Phrases

RoseRed said:
It is in the UK! :D I don't know who he was or what he did to warrant such treatment, but I regularly find myself exclaiming "Gordon Bennett!"
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ozentity said:
I've never heard of that Duke.
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Gordon Bennett was an Australian three star general who abandoned his troops to the Japanese in Singapore in 1942. He turned over command of his forces to a subordinate, then fled back to Oz. His name became synonymous with cowardice and dereliction of duty after a couple different investigations post-war ruled he'd acted wrongly in leaving his troops.
 
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I worked with a USAF colonel whose favorite experience to describe someone he respected was that individual "had his shit in one sock." It meant that individual was very competent, organized, and able accomplish whatever was required to get the job done.
 
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RoseRed said:
Ok, here are a few from the north of England (where my parents are from):

"He's not as green as he's cabbage-looking" (meaning someone's not as stupid as they look)

"Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs!" (I think this is some kind of exclamation of surprise)

"She's all there with her lemon drops" (meaning they're a sound person, a generally grounded type)

"Stop your mythering" (meaning stop pestering/bothering me)

"He was standing there like piffy on a rock bun" (don't ask me to explain any of that!)
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When I first started going to UK regularly back in the mid/late 90s, I bought an American/British English dictionary, similar to this one:
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Between this and having watched a lot of British TV (on PBS), as well as being a UK military history buff, I got quite good as a translator between our folks and the Brits we worked with.

The one instance I remember most was one of our UK colleagues used the word "pissed" to describe an individual we worked with. In the US, "pissed" means angry, but in the UK it means drunk. I got home to find someone here took that to mean there was animosity between the two groups. It took me a while to convince our folks there wasn't a working relationship issue.
 
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Here's a question for everyone here who isn't a Brit...

Do you use "Dipstick" as an insult? As in, "He's such a dipstick!"

It's used to mean someone is a bit silly or has done something a bit silly. You might even refer to yourself as a dipstick (I know I have, many times!).
 
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Duke said:
When I first started going to UK regularly back in the mid/late 90s, I bought an American/British English dictionary, similar to this one:
View attachment 48968
Between this and having watched a lot of British TV (on PBS), as well as being a UK military history buff, I got quite good as a translator between our folks and the Brits we worked with.

The one instance I remember most was one of our UK colleagues used the word "pissed" to describe an individual we worked with. In the US, "pissed" means angry, but in the UK it means drunk. I got home to find someone here took that to mean there was animosity between the two groups. It took me a while to convince our folks there wasn't a working relationship issue.
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I'm sure that word causes so much confusion! :D

I bet that phrase book is very entertaining
Duke said:
Gordon Bennett was an Australian three star general who abandoned his troops to the Japanese in Singapore in 1942. He turned over command of his forces to a subordinate, then fled back to Oz. His name became synonymous with cowardice and dereliction of duty after a couple different investigations post-war ruled he'd acted wrongly in leaving his troops.
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Ah!! Thanks Duke! I honestly don't think too many people over here actually know who he was, but as you say, everyone takes his name in vain!
 
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