The world of the English language

List of words and phrases

1. Abdication crisis – the situation in Britain in 1936 when king Edward VIII abdicated the throne in order to marry a divorced American woman
2. Access card – a type of credit card in the UK
3. AC/DC – an Australian hard rock band popular in 1970s
4. Across-the-board – affecting everyone or everything in a situation or organization
5. Act of God – an event outside human control (стихийное бедствие)
6. Act of Parliament – a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament
7. AD – anno domini (lat.) – in the year of God (after 0 year)
8. Admiralty - British government department which controls the British navy
9. Advice column – a special column in newspaper or magazine with readers’ letters and advices given to them
10. After eight – a type of chocolate with pepper mint, especially popular after formal meals
11. Afternoon tea – tea drunk in 4-5 o’clock
12. Ageism/agism – discriminating people because of their age
13. Agony aunt – a woman who gives advice to readers in agony column
14. AIDS – Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome – СПИД
15. Aka – also known as
16. Aldeburg – town on the coast of Suffolk (Eastern England), a music festival is held there every summer
17. Alderman – 1. an elected member of a town or a city council in the US 2. an important member of a town council in the UK in the past
18. Ale – type of beer
19. Alias – also known as (especially of a criminal)
20. All-American – having typical American qualities (positive meaning: being healthy, working hard)
21. Allotment – an amount of share or sth such as money and time that is given to smb or sth (распределение, перечисление)
22. All-seater – a stadium where there are only seats (people are not allowed to stand) (because of safety)
23. Alphabet soup – speech of writing full of abbreviations and acronyms
24. Amok – go mad and behave in a very violent way (озвереть)
25. Ampersand - &
26. Andy Capp – typical example of working class in Britain (lazy, argues with wife, deinks beer)
27. Anglophile – a British person interested in Britain and who also likes all British
28. Angry Young Man – a young man who strongly criticizes society and government
29. Animal Farm – a novel by George Orwell, which is a satire on the Russian Revolution. Animals take control of a farm and try to establish an equal society. “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others”
30. ALF – Animal Liberation Front - British organization that fights for the rights of the animals
31. Annual return – a tax form that self-employed people complete every year, giving details of their income so that the amount of their tax can be calculated
32. AN other – person whose name is not known (ANO)
33. Ansaphone – a device connected to a phone that answers calls automatically and records messages from the person calling
34. Ante – an amount that is risked in the card game of poker
35. Anticlockwise – против часовой стрелки
36. (the) Antipodes – Australia and New Zealand
37. Any Questions – radio program, in which famous people share their opinion on different urgent matters
38. AOB – Any Other Business – things that haven’t yet been discussed in the main part of the meeting
39. AONB – Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – protected beautiful area
40. APEX- Advances Purchase Excursion – tickets that are cheaper because your plane/train is in a few days
41. Appetizer – some dish eaten in the beginning of a meal in order to increase appetite
42. Apple-pie bed - a shortsheeted bed in which a sheet is folded back on itself halfway down as a practical joke so that the victim cannot get into it
43. Approved school – special school for young criminals
44. Apron strings – (завязки передника) regarded as a sign of a control of a mother or a wife under a boy or a man
45. Archbishop of Canterbury – priest, leader of the Church of England
46. Archbishop of Westminster – leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales
47. A-road – an important main road, that is not a motorway
48. Arthurian legend – stories about king Arthur
49. Asap – As Soon As Possible
50. (the) Athenaeum Club – gentlemen’s club in central London (higher society)
51. Atishoe – a sound of sneezing
52. Auld Lang Syne – traditional Scottish song sung on New Year’s Eve
