Theoretically, studying abroad in London should be easy because there’s no language barrier.
Well, that’s completely false innit!
Brits really have their own way of speaking, from the slang they use down to their mannerisms in how they speak. Generally speaking, the British tend to be much more polite and cautious about what they say and in doing so tend to speak in circles with a lot of conditional statements. They tend to add a lot of extra words like “possibly” or “perhaps” to every statement they make.
Whereas Americans tend to be more direct and brash in their speech. Which could explain the rude American stereotype.
But there are some slang and abbreviations used every day by the Brits that I can just not wrap my mind around.
Innit: a contraction of isn’t it; usually used to confirm everyone else’s agreement on something or as a filler (like saying uh in between thoughts).
Ex. “This tea is pretty great innit?” “London Bridge is down the road innit”
Bollocks: bullshit; nonsense; rubbish
Ex. “That’s bollocks and you know it.”
Shattered: Tired; exhausted (see knackered)
Ex. “I tried to stay up and watch the rugby finals but I was shattered.”
Ting: An attractive woman.
Ex. “How did you end up with a ting?”
Plaster: Band-Aid.
Ex. “Can I get a plaster; I think I’ve cut my finger.”
Knackered: Tired; exhausted (see shattered).
Ex. “I need a nap mate, I’m knackered.”
Bits and Bobs: random things; knick-knacks.
Ex. “You can hardly walk around his flat with all the bits and bobs on the floor.”