English > Great Britain: 2 senses > noun 1, location| Meaning | A monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; 'Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom. |
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| Synonyms | United Kingdom, UK, U.K., Britain, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
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| Instance of | kingdom | A country with a king as head of state |
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| Member of | European Union, EU, European Community, EC, European Economic Community, EEC, Common Market, Europe | An international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation / cooperation among its members |
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| North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO | An international organization created in 1949 by the North Atlantic Treaty for purposes of collective security |
| Part of | British Isles | Great Britain and Ireland and adjacent islands in the north Atlantic |
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| Parts | England | A division of the United Kingdom |
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| Northern Ireland | A division of the United Kingdom located on the northern part of the island of Ireland |
| Scotland | One of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| Wales, Cymru, Cambria | One of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| Region of | Anglo-Saxon | A person of Anglo-Saxon (especially British) descent whose native tongue is English and whose culture is strongly influenced by English culture as in WASP for 'White Anglo-Saxon Protestant' |
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| Bachelor of Medicine, MB | (a British degree) a bachelor's degree in medicine / medicine |
| Battle of Britain | The prolonged bombardment of British cities by the German Luftwaffe during World War II and the aerial combat that accompanied it |
| Boxing Day | First weekday after Christmas |
| British Cabinet | The senior ministers of the British government |
| Brummagem | cheap and showy |
| Central Intelligence Machinery, CIM | The United Kingdom's central unit for the tasking and coordination and funding of intelligence and security agencies |
| Chief Constable | The head of the police force in a county (or similar area) |
| Christmas box | A present given at Christmas for services during the year |
| Christmas cake | A rich fruitcake (usually covered with icing and marzipan) and eaten at Christmas |
| Civil List | A sum of money voted by British Parliament each year for the expenses of the British royal family |
| Colonel Blimp, Blimp | Any elderly pompous reactionary ultranationalistic person (after the cartoon character created by Sir David Low) |
| Crown land | Land that belongs to the Crown |
| Eccles cake | A flat round cake of sweetened pastry filled with dried fruit |
| Elastoplast | An elastic adhesive bandage for covering cuts or wounds |
| Esquire, Esq | A title of respect for a member of the English gentry ranking just below a knight |
| Fabianism | socialism / socialism to be established by gradual reforms within the law |
| Fanny Adams | nautical term for tinned meat |
| Great Britain, GB | An island comprising England and Scotland and Wales |
| Guy | An effigy of Guy Fawkes that is burned on a bonfire on Guy Fawkes Day |
| Guy Fawkes Day | day for the celebration of the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot |
| High Commission | An embassy of one British Commonwealth country to another |
| Higher National Diploma, HND | A diploma given for vocational training that prepares the student for a career in a particular area |
| Highway Code | The code of rules governing the use of public roads |
| Home Counties | The English counties surrounding London into which Greater London has expanded |
| Hooray Henry | A lively and ineffectual upper-class young man |
| Inland Revenue, IR | A board of the British government that administers and collects major direct taxes |
| L-plate | A square plate bearing the letter L that is attached to both ends of a car to indicate that the driver is a learner |
| Lady, noblewoman, peeress | A woman of the peerage in Britain |
| Liberal Democrat Party | A political party in Great Britain |
| Lord Chancellor, Lord High Chancellor | The highest officer of the Crown who is head of the judiciary and who presides in the House of Lords |
| MOT, MOT test, Ministry of Transportation test | A compulsory annual test of older motor vehicles for safety and exhaust fumes |
| Magna Carta, Magna Charta, The Great Charter | The royal charter of political rights given to rebellious English barons by King John in 1215 |
| Maundy | A public ceremony on Maundy Thursday when the monarch distributes Maundy money |
| Maundy money | specially minted silver coins that are distributed by the British sovereign on Maundy Thursday |
| National Trust, NT | An organization concerned to preserve historic monuments and buildings and places of historical interest or natural beauty |
| November 5 | anniversary of the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot |
