Extraordinary General Meeting 113 Exchequer, n. Treasury Department The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the British equivalent of the Secretary of the Trea- sury. exclamation mark exclamation point exclusive line private line Telephone term. Sometimes the telephone company, Telecom, in its literature uses the quaint phrase exclusive working to describe this luxury. The less fortunate have shared lines or party lines. ex-directory, adj. unlisted Referring to telephone numbers. exeat, n. temporary school leave (Pronounced EX'EE-AT.) Term used in schools and colleges. Like the more familiar word exit, it is a form of the Latin verb exire, 'to go forth'; here literally meaning let him go out. (the) Executive, n. (the) Executive Committee Used the way Americans use the Management at the end of notices posted in pub- lic places, like railroad stations and post offices. exercise book notebook Sometimes referred to as a jotter. exhibition; exhibitioner. See under bursar. export carriage overseas shipping Seen as an extra charge item on bills for goods sent overseas, like tea bought in England and shipped to America. express, adj., adv. special delivery Post office term. The American designation has now been adopted by the G.P.O. See recorded delivery. The U.S. Post Office now has 'Express Mail,' a premium overnight service available at a price. ex-service man veteran external painting outdoor painting Builders' and contractors' term. extractor fan exhaust fan extra-mural studies extension courses Extraordinary General Meeting. See under Annual General Meeting. F fab, adj. Slang, cool Slang. A teenage truncation of fabulous and synonymous with gear and kinky, all of which are out of fashion now, though they can be used as jocular exaggera- tions. Kinky has another grown-up meaning. face cloth, n. SEE COMMENT The British call an ordinary washrag or facecloth a flannel. facer, n. Inf. obstacle Inf. Facer is rarely heard in either country in its literal meaning of 'blow in the face.' In Britain it has the special meaning of a difficulty you suddenly come up against. faculty, n. college department In America, the faculty of a college is its entire teaching body. In Britain, this is called staff, and faculty is confined to groups of academically related subjects, i.e., departments, as in Faculty of Medicine, Law, etc. faddy, adj. Inf. picky Inf. Often used to describe persons who are fussy about their food and difficult to please. See also dainty. fadge, v.i. suit Slang. Especially in the expression It won't fadge, meaning 'It won't suit' (or 'do' or 'fit'). "How will this fadge?" asks the sleuth, "No good, it won't fadge." fag, n., v.t., v.i. 1. v.i., toil 2. v.i., exhaust 3. n., Slang, drag 4. n., Slang, cigarette 5. SEE COMMENT 1. v.i., Slang. To toil painfully. 2. v.t., Slang. To tire or wear (someone) out. 3. n., Slang. In the sense of 'drudgery'; a painfully boring job. 4. Slang. Cigarette in Britain. 5. Slang. In public school slang, when seniors fag, it means that they are using the services of juniors; when juniors fag, it means that they are rendering services to seniors and the junior so serving is known as a fag. faggot, n. 1. crone 2. spiced meatball 1. Inf. Chiefly a country term, summoning the image of a battered old slut. 114 fancy one's chances 115 2. Made of chopped pig innards (see offal) and fairly heavily spiced. The com- mon American slang use of faggot to mean 'male homosexual' has caught on in Britain, particulary in entertainment circles and among the jet set. fains I! SEE COMMENT Slang. Also fain I! vains I! and other regional variants like fainites! vainites! and even cribs! scribs! crosses! keys! and goodness knows what else, usually accompa- nied by conspicuously crossed fingers. All these are truce words meaning that the crier wants his pals to wait a minute—calling for a halt, for example, in a fast children's game. Only an unscrupulous bully would take advantage of a call for truce. See a special use of fains under Quis? Bags I! is the opposite of fains I! fair, adv. Inf. surely Inf. That sermon fair set us thinking! Substandard; mostly rustic. fair-light, n. transom fair old , adj. Inf. quite a Inf. A fair old job means 'quite a job' (a major chore); a fair old mix-up means 'quite a mix-up' (a snafu of major proportions). fair's on Inf. what's fair is fair Inf. To the friend who paid for a round of drinks, a Briton might say: "Fair's on , this one's on me." fairy cake cupcake fall about laughing Slang, die laughing Slang. Sometimes shortened to fall about, with laughing understood, especially in the cockney idiom. fallen off the back of a lorry Slang, hot Slang. A lorry is a truck. A thief or black marketeer, seeking to dispose of ill-gotten wares, approaches a pedestrian and assures him that the fur coat or wristwatch or whatever fell off the back of a lorry and went unclaimed by police. fall over backwards Inf. bend