united kingdom

Noun
  1. 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 (synset 108879115)
    domain member region:
    • balls-up, ballup, cockup, mess-up - something badly botched or muddled
    • clanger - a conspicuous mistake whose effects seem to reverberate
    • clawback - finding a way to take money back from people that they were given in another way
    • lucky dip - a selection or decision purely at random
    • flit - a secret move (to avoid paying debts)
    • rustication - temporary dismissal of a student from a university
    • perambulation - a walk around a territory (a parish or manor or forest etc.) in order to officially assert and record its boundaries
    • fare-stage - a section along the route of a bus for which the fare is the same
    • pony-trekking - a sport in which people ride across country on ponies
    • rugby, rugby football, rugger - a form of football played with an oval ball
    • fives - a game resembling handball; played on a court with a front wall and two side walls
    • bagatelle, bar billiards - a table game in which short cues are used to knock balls into holes that are guarded by wooden pegs; penalties are incurred if the pegs are knocked over
    • tombola - a lottery in which tickets are drawn from a revolving drum
    • ludo - a simple board game in which players move counters according to the throw of dice
    • shove-ha'penny, shove-halfpenny, shovel board - a game in which coins or discs are slid by hand across a board toward a mark
    • lucky dip - a 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
    • piss-up - vulgar expression for a bout of heavy drinking
    • rag - a boisterous practical joke (especially by college students)
    • hornpipe - a British solo dance performed by sailors
    • panto - an abbreviation of pantomime
    • doddle - an easy task
    • minister - the job of a head of a government department
    • headship - the position of headmaster or headmistress
    • costing - cost accounting
    • 11-plus, eleven-plus - (formerly in Britain) an examination taken by 11 and 12 year old students to select suitable candidates for grammar school
    • swiz - British slang for a swindle
    • ministry of transportation test, mot, mot test - a compulsory annual test of older motor vehicles for safety and exhaust fumes
    • fire watching - (during World War II in Britain) watching for fires started by bombs that dropped from the sky
    • snogging - (British informal) cuddle and kiss
    • zizz - a nap
    • dekko - British slang for a look
    • square-bashing - drill on a barracks square
    • rub up - a review that refreshes your memory
    • shufti - a quick look around (originally military slang)
    • lie-in - a long stay in bed in the morning
    • point duty - the control of traffic by a policeman stationed at an intersection
    • national assistance, social assistance, supplementary benefit - benefits paid to bring incomes up to minimum levels established by law
    • boot sale, car boot sale - an outdoor sale at which people sell things from the trunk of their car
    • invigilation - keeping watch over examination candidates to prevent cheating
    • aggro - (informal British usage) aggravation or aggression
    • punch-up - a fistfight
    • go-slow - a form of protest by workers in which they deliberately slow down in order to cause problem from their employers
    • battle of britain - the prolonged bombardment of British cities by the German Luftwaffe during World War II and the aerial combat that accompanied it
    • arterial road - a major or main route
    • backbench - any of the seats occupied by backbenchers in the House of Commons
    • bar - a heating element in an electric fire
    • betting shop - a licensed bookmaker's shop that is not at the race track
    • bin liner - a plastic bag used to line a trash or garbage bin
    • bottle bank - a place where bottles can be deposited for recycling
    • caff - informal British term for a cafe
    • carriageway - one of the two sides of a motorway where traffic travels in one direction only usually in two or three lanes
    • clearway - a road on which you are not allowed to stop (unless you have a breakdown)
    • climbing frame - a framework of bars or logs for children to climb on
    • common room - a sitting room (usually at school or university)
    • countinghouse - office used by the accountants of a business
    • 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
    • delf - an excavation; usually a quarry or mine
    • dickey, dickey-seat, dickie, dickie-seat, dicky, dicky-seat - a small third seat in the back of an old-fashioned two-seater
    • dixie - a large metal pot (12 gallon camp kettle) for cooking; used in military camps
    • doorhandle, doorknob - a knob used to release the catch when opening a door (often called `doorhandle' in Great Britain)