| Open University | A British university that is open to people without formal academic qualifications and where teaching is by correspondence or broadcasting or summer school |
| Ordnance Survey | The official cartography agency of the British government |
| Oxbridge | general term for an ancient and prestigious and privileged university (especially Oxford University or Cambridge University) |
| Premium Bond | A government bond that bears no interest or capital gains but enters the holder into lotteries |
| Rediffusion | A system for distributing radio or tv programs |
| Remembrance Day, Remembrance Sunday, Poppy Day | The Sunday nearest to November 11 when those who died in World War I and World War II are commemorated |
| Rhine wine, Rhenish, hock | Any of several white wines from the Rhine River valley in Germany ('hock' is British usage) |
| Secret Intelligence Service, MI, Military Intelligence Section 6 | The government agency in the United Kingdom that is responsible / responsible for internal security and counterintelligence overseas |
| Security Service, MI, Military Intelligence Section 5 | The government agency in the United Kingdom that is responsible / responsible for internal security and counterintelligence on British territory |
| Sir | A title used before the name of knight or baronet |
| Special Air Service, SAS | A specialist regiment of the British army that is trained in commando techniques of warfare and used in clandestine operations (especially against terrorist groups) |
| Special Branch | A government police department dealing with political security |
| Sten gun | A lightweight British submachine gun |
| Ted, Teddy boy | A tough youth of 1950's and 1960's wearing Edwardian style clothes |
| Thatcherism | (England) the political policy of Margaret Thatcher |
| Thatcherite | An advocate of Thatcherism |
| Victoria plum | A large red plum served as dessert |
| Victoria sandwich, Victoria sponge | A cake consisting of two layers of sponge cake with a jelly filling in between |
| Wykehamist | A student enrolled in (or graduated from) Winchester College |
| admass | (chiefly British) the segment of the public that is easily influenced by mass media |
| admiralty | The department in charge of the navy (as in Great Britain) |
| aggro | (informal British usage) aggravation or aggression |
| al-Muhajiroun | A hard-line extremist Islamic group in Great Britain who support / support bin Laden and other terrorist groups |
| all-mains | Used of a radio receiver that is adaptable to all voltages |
| appro | An informal British abbreviation of approval |
| argy-bargy, argle-bargle | A verbal / verbal / verbal dispute |
| arterial road | A major or main route |
| assurance | A British term for some kinds of insurance |
| backbench | Any of the seats occupied by backbenchers in the House of Commons |
| backbencher | A member of the House of Commons who is not a party leader |
| bagatelle, bar billiards | A table game in which short cues are used to knock balls into holes that are guarded by wooden pegs |
| ballup, balls-up, cockup, mess-up | Something badly botched or muddled |
| banger | (British informal) pork sausage |
| bar | A heating element in an electric fire |
| base rate | The interest rate set by the Bank of England for lending to other banks |
| beadle | A minor parish official who serves a ceremonial function |
| beanfeast | An annual dinner party given by an employer for the employees |
| beastliness | unpleasant nastiness |
| berk | A stupid person who is easy to take advantage of |
| betting shop | A licensed bookmaker's shop that is not at the race track |
| billion | denoting a quantity consisting of one million million items or units in Great Britain |
| billion, one million million, 1000000000000 | The number that is represented as a one followed by 12 zeros |
| bin liner | A plastic bag used to line a trash or garbage bin |
| bitter | English term for a dry sharp-tasting ale with strong flavor of hops (usually on draft) |
| bloody-minded, cantankerous | stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate |
| boffin | (British slang) a scientist or technician engaged in military research |
| bolshy, stroppy | obstreperous |
| book token | A gift voucher that can be exchanged for books / books costing up to an amount given on the voucher |
| boss-eyed | (British informal) cross-eyed |
| bottle bank | A place where bottles can be deposited for recycling |
| bubble and squeak | leftover cabbage fried with cooked potatoes and sometimes meat |
| buckshee | free of charge |
| bugger all, fuck all, Fanny Adams, sweet Fanny Adams | Little or nothing at all |
| bumf, bumph | reading materials (documents, written information) that you must read and deal with but that you think are extremely boring |
| bunfight, bun-fight | (Briticism) a grand formal party on an important occasion |
| burnup | A high-speed motorcycle race on a public road |
| buttoned-up | (British colloquial) not inclined to conversation |
| butty | A sandwich |
| caff | informal British term for a cafe |
| canty | lively and brisk |
| capital | first-rate |
| car boot sale, boot sale | An outdoor sale at which people sell things from the trunk of their car |
| carriageway | One of the two sides of a motorway where traffic travels in one direction only usually in two or three lanes |