over backwards Do one's darndest to accomplish something worthwhile. family butcher butcher shop Often first-class family butcher, typically one that does not serve institutions. See also butchery. fancy. See fancy one's chances. fancy goods notions See also draper's shop; haberdashery. fancy one's chances Inf. have high hopes Inf. The hopeful swain fancies his chances with the girl; the team with a comfort- able margin fancy their chances for the cup. One may fancy one's own or 116 fanny another's chances, but when the expression applies to a third party, it is often found in the negative. After attending a disappointing first night: / don't fancy its chances, or, about a friend about to enter a tournament: I don't fancy his chances. fanny, n. 1. Slang, backside 2. vulgar, cunt 1. Slang. Originally, this word meant the female pudenda, but the American sense—'backside/ 'behind/ 'derrière'—appears to have become its primary meaning now in Britain, as a result of importation from America, where it has never had the second meaning. Yet it might be just as well to avoid its use in Britain, because there are those, among the elderly at least, and perhaps the not- so-elderly in less chic circles, who might be shocked, and certainly puzzled, if it were applied to a male. 2. Vulgar Slang. This is the original British meaning, and the word is still under- stood or may be understood that way in some circles. Fanny Adams. See sweet Fanny Adams. fare stage bus fare zone limit In both countries stage appears in the phrase stage of a journey, and as part of stage- coach, especially in American movies about the Wild West. In Britain, fare stages are the zone limits for purposes of computing bus fares. farthing n. SEE COMMENT One fourth of an old penny, a coin long since demonetized; but the term is still used figuratively to mean a 'bit' in expressions like It doesn't matter a farthing. See Appendix II.A. and, for idiomatic use, halfpenny. fart in a colander, Slang restless soul One who jumps around from one chore to the next, unable to make up his mind what to start first. This indelicate expression suggests an anal wind emission unable to decide which hole in the colander to pass through. Synonymous with tit in a trance. fast, adj. express Applied to trains and to roads (express or limited highways). A local train is called a stopping train, or slow train. Father Christmas Santa Claus The British also use Santa Claus. fat rascal soft bun Inf. Stuffed with black currants. faults and service difficulties telephone repair department This is the department you ask for on your neighbor's telephone when yours isn't working. A faulty telephone is one that is out of order. feed, n. 1. feeding field 117 2. straight man 1. Usually in the context of formula feeding. To go onto feeds is to go onto formula, e.g., My little one is on six feeds a day. Technically, a feed can be any variety—breast, formula, or cereal. 2. The member of the comedy duo who feeds cues to the gag man. feeder, n. child's bib feel, v.i. feel like For example, I feel a perfect fool! feeling not quite the thing, Inf. Inf. feel below par felicitate, v.i. congratulate Fellow, n. member of college governing body In Oxford and some other universities, also called don. The chairman of the gov- erning body is called the Master in most Oxbridge colleges, but in addition to the eight Masters, there are seven Wardens, five Principals, three Provosts and two Rectors. At Cambridge, Master is the title with only four exceptions: one each of Provost, President, Mistress and Principal. At Oxford and Cambridge Fellow can best be defined as 'senior teaching or administrative member' of a college. There are all sorts and varieties of Fellow: Research Fellows, Junior Research Fellows, Hon- orary Fellows, Emeritus Fellows, Quondam (or ex-) Fellows. fender, n. bumper Old automobile term; but American fender is British wing. Bumper is now univer- sal. (See also Appendix ILE.) (the) Fens, n. pi. SEE COMMENT Name given to the marshy district of the eastern part of the country, west and south of the Wash, a shallow bay in that section of England. fetch, v.t. bring As in, to fetch a price in an auction. The British use make in the same way. fête, n. fair (Pronounced FATE.) An important part of British life. Most organizations, as well as every village in Britain, down to the smallest, organize a fête. The village fête is annual and is a small-scale country fair, sometimes preceded by a parade with floats. fiddle, n., v.t., v.i. swindle To fiddle is to cheat, and to fiddle the books is to engage in shady dealings. A fiddle is usually a minor cheat. To be on the fiddle is to engage in minor swindling. When the offense is of major proportions, the British use swindle. See also diddle; do; carve up; ramp; sell a pup; swizz; take down; cook. fiddling, adj. petty; futile; contemptible field, v.t. put up Speaking of political candidates. Americans and Britons alike field teams or armies, i.e., put them in the field, but only the British field candidates. 