Searchin' for the meaning of "higher education" in such places as Finland, Oxford, Portugal, South Africa, and Athens, Georgia, USA.
The (mis)adventures of academia, travel, culture, and the best cup of tea.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

"Stop Cock" and other British Jargon.

Elizabeth, a fellow Graduate Resident found this small "stop cock" grate as she walked to the dining hall at Trinity College. Definitely camera-worthy and loaded with jokes! "Stop Cock" is not what you might think it is; it is a valve used to restrict or isolate the flow of a liquid or gas through a pipe. This is just one of the many British idioms that makes an American go, "huh?"

Here are a few others:

Geezer: old man or mate

Peckish: hungry

Cheeky bugger: smarty pants

I've got to see a man about a dog: I've got better things to do.

Sod off/Faff off: Screw off!

Bollocks!: Nonsense, oh crap!

Photos: Humps for 50 yards (speed bumps), Pig & Whistle (a college staircase--hall--at Oxford), Fcuk (French Connection of U.K.--clothing store), Please mind the step (watch the step).

2 comments:

Mama Weimer said...

Interesting!!!!!!! They probably laugh at some of our usuage of words, also. I bet you will learn some of them very quickly. If nothing else use sign language.

barefootfiona said...

I love travel blogs liek yours, especially when they're so phot o rich! Just one thing: 'I've got to see a man about a dog' is what people say when they don't want you to know what they're doing, usually in the sense of them getting you a birthday present. It's not 'I've got better things to do'.

Home come you travel so much?