| carry-over, carry-forward | The accumulated and undivided profits / profits of a corporation after provision has been made for dividends and reserves |
| castor sugar, caster sugar | Very finely granulated sugar that was formerly sprinkled from a castor |
| cattle cake | A concentrated feed for cattle |
| cert | An absolute certainty |
| chancellor | The honorary or titular head of a university / university |
| chipolata | A small thin sausage |
| chuffed | Very pleased |
| clanger | A conspicuous mistake whose effects seem to reverberate |
| clapped out | Worn from age or heavy use and no longer able to operate (of cars or machines or people) |
| class list, honours list | A list issued by examiners that categorizes students according to the class of honours they achieved in their degree examinations |
| clawback | Finding a way to take money back from people that they were given in another way |
| clearway | A road on which you are not allowed to stop (unless you have a breakdown) |
| clever Dick, clever clogs | An intellectual who is ostentatiously and irritatingly knowledgeable |
| climbing frame | A framework of bars or logs for children to climb on |
| clotted cream, Devonshire cream | Thick cream made from scalded milk |
| clunch | hardened clay |
| cobblers | A man's testicles (from Cockney rhyming slang |
| cobblers | nonsense |
| coiner | A maker of counterfeit coins |
| colour supplement | (British) a magazine that is printed in color and circulated with a newspaper (especially on weekends) |
| commissionaire | A uniformed doorman |
| common room | A sitting room (usually at school or university) |
| conk | informal term for the nose |
| conservancy | A commission with jurisdiction over fisheries and navigation in a port or river |
| constable, police constable | A police officer of the lowest rank |
| convener | The member of a group whose duty it is to convene meetings |
| cookie, cooky, biscuit | Any of various small flat sweet cakes ('biscuit' is the British term) |
| costing | cost accounting |
| cottage pie | A dish of minced meat topped with mashed potatoes |
| council tax | A tax levied on households by local authorities |
| countenance, physiognomy, phiz, visage, kisser, smiler, mug | The human face ('kisser' and 'smiler' and 'mug' are informal terms for 'face' and 'phiz' is British) |
| countinghouse | Office used by the accountants of a business |
| county | (United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government |
| county council | The elected governing body of a county |
| county town, shire town | The town or city that is the seat of government for a shire |
| crick, kink, rick, wrick | A painful muscle spasm especially in the neck or back ('rick' and 'wrick' are British) |
| croft | A small farm worked by a crofter |
| crossbench | Any of the seats in the House of Commons used by members who do not vote regularly with either the government or the Opposition |
| crossbencher | A member of the House of Commons who does not vote regularly with either the government or the Opposition |
| cuppa, cupper | A cup of tea |
| dale | An open river valley (in a hilly area) |
| dekko | British slang for a look |
| delf | An excavation |
| derv | diesel oil used in cars and lorries with diesel engines |
| dickey, dickie, dicky, dickey-seat, dickie-seat, dicky-seat | A small third seat in the back of an old-fashioned two-seater |
| dicky, dickey | (British informal) faulty |
| dinky | (British informal) pretty and neat |
| direct-grant school | formerly a school that charged tuition fees and also received government grants in return for admitting certain non-paying students who were nominated by the local authorities |
| dishy | (informal British) sexually attractive |
| divvy | short / short for dividend |
| dixie | A large metal pot (12 gallon camp kettle) for cooking |
| doddle | An easy task |
| dog's breakfast, dog's dinner | A poor job |
| doorknob, doorhandle | A knob used to release the catch when opening a door (often called 'doorhandle' in Great Britain) |
| double Dutch | An incomprehensible talk |
| double first | A first-class honours degree in two subjects |
| eleven-plus, 11-plus | (formerly in Britain) an examination taken by 11 and 12 year old students to select suitable candidates for grammar school |
| estate of the realm, estate, the three estates | A major social class or order of persons regarded collectively as part of the body politic of the country (especially in the United Kingdom) and formerly possessing distinct political rights |
| ex-directory | (of telephone numbers) not listed in the telephone directory |
| facer | (a dated Briticism) a serious difficulty with which one is suddenly faced |
| fairy light | A small colored light used for decoration (especially at Christmas) |
| fare-stage | A section along the route of a bus for which the fare is the same |
| fire watcher | (during World War II in Britain) someone whose duty was to watch for fires caused by bombs dropped from the air |
| fire watching | (during World War II in Britain) watching for fires started by bombs that dropped from the sky |
| first, first-class honours degree | An honours degree of the highest class |
