American Reacts to Informal British Expressions
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
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As an American I can absolutely fascinated by British expressions and the sheer amont that their are. Today I am very excited to learn some more British words, idioms, and expressions used in everyday life in the UK. If you enjoyed the video feel free to leave a comment, like, or subscribe for more!
As a Brit I’ve never heard “Drives you round the bend” as meaning “boring”
Something might be so boring that it drives you round the bend, but it basically just means that something is making you “crazy”
The bend possibly refers to the U-bend in a toilet (WC).
@@Caambrinus Historians actually think that it's maritime slang for madness. To start a series of knots you have to create a "bend", So it potentially comes from someone who has been tied up or restrained with ropes from going mad at sea.
Yeah here it means something being annoying, or driving you nuts.
Perhaps it is an age thing but yes I am quite family with "drives you around the bend" perhaps you could say something is so boring that it drives you crazy so just an extension of the same thing, You could saying packing boxes on the conveyor belt drives me around the bend but the money is good. You could easily interpret this as boring or crazy.
Yeah, it defo does not mean bored. It’s something/someone that makes you annoyed or angry. That’s it.
"Rougher than a badgers arse" is a phrase my old man uses when he's hungover.
"My old man" is an expression we use to describe our father
On the other hand, "The old lady" is usually your wife, unless you want a spanking from your old man.
Mum is always mum. No exceptions (unless it's mam/mom/mother (preferably not mother outside of the upper classes))
Rougher than a badger's arse is how I describe the pulchritude of Katie Hopkins.
“Piece of piss” is absolutely used here in the uk. You’d be surprised at us brits… we’re known to other nations as being super polite etc… but we all swear (cuss) like sailors!!!
Oh yeah, we're all super polite on the surface, but once you start digging a little, you'll hear swear words on the daily XD
And then there is 'pish', from north of the border.
@@byno3862 absolutely. Myself personally, I swear all the time. Not in front of my mother tho… or elders. I have respect there. But every other situation, my mouth is blue!
@@wessexdruid7598 yes I’ve heard that too
@@TheJaxxT Same XD Idk why either....I could've sworn I never swore when I was a kid....just started to one day, and now I can't stop XD
Just a few common ‘piss’ examples that came to mind…
Piss = urine / urinate
Pissed = drunk
Pissed off = annoyed / angry/ frustrated
Piss off = f**k off
Piece of piss = extremely easy
Piss-easy = extremely easy
Piss all over it / ‘something’ = to be better or superior at something, or to be able to do it with ease
Piss-take = someone taking advantage / liberties
Taking the piss = mocking; or joking; or taking advantage
On the piss = going out and drinking a lot
Piss-up = an occasion or event when a lot of alcohol is drunk
Pissed up = drunk (again)
Pissing myself = laughing or finding something extremely funny
Pisshead = someone who gets drunk
Pissing down = raining heavily
Piss around = fooling about / wasting time
Piss / pissed away = waste
Piss poor = dirt poor
E.g.: “I’m so pissed off; my wife was out on the piss last night at a work piss-up and got completely pissed, pissing away money knowing we’re piss-poor this month. She’s an absolute piss-take - she called me (while pissing around with her pisshead mates!) to pick her up as it was pissing down, and she needed a piss badly and couldn’t find a pisser. I said “don’t take the piss” - really wanted to tell her to “piss off”, but I was actually secretly pissing myself at how pissed up she sounded! And to be fair, it was a piece of piss just to jump in the car and go get her - she was just completely taking the piss, the lightweight; I piss all over her when it comes to a good piss-up, 12 pints is piss-easy for me to put away a couple of times a week!”
Yeah…we do like to use ‘piss’ a lot in our sayings 🤷🏻!! I’m sure there are probably more examples that are used in other regions too (I’m from London)
I applaud you. This is brilliant 👏👏👏👏
😊😅😂 🏆🎖️🏅🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇😅😂👋❤️🏴🇬🇧🖖
Disappointed that "Piss Artist" (drunkard) didn't make the cut!
😂
@@Escapee5931 omg yes and to add pish the Scottish version to all this 👍
This is so funny I pissed myself 😅
In the UK if something is easy we might say it was “piss easy” hence a piece of piss. Not uncommon but you probably wouldn’t say it to the King.