    • elastoplast - an elastic adhesive bandage for covering cuts or wounds
    • fairy light - a small colored light used for decoration (especially at Christmas)
    • 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
    • fleapit - an old shabby movie theater
    • 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
    • fruit machine - a coin-operated gambling machine that produces random combinations of symbols (usually pictures of different fruits) on rotating dials; certain combinations win money for the player
    • brolly, gamp - colloquial terms for an umbrella
    • glebe house - a parsonage (especially one provided for the holder of a benefice)
    • greengrocery - a greengrocer's grocery store
    • greengrocery - groceries sold by a greengrocer
    • gun room - military quarters of midshipmen and junior officers on a British warship
    • guy - an effigy of Guy Fawkes that is burned on a bonfire on Guy Fawkes Day
    • 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
    • hall of residence - a university dormitory
    • hard shoulder - a paved strip beside a motorway (for stopping in emergencies)
    • highroad, trunk road - a highway
    • home-farm - a farm that supplies the needs of a large estate of establishment
    • hose, hosiery - socks and stockings and tights collectively (the British include underwear)
    • hypermarket - a huge supermarket (usually built on the outskirts of a town)
    • ironmongery - the merchandise that is sold in an ironmonger's shop
    • jobcentre - a government office in a town where information about available jobs is displayed and where unemployment benefits are administered
    • lido - a recreational facility including a swimming pool for water sports
    • life office - life assurance office
    • lodge - small house at the entrance to the grounds of a country mansion; usually occupied by a gatekeeper or gardener
    • 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
    • lumber room - a storeroom in a house where odds and ends can be stored (especially furniture)
    • mac, macintosh, mack, mackintosh - a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric
    • meat safe - a safe for storing meat
    • mews - street lined with buildings that were 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
    • minicab - a minicar used as a taxicab
    • minicar - a car that is even smaller than a subcompact car
    • minster - any of certain cathedrals and large churches; originally connected to a monastery
    • mod con - modern convenience; the appliances and conveniences characteristic of a modern house
    • nearside - the side of a vehicle nearest the kerb
    • nick - (British slang) a prison
    • boilers suit, boilersuit, overall - a loose protective coverall or smock worn over ordinary clothing for dirty work
    • oxbridge - general term for an ancient and prestigious and privileged university (especially Oxford University or Cambridge University)
    • 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)
    • anorak, parka, windbreaker, windcheater - a kind of heavy jacket (`windcheater' is a British term)
    • 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
    • pelican crossing - an acronym for pedestrian light control; a pedestrian crossing with traffic lights that are controlled by pedestrians
    • pillar box - a red pillar-shaped letter box
    • play-box, playbox - a box for a child's toys and personal things (especially at a boarding school)
    • plimsoll - a light gym shoe with a rubber sole and a canvas top
    • plughole - a hole into which a plug fits (especially a hole where water drains away)
    • point, power point - a wall socket
    • gin mill, pothouse, pub, public house, saloon, taphouse - tavern consisting of a building with a bar and public rooms; often provides light meals
    • pull-in, pull-up - a roadside cafe especially for lorry drivers
    • punnet - a small light basket used as a measure for fruits
    • push-bike - a bicycle that must be pedaled
    • quarterlight - car window consisting of a small pivoted glass vent in the door of a car
    • circuit, racing circuit - a racetrack for automobile races
    • redbrick university - (British informal) a provincial British university of relatively recent founding; distinguished from Oxford University and Cambridge University
    • rowing boat - a rowboat
    • scullery - a small room (in large old British houses) next to the kitchen; where kitchen utensils are cleaned and kept and other rough household jobs are done
    • secateurs - small pruning shears with a spring that holds the handles open and a single blade that closes against a flat surface
    • sheeprun, sheepwalk - farm devoted to raising sheep
    • shooting brake - another name for a station wagon
    • skid lid - a crash helmet
    • skidpan - a paved surface on which cars can be made to skid so that drivers can practice controlling them
