british words

I found it easy to say cheers when raising a glass, but using it to thank someone took longer. Then a delivery arrived at the house, the man handed over the parcel and I caught myself saying cheers as he left. It was the first time I’d used it in that thank-you-and-goodbye way.

When I shared a list of British words in July 2021, some had started finding their way into my own speech and some still sounded forced. My approach was to use them if they came naturally. I wasn’t going to make myself say something just to use the British version, especially when I thought it sounded stupid in my accent.

Cheers came before ta

I liked hearing cheers used as a thank you, and found it comforting. Raising a glass and saying it was familiar, while thanking the delivery man was new for me. Catching myself doing that made me think about how my own language and choices of words were changing.

Ta was a different matter. My partner said it all the time, and I thought it was very sweet, but I couldn’t say it naturally myself. It meant thank you in the examples I gave, whether somebody had handed you a pint or helped you find something in a shop. I loved hearing it without wanting to force it into my own sentences.

You all right?

The greeting ‘You all right?’ was one that still threw me. I described it as a casual hello, closer to ‘What’s up?’ than an invitation to explain everything going wrong with your day. It could be exchanged quickly, with one person asking and the other asking it back.

Back in Canada, I associated asking whether somebody was all right with checking on someone who seemed upset, ill or in trouble. That was why the casual greeting felt different here. In the situation I was describing, it wasn’t really asking for that kind of honest, detailed answer.

Words I enjoyed saying

I loved dodgy, even though I thought it sounded silly in my accent. I used it for something suspicious or questionable, with examples like a burger you suspected after a stomach ache or an area you weren’t sure about walking through. Sketchy was the Canadian word I compared it with.

Bonkers was another word I said a lot because it was fun. I could use it about a wild story or something unbelievable that had happened, without necessarily meaning something bad. It could describe a person too, but the examples weren’t limited to calling somebody crazy.

Chuffed was a word I heard quite often and sometimes used myself. I explained it as happy, impressed or delighted, with the example of enjoying a meal at a new restaurant. I tended to imagine a little surprise in it too, as though the result had been better than expected. Saying it made me happy.

Sorted, gutted and knackered

Sorted could describe a plan being ready or something being taken care of. My example was arranging dinner for Friday and having a restaurant reservation booked, so you could say you were sorted for Friday. That was a different use from the one I was used to, where things were sorted by colour or size.

Gutted was disappointment, like turning up at your favourite pub and discovering it was closed. I liked saying gutted even though it didn’t come easily in my accent. Knackered was stronger than simply tired to me. After a busy day getting everything ready for a party, the person in that example would be absolutely exhausted.

A ring still felt less natural

‘I’ll give you a ring’ and ‘I’ll give you a bell’ meant somebody was going to call. I heard ring more often than bell where I lived, although I thought that might be regional. I still didn’t say it myself because it didn’t feel natural. I could enjoy hearing a phrase without adopting it, just as ta was lovely when my partner said it but wasn’t one I wanted to force.

Watch my original British-words discussion.