| first estate, Lords Spiritual | The clergy in France and the heads of the church in Britain |
| fish slice | A food turner with a broad blade used for turning or serving fish or other food that is cooked in a frying pan |
| fives | A game / game resembling handball |
| fleapit | An old shabby movie theater |
| flit | A secret move (to avoid paying debts) |
| fly | (British informal) not to be deceived / deceived or hoodwinked |
| footplate | The platform in the cab of a locomotive on which the engineer stands to operate the controls |
| free house | A public house that is not controlled by a brewery and so is free to sell different brands of beer and ale |
| front bench | Any of the front seats in the House of Commons that are reserved for ministers or former ministers |
| frontbencher | A member of the House of Commons who is a minister in the government or who holds an official position in an opposition party |
| fruit machine | A coin-operated gambling machine that produces random combinations of symbols (usually pictures of different fruits) on rotating dials |
| fruiterer | A person who sells fruit |
| fug | (British informal) an airless smoky smelly atmosphere |
| fuggy | (British informal) poorly ventilated |
| gammy | (British informal) sore or lame |
| gamp, brolly | colloquial terms for an umbrella |
| garden | The usual or familiar type |
| gaudy | (Britain) a celebratory reunion feast or entertainment held a college |
| gen | informal term for information |
| giro, giro cheque | A check given by the British government to someone who is unemployed |
| giro account | An account at a post office that can be used in similar ways to an account at a bank |
| glebe house | A parsonage (especially one provided for the holder of a benefice) |
| go-slow | A form of protest by workers in which they deliberately slow down in order to cause problem from their employers |
| gob | A lump of slimy stuff |
| gobsmacked | utterly astounded |
| green paper | A preliminary report of government proposals that is published in order to stimulate / stimulate discussion |
| greengrocer | A grocer who sells fresh fruits and vegetables |
| greengrocery | A greengrocer's grocery store |
| greengrocery | groceries sold by a greengrocer |
| groovy, swagger | (British informal) very chic |
| grotty | Very unpleasant or offensive |
| guest night | An evening when members of a club or college can bring their friends as guests |
| gun room | military quarters of midshipmen and junior officers on a British warship |
| gutter press | Press that engages in sensational journalism (especially concerning the private lives of public figures) |
| guvnor | (British slang) boss |
| gymslip | A sleeveless tunic worn by English girls as part of a school uniform |
| hair slide | A decorative hinged clip that girls and women put in their hair to hold it in place |
| half-term | A short vacation about halfway through a school term |
| hall of residence | A university dormitory |
| hard cheese | bad luck |
| hard shoulder | A paved strip beside a motorway (for stopping in emergencies) |
| hasty pudding | sweetened porridge made of tapioca or flour or oatmeal cooked quickly in milk or water |
| headship | The position of headmaster or headmistress |
| heath, heathland | A tract of level wasteland |
| high tea | Substantial early evening meal including tea |
| highroad, trunk road | A highway |
| hire-purchase, never-never | installment plan |
| home-farm | A farm that supplies the needs of a large estate of establishment |
| home help | A person hired to help in another's home (especially one employed by a local authority to help the infirm with domestic work) |
| honours, honours degree | A university / university degree with honors |
| hornpipe | A British solo dance performed by sailors / sailors |
| hosiery, hose | socks and stockings and tights collectively (the British include underwear) |
| hot pot, hotpot | A stew of meat and potatoes cooked in a tightly covered pot |
| housing estate | A residential area where the houses were all planned and built at the same time |
| hypermarket | A huge supermarket (usually built on the outskirts of a town) |
| inch, in | A unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot |
| indent | An order for goods to be exported or imported |
| inquiry agent | A private detective |
| intern, interne, houseman, medical intern | An advanced student or graduate in medicine gaining supervised / supervised practical experience ('houseman' is a British term) |
| invigilation | Keeping watch over examination candidates to prevent cheating |
| invigilator | someone who watches examination candidates to prevent cheating |
| ironmongery | The merchandise that is sold in an ironmonger's shop |
| jiggered | (British informal expletive) surprised |
| jobcentre | A government office in a town where information about available jobs is displayed and where unemployment benefits are administered |
| jolly | A happy party |
| judder, shake | shake or vibrate rapidly and intensively |
| jumped-up | (British informal) upstart |
| justiciar, justiciary | formerly a high judicial officer |
| kedgeree | A dish of rice and hard-boiled eggs and cooked flaked fish |
| kerb crawler | someone who drives slowly along the curb seeking sex from prostitutes or other women |