    • slip carriage, slip coach - a railway car at the end of the train; it can be detached without stopping the train
    • slop basin, slop bowl - a bowl into which the dregs of teacups and coffee cups are emptied at the table
    • stall - seating in the forward part of the main level of a theater
    • stately home - a mansion that is (or formerly was) occupied by an aristocratic family
    • sten gun - a lightweight British submachine gun
    • strongroom - a burglarproof and fireproof room in which valuables are kept
    • surgery - a room where a doctor or dentist can be consulted
    • tannoy - a loudspeaker
    • tea parlor, tea parlour, teahouse, tearoom, teashop - a restaurant where tea and light meals are available
    • terraced house - a house that is part of a terrace
    • titfer - a hat (Cockney rhyming slang: `tit for tat' rhymes with `hat')
    • sponge bag, toilet bag - a waterproof bag for holding bathrooms items (soap and toothpaste etc.) when you are travelling
    • tuck box - a box for storing eatables (especially at boarding school)
    • tuck shop - a candy store in Great Britain
    • underfelt - a carpet pad of thick felt
    • van - (Great Britain) a closed railroad car that carries baggage or freight
    • verge - a grass border along a road
    • villa - detached or semidetached suburban house
    • vdu, visual display unit - (British) British term for video display
    • handbasin, lavabo, wash-hand basin, washbasin, washbowl - a basin for washing the hands (`wash-hand basin' is a British expression)
    • norfolk wherry, wherry - sailing barge used especially in East Anglia
    • 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
    • wooden spoon - a booby prize consisting of a spoon made of wood
    • workhouse - a poorhouse where able-bodied poor are compelled to labor
    • cert - an absolute certainty
    • beastliness - unpleasant nastiness; used especially of nasty weather
    • cobblers - a man's testicles (from Cockney rhyming slang: cobbler's awl rhymes with ball)
    • conk - informal term for the nose
    • countenance, kisser, mug, phiz, physiognomy, smiler, visage - the human face (`kisser' and `smiler' and `mug' are informal terms for `face' and `phiz' is British)
    • noddle - an informal British expression for head or mind
    • nous - common sense
    • facer - (a dated Briticism) a serious difficulty with which one is suddenly faced
    • snorter - something outstandingly difficult
    • niff, pong - an unpleasant smell
    • wheeze - (Briticism) a clever or amusing scheme or trick
    • thatcherism - (England) the political policy of Margaret Thatcher
    • fabianism - socialism to be established by gradual reforms within the law
    • gutter press - press that engages in sensational journalism (especially concerning the private lives of public figures)
    • rediffusion - a system for distributing radio or tv programs
    • magna carta, magna charta, the great charter - the royal charter of political rights given to rebellious English barons by King John in 1215
    • royal charter - a charter granted by the sovereign (especially in Great Britain)
    • higher national diploma, hnd - a diploma given for vocational training that prepares the student for a career in a particular area; good students may progress to a course leading to a degree
    • class list, honours list - a list issued by examiners that categorizes students according to the class of honours they achieved in their degree examinations
    • rota - a roster of names showing the order in which people should perform certain duties
    • whip-round - (British) solicitation of money usually for a benevolent purpose
    • book token - a gift voucher that can be exchanged for books costing up to an amount given on the voucher
    • indent - an order for goods to be exported or imported
    • colour supplement - (British) a magazine that is printed in color and circulated with a newspaper (especially on weekends)
    • bumf, bumph - reading materials (documents, written information) that you must read and deal with but that you think are extremely boring
    • cobblers - nonsense
    • double dutch - an incomprehensible talk
    • gen - informal term for information
    • highway code - the code of rules governing the use of public roads
    • bachelor of medicine, mb - (a British degree) a bachelor's degree in medicine
    • honours, honours degree - a university degree with honors
    • first, first-class honours degree - an honours degree of the highest class
    • double first - a first-class honours degree in two subjects
    • storm cone - a canvas cone hoisted to warn of high winds
    • ticktack - system of signalling by hand signs used by bookmakers at racetracks
    • shoulder flash - something worn on the shoulder of a military uniform as an emblem of a division etc.