53. Auntie – a name for BBC channel (used to show that BBC treats its viewers like children)
54. Aunt Sally – 1. traditional game. People throw sticks into a wooden figure (that is aunt Sally), trying to hit a clay pipe; 2. any person who is a target for insults or criticism
55. A-Z (A to Z) – a journal with all the streets and maps of a town or city
56. Backlog – a number of jobs that have to be done, but they are not done in the proper time
57. Back of Beyond – very distant place which is hard to get to
58. Backroom boy – a person whose work is important but who doesn’t receive recognition from the public (often because they are working to support someone else)
59. Baddie (baddy) – someone who is bad or an opponent of a good person (esp. in books etc.)
60. Bags I! – Let me have it! (Чур я!)
61. Baker’s dozen - 13
62. Banana skin – an event or situation likely to cause difficulty or make one look foolish
63. B & B – bed and breakfast (type of a hostel)
64. Bank holiday – an official holiday when banks and most businesses are closed
65. Bbq (US), barbie (UK) – barbecue
66. Bard of Avon – poetic name of William Shakespeare
67. Barrister – a lawyer who is allowed to speak in the higher courts of law
68. Basket case – 1. a country or organization that is completely disorganized and need help, often financial; 2. someone who is so nervous or worried that they can’t deal with simple problems
69. Battered wife – a woman who has been physically harmed by her husband
70. BBC English – RP – norm of pronunciation
71. BCE – Before Common Era – before 0 year
72. Be-all and end-all – the most important part of a situation or of someone’s life
73. Beatnik – late 1950s – early 1960s a person who showed opposition to the moral standarts and traditional way of life
74. Because it’s there – originally used by a mountain climber explaining why he wanted to climb the Everest; people say it when they are asked why they do sth dangerous
75. Bed of roses – a happy comfortable state
76. Bed-sitter – a room used both for living and sleeping
77. Beefcake – strong attractive man with large muscles
78. Beijing – capital of China
79. Belgravia – a part of central London where a lot of expensive houses and shops and also foreign embassies are situated
80. Belisha beacon – a flashing orange light on a pole at a zebra crossing
81. Belle-letters – literature regarded for its aesthetic value rather than its didactic or informative content
82. Ben Nevis – the highest mountain in the UK (1343 m, Scotland)
83. BHS – British House Stories – a large store where clothes and things for house are sold
84. (the) Big Apple – a name for NYC
85. Big cheese/ noise/ shot/ wig – a very important person in an organization (большая шишка)
86. Bingo – 1. a game, in which numbers are chosen randomly and called out. If you have all the numbers you win (лото) 2. interjection used when you succeeded in sth
87. Bird of passage – 1. a bird that flies from one country to another; 2. a person who never stays in the same place for long
88. Bird’s eye view – a view from above or from the sky
89. Birthday honours – special honours given to some people by the Queen each year on her birthday as a reward for their achievements
90. Black (race) – a name for negro people, which is considered offensive for some of them
91. Black country – an industrial area in the Midlands of England
92. Black Rod – the title of one of the officials who takes part in a ceremony of opening the Parliament, who invites members of the House of Commons to the House of Lords
93. Black-tie – spoken of parties or other social occasions where people wear evening dress
94. Blah, blah, blah – used to show that sth was said, but it’s uninteresting or unimportant
95. Blasphemy – sth you say or do that insults God or people’s religious beliefs (богохульство)
96. Blenheim Palace – a palace in Oxfordshire owned by the family of the Duke of Marlborough
97. Blind man’s buff – children’s game in which one of them whose eyes are covered tries to catch the others
98. Blitz – 1. a sudden heavy attack, esp. from the cur; 2. a period of great activity for some special purpose; 3. the time during WWII when German soldiers dropped many bombs on British cities
99. Blockbuster - sth very effective or remarkable, esp. a very successful book or film