| kip | sleep |
| knackered, drained | Very tired |
| knock-on effect | A secondary or incidental effect |
| land agent | A person who administers a landed estate |
| last | A unit of capacity for grain equal to 80 bushels |
| lemon curd, lemon cheese | A conserve with a thick consistency |
| lido | A recreational facility including a swimming pool for water sports |
| lie-in | A long stay in bed in the morning |
| life office | life assurance office |
| limited company, Ltd., Ld. | A company that is organized to give its owners limited liability |
| linendraper | A retail dealer in yard goods |
| local authority | An administrative unit of local government |
| lodge | small house at the entrance to the grounds of a country mansion |
| lollipop lady, lollipop woman | A woman hired to help children cross a road safely near a school |
| long-dated | Of a gilt-edged security |
| lucky dip | A game / game in which prizes (e.g., candies or coins) are concealed in a container and for a small sum a player can draw one out at random |
| lucky dip | A selection or decision purely at random |
| ludo | A simple board game in which players move counters according to the throw of dice |
| lumber room | A storeroom in a house where odds and ends can be stored (especially furniture) |
| macintosh, mackintosh, mac, mack | A waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric |
| made-up | Having been paved |
| major | Of the elder of two boys with the same family name |
| manky | inferior and worthless |
| mate | informal term for a friend of the same sex |
| meat safe | A safe for storing meat |
| medium wave | A radio wave with a wavelength between 100 and 1000 meters (a frequency between 300 kilohertz and 3000 kilohertz) |
| mercer | A dealer in textiles (especially silks) |
| mere | A small pond of standing water |
| mews | street lined with buildings that were originally / originally private stables but have been remodeled as dwellings |
| milk float | A van (typically powered by electricity) with an open side that is used to deliver milk to houses |
| milliard | A billion |
| minicab | A minicar used as a taxicab |
| minicar | A car that is even smaller than a subcompact car |
| minister | The job of a head of a government department |
| minor | Of the younger of two boys with the same family name |
| minster | Any of certain cathedrals and large churches |
| mod | A British teenager or young adult in the 1960s |
| mod con | modern convenience |
| muffin man | formerly an itinerant peddler of muffins |
| nan | Your grandmother |
| nark, copper's nark | An informer or spy working for the police |
| nearside | The side of a vehicle nearest the kerb |
| new town | A planned urban community created in a rural or undeveloped area and designed to be self-sufficient with its own housing and education and commerce and recreation / recreation |
| newsreader, news reader | someone who reads out broadcast news bulletin |
| nick | (British slang) a prison |
| niff, pong | An unpleasant smell |
| niffy | (British informal) malodorous |
| no-go area | An area that is dangerous or impossible to enter or to which entry is forbidden |
| noddle | An informal British expression for head / head or mind / mind |
| non-U | not characteristic of the upper classes especially in language / language use |
| nosh-up | A large satisfying meal |
| nous | common sense |
| office-bearer | The person who holds an office |
| outfitter | someone who sells men's clothes |
| outport | A subsidiary port built in deeper water than the original port (but usually farther from the center of trade) |
| overall, boilersuit, boilers suit | A loose protective coverall or smock worn over ordinary clothing for dirty work |
| pale ale | An amber colored ale brewed with pale malts |
| panda car | A police cruiser |
| pannikin | A small pan or cup (usually of tin) |
| pantechnicon | A large moving van (especially one used for moving furniture) |
| panto | An abbreviation of pantomime |
| parka, windbreaker, windcheater, anorak | A kind of heavy jacket ('windcheater' is a British term) |
| parliament | A legislative assembly in certain countries |
| parliamentary agent | A person who is employed to look after the affairs of businesses that are affected by legislation of the British Parliament |
| paternoster | A type of lift having a chain of open compartments that move continually in an endless loop so that (agile) passengers can step on or off at each floor |
| patrial | A person who has the right to be considered legally a British citizen (by virtue of the birth of a parent or grandparent) |
| pawky | Cunning and sly |
| pease pudding | A pudding made with strained split peas mixed with egg |
| peckish | Somewhat hungry |
| peer | A nobleman (duke or marquis or earl or viscount / viscount or baron) who is a member of the British peerage |
| peer of the realm | A peer who is entitled to sit in the House of Lords |
| pelican crossing | An acronym for pedestrian light control |
| peppercorn rent | Very low or nominal rent |
| perambulation | A walk around a territory (a parish or manor or forest etc.) in order to officially assert and record its boundaries |
| perch, rod, pole | A linear measure of 16.5 feet |
