National sayings and phrases - directly translated

[Jimbuna]

‘Bugger all’ – a British slang term used to be a more vulgar synonym for ‘nothing at all’.

[Jimbuna]

Butchers hook - This is the cockney rhyming slang version of having a gander, to look at something.

[Jimbuna]

Chunder - Not a wonderfully melodic word, ‘chunder’ is part and parcel of British slang terms. Meaning ‘to vomit’ or ‘to be sick’, ‘chunder’ is almost always used in correlation with drunken nights, or being hugely ill and sick.

[Jimbuna]

Damp Squib - More of an usual term, a ‘damp squib’ in British slang terms refers to something which fails on all accounts, coming from the ‘squib’ (an explosive), and the propensity for them to fail when wet.

[Jimbuna]

Do - A “do” is essentially a party

[August]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Do - A “do” is essentially a party

The American version might be "to do". as in "Are you going to the big To Do up at the VFW this weekend?"

[Von Due]

Came like Christmas eve to the missus - Something that happened suddenly and unexpected

To be between the tree bark and the wood - To be in a difficult situation like being torn between two tough choices.

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Do - A “do” is essentially a party

IN Senior-care rest homes, it's called do-do!

[Jimbuna]

Dodgy - In British slang terms, ‘dodgy’ refers to something wrong, illegal, or just plain ‘off’, in one way or another.

[Jimbuna]

Fortnight - ‘Fortnight’ – a British slang term more commonly used by virtually everyone in the UK to mean ‘a group of two weeks’.

[Jimbuna]

Grockel - It is used as a derogatory word for tourists.

[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Dodgy - In British slang terms, ‘dodgy’ refers to something wrong, illegal, or just plain ‘off’, in one way or another.

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Fortnight - ‘Fortnight’ – a British slang term more commonly used by virtually everyone in the UK to mean ‘a group of two weeks’.

A dodgy fortnight is one spent in a cheap motel.... milling about smartly w/o benefit of matrimony!

[Sean C]

Jim's last post reminded me of something my sister told me when she was attending the College of William and Mary years ago. It's by no means a national saying; as far as I know having been confined to the college and its surroundings. But she said that they referred to tourists as "tourons".


This is a portmanteau of the word "tourist" and another ... less flattering word. The reason being that Colonial Williamsburg is one of the more popular local tourist attractions, and the visitors were always pestering the busy students for directions*.


The student body had apparently even gone so far as to print their own "tourist maps", which included many, many (far too many) points of interest - such as the "butcher's shop", the "baker's shop" and ... you guessed it: the "candlestick maker's shop". The map also depicted a police station on every single corner in the city. (We have a lot ... but not that many.) These maps were eagerly handed out to any poor, unsuspecting tourist who happened to have the bad luck of asking a W&M student where the nearest bus stop was located.


And we wonder why the rest of the world thinks we're ****heads.


* I feel I should mention that this was long before everyone had an exact, up-to-date map of the world in their pocket showing their real-time location. And I should also mention that Williamsburg is [was?] home to a traffic intersection called "confusion corner" - and for good reason. Once, when I was visiting my sister at the college, I had to try and navigate this intersection. None of the lanes (which seemed to come from many random directions) lined up with one another through the intersection, and all of the traffic lights were mounted on poles which were so far from the roadway that which lane they controlled was a complete mystery.


Add to that the fact that the entire intersection is surrounded by dense forest - so much so that the traffic lights themselves and even the oncoming lanes were difficult to identify - and you can imagine why this is a complete nightmare for all but the most seasoned local drivers.

[Jimbuna]

Jammy - Is a descriptive word, used to describe someone who is extremely lucky for something, without putting in much effort for it.

[mapuc]

Some more Danish sayings directly translated

Acting for the gallery - Means Theatrical or hypocritical performance, especially to please someone

The Devil and his pump stick - Means in this case a longer explanation
- Is perhaps a pre-Danishization of the Latin baptismal ritual: Abrenuntias Satanae ... an omnibus pompis ejus (Do you forsake the devil and all his being), where pompis has become a pumping stick.

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