I would.
Yea he's said it for sure it's very british
the king has seen my ring piece
You're a jeweler then 😂 @@VeritySnatch
but if a man or woman are easy then they are a bike 😜
if we say i pissed myself it doesnt always mean i urinated on myself ,it mostly means i laughed uncontrollably but sometimes you laugh so much you piss yourself 🤣
I laughed so hard the tears ran down my legs.
😊 I literally (not _just_ figuratively !!) did _that_ as a _9_yo child, walking home from Junior School, with my two schoolfriends - who lived near me - they made me laugh so much whilst I was "bustin' for a wee" that I literally wet myself / "pee'd myself" laughing out loud!!! I was "_Embarrassed_to the 'Nth' degree!!"😢 🏴🇬🇧🖖
oh do you mean tena lady tears 😁 @@stephenlee5929
🤣🤣🤣 @@brigidsingleton1596
@@brigidsingleton1596ha ha pissing myself now hearing this!
Taking the piss can also refer to somebody who is slacking, not pulling their weight or doing a bad job. Context is everything.
You have to remember that people in the UK swear a lot more than people in the US so in an informal setting, swearing wouldn't be considered offensive or out of place compared to America
And then - there are Australians... Where "Sick cunt" is a phrase indicating their respect.
Too fucking right ya bloody muppet
Speak for yourself. It depends how and where you are brought up, and a little too on what class you are.
@@wendyfield7708You can speak for yourself as well.
I once said the F word during a job interview with one of the UKs more middle class supermarket retailers because they asked me for my full Birth Certificate and I blurted out "FUCK! No I forgot that" 10yrs later I'm still employed by them.
@@brianbrotherston5940 Who is this addressed to?
Me, or @wendyfield7708 or the @TheGavinChaos
And why is it so?
"taking the piss" is also used to describe someone abusing the rules. "We agreed to split the bill evenly, but then mike really took the piss by ordering lobster".
What you have to remember is that not only does the UK have hundreds of different accents but these often have their own dialect words or phrases and these often add to our expressions.
We also use multiple swear words before after and in between all these 😂
😂😂😂
Both old one's and new ones made up on the spot too
Hell bloody yeah we fkin do
Too firkin true
😅 I fduckin' do all the fduckin' time!!😅
Over the moon comes from the nursery rhyme
Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed to see such fun
And the dish ran away with the spoon!
Driving me up the wall doesn't mean bored specifically, it's just anything that drives you crazy.
Agree, never heard it used for boredom. It's usually about sanity.
"At the end of the day" could also be expressed as "when push comes to shove"
Yeah, "piece of piss" is definitely not uncommon - we aren't quite as prudish as Americans
Heavy rain can also be referred to with "it's pissing down"
"At the end of the day" is American. You can substitute, "Ultimately" to sound less so.
@@jamesgornall5731 I didn't think it's country of origin had quite been settled yet? Yes. it is found in Huxley's work - but it's also in quite a few esoteric/religious/philosophical tracts of the 19thC. But I think the point is that it's become so cliche that it's gone to die in the hideous swamp of BizTalk. From which no word, phrase or couplet ever returns.😄
Tyler, you really must start looking at panel shows from the UK. You’re going to die when you find out what we’re able to say on those shows.
I used to watch Graham Norton, and would always love to see the change in American guests when they learn they can swear on TV 😂
when brits are polite to you, it means you are seen as an outsider. if they TAKE THE PISS out of you, it means you are accepted as a friend/ part of the group. Once you are part of their group, brits will protect you with their own lives, but take the piss out of you like a catheter! haha big love to all people :)
Hi Tyler you might be interested in the origin of some of these British sayings. The 'bend' is the curve always placed in the entrance drive of Victorian mental hospitals. Straight drives were the characteristic of stately homes and bent ones of asylums to screen the inmates from view. “Under the weather” is from the maritime world. When a sailor became ill or seasick, often because of violent weather conditions, that sailor was sent below decks to the most stable part of the ship, which was under the weather rail. The phrase “under the weather rail” was shortened to the idiom “under the weather.”