| pillar box | A red pillar-shaped letter box |
| piss-up | Vulgar expression for a bout of heavy drinking |
| pitch | A vendor's position (especially on the sidewalk) |
| placeman, placeseeker | A disparaging term for an appointee |
| plain flour | flour that does not contain a raising agent |
| plaint | (United Kingdom) a written statement of the grounds of complaint / complaint made to court of law asking for the grievance to be redressed |
| playbox, play-box | A box for a child's toys and personal things (especially at a boarding school) |
| plimsoll | A light gym shoe with a rubber / rubber sole and a canvas top |
| plonk | A cheap wine of inferior / inferior quality |
| ploughman's lunch | A meal consisting of a sandwich of bread and cheese and a salad |
| plughole | A hole into which a plug fits (especially a hole where water drains away) |
| po-faced | humorless and disapproving |
| point, power point | A wall socket |
| point duty | The control of traffic by a policeman stationed at an intersection |
| pointsman | A policeman stationed at an intersection to direct traffic |
| polony | Another name for Bologna sausage |
| pony-trekking | A sport in which people ride across country on ponies |
| poor rates | A local tax for the relief of the poor |
| pork butcher | A vendor of pork and products made from pork |
| post-free | Postpaid |
| pot plant | A plant suitable for growing in a flowerpot (especially indoors) |
| potboy, potman | A worker in an inn or public house who serves customers and does various chores |
| potted | (British informal) summarized or abridged |
| potty | (British informal) trivial |
| poverty trap | A situation in which an increase / increase / increase in income results in a loss of benefits so that you are no better off |
| prang | A crash involving a car or plane |
| preceptor, don | teacher at a university or college (especially at Cambridge or Oxford) |
| privy council | An advisory council to a ruler (especially to the British Crown) |
| public house, pub, saloon, pothouse, gin mill, taphouse | tavern consisting of a building with a bar / bar and public rooms |
| public school | private independent secondary school in Great Britain supported by endowment and tuition |
| publican, tavern keeper | The keeper of a public house |
| pudding, pud | (British) the dessert course of a meal ('pud' is used informally) |
| pull-in, pull-up | A roadside cafe especially for lorry drivers |
| punch-up | A fistfight |
| punnet | A small light basket used as a measure for fruits |
| push-bike | A bicycle that must be pedaled |
| quadrillion | The number that is represented as a one followed by 24 zeros |
| quarter | A quarter of a hundredweight (28 pounds) |
| quarter day | A Christian holy day |
| quarterlight | car window consisting of a small pivoted glass vent in the door of a car |
| question master, quizmaster | The host or chairman of a radio or tv quiz show or panel game / game |
| question time | A period during a parliamentary session when members of British Parliament may ask questions of the ministers |
| race meeting | A regular occasion on which a number of horse races are held on the same track |
| racing circuit, circuit | A racetrack for automobile races |
| rag | A boisterous practical joke (especially by college students) |
| rag, rag week | A week at British universities during which side-shows and processions of floats are organized to raise money for charities / charities |
| rag day | A day on which university students hold a rag |
| ranker | An enlisted / enlisted soldier who serves in the ranks of the armed forces |
| ranker | A commissioned officer who has been promoted from enlisted / enlisted status |
| ratability, rateability | The state of being liable to assessment / assessment or taxation |
| ratable, rateable | liable to payment of locally assessed property taxes |
| ratables, rateables | Property that provides tax income for local governments |
| ratepayer | A person who pays local rates (especially a householder) |
| rates | A local tax on property (usually used in the plural) |
| rave-up | A raucous gathering |
| recorder | A barrister or solicitor who serves as part-time judge in towns or boroughs |
| red-brick, redbrick | Of or relating to British universities founded in the late 19th century or the 20th century |
| redbrick university | (British informal) a provincial British university of relatively recent founding |
| redcap | A member of the military police in Britain |
| refresher | A fee (in addition to that marked on the brief) paid to counsel in a case that lasts more than one day |
| remover | someone who works for a company that moves furniture |
| rent-rebate | A rebate on rent given by a local government authority |
| returning officer | The official in each electorate who holds the election and returns the results |
| rock salmon | Any of several coarse fishes (such as dogfish or wolffish) when used as food |
| rocker | A teenager or young adult in the 1960s who wore leather jackets and rode motorcycles |
| roly-poly, roly-poly pudding | pudding made of suet pastry spread with jam or fruit and rolled ... / rolled up and baked or steamed |
| ropey, ropy | (British informal) very poor in quality |
