Book description
Brits and Americans dress the same, eat at the same chain restaurants
and pass music back and forth across the Atlantic. But the second we
Brits open our mouths, all bets are off. The aim of these unscholarly
pages is to guide you through the jungle of British slang, uncovering
the etymology but also illuminating the correct usage. And if it doesn't
accomplish that, at least you'll be aware that when a British citizen
describes you as a "wally," a "herbert," a
"spanner," or a "bampot," he's not showering you
with compliments. Knickers in a Twist is as indispensable as a London
city guide, as spot-on funny as an episode of The Office, and as
edifying as Eats, Shoots & Leaves. Screenwriter Jonathan Bernstein's
collection of Cockney rhyming slang, insults culled from British
television shows of yore, and regional and "high British"
favourites provides hours of educational, enlightening, even lifesaving
hilarity. PIG'S EAR Incompetent execution of a relatively simple task;
also a delicious repast. BETTER THAN A POKE IN THE EYE WITH A SHARP
STICK Another way of reminding an ungrateful recipient that the paltry
amount he is receiving for, say, compiling a list of British slang is
better than nothing at all. SICK AS A PARROT Horribly disappointed; most
frequently employed by heartbroken UK football fans after their hopes of
international glory are once again dashed. FANCY THE PANTS OFF To
sexually desire someone so intensely that their clothes spontaneously
disappear. Only the first four words of the previous sentence are
technically accurate. Jonathan Bernstein is a Los Angeles-based
author, screenwriter and journalist.