100. Boat Race – a rowing race on the river Thames held every year between students of Oxford and Cambridge

101. Bob’s your uncle – used to say that sth is or will be very easy to do

102. Boche – a name for German soldiers used during the WWI and WWII

103. (the) Bodleian Library – the university library of Oxford where lots of old and famous books and papers are held

104. Body Shop – a company selling soap, shampoo, make up etc. all over the world

105. Bogey – 1. golf: when you take too many shots to get the ball into the hole 2. difficult situation making you feel anxious

106. Bond Street – a street in London famous for its expensive shops

107. (Man) Booker Prize – an important prize given for the best full-length novel written by citizen of the Commonwealth every year

108. Bootleg – illegally made and sold alcohol, software etc. (пиратская копия)

109. Boot sale – a sale in which people sell different things, esp. second-hand clothes from the boots of their cars

110. Borough – a town or a division of a large town with some powers of local government

111. Bosworth Field – the place where the final battle of the Wars of the Roses took place in 1485 (Richard III was defeated by Henry Tudor)

112. Bottle bank – a container on the streets where people can put empty bottles so they’d be restored

113. Bottleneck – a narrow part of a road which slows down traffic

114. Boudicca/ Boadicea – the Queen of Celts who led an army against the Romans

115. Bow Bells – the church bells of St. Mary-le-Bow in London. It is believed that if a person is born within the sound of them is a true Cockney

116. Bowler (hat) – a man’s round hard hat, usually black, worn esp. by men who work in the City of London (котелок)

117. Bowls – an outdoor game in which one tries to roll a big ball as close as it is possible to jack (a small ball). Usually played by older people

118. Bow-tie (a bow-tie affair) – a short tie fastened at the front in a knot that looks like a bow (worn esp. on formal meetings) (галстук-бабочка)

119. Brian-child – someone’s idea or invention, often successful (детище)

120. Bread-and-butter letter – concerned with the things that are necessary for life

121. Bread-and-butter pudding – a sweet dish made of bread, eggs, fruit, milk, baked in an oven

122. Breadthways/ breadthwise – in the direction breadth (from one side to another) (в ширину)

123. Breadwinner – a member of family who brings money home

124. Brewer’s – Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable – a British dictionary of phrases and stories that 1^st came out in 1870

125. Brie-a-black – small objects of various kinds kept for decoration; sth valued because they are old, unusual or rare

126. Bring-and-buy sale – a sale, when people bring goods to sell them, usually for charity

127. Britannia – female figure representing Britain. Shown on some coins. Usually sits wearing helmet and holding a trident (трезубец) with a shield next to her

128. British Council – a organization set up in 1934 to represent the UK’s interests in the sphere of education and arts abroad

129. Brolly – umbrella

130. Brown goods – electronic devices such as TVs, radios, digital media players, and computers, as distinct from heavy consumer durables such as air conditioners, refrigerators, stoves, which are called white goods

131. Brum – Birmingham

132. Brummie – person from Birmingham

133. BS – Bachelor of Science – 1^st university degree in a science subject

134. Bubble and squeak – traditional dish: a roast made of meat, cabbage and potatoes

135. Budgerigar/budgie – a small bright-coloured bird of Australian origin (волнистый попугайчик)

136. Building society - a financial institution owned by its members as a mutual organization

137. Bungalow – a house on ground level

138. Burke’s Peerage – a book that gives details of all the noble families in the UK who have titles like earl or duke

139. Burr – 1. a seed container of some plants covered with sharp points that make it stick to things; 2. a way of pronouncing English with a strong r sound (typical for North)

140. Bush telegraph – fast spreading of information by unofficial means

141. Busk – to play music in the street or other public place in order to earn money

142. Busman’s holiday – a holiday spent in doing your usual work

143. BYOB – Bring Your Own Bottle/Booze/Beer – written on a party invitation to ask guests to bring their own alcohol

144. C 2 – ???

145. Cabbage Patch doll – a type of doll that looks like a small fat child

146. Caledonia – an old name for Scotland given by Romans, now used mainly in poetry or in the names of Scottish companies

147. Call-out – ???

148. Cambridge Certificate – an exam in English for speakers of other languages set by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate (UCLES)

149. Camden – a borough in North London, fashionable place to live

150. Canary Wharf (пристань) – part of the docklands area in East London

151. C&A – a former chain of stores selling inexpensive clothes

152. Candid Camera – 1. hidden camera 2.open, honest and sincere in manner; directly truthful even in situations when it’s better to lie ???