| rota | A roster of names showing the order in which people should perform certain duties |
| rowing boat | A rowboat |
| royal charter | A charter granted by the sovereign (especially in Great Britain) |
| rub up | A review that refreshes your memory |
| rugby, rugby football, rugger | A form of football played with an oval ball |
| rustication | temporary dismissal of a student from a university / university |
| salad cream | A creamy salad dressing resembling mayonnaise |
| sandboy | A young peddler of sand |
| saveloy | A ready-cooked and highly seasoned pork sausage |
| scrimshank | (British military language) avoid work |
| scrimshanker | A shirker |
| scrumpy | Strong cider (as made in western England) |
| scrutineer, canvasser | someone who examines votes at an election |
| scullery | A small room (in large old British houses) next to the kitchen |
| secateurs | small pruning shears with a spring that holds the handles open and a single blade that closes against a flat surface |
| second estate, Lords Temporal | The nobility in France and the peerage in Britain |
| select committee | A parliamentary committee appointed for some special purpose |
| sell-by date | A date stamped on perishable produce indicating the date by which it should be sold |
| settler | A clerk in a betting shop who calculates the winnings |
| shadow cabinet | A group of senior members of the political party that is out of power |
| sheepwalk, sheeprun | farm devoted to raising sheep |
| shire | A former administrative district of England |
| shirty, snorty | (British informal) ill-tempered or annoyed |
| shooting brake | Another name for a station wagon |
| short-dated | Of a gilt-edged security |
| shoulder flash | Something worn on the shoulder of a military uniform as an emblem of a division / division etc. |
| shovel board, shove-halfpenny, shove-ha'penny | A game / game in which coins or discs are slid by hand across a board toward a mark |
| shufti | A quick look around (originally / originally military slang) |
| sick benefit, sickness benefit | money paid (by the government) to someone who is too ill to work |
| simnel | A fruitcake (sometimes covered with almond paste) eaten at mid-Lent or Easter or Christmas |
| sixpence, tanner | A small coin of the United Kingdom worth six pennies |
| sixth-former | A student in the sixth form |
| skid lid | A crash helmet |
| skidpan | A paved surface on which cars can be made to skid so that drivers can practice controlling them |
| skiffle | A style of popular music in the 1950s |
| skiffle group | A band of musicians who play skiffle |
| skivvy, slavey | A female domestic servant who does all kinds of menial work |
| slate club | A group of people who save money in a common fund for a specific purpose (usually distributed at Christmas) |
| slip coach, slip carriage | A railway car at the end of the train |
| slop basin, slop bowl | A bowl into which the dregs of teacups and coffee cups are emptied at the table |
| slopseller, slop-seller | A dealer in cheap ready-made clothing |
| smallholder | A person owning or renting a smallholding |
| smallholding | A piece of land under 50 acres that is sold or let to someone for cultivation |
| snogging | (British informal) cuddle and kiss |
| snorter | Something outstandingly difficult |
| speech day | An annual day in the schools when speeches are made and prizes are distributed |
| spiffing | excellent or splendid |
| spinney | A copse that shelters game |
| spiv | A person without employment who makes money by various dubious schemes |
| spotted dick | A suet pudding containing currants / currants |
| sprog | A child |
| sprog | A new military recruit |
| square-bashing | Drill on a barracks square |
| squire | An English country landowner |
| stall | seating in the forward part of the main level of a theater |
| starkers | (British informal) stark naked |
| stately home | A mansion that is (or formerly was) occupied by an aristocratic family |
| stipendiary, stipendiary magistrate | (United Kingdom) a paid magistrate (appointed by the Home Secretary) dealing with police cases |
| stockbroker belt | A wealthy residential suburb |
| stockjobber | One who deals only with brokers or other jobbers |
| stone | An avoirdupois unit used to measure the weight of a human body |
| stone breaker | someone who breaks up stone |
| storm cone | A canvas cone hoisted to warn of high winds |
| strongroom | A burglarproof and fireproof room in which valuables are kept |
| sublieutenant | An officer ranking next below a lieutenant |
| subtopia | monotonous urban sprawl of standardized buildings |
| suet pudding | A sweet or savory pudding made with suet and steamed or boiled |
| suffragette | A woman advocate of women's right to vote (especially a militant advocate in the United Kingdom at the beginning of the 20th century) |
| sundowner | A drink taken at sundown |
| supergrass, grass | A police informer who implicates many people |
| supplementary benefit, social assistance, national assistance | benefits paid to bring incomes up to minimum levels established by law |
| supremo | The most important person in an organization |
| surgery | A room where a doctor or dentist can be consulted |