The expression "over the moon" comes from a well-known 16th century nursery rhyme called ‘Hey Diddle Diddle’ (originally written as ‘High Diddle Diddle’) The rhyme is nonsense, but it goes like this...“Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle,The cow jumped over the moon.The little dog laughed to see such fun. And the dish ran away with the spoon!”
"Piss" derives from the Vulgar Latin verb "pissiare" meaning to urinate and then via the medieval French verb pissier (12th century), to piss crops up in many medieval English texts. The phrase "piece of piss" originated in World War 2 by the RAF in place of "a piece of cake".
😲 That makes so much sense, I always assumed it meant the toilet u-bend 🤭
We say 'drives me up the wall' too! 'Pissed-off' is the same as the American 'I'm really pissed!' And yes, pissed means drunk! 'Piss-head' is a drunkard! 'Piss-off' is a lighter version of F%@k-off!
I used to work with someone who said 'at the end of the day' multiple times a day, it drove me nuts.
I work with a guy who always says "turn around and say", infuriating
I hear at the end of the day, and immediately think of Les Mis. I wouldn't be able to help myself - if I worked with someone who constantly said "at the end of the day", I'd have to sing "You're another day older" .....
Normally if I say "I'm over the moon" it is done with a sarcastic tone.
Learned words like "chuffed to bits" and " it's lush" from my British friends.
They have fun words and phrases there
dont forget its gurt lush in its proper usage lol
Lush is mostly used in the west country. Especially if you put 'gert' in front of it. I live in Bristol and you hear that a lot lot
well i live in rural somerset where we talk proper lol @@rufus1346
Oh wow I've heard my geordie friends use it, without gurt/gert though... cool to know!
😄@@marjoleinewelters1728
I would never use drive you round the bend to mean I am bored.
"At the end of the day" is the same as "when all is said and done"
"Piece of piss" and "Taking the piss" are both very informal and you'd only use them with your friends, or adults that you sure wouldn't be offended.
Bantering with a friend is evidence of closeness absolutely.
I say the worst shit to my closest friends.
And i know someone cares about me when they do the same.
The funny thing is if you or a friend of yours catch someone not close making the same jokes at your expense, the tone of the encounter will change.
I can take the piss out of my mate, you cant.
Well said. I (Canadian) worked with British engineers. No higher compliment than the day they began taking the piss.
It is important to note that an idiom doesn't generally have a logical meaning, it only makes sense once you know what its meaning is.
as a Brit they missed the term for can't be bothered - "I can't be arsed" ;)
Tone can be a very important factor in the UK. The phrase "not bad" can mean anything from barely adequate to excellent when referring to a job someone's done. I don't know if it's used in America, but it can certainly confuse people who speak English as a second language.
Yes! And quite means not very.
@@danmayberry1185 "Quite" is used in a whole slew of different ways. Compare "He's quite the businessman" (in which 'quite' is indicating that the 'he' in question is good at business) to "That was quite good" (in which 'quite' could mean 'very' or 'not very' depending upon the tone of voice and inflection pattern) to "It's quite warm out" (in which 'quite' could mean 'fairly/moderately' or could mean 'very' where the person saying it is prone to understatement as many of us Brits are). And then there are the phrases "Quite right" and "Quite so" in which 'quite' is being used to mean 'absolutely'. Context and tone of voice are key for deciphering what is meant by 'quite'.
@@smockboy Well said. My comment, which should have read 'can mean' referred to quite, synonymous with 'fairly' (which itself can mean middling or a lot, as in, "the sailboat was fairly moving"). My favourite use of quite is the truncated form of 'quite so," especially following some nonsensical rambling with the reply, "erm, yes, quite."
I knew a chap from Liverpool who used to say he was "made up" meaning pleased about something. I would then compliment him on his lipstick and mascara!
I think the biggest difference between UK and US language is far more emphasis is placed on context especially when it comes to the usage of one word with multiple meanings in different phrases, always fantastic seeing you interest in the uk way of life.
We wouldn't say over the moon often most would say chuffed
Proper chuffed
😊 Or "chuffed to bits" (which sounds somewhat painful tbh ?!😊)
Taking the piss has an its origins in English history. Back in the day, when goods were transported by barges via the canal system, there were two things that were carried in barrels. One was wine and the other animal urine, which was used in the tanning of leather.