    • trad - traditional jazz as revived in the 1950s
    • skiffle - a style of popular music in the 1950s; based on American folk music and played on guitars and improvised percussion instruments
    • argle-bargle, argy-bargy - a verbal dispute; a wrangling argument
    • green paper - a preliminary report of government proposals that is published in order to stimulate discussion
    • plaint - (United Kingdom) a written statement of the grounds of complaint made to court of law asking for the grievance to be redressed
    • prang - a crash involving a car or plane
    • bun-fight, bunfight - (Briticism) a grand formal party on an important occasion
    • jolly - a happy party
    • whist drive - a progressive whist party
    • maundy - a public ceremony on Maundy Thursday when the monarch distributes Maundy money
    • burnup - a high-speed motorcycle race on a public road
    • race meeting - a regular occasion on which a number of horse races are held on the same track
    • zizz - a buzzing or whizzing sound
    • tuck - eatables (especially sweets)
    • plain flour - flour that does not contain a raising agent
    • graham, graham flour, whole meal flour, whole wheat flour - flour made by grinding the entire wheat berry including the bran; (`whole meal flour' is British usage)
    • fanny adams - nautical term for tinned meat
    • high tea - substantial early evening meal including tea
    • afternoon tea, tea, teatime - a light midafternoon meal of tea and sandwiches or cakes
    • nosh-up - a large satisfying meal
    • ploughman's lunch - a meal consisting of a sandwich of bread and cheese and a salad
    • hot pot, hotpot - a stew of meat and potatoes cooked in a tightly covered pot
    • caster sugar, castor sugar - very finely granulated sugar that was formerly sprinkled from a castor
    • pud, pudding - (British) the dessert course of a meal (`pud' is used informally)
    • tipsy cake - a trifle soaked in wine and decorated with almonds and candied fruit
    • pease pudding - a pudding made with strained split peas mixed with egg
    • roly-poly, roly-poly pudding - pudding made of suet pastry spread with jam or fruit and rolled up and baked or steamed
    • suet pudding - a sweet or savory pudding made with suet and steamed or boiled
    • spotted dick - a suet pudding containing currants
    • tart - a pastry cup with a filling of fruit or custard and no top crust
    • eccles cake - a flat round cake of sweetened pastry filled with dried fruit
    • christmas cake - a rich fruitcake (usually covered with icing and marzipan) and eaten at Christmas
    • simnel - a fruitcake (sometimes covered with almond paste) eaten at mid-Lent or Easter or Christmas
    • tea biscuit, teacake - flat semisweet cookie or biscuit usually served with tea
    • biscuit, cookie, cooky - any of various small flat sweet cakes (`biscuit' is the British term)
    • victoria sandwich, victoria sponge - a cake consisting of two layers of sponge cake with a jelly filling in between
    • lemon cheese, lemon curd - a conserve with a thick consistency; made with lemons and butter and eggs and sugar
    • chipolata - a small thin sausage
    • polony - another name for Bologna sausage
    • banger - (British informal) pork sausage
    • saveloy - a ready-cooked and highly seasoned pork sausage
    • butty - a sandwich
    • hasty pudding - sweetened porridge made of tapioca or flour or oatmeal cooked quickly in milk or water
    • victoria plum - a large red plum served as dessert
    • whitefish - any market fish--edible saltwater fish or shellfish--except herring
    • rock salmon - any of several coarse fishes (such as dogfish or wolffish) when used as food
    • cattle cake - a concentrated feed for cattle; processed in the form of blocks or cakes
    • salad cream - a creamy salad dressing resembling mayonnaise
    • clotted cream, devonshire cream - thick cream made from scalded milk
    • golden syrup, treacle - a pale cane syrup
    • bubble and squeak - leftover cabbage fried with cooked potatoes and sometimes meat
    • cottage pie - a dish of minced meat topped with mashed potatoes
    • kedgeree - a dish of rice and hard-boiled eggs and cooked flaked fish
    • bitter - English term for a dry sharp-tasting ale with strong flavor of hops (usually on draft)
    • pale ale - an amber colored ale brewed with pale malts; similar to bitter but drier and lighter
    • plonk - a cheap wine of inferior quality
    • hock, rhenish, rhine wine - any of several white wines from the Rhine River valley in Germany (`hock' is British usage)
    • sundowner - a drink taken at sundown
    • scrumpy - strong cider (as made in western England)
    • cuppa, cupper - a cup of tea