| surgical spirit | methylated spirit used in the practice of medicine (especially for cleansing the skin before injections or before surgery) |
| swingeing | severe |
| swiz | British slang for a swindle |
| takeout, take-away | Of or involving food to be taken and eaten off the premises |
| tallyman | One who sells goods on the installment plan |
| tannoy | A loudspeaker |
| tart | A pastry cup with a filling of fruit or custard and no top crust |
| tea, afternoon tea, teatime | A light midafternoon meal of tea and sandwiches or cakes |
| teacake, tea biscuit | Flat semisweet cookie or biscuit usually served with tea |
| tearaway | A reckless / reckless and impetuous person |
| teashop, teahouse, tearoom, tea parlor, tea parlour | A restaurant where tea and light meals are available |
| tenpence | A decimal coin worth ten pennies |
| terrace | A row of houses built in a similar style and having common dividing walls (or the street on which they face) |
| terraced house | A house that is part of a terrace |
| third estate, Commons | The common people |
| threepence | former cupronickel coin of the United Kingdom equal to three pennies |
| ticktack | System of signalling by hand signs used by bookmakers at racetracks |
| tinpot | inferior (especially of a country's leadership) |
| tipsy cake | A trifle soaked in wine and decorated with almonds and candied fruit |
| titfer | A hat (Cockney rhyming slang |
| tod | A unit of weight for wool equal to about 28 pounds |
| tod | Alone and on your own |
| toffee-nosed | snobbish |
| toilet bag, sponge bag | A waterproof bag for holding bathrooms items (soap and toothpaste etc.) when you are travelling |
| tombola | A lottery in which tickets are drawn from a revolving drum |
| top-flight, top-hole, topping | excellent |
| top-up | An amount needed to restore something to its former level |
| tout, ticket tout | someone who buys tickets to an event in order to resell them at a profit |
| town gas | coal gas manufactured for domestic and industrial use |
| townee | townsman unacquainted with country life especially a slick and flashy male city dweller |
| trad | Traditional jazz as revived in the 1950s |
| training college | A school providing training for a special field or profession |
| treacle, golden syrup | A pale cane syrup |
| trillion | One quintillion in Great Britain |
| trillion, one million million million | The number that is represented as a one followed by 18 zeros |
| tuck | eatables (especially sweets / sweets) |
| tuck box | A box for storing eatables (especially at boarding school) |
| tuck shop | A candy store in Great Britain |
| u | (chiefly British) of or appropriate to the upper classes especially in language / language use |
| underfelt | A carpet pad of thick felt |
| unratable | not subject to locally assessed property taxes |
| valuer | someone who assesses the monetary worth of possessions |
| van | (Great Britain) a closed railroad car that carries baggage or freight |
| verge | A grass border along a road |
| victualer, victualler | An innkeeper (especially British) |
| villa | detached or semidetached suburban house |
| visual display unit, VDU | (British) British term for video display |
| wally | A silly and inept person |
| washbasin, handbasin, washbowl, lavabo, wash-hand basin | A basin for washing the hands ('wash-hand basin' is a British expression) |
| water-rate | Rate per quarter for water from a public supply |
| weald | An area of open or forested country |
| whacked | (British informal) exhausted or worn out |
| whacking | (British informal) enormous |
| wheeze | (Briticism) a clever or amusing scheme or trick |
| wherry, Norfolk wherry | Sailing barge used especially in East Anglia |
| whip-round | (British) solicitation of money usually for a benevolent purpose |
| whist drive | A progressive whist party |
| whitefish | Any market fish--edible saltwater fish or shellfish--except herring |
| whole wheat flour, graham flour, graham, whole meal flour | flour made by grinding the entire wheat berry including the bran |
| wincey | A plain or twilled fabric of wool and cotton used especially for warm shirts or skirts and pajamas |
| winceyette | cotton flannelette with a nap on both sides |
| wog | (offensive British slang) term used by the British to refer to people of color from Africa or Asia |
| wooden spoon | A booby prize consisting of a spoon made of wood |
| workhouse | A poorhouse where able-bodied poor are compelled to labor |
| works council | (chiefly Brit) a council representing employer and employees of a plant or business to discuss working conditions etc |
| year dot | As long ago as anyone can remember |
| zizz | A nap |
| zizz | A buzzing or whizzing / whizzing sound |
| Narrower | Blighty | A slang term for Great Britain used by British troops serving abroad |
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| Spanish | Gran Bretaña, Reino, Reino Unido de Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte, Reino Unido de la Gran Bretaña e Irlanda del Norte, Reino Unido, United Kingdom |
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| Catalan | Gran Bretanya, Regne Unit de Gran Bretanya i Irlanda del Nord, Regne Unit de la Gran Bretanya i Irlanda del Nord, Regne Unit |
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