When a barge operator was asked what he was transporting, he would often say that it was wine, because he didn’t want to admit that it was urine, as this was looked on as the worst type of cargo.
Often, the person he was talking to would not believe him and would think that the bargy was try to con him. So he would say, “no you’re not, you are taking piss.”
Hence the modern expression of “now, you are taking the piss (out of me)”
So, you were right, the expression does mean urine.
'Piece of Piss' is, as he said, a vulgar version of this, so used only in certain contexts (not to your Granny, or your boss, for example). 'Take the piss' is for some reason more acceptible, though again, probably not in front of an older granny). 'Being pissed' always means drunk in the UK, and is a totally acceptible phrase. In the US 'pissed' just means 'angry' (where we might say 'pissed off'), and seems to be totally OK, whereas the othe uses seem to be too vulgar. It's weird how context dependent this one is.
And 'he's built like a streak of piss' means he's skinny and unmuscled.
Don't forget we do have a shared language and many of these idioms are many hundreds of years old. When the original settlers left for America they would have used them and so they are found on both sides of the pond.
I mean are they really the same language
Yes, we use piss to mean about 1,000 different things.
The steam off one's pish .. my personal fave.
Every region in the UK say these ‘sayings’ differently or they have slightly different meanings. It’s endless 😂🇬🇧🏴
Its all context/tone of voice/inflections and body language.
2 exact sayings can mean complete opposites.
Shakespeare is credited with the invention or introduction of over 1,700 words. Slang and colourful expressions are a logical extension of the UK's literary history.
Yeah I saw a history of the English language and it obviously included influences like the Normans. But it included Shakespeare as a big influence on the language.
I think it is as much that the first record of use was by Shakespeare than he being the inventor. Otherwise the viewers of his plays and readers of his poetry would have been left confused.
Another one for angry not used quite so much these days is to say that something "gets my dander up" (makes me angry) - supposedly originates from brewing where dander was the froth that resulted from stirring the brew. Another good one is "three sheets to the wind" (drunk to the point of insensibility) - from our naval history, a sheet was a rope that secured a sail, if the sheets that control all three sails (the most common format) are loose the sails are flapping about and the ship is out of control. Piss - all absolutely true. We love vulgar sayings, eg. "gobshite" - someone who talks nonsense ("gob" equals 'mouth' hence someone who spouts excrement).
Thought it was "Get my Gander up" could be wrong
Right and wrong!! The original phrase is "dander" as in "I got my dander up as soon as I found he had his up, and we fought it out" from the Middlesbrough Daily Gazette 7/12/1892 (I could quote several more dating as far back). I have, however, also heard 'gander' recently, probably because 'dander' isn't a word we commonly use anymore and 'gander' kind of makes sense since geese are notoriously aggressive. @@grabannon
"Are you tekkin the piss?" Probably my most used phrase 😂
My favourite is "give your head a wobble". Basically the thing you have said/done is so unbelievably stupid you need to make sure your brain hasn't fallen out 😂
Drive going around the bend is a reference to the Victorian asylums which always had long curved drives so the couldn’t be seen from the road.
Round the bend and Doing my head in both equate to Drive me mad. Not angry or bored.
'Piss poor' a bad job, a poor repair or generally lazy piece of work. "The electrician did a piss poor job and now I need it doing again." Yup, piss is versatile in the UK!
😊 And... If you're a prude, "urine no mood for the joke?!" 😊🏴🇬🇧❤️🖖
Absolute piss-take, pissed as a fart, piss-flaps, pissed-up, pissed-off, on the piss - we have tons of piss related sayings here 😁
You need to explain piss flaps to Tyler 😂
There are a few New Zealand phrases which needs more usage, feeling "Rough as guts and twice as ugly" is used when really hung over or feeling sick lol. Another phrase is to "Throw a wobbly" which is when someone has an angry outburst,
We say that too in the UK.
Aussies say "Chuck a wobbly"
@@nolajoy7759 Aussies say they invented the pavlova too, doesn't mean they did 😂
These are used all over the uk, but there some sayings that are only used in Wales, Scotland, England regional sayings i mean. Not every brit would say a piece of piss, some don't like using a vulgar term, piss is also seen as a swear word here to, but i guess it depends who you are.