    • gob - a lump of slimy stuff
    • al-muhajiroun - a hard-line extremist Islamic group in Great Britain who support bin Laden and other terrorist groups
    • national trust, nt - an organization concerned to preserve historic monuments and buildings and places of historical interest or natural beauty; founded in 1895 and supported by endowment and private subscription
    • special branch - a government police department dealing with political security
    • inland revenue, ir - a board of the British government that administers and collects major direct taxes
    • ordnance survey - the official cartography agency of the British government
    • estate, estate of the realm, 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
    • first estate, lords spiritual - the clergy in France and the heads of the church in Britain
    • lords temporal, second estate - the nobility in France and the peerage in Britain
    • commons, third estate - the common people
    • admass - the segment of the public that is easily influenced by mass media (chiefly British)
    • ld., limited company, ltd. - a company that is organized to give its owners limited liability
    • slate club - a group of people who save money in a common fund for a specific purpose (usually distributed at Christmas)
    • skiffle group - a band of musicians who play skiffle
    • gaudy - (Britain) a celebratory reunion feast or entertainment held a college
    • beanfeast - an annual dinner party given by an employer for the employees
    • liberal democrat party - a political party in Great Britain; formerly the Liberal Party; advocates reforms and improvement of the conditions of working people
    • 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
    • training college - a school providing training for a special field or profession
    • 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
    • privy council - an advisory council to a ruler (especially to the British Crown)
    • works council - (chiefly Brit) a council representing employer and employees of a plant or business to discuss working conditions etc; also: a committee representing the workers elected to negotiate with management about grievances and wages etc
    • parliament - a legislative assembly in certain countries
    • conservancy - a commission with jurisdiction over fisheries and navigation in a port or river
    • select committee - a parliamentary committee appointed for some special purpose
    • central intelligence machinery, cim - the United Kingdom's central unit for the tasking and coordination and funding of intelligence and security agencies
    • sas, special air service - a specialist regiment of the British army that is trained in commando techniques of warfare and used in clandestine operations (especially against terrorist groups)
    • mi, military intelligence section 6, secret intelligence service - the government agency in the United Kingdom that is responsible for internal security and counterintelligence overseas
    • mi, military intelligence section 5, security service - the government agency in the United Kingdom that is responsible for internal security and counterintelligence on British territory
    • admiralty - the department in charge of the navy (as in Great Britain)
    • county council - the elected governing body of a county
    • british cabinet - the senior ministers of the British government
    • shadow cabinet - a group of senior members of the political party that is out of power; these members would probably assume corresponding positions as ministers in the British Cabinet if their party was elected
    • high commission - an embassy of one British Commonwealth country to another
    • public school - private independent secondary school in Great Britain supported by endowment and tuition
    • terrace - a row of houses built in a similar style and having common dividing walls (or the street on which they face)
    • spinney - a copse that shelters game
    • rave-up - a raucous gathering
    • local authority - an administrative unit of local government
    • heath, heathland - a tract of level wasteland; uncultivated land with sandy soil and scrubby vegetation
    • subtopia - monotonous urban sprawl of standardized buildings
    • county - (United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government
    • county town, shire town - the town or city that is the seat of government for a shire
    • housing estate - a residential area where the houses were all planned and built at the same time
    • stockbroker belt - a wealthy residential suburb
    • shire - a former administrative district of England; equivalent to a county