118 fieldsman fieldsman, n. fielder Cricket vs. baseball (See also batsman). Fielder is commonly used in Britain, but fieldsman is unknown in America. fifty-fifty sale split even You collect all those things you want to get rid of, take them to a scheduled char- ity sale, and split the proceeds fifty-fifty with the charity. file, n. loose-leaf binder A British schoolboy or university student will keep his notes in a file. filibuster, n., v.i. buccaneer Filibuster originally meant the same thing in both countries: as a verb, 'engage in unauthorized warfare against a foreign power,' as a noun, a 'buccaneer' or 'pirate' engaged in that activity. In Britain, it does not have the specialized Amer- ican sense of an endless speech, especially in the Senate and the House of Repre- sentatives, designed to obstruct proceedings and prevent a vote on unwanted legislation. fillet, n. tenderloin (Rhymes with MILLET, not MILL AY.) On an American restaurant menu the equiva- lent would be tenderloin steak, or perhaps/z'/et mignon. fill in fill out The British fill in or fill up a form; the Americans fill in or fill out a form. See Appendix I.A.I. Fill out is creeping into Britain. film, n. movie A film is a movie (i.e., a motion picture). A cinema is the theater that shows it. In old-fashioned slang, one went to the flicks to see a flick. filthy, adj. Inf. lousy Inf. As in Filthy weather we're having; She's had a filthy time of it; He has a filthy tem- per. financial, adj. Inf. well-heeled Inf. Mainly Australian and New Zealand, but used jocularly in Britain on occa- sion. Let me buy the drinks; I'm financial tonight or, I'm feeling financial. financial year fiscal year An accounting term. find, v.t. like When the manager of the inn asks you as you are leaving, "How did you find us?" he is asking you how you liked his inn. fine down Inf. thin down; clear up Inf. To fine (something) down, away or off is to make it thinner. Transitively, referring to the brewing of beer, it means to 'clear up'. Intransitively, referring to any liquid, it means to 'become clear/ as in the case of a wine whose sediment has settled. finger shot of booze Slang. An alcoholic drink one finger-thickness in the glass. first floor 119 fingerling, n. young salmon In America, more broadly, it means anything small and specifically any fish no longer than your finger. fire, n. heater As in electric fire; gas fire; but also used eliptically meaning either. See also -fired. fire brigade fire department -fired SEE COMMENT The British speak of oil-fired, gas-fired, etc., central heating. This is shortened to oil heat, gas heat, etc., in America. See also fire. fire-flair n. stingray fire-guard, n. fire screen fire-irons, n. pi. fireplace implements fire office fire insurance company office fire-pan, n. metal grate fire-raising, n. arson Afire-raiser is an arsonist. firewood, n. kindling Firewood, in America, is any wood for burning, usually in a fireplace for heat, but also outdoors for cooking. The American term includes kindling. In Britain where most fireplaces contain grates for the burning of coal, firewood denotes merely wood to start the fire with, and is either gathered outdoors or is bought at the ironmonger's {hardware store) in small wire-bound bundles of thin, short sticks. first, n. Inf. summa Inf. First is a university term which is short for first-class honours and is roughly equivalent to summa in America, which is short for summa cum laude. There are seconds and thirds as well. See class. One says, He got a first in physics. first class approx. major league Sports terminology. This pairing is as approximate as the respective national games; first-class cricket, major league baseball. There is also second-class cricket, very roughly analogous to minor league baseball, involving the second elevens of first class counties and the first elevens of second class counties, each category with its own championship. first floor second floor Americans use first floor and ground floor interchangeably to describe an apart- ment on the ground level, and main floor or street floor to describe the ground level of a shop or office building. The British use ground floor to describe all of those 120 first knock things, but when they say first floor, they mean the next floor up, i.e., the floor above the ground floor, or what Americans call the second floor. This difference continues all the way to the top, of course. Though Americans call the floor above the ground floor the second floor, inhabitants of that floor are also heard to say that they live one flight up. first knock. See take first knock. fish, n. fish and seafood In Britain fish usually includes seafood, edible salt water shellfish. fisher. See bradbury. fish fingers fish sticks fishing story, n. fish story fishmonger's fish store