A few years gone by 1950's and 60's when not everyone had a bathroom we would make use of a gazunder.
Called a gazunder because it goes under the bed.
A ceramic pot with a handle for emptying out. Also known as a piss pot.
Some people used them to plant an aspidistra in.
There is a song from before the second world war called "It was the biggest aspidistra in the world" by Gracie Fields.
We use the word Piss in loads of situations:
Piece of piss- Easy
Taking the piss- To mock
Pissed myself - laughed so hard
Piss off- Go away
Being pissed- Angry
Piss-take- Mocking
Piss it down/ Pissing it down- to rain heavily
Piss around- to mess about
Piss away- waste something
I was pissed- Either drunk or angry
Piss-up- A drunken gathering
Cat piss- usually tastes bad
Piss in your cornflakes- done to make someone angry
It does sound like we're obsessed! LOL.
I dont often hear 'Piece of piss' but a more common term that I hear is 'Piss easy'
I think our range of language is just more extensive than the Americans.
Doubtful.
In Northern Ireland we have a saying, I'm hanging, or, are you hanging? Meaning dying with a hangover. Also, if your unhappy in your job and someone asks you would reply sarcastically I'm living the dream. Theres many many others as well.
Wikipedia - under 'Hey Diddle Diddle', the nonsense verse that children around the world know! Which actually mentions the different versions as the source of the expression 'Over the Moon'.
Brits also say 'pissed' meaning 'drunk', whereas in the US it means 'annoyed'. We also say 'pissed off' meaning 'annoyed'. A 'piss-up' is a social gathering where the expectation is that everyone will get drunk. 'Pissed as a fart' means 'extremely drunk'. Also used are 'piss off', which is the same as in the US, 'piss-elegant' meaning 'faux posh'. amd 'piss-poor' meaning financially broke. So, I think it's fair to say we quite like the slang term for urine. 😀
😊😅😂 Reading these comments I think urine good company!!😊😅😂🏴🇬🇧❤️🖖
A personal favourite is 'Give your head a wobble'. As in you would say to someone 'Give your head a wobble'. It basically means sort yourself out, get your mind in the right place.
Instead of it being 'a piece of piss,' you could say on completion of a difficult task 'I pissed it mate.' Thanks for the vid and the impromptu giggles. Keep it rolling man. 👏
'Taking the piss' or 'Taking the Micky' if you want to be more polite. This can be used in two ways:
1) As he explained it can be when you're making fun of someone.
2) If you think somebody is taking advantage, overcharging you, etc, then you might accuse them of 'taking the piss' or 'taking the Micky' or 'having a laugh' (at your expense).
e.g. "£10 for a fucking cup of coffee? You're taking the piss/ taking the micky/having a laugh!" usually said in a shocked/angry tone.
Banter:
Banter should be a two way thing, think of it like a tennis rally where close friends poke fun at each other's quirks/failings/embarassing moments, etc and the person on the receiving end then replies with some good natured abuse of their own. It's also common after a friend has made fun of you to run with the insult and poke fun at yourself before turning it back on them.
The whole idea of banter is to make each other laugh, NOT cause offense, so the more original the insult the better. If it's always one sided or the person on the receiving end doesn't find it funny then it's bullying.
I find a good way to ensure the other person knows I'm joking is to poke fun at myself first, or sometimes immediately after making fun of them. It's hard for people to take offense when you've said something twice as bad about yourself!😀
Possibly my favourite expression/insult. "Face like a bulldog licking piss off a nettle." As in "Look at the face on that. He's got a face like a bulldog licking piss off a nettle."
You're right. Drives you/me round the bend is pretty much the same as drives me up the wall, (we use that over here sometimes as well). Never heard it used meaning bored. But if somebody is "Round the bend", it means they're crazy, mad, or just plain loopy!
You're right again. "Over the moon" is a bit dated.
Yes, piece of piss is actually an expression that in this context means the same as piece of cake, which we also use. "Taking the piss" also means to take advantage of someone or something, also means making fun of. And yes, pissed also means drunk.
Yet another great reaction video Tyler! Here's another use of the word piss.. we might call someone who drinks alot of alcohol a "piss head" 😂
And a bad job is piss poor!