    • no-go area - an area that is dangerous or impossible to enter or to which entry is forbidden
    • pitch - a vendor's position (especially on the sidewalk)
    • 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
    • outport - a subsidiary port built in deeper water than the original port (but usually farther from the center of trade)
    • weald - an area of open or forested country
    • gb, great britain - an island comprising England and Scotland and Wales
    • home counties - the English counties surrounding London into which Greater London has expanded
    • dale - an open river valley (in a hilly area)
    • mere - a small pond of standing water
    • 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'
    • backbencher - a member of the House of Commons who is not a party leader
    • beadle - a minor parish official who serves a ceremonial function
    • berk - a stupid person who is easy to take advantage of
    • boffin - (British slang) a scientist or technician engaged in military research
    • chancellor - the honorary or titular head of a university
    • chief constable - the head of the police force in a county (or similar area)
    • clever clogs, clever dick - an intellectual who is ostentatiously and irritatingly knowledgeable
    • coiner - a maker of counterfeit coins
    • blimp, colonel blimp - any elderly pompous reactionary ultranationalistic person (after the cartoon character created by Sir David Low)
    • commissionaire - a uniformed doorman
    • constable, police constable - a police officer of the lowest rank
    • convener - the member of a group whose duty it is to convene meetings
    • crossbencher - a member of the House of Commons who does not vote regularly with either the government or the Opposition
    • esq, esquire - a title of respect for a member of the English gentry ranking just below a knight; placed after the name
    • fire watcher - (during World War II in Britain) someone whose duty was to watch for fires caused by bombs dropped from the air
    • 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
    • fruiterer - a person who sells fruit
    • greengrocer - a grocer who sells fresh fruits and vegetables
    • guvnor - (British slang) boss
    • 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)
    • hooray henry - a lively and ineffectual upper-class young man
    • inquiry agent - a private detective
    • houseman, intern, interne, medical intern - an advanced student or graduate in medicine gaining supervised practical experience (`houseman' is a British term)
    • invigilator - someone who watches examination candidates to prevent cheating
    • justiciar, justiciary - formerly a high judicial officer
    • kerb crawler - someone who drives slowly along the curb seeking sex from prostitutes or other women
    • lady, noblewoman, peeress - a woman of the peerage in Britain
    • land agent - a person who administers a landed estate
    • linendraper - a retail dealer in yard goods
    • lollipop lady, lollipop woman - a woman hired to help children cross a road safely near a school
    • 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
    • mate - informal term for a friend of the same sex
    • mercer - a dealer in textiles (especially silks)
    • mod - a British teenager or young adult in the 1960s; noted for their clothes consciousness and opposition to the rockers
    • muffin man - formerly an itinerant peddler of muffins
    • nan - your grandmother
    • copper's nark, nark - an informer or spy working for the police
    • news reader, newsreader - someone who reads out broadcast news bulletin
    • office-bearer - the person who holds an office
    • outfitter - someone who sells men's clothes
    • parliamentary agent - a person who is employed to look after the affairs of businesses that are affected by legislation of the British Parliament
    • patrial - a person who has the right to be considered legally a British citizen (by virtue of the birth of a parent or grandparent)
    • peer - a nobleman (duke or marquis or earl or 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
    • placeman, placeseeker - a disparaging term for an appointee
    • pointsman - a policeman stationed at an intersection to direct traffic
    • pork butcher - a vendor of pork and products made from pork
    • potboy, potman - a worker in an inn or public house who serves customers and does various chores
    • don, preceptor - teacher at a university or college (especially at Cambridge or Oxford)
    • publican, tavern keeper - the keeper of a public house
    • question master, quizmaster - the host or chairman of a radio or tv quiz show or panel game
