pronounced sort of like "churar".
Chin wag = chat
Cock up = a mistake. Made a cock up = made a mistake. Nothing to do with male parts.
Dishy = attractive / good looking
Dog's dinner = a real mess. Made a dog's dinner of = made a real mess of...
Gormless = clueless, spaced out.
Grub / Nosh = Food
Gutted = upset
I'm easy = I don't care or it's all the same to me. (Not to be confused with how easy it is to lure the person into bed!)
Kip = a nap, a snooze, short sleep.
Knockers / bangers / baps / strawberry creams = breasts
Put a sock in it = shut up
Sloshed / rat arsed / shitfaced / plastered = drunk
Spend a penny = to go to the bathroom / toilet
Splash out - means you throw your senses out the window and spend far too much money. You might splash out on a new car or even on a good meal.
Squidgy = soft
Strop / stroppy = sulk / sulking
Suss = figure out
Taking the piss - Americans find it hard to understand the British sense of humour. It is obviously different and is mainly based on irony, sarcasm and an in-built desire to "take the piss". This has nothing to do with urine, but simply means making fun of someone, to mock.
Taking the mickey - same as taking the piss, to mock
Tara = good bye
Totty = A nice girl.
TTFN = stands for Ta Ta For Now = good bye
Waz = pee
Waffle = Not related to food, to waffle means to talk on and on about nothing.
Wobbly / wobbler = tantrum
Wonky = shaky / unstable
Yonks = ages / a long time
Zonked = exhausted