Or someone who is very tall is a "lanky streak of piss"
Yes!!! lol @@seeyouanon2931
US soldiers that was positioned in the UK in world war2 took alot of slang n sayings back to the US after the war, that why there's alot of similar expansions now in the US
BIG UP THE BRITISH 🇬🇧🇬🇧
I leaned a good one recently. It's a new one. 'Embuggerance' - It's just some stubborn obstacle that's in your way or some stubborn thing that's hard to get rid of that's doing your head in.
"Over The Moon" is a cliche used often by footballers describing their feelings after a win. Not the most eloquent at the end of the day.
or sick as a parrot 😉
Sick as a parrot perfectly sums up the average intelligence of a footballer.
'I wonder who came up with it first'
Well let us think about that just based on the odds, whom is famous for talking about the weather all the time? Second American english has only existed since Webster in 1828 whereas in the UK we have been speaking a form of english for around 1000 years. Lastly the founders of the American colonies were from ........ the UK! So as sure as eggs is eggs the odds are definitely on a UK origin.
I particularly like 'Six of peas waiting for chips', meaning someone is slow on the uptake or very slow at getting a move on.
All those expressions are true, we also say drives me up the wall which is very old saying here in UK. I would say take the p or take the mic (urine too) and piece of cake to be more polite ..and you take the cake for being cheeky.
We do use 'piece for cake', too.
Did you mean to type "piece of cake"?
Something that never came up but is well funny is the British expression if something is "very, very good" that it is the "Dog's Bollocks". I have heard this changed to other phrases meaning the same thig like "Canine Underhang" or "Mutt's Nuts".
I love, it's like platting snot, meaning it's nigh on impossible lol
"I wonder if Americans got this from British..". 😂😂😂 Ya think?? Seeing as your language ORIGINATED in Britain?!
I couldn't believe he said that either
Don't laugh 😂😅😂😅😂😅😂😂😂
"Ye made I laugh... I laffed so much I pee'd my drawers!!" ('Country folk' banter!!) 😊😅😂🏴💙❤️🖖
It largely depends upon the company you're in, and the formality of the occasion, as to which expressions you use. Also, which part of the country, which social class and so on. For example, friends may well "take the piss" out of each other in London; but in Scotland they might "rip the shit," in the same circumstances!
Years ago I was talking to a German woman who spoke very good English. She said she had been to some place and got really pissed. Being British I thought she got very drunk. She actually meant she got really annoyed.
I once said to my head of year at school “are you taking the piss” instead of “are you taking the Micky”, I would have got in trouble regardless if I got in a lot more trouble.
I definitely thought he was going to say ‘stoked’ instead of over the moon 😁
Instead of Get a grip, I'd probably say Get a hold
The piss word is used a lot as is banter. I've had a friend for years since we were kids and my endearing nickname for her for years has been fugly or piss flaps. It's normal to us. She calls me saggy tits or fish flaps.It's all fun.
It all depends on situation and context. Most British people don't really care or take things to seriously. Americans are far too serious about things that don't really matter. Also Americans can be to literal and lack a sense of humour.
Correct! I have been watching two American TH-camrs reviewing the black Adder series....and they were dissecting the humour too much.
Aussies say piece of piss and taking the piss too (unsurprisingly) 😂
The banter culture is strong in Sweden, if we're angry with someone we use subtle language and sarcasm.
We are really afraid of conflicts, so like if someone skips the line we'd turn to someone close by and say eg "the nerve of some people!", or "some people seems to have been born with good manners".
I recently was at a birthday party at a friends, and people talked about how nice the place was after that he'd cleaned it up. And I said "yeah, it's NICER, but I wouldn't say it's nice!"
All of these idioms can gain much further emphasis by having "Eff" word inserted as appropriate, for instance "Stop taking the Effin piss" or "doing my Effin head in". Supposed swear words are infinitely useful!
I think the UK older generation would not say piece of piss. I would say it's a doddle.
When I first moved to the UK it took me a good 3 - 4 months to fully grasp sarcasm and banter =) I thought everyone was really really mean to each other for a while before I asked my then partner about it. He had a good giggle and explained it to me. I've now got a black belt in banter ;) I always say about he UK method that "You can only get this kind of abuse from your closest friends". It's a little weird at first, but truly welcome once you understand it =)
Nooo, reeeeeally???