    • ranker - an enlisted soldier who serves in the ranks of the armed forces
    • ranker - a commissioned officer who has been promoted from enlisted status
    • ratepayer - a person who pays local rates (especially a householder)
    • recorder - a barrister or solicitor who serves as part-time judge in towns or boroughs
    • redcap - a member of the military police in Britain
    • remover - someone who works for a company that moves furniture
    • returning officer - the official in each electorate who holds the election and returns the results
    • rocker - a teenager or young adult in the 1960s who wore leather jackets and rode motorcycles
    • sandboy - a young peddler of sand; used now only to express great happiness in `happy as a sandboy'
    • scrimshanker - a shirker
    • canvasser, scrutineer - someone who examines votes at an election
    • settler - a clerk in a betting shop who calculates the winnings
    • sir - a title used before the name of knight or baronet
    • sixth-former - a student in the sixth form
    • skivvy, slavey - a female domestic servant who does all kinds of menial work
    • slop-seller, slopseller - a dealer in cheap ready-made clothing
    • smallholder - a person owning or renting a smallholding
    • spiv - a person without employment who makes money by various dubious schemes; goes about smartly dressed and having a good time
    • sprog - a child
    • sprog - a new military recruit
    • squire - an English country landowner
    • stipendiary, stipendiary magistrate - (United Kingdom) a paid magistrate (appointed by the Home Secretary) dealing with police cases
    • stockjobber - one who deals only with brokers or other jobbers
    • stone breaker - someone who breaks up stone
    • sublieutenant - an officer ranking next below a lieutenant
    • 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)
    • grass, supergrass - a police informer who implicates many people
    • supremo - the most important person in an organization
    • tallyman - one who sells goods on the installment plan
    • tearaway - a reckless and impetuous person
    • ted, teddy boy - a tough youth of 1950's and 1960's wearing Edwardian style clothes
    • thatcherite - an advocate of Thatcherism
    • ticket tout, tout - someone who buys tickets to an event in order to resell them at a profit
    • townee - townsman unacquainted with country life especially a slick and flashy male city dweller
    • valuer - someone who assesses the monetary worth of possessions
    • victualer, victualler - an innkeeper (especially British)
    • wally - a silly and inept person; someone who is regarded as stupid
    • wog - (offensive British slang) term used by the British to refer to people of color from Africa or Asia
    • wykehamist - a student enrolled in (or graduated from) Winchester College
    • knock-on effect - a secondary or incidental effect
    • medium wave - a radio wave with a wavelength between 100 and 1000 meters (a frequency between 300 kilohertz and 3000 kilohertz)
    • pot plant - a plant suitable for growing in a flowerpot (especially indoors)
    • ratables, rateables - property that provides tax income for local governments
    • smallholding - a piece of land under 50 acres that is sold or let to someone for cultivation
    • crown land - land that belongs to the Crown
    • rent-rebate - a rebate on rent given by a local government authority
    • peppercorn rent - very low or nominal rent
    • hire-purchase, never-never - installment plan
    • sick benefit, sickness benefit - money paid (by the government) to someone who is too ill to work
    • christmas box - a present given at Christmas for services during the year
    • council tax - a tax levied on households by local authorities; based on the estimated value of the property and the number of people living in it
    • rates - a local tax on property (usually used in the plural)
    • poor rates - a local tax for the relief of the poor
    • base rate - the interest rate set by the Bank of England for lending to other banks
    • refresher - a fee (in addition to that marked on the brief) paid to counsel in a case that lasts more than one day
    • water-rate - rate per quarter for water from a public supply
    • assurance - a British term for some kinds of insurance
    • giro account - an account at a post office that can be used in similar ways to an account at a bank
    • giro, giro cheque - a check given by the British government to someone who is unemployed; it can be cashed either at a bank or at the post office
    • tenpence - a decimal coin worth ten pennies
    • threepence - former cupronickel coin of the United Kingdom equal to three pennies
    