British Words Not Used In The Americas
Top 10 Favorite British Words
#1: Prat
Although Merriam-Webster is a dictionary of American English, it contains a range of words rarely heard outside Britain. Here are some of our favourites.
Definition:
a stupid or foolish person
Example:
"Everyone's feeling a bit summery this morning, with a few rays breaking out over Britain and some of you lot daring to break the 'anyone who wears sunglasses in April is a prat' rule that we just made up." – 3am.co.uk, April 6, 2011
About the word:
Prat probably comes from the 16th century slang prat meaning "buttocks." The original pratfall was a fall on the buttocks.
Homepage Image: robmcm / flickr #2: Twee
Definition:
affectedly or excessively dainty, delicate, cute, or quaint
Example:
"Micmacs [is a] ramshackle and unbearably twee French comedy." – Chris Tookey, Daily Mail Online, February 26, 2010
About the word:
Twee is a baby-talk alteration of sweet. It first appeared in print in a 1905 issue of the British magazine Punch.
#3: Knackered
Definition:
tired, exhausted
Example:
"Went for a 4 miler and then when I got back from work we took the kids swimming. Nice and knackered now." – blog post at SoreLimbs.co.uk, January 18, 2011
About the word:
The slang knacker means "to kill or tire."
Etymologists can't be sure if there's a link between the adjective knackered and the knacker that means "horse-slaughterer."
(more)
http://www.merriam-webster.com/top-ten-lists/top-10-favorite-british-words/twee.html
About Dale
I owe my life to Hitler, though I never met the man. My father was paid to stop Hitler, so there is no conflict of interest. I was given a thunk on the back o' the head by God when I was fifteen, and within a week began to write. I haven't stopped. My first...
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