Being pissed is drunk, pissed off is annoyed, piece of piss is easy, taking the piss is mocking, my mother in law used to use taking the wee wee or the pee instead. Like you said we have a lot of piss going on.
The "wee wee" phrase just makes me think of "Fog On The Tyne" by Lindisfarne. ❤🏴🇬🇧😊🖖
One thing with bantering is that we accept each others differences by highlighting them in a comical way.
The reason there are so many different phrases is because with the accents changing every few miles the slang can change as well, a lot of phrases are country wide but many are specific to certain areas, also Americans are very literal when slang here most often is not, you should check out Cockney rhyming slang because that will blow your mind.
An additional on taking the piss, probably easy to infer but fir the avoidance of doubt; taking the piss can also mean taking too much of an advantage of something e.g. "free biscuits, but don't take the piss" means you can have as many biscuits as you like but don't start stuffing your pockets with them.
We also use 'taking the piss out of me' as in 'stop taking the piss out of me, give me my money back' basically meaning stop treating me like a joke/a fool.
Feeling rough is a very common phrase, often expanded on too with descriptors at the end.
'Rough as houses/Rough as a Badger's arse/Rough as anything... Etc.'
These are the most common three versions that I hear/use
We have posters at work promoting work boots that say Get a Grip! And someone has written Mental Health Awareness on it 😅
There are far too many examples to list of just how versatile and ever-present word "piss" is in the colourful tapestry of British expressions.
If you’ve made a mistake you’ve “pissed on your chips”
Under the weather is originally a naval expression for a ship experiencing a storm. By extension it comes to mean a person suffering - usually from illness, but in some regions it might mean specifically from a hangover.
We also say drives me up the wall.
You can say 'I'm over the moon' and the tone of voice can make it fed-up/sarcastic rather than feeling really happy. Tone and even facial expression can actually change the usual meaning of the well known sayings!
you are correct about drives me around the bend. it means to drive you crazy
I've no idea where he got bored or angry from. you can be driven round the bend and be neither of those things :)
I'm Scottish and we have so many silly idioms. we also take swearing and insults to an artform (especially Glaswegians)
I'm from Glasgow but people in Edinburgh will have their own quirky sayings. it's a very regional thing
and don't get started on being drunk. we have about a thousand sayings for being drunk :) blootered, hammered, mortal, cabbaged, steamin, oot yer tree (out of your tree), buckled, minced, Howlin, Guttered, Rubber, steamboats (see steamin), Mingin, Plastered.... and that's just the ones I can think off the top of my head
and he is 100% correct, if Brits don't like you or know you that well they will tend to be very polite but if they are your best mate you will take the piss :) if somebody is comfortable enough to make fun of you in front of your face it means they like and know you well enough to know that you won't take offence to it
every one of my close friends is a "bawbag" (literally a nutsack or ballbag) we'll even say it in a greeting "awright bawbag" we never say hello to people we're friends with it's always "awright?" (basically are you alright?, how are you doing?)
Try to remember some expressions when you come over.
But choose your expressions carefully - for example, if you stop someone in the street for directions, and it turns out you don't understand them - perhaps it's not a good idea to say "you're driving me round the bend".
There is also, 'pissing about' when people are doing something incorrectly or informally.
And if something makes you angry then you might say it, 'boils your piss'.
😊 It might sound odd, but the _first_ time I'd heard anyone say, "that really boils my piss" was by listening to/watching a video by Sarah Millican on TH-cam!! (She's from South Shields, so I just assumed it was as 'Geordie' expression?!😅😊❤️🏴🇬🇧🖖
Over the moon comes from the 16th century children poem, Hey Diddle Diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon, the little dog laughed to see such fun, and the dish ran away with the spoon.
In the part of NW England where I grew up, if we weren't feeling too well, we would say we were "As Rough As Bulls Lugs". No idea of the origin of this but it was frequently used on Monday mornings after a heavy weekend.
Being bored and stuck indoors would be more "Have me climbing up the walls", while "Round the bend" is saying somebody is crazy.