fish 'n' chips SEE COMMENT Fish fried in batter and served with French fried potatoes (see chips). This fish used to be cod, most of the time, in the cheaper places, and plaice, a European flatfish, in the better places, and here and there other varieties of fish. As a result of the "cod war" the price of cod has rocketed, and haddock and hake are the nor- mal fare in the usual fish 'n' chips place. In the more casual type of establishment, this dish used to be served wrapped in a piece of newspaper (a practice made illegal), and specialist gourmets insist that the newspaper ink lent an incompara- ble flavor that cannot be duplicated. The normal procedure is to douse this dish in vinegar, Brown Sauce, or Daddy's Sauce, which are, like ketchup in America, ubiquitous. fish-slice, spatula Inf. Literally, a cook's implement for carving and for turning fish while it is cook- ing, and for removing it from the pan; but used informally to mean 'spatula' gen- erally. In that sense, synonymous with palette-knife. fish, wet. See wet fish. fit?, adj. Inf. all set? Inf. Usually asked in the form, Are you fit? fitments, n. pi. fixtures Of a shop or factory. fits. See give (someone) fits. fitted, adj. wall-to-wall Used of carpeting. Another phrase, though less common is edge-to-edge. Wall-to- wall is beginning to be used frequently, especially in its extended senses. fitter, n. plumber; mechanic Americans use the phrase steam fitter to refer to a mechanic who installs or repairs steam pipe systems but do not use fitter, as the British do loosely, to mean a flannel 121 'repairman' or 'plumber.' In Britain you send for the fitter whether your home radiator or your boat engine, as just two examples, is out of order. fittings, n. pi. fixtures Shop fittings in Britain are called store fixtures in America. fit-up, adj. Slang, pick-up Slang. Theatrical slang, to describe a temporary touring company, assembled from hither and yon and provided with portable stage scenery. The term can be applied to other types of organization. five honours. See four honours. fiver, n. approx. five A fiver is a five-pound note (see note), worth about $8. A fiver (more commonly a five) in America is, of course, a. five-dollar bill. fives, n. handball The games are roughly similar. five-star. See four-star. fixings, n. pi. hardware What Americans call the hardware on a window, swinging gate, or other such equipment, is called the fixings in Britain. fixture, n. scheduled sporting event In the British sports world what the Americans call an event is called & fixture. Flag Day Tag Day The day on which people solicit you for contributions to a cause and give you something to put on your lapel to prove you've come through. In Britain you get little flags; in America you may get paper poppies on the end of a pin. flake out Inf. pass out Inf. Faint, collapse from exhaustion. flaming, adj., adv. Slang, damned Inf. Synonymous with flipping, ruddy, bloody. flan, n. SEE COMMENT Sponge cake or pastry with fruit filling, usually with a layer of whipped cream as well. Flan in America is caramel custard. flannel, n. face cloth Also known in America as washcloth or washrag. But when the British talk of a wash-cloth they mean what is known in America as a dishcloth. flannel, n., v.t., v.L, Slang. 1. n., Slang, soft soap; flattery 2. v.t., Slang, soft-soap; flatter 3. v.L, Slang, talk one's way out 122 flapjack flapjack, n. 1. SEE COMMENT 2. lady's flat compact 1. Type of cookie. Flapjack now also means 'pancake' in Britain. 2. A portable container for face powder. flash, adj. flashy flat, n. apartment A block of flats is an apartment house. See block; apartment. flat, adj. dead Describing batteries that have come to the end of their useful lives. flat out at full speed Inf. Flat out to a Briton suggests a race, particularly a horse race, with the winner (by a nose) going all out, using every ounce of power. In Britain, it does not have the sense of 'plainly' or 'directly/ as in (American) I told him flat-out what I thought of him. flat spin. See in a flat spin. fleck, n. lint Inf. The bits that cling annoyingly to dark woolen clothing. Fluff and lint are the usual terms in Britain and America. fleet, n., adj. 1. creek 2. shallow Heard from time to time. Fleet Street the press Inf. See Throgmorton Street, Wardour Street, and other street names used synec- dochically, to indicate various businesses and professions. Grub Street is the for- mer name of a London street, changed to Milton Street in 1830. Samuel Johnson described it as "Much inhabited by writers of small histories, dictionaries, and temporary poems; whence any mean production is called grubstreet." The term is now used metaphorically for starving writers, literary hacks and their output. flex, n. electric cord; extension Abbreviation of flexible, used as a noun. flexible (table) lamp gooseneck lamp flexitime, n. flextime A system in Britain and America whereunder an employee works a fixed number of hours but at times partly as the worker chooses. flick-knife, n. switchblade flicks, n. pi. movies Slang. Still heard. See film. flies, n. pi. fly The fly of a man's trousers is commonly heard as flies in Britain. [...]