153. Cantab – used after the title of a degree from Cambridge University

154. Cardboard city – an area where people with no home sleep on the streets, often using cardboard boxes to keep warm

155. Card phone – a public telephone which one can use putting a special plastic card called a phonecard

156. Carnaby Street – a street in London world famous in 1960s for its shops selling fashionable clothes for young people

157. Ceilidh – an evening entertainment in Scotland or Ireland involving singing, dancing and story-telling

158. CFC (-free) – chlorofluorocarbon – a gas used in refrigerators which is believed to be responsible for the ozone layer

159. Chancellor of the Exchequer – the British minister responsible for taxes and government spending

160. Channel Islands – a group of British Islands in the English Channel near the coast of France. The main are Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark

161. Chapel – a small church

162. Charring Cross Road – a street in central London, famous for its bookshops

163. Charity Shop – a shop selling goods, especially second-hand, in order to raise money for charity

164. Chat Show – a radio or television show on which well-known people talk to each other and are asked questions

165. Chat-up line – a British telephone service where you call and you’re connected to a random stranger. Was closed in 1992.

166. Cheers – 1. they say it before drinking – wish each other all the good 2. thank you 3. goodbye

167. Chelsea – an area in the southwest of central London, known for expensive housing, fashionable shops and football team

168. Chequers – the official country house of the Prime Minister about 30 miles northwest from London

169. Chiantishire – a humorous name for an area of Tuscany in Italy, where many British upper-class representatives live or stay on holiday

170. Chief Whip – a member of a political party whose job is to make sure the party MPs obey party orders and vote for the party in discussions

171. Child abuse – the act of hurting a child, violently or sexually, or cruelty or lack of attention which is harmful for a child

172. Chinese whispers – the game, Russian equivalent – испорченный телефон

173. Chinkie – a very offensive word for a Chinese person

174. Chinless wonder – a man from an upper-class who turns out to be rather stupid

175. Chip – 1.a small piece broken off sth. 2. a piece of potato cooked in fat 3. a plastic object used for representing money in some games 4. microchip – a small piece of plastic with electronic parts used to store information 5. a shot or kick in football, rugby etc, when a ball is thrown up in the air very high

176. Chippendale – furniture made in XVIII century style known for its graceful shapes and decoration

177. Chip shop – a shop which cooks and sells chips, fish, pies which are usually carried away

178. Chopsticks – 1. short sticks used in pairs of equal length, which are used as the traditional eating in China, Japan etc. 2. a simple tune a person plays on a piano

179. Christie’s – a famous auction house, main offices in London and NYC

180. Christmas bonus – an extra payment made at Christmas by some employees (тринадцатая зарплата)

181. Chum – a good friend, especially among children

182. Chunnel – a name used esp. by newspapers for Channel Tunnel

183. Cider – an alcoholic drink made of apples

184. City gent – a man who wears a dark costume at work (business or government industries of central London) (bowler, hat, black umbrella)

185. Civil service – departments of British government except the armed forces, law courts and religious organizations. People are accepted there by examination, they can’t take any active part in politics

186. Clapham Junction – a very busy railway station in southwest London where lots of people catch a train to work or change trains

187. Clarence House – house in London owned by the Prince of Wales. Queen Mother used to live there

188. Claridge’s – a luxury hotel in London

189. Classified ad – a usually small advertisement in newspaper placed by a person in order to get or sell sth, offer or get a job

190. Clearance sale – a time when a shop sells goods cheaply in order to get rid of as many as possible

191. Cleopatra’s Needle – one of three ancient Egyptian obelisks built over 3000 years ago (re-erected in London (on the Victoria Embankment), Paris and NYC)

192. Cloud-cuckoo-land – an imaginary place of unreal dreams and impossible perfection

193. CND – Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament – an organization who wants Britain to get rig of nuclear weapon and stop making them

194. Cock-and-bull story – a foolish unreal story told as if it were true

195. Cockney – accent of the east London

196. Cocktail party – a party in which people are formally dressed, drinks and sth light to eat are served

197. COD – cash on delivery – an arrangement by which you pay for goods when they are delivered to you (collect on delivery)

198. C of E – Church of England

199. Coffee House – a place where non-alcoholic drinks, cakes and light meals are served

200. Cognomen – a descriptive nickname such as “the Great” – a person’s surname esp. in ancient Rome

201. Colchester – a town in the southwest of England. Used to be the Roman capital of Britain. Is believed to be the oldest town in the UK.

