Phrase For Phriday

These Phrases for Phriday are something that I started a while ago in response to a suggestion from one of my readers, the lovely PJ. They (I hope) provide examples of how Brits and Americans (and other English speakers around the world) are often, as the saying goes, divided by a common language.

I prefer to begin these light-hearted posts by admitting right here that I’m not at all sure if these are particularly solely British words and phrases. However, I have to start somewhere and that means making some assumptions… they sound pretty British to me, or to put it another way, these are instances when I believe those Americans and others I mentioned might be tempted to think, “WTF does that mean?”. But I’m providing nothing more here than my personal interpretation of the words in question. Of course, I could be wrong – nothing new there then, either!

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It’s been a while since my last post on this, so today’s phrase is a whole paragraph…

I felt a right Hampton: She smiled and flashed her hampsteads and then kicked me in the khyber. Of course, I was pretty brahms at the time, or I wouldn’t have asked her for a butchers at her bristols. The thing is though, she’s got this gorgeous long red barnet and the sexiest green minces you’ve ever seen.

I guess you can figure it out if I tell you that it’s rhyming slang and…

Hampton = Hampton Wick = dick
Hampstead = Hampstead Heath = teeth
Khyber = Khyber Pass = arse (ass to our American cousins)
Brahms = Brahms and Liszt = pissed (drunk)
Butchers = Butcher’s hook = look
Bristols = Bristol Cities = titties (boobs)
Barnet = Barnet Fair = hair
and Minces = Mince Pies = eyes

Have a good weekend…  😉