... intransitively, means to 'engage in talking humbug'; transitively, to gammon someone is to pull his leg, put him on Slang of a bygone day But see humbug, which has nothing to do with any of this gammy, adj lame; game Slang Usually in the expression gammy leg, meaning 'game leg.' An arm may be gammy as well gamp, n umbrella Inf A big one, named after Sarah Gamp, in Martin Chuzzlewit, a bibulous lady... who carried a large cotton umbrella The common slang term in Britain is brolly gang See breakdown gang; navvy ganger, n gang foreman In charge of a gang of workers Often applies to a foreman in charge of men working on the railroad gangway, n aisle In theaters, ships, stores and in the House of Commons Americans, of course, have gangways here and there, but have aisles everywhere you look See also aisle... would address the person that way A cab driver in Britain might well address a passenger as guv'nor, equivalent to the American doc or mister Old-fashioned Britons may still use guv'nor in the sense of dad  144 gownsman gownsman See town and gown G.P.O SEE COMMENT Stands for General Post Office, which handles the mail, telegrams, old age pension payments, as well as maintaining savings accounts and a credit... Guards, Horse Guards and Life Guards), part of whose duty is to attend the sovereign ceremonially A member of any of these regiments is known as a guardsman See Life Guard guardsman See Guards guard's van See under brake-van gubbins, n pi caboose 1 innards 2 Slang, thingamajigs 1 Slang The insides of something: the gubbins of a car—all the bits and pieces mechanics have to get at 2 Slang Also used as... meanings, 'grasshopper' or 'cricket/ and figuratively a 'lively person/ are American as well as British Merry (or happy) as a grig is a common phrase equivalent to gay and lively, bright and merry, happy as a lark grill, v.t broil A lady who asks a British butcher for a broiler might get a chicken, but if she wants to be sure to get a chicken for broiling, she should ask for a grilling-chicken See also chicken... exhilaration or despair Slot machine is the British term for what Americans call a vending machine fruity, adj Inf Inf spicy; sexy fry-up, n approx fry A fry in America is any fried dish, or more generally a social function involving the eating of a fried dish (e.g., fish-fry; cf clambake) In Britain it is a concoction of fried kippers, eggs, potatoes, and anything else available fubsy, adj fat and squat... America, too, but it is not as commonly used Gradient would be the more common term in Britain as, for instance, in an automobile instruction book advising which gear to use when starting up a hill graduate, n college graduate In America a graduate can refer to a person who has completed the course at any school, whether elementary school, high school, or college Used alone, graduate in Britain means... official record and has no effect on championships friendly action action for a declaratory judgment A legal term, meaning a lawsuit brought to get a point decided, rather than for money damages or other relief frontier 129 friendly society mutual insurance group A common and extremely useful type of organization, even in an advanced welfare society Its members are pledged to provide assistance to one another... application for so long a period, would now be lost 130 frost frost, n Slang, bust Slang If an American went to a party that he would later describe as a bust (or a dud), his English counterpart would have characterized it as a frost frosted food frozen food Sign in Harrods, the great store in London: FROSTED FOODS A refrigerator salesman (shop assistant in a fridge shop) would point with pride to a large... the army.' forecourt, n front yard Applied in Britain to a service station, forecourt means the 'area where gas (petrol) is pumped.' Thus one sees help-wanted ads for a forecourt attendant, i.e., somebody to man the gas pumps Also, in Britain and America, a tennis term meaning the area near the net Foreign Office approx State Department Now called the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) forged, adj . express Applied to trains and to roads (express or limited highways). A local train is called a stopping train, or slow train. Father Christmas Santa Claus The British also use Santa Claus. fat . premium overnight service available at a price. ex-service man veteran external painting outdoor painting Builders' and contractors' term. extractor fan exhaust fan extra-mural studies extension. buccaneer Filibuster originally meant the same thing in both countries: as a verb, 'engage in unauthorized warfare against a foreign power,' as a noun, a 'buccaneer'