202. Cold feet – loss of courage or confidence, esp. before sth important

203. Coleslaw – finely cut uncooked cabbage in a dressing, eaten as a salad

204. Collywobbles – a slight stomachache usually caused by nervousness

205. Coming of age – the 18^th birthday

206. Common land – land owned by nobody, available for everyone to use

207. Common-law marriage – a union between a man and a woman who live together, call each other husband and wife but without performing a wedding ceremony

208. Common room – a room in school/college for the use of teachers or students when they are having rest

209. Commuter – a person who travels to work every day (commutes), wears a suit, reads a newspaper and doesn’t talk to anyone

210. Comprehensive school – a school for pupils from the age of 11 which teaches children of all abilities

211. Concorde – a type of passenger aircraft which flew twice the speed of sound and was the fastest in the world. In 2003 they were stopped being produced (too expensive)

212. Conundrum – 1. a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun or unexpected twist 2. a logical postulation that evades resolution, an intricate and difficult problem

213. Conversation piece – sth, e.g. an interesting object or event that provides a subject for discussion

214. Cooking apple – a small apple grown to be cooked

215. Cordon bleu – 1. one of the best cooking schools in the world 2. a dish made of meat, ham, cheese, bread

216. Corduroys – a thick fabric with thin lines

217. Corgi – dogs with short legs and pointed nose. The Queen keeps some of them as pets

218. Cornerstone – 1. a stone put at one of the bottom corners of a building, often there is a ceremony of putting it 2. sth of a first importance, on which everything else is based

219. Cornucopia – a horn-shaped decorative container full of fruit, flowers, grain etc. used as a symbol of having plenty of everything

220. Coronation Street – one of the most popular programs on TV. Soap opera, set in an industrial city, main characters – working class, who live on this street

221. Correspondence course – a set of lessons often leading to a degree in which student receives lessons by mail and works at home

222. Costwolds – a hilly area of western England full of pretty villages and river valleys

223. Couch potato – a lazy person who does little of exercise and prefers to sit in front of the TV

224. Council house – a house or flat owned by the local town or county council for which the family living in it pays rent

225. Country cousin – a simple inexperienced person who is confused by busy city life

226. Court of St. James – one of the old houses of the official home of the British monarch

227. Coventry; send one to Coventry – an industrial city in central England; refuse to speak to smb in order to punish them or show disapproval

228. CPR – cardiopulmonary resuscitation – the act of breathing into smb’s mouth and pressing on their chest

229. Crabbed – difficult to read because letters are too close together

230. Cram for an exam – prepare yourself for an exam by studying hard and very quickly

231. Crash course – a course of lessons intended to teach a skill, language etc. quickly

232. Cream tea – a light meal taken in the early afternoon consisting of a pot of tea, small cakes, jam and cream

233. Culture vulture – a person who is very interested in culture and knows a lot about it

234. Cuppa – a cup of (tea)

235. Custard – a yellow liquid for pouring over sweet foods made of milk, eggs and flour (заварной крем)

236. Dab hand – a person who is very good at sth

237. Dandelion clock – a soft round mass of white seeds of the dandelion. Children in Britain believe they can tell the time by counting how many times do they have to blow to remove them all

238. Darby and Joan – an old married couple who live happily together

239. Dark Satanic mills – a phrase from William Blake’s hymn “Jerusalem”. Used to talk about unpleasant appearance and poor working conditions of the industrial buildings in the north of England in the past

240. Dartmoor – 1. a large area of moor (wild, open country with rough grass and low bushes) in Devon, southwest of England, which is a National Park 2. Dartmoor Prison – a prison in the centre of Dartmoor, far from towns, dangerous criminals are kept there

241. Day return – a ticket to a place and back again in the same day

242. D-day – 1. 6 June 1944; during WWII the day the Allies landed in France to spread their forces in Europe 2. a day on which sth important is planned

243. Dead end – 1. an end (esp. of a street) with no way out 2. a situation or situation beyond which no movement or development is possible

