Blimey! British English Expressions made Easy Peasy

In honor of the upcoming Summer Olympics 2012 to be held in London, England, I thought it would be fun to test out your grand knowledge of British English expressions. After all, British English and American English consist of very different expressions and vocabulary terms relating to food, greetings, and everyday lingo. You have probably come across these words/phrases in the Harry Potter novels, overheard them on television, or even heard them used by friends, but what do these British expressions really mean? Go ahead and test your linguistic wits. Have fun!

PART I

Choose the correct definition for each word or phrase.

1. Barmy: (a) to go mad or crazy / (b) excellent

2. Blimey: (a) to blame someone / (b) exclamation of surprise

3. Bob's your uncle: (a) an insult / (b) “...and that's it”

4. Cheerio: (a) friendly way of saying goodbye / (b) breakfast cereal

5. Codswallop: (a) nonsense; baloney / (b) a tasty British delicacy

6. Drop a clanger: (a) to drop a heavy tool / (b) make an embarrassing mistake

7. Fancy: (a) to desire something / (b) very fashionable

8. Full of beans: (a) someone who curses too much / (b) to have lots of energy

9. Hunky-dory: (a) excellent / (b) a very good looking man

10. On about: (a) to talk about something / (b) to really like someone or something

PART II

Now let's look at how these expressions are used in context before revealing the answers. Go on and fill in the blanks with the correct words/phrases.

1. The gentleman ___________ after he mistook his friend's mom for his grandmother.

2. See you tomorrow in class. ____________!

3. Sally ___________ the cupcakes that she saw in the bakery.

4. Nathan was ____________ after he drank three energy drinks within an hour.

5. You'd have to be __________ to visit London without trying black pudding.

6. What are you ____________? Your new haircut looks great!

7. Oh ___________! That alligator is huge!

8. Traveling during the summer vacation would be ____________.

9. Jimmy's father told him that he was talking a load of ___________ after he denied breaking the window.

10. Pudding is very simple to make. First, pour the pudding powder into a bowl. Next, mix the powder with milk. Finally, put the bowl in the refrigerator to chill and __________!

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Ready to see your results? Here are the long-awaited answers:

Part I

Barmy (a), Blimey (b), Bob's your uncle (b), Cheerio (a), Codswallop (a), Drop a clanger (b), Fancy (a), Full of beans (b), Hunky-dory (a), On about (a)

Part II

1. dropped a clanger, 2. cheerio, 3. fancies, 4. full of beans, 5. barmy, 6. on about, 7. blimey, 8. hunky-dory, 9. codswallop, 10. Bob's your uncle

Now you're ready to head out and mingle with some new friends in London while using some of these British expressions.  Cheers!