British English Phrases, Idioms, and Expressions (Letters A-C)

As I use them here and as I have also found them defined in dictionaries,

a phrase is "a sequence of two or more words arranged in a grammatical construction and acting as a unit in a sentence” (Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Dictionary);

an idiom is an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements (Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Dictionary), as “to pull someone’s leg;”  

and an expression is a particular phrase used conventionally to express something (Collins Complete & Unabridged 2009).

All idioms and expressions are, therefore, phrases to begin with.

Here are some of my favorite words and phrases that are particular (peculiar) to British English. The selection is based on the Cambridge Idioms Dictionary, 2^nd edition, 2006. Where possible, I tried to define the phrases listed here by giving an American equivalent.

As for the Cambridge Idioms Dictionary, to me it posed more questions than it answered. Take get on your bike, for instance. This dictionary says it means "go out and look for work," which apparently, as I learned online, is a meaning that was established after British politician Norman Tebbitt used the phrase in that sense in a certain speech he gave in the eighties.

It turns out that, in fact, in British English on your bike is, first and foremost, simply a dismissive phrase, which children might hear often. It isn't always about urging someone to look for work.
Then there were other phrases, like to get no chance out of someone, and to have had your chips, for which the definitions given differed from how native speakers use these phrases online. So, in these two cases, I give here definitions and explanations which I've seen confirmed by British English speakers online. If you are one and you use these phrases differently, please let me know in comments.

So here come some of my favorite British English words and phrases.

argy-bargy – loud dispute or argument. Rhyming jingle based on “argue”

to be out of the ark – to be ancient in the sense of very old-fashioned

can’t be arsed -- can’t be bothered, which is also British.

to be fed up to the back teeth – to be fed to the teeth in AmE, or, more commonly, fed to the gills, or fed up to here (accompanied by gesture)

to be in a bad way (British and Australian) – to be in a bad place; can be used of both people and things (businesses, countries, etc.). Here “way” means condition or state.

to bat for the other side/team – to play for the other side/team, in the sense of being gay

to be off-beam (British and Australian) – to be wrong

to be like a bear with a sore head – to be grumpy and rude to people

beat somebody hollow (British and Australian) – beat the crap out of someone in the sense of defeating them thoroughly

the bee’s knees – excellent; slang taken up by Americans in the 1920s, which is also when they started using “the cat’s pajamas” and other similar expressions

a bit of how’s your father (British and Australian) – sex

bits and bobs – bits and pieces, odds and ends

and Bob’s your uncle! – something like “that’s all; it’s easy;” used to emphasize that you will be successful after following some easy instruction steps. As in, “Sauté the onion and garlic, add the veggies, tomato juice and spices, cover for 10 minutes, and Bob’s your uncle, you’re done!”

bone idle – bone lazy, very lazy

(That’s/There’s a) turn-up for the books – something unexpected. Comes from betting in horse racing. If a race was won by a horse that wasn’t wagered on in the bookmaker’s book, then the latter got to keep all the money.

Why break the habit of a lifetime? (British and Australian) – self-explanatory

bright as a button (British and Australian) – a version (meaning “intelligent”) of the American “cute as a button”

like chalk and cheese – (superficially alike but in fact) totally different

Chance would be a fine thing! – said when you desire something that isn’t likely to happen. As in a response to an invitation.

to get no change out of someone – to get no help from someone

cheap and cheerful (British and Australian) – cheap but of decent quality

cheap and nasty (British and Australian) – cheap and of (very) bad quality

hard/tough cheddar (British and Australian) / stiff cheddar (Australian) – tough luck

cheeseparing – 1. adj. stingy, penny-pinching. 2. n. stinginess

to have had your chips – to be done for

to chop and change – to change again and again what you do or plan to do

off one’s chump / off one’s trolley – out of one's mind (off one’s rocker, off one’s nut -- but these can have certain, specific connotations)

Hope you've enjoyed today's bits and bobs of British English! :)

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