244. Deadhead – 1. he who travels for free (for different reasons) 2. a train or truck moved between cities with no passengers or freight, in order to make it available for service 3. (verb) to remove spent or dead blossoms from a plant

245. Dean’s list – a list of the best students

246. Dear John letter – a letter to a man from his wife or girlfriend, where she confesses she doesn’t like him anymore

247. Debenhams – a large department store in Britain which sells clothes and things for home

248. Deer stalker – a kind of soft hat with ear-coverings that can be worn up or down

249. Defender of the Faith – a title used by British monarchs since Henry VIII who got it from Pope Leo X in 1521 for writing a paper against Martin Luter

250. Dekko – to have a look

251. Denims – rousers made of denim (a strong cotton cloth)

252. (the) Derby – a very important annual horse race held in Epson in May or June

253. Diamond jubilee – a 50^th anniversary (esp. of being a King or a Queen)

254. Dickybird – 1. a small bird (a child) 2. a word (I haven't heard a dickybird from them)

255. Diddums – a word used to a child to show you’re sorry they’re upset

256. Digs – a type of accommodation, lodgings

257. Dillon’s – the former name of a bookshop which had stores in many cities and towns in the UK, since 1998 – Waterstone’s

258. Dinky – dual income no kids yet – a couple who earn quite a lot of money and can afford some luxury as they have no children

259. Direct mail – advertisement, which is sent to many people through the post

260. Distance learning – the study of a student when they don’t attend classes but communicate with teacher using the Internet

261. Ditto – a mark “ (used to substitute the word which goes right above it)

262. DIY – do it yourself – some things, painting, repairs done by a person, not a professional worker

263. D-notice – request to a newspaper that it shouldn’t print sth for reasons of national security

264. Dos and don’ts – what one should and shouldn’t do

265. Docklands – a large development of expensive houses and offices in East London along the Thames

266. Dodgems – an attraction, where people drive small electric cars

267. Dog days – the hottest days of the year

268. Doggerel - crudely or irregularly fashioned verse, often of a humorous or burlesque nature

269. Doggy bag – a small bag provided by a restaurant in order to carry uneaten meal home

270. Dole queue – all unemployed people

271. Dolly bird – a pretty young woman, esp. one wearing fashionable clothes and not very intelligent

272. Don – 1. a title of respect in Spanish-speaking countries 2. a teacher, esp. in Oxford or Cambridge (?)

273. Donkey’s years – a very long time

274. Doodah – a small object whose name a speaker doesn’t know or has forgotten

275. Double-barrelled – 1. having 2 barrels fixed side by side (gun) 2. having 2 parts in a surname 3. having 2 purposes 4. being very strong or forceful

276. Doubting Thomas – a man who doesn’t believe sth until he sees it (Фома неверующий)

277. Downs – low rounded grassy hills, esp. chalk hills as in the South of England

278. Down-to-earth – practical and honest

279. Down under – in Australia or New Zealand

280. Drawl – a feature of speaking when vowels and diphthongs are prolonged

281. Dreadlocks – a type of hairstyle, thick twisted hair

282. Dreamboat – a very attractive person of the opposite sex

283. Dreaming spires – a phrase from a poem by Matthew Arnold which people use to suggest the beauty of the town of Oxford

284. Dr Martens – a type of strong boots usually black with a yellow thread

285. Dropout – 1. smb who leaves school or college without finishing the course 2. a person who leaves ordinary society because they don’t agree with its norms

286. Dr Who – a British series about a scientist called Dr Who who travels with different people through time in the time machine called Tardis

287. Ducks and Drakes – a children’s game when one tries to through a stone and make it jump across the surface of water

288. Dunce – a slow learner or a stupid person

289. Dutch treat – an occasion when several people share the cost of sth they do together

290. Dutch uncle – to speak in an angry complaining way showing strong disapproval

291. Dwarf – 1. a very short man 2. a small mythological character who live in the mountains, they are often very ugly and angry

292. Eager beaver - smb who is very enthusiastic, who works very hard

293. Earl’s Court – a district in London famous for the Earls Court Exhibition Centre, one of the country's largest indoor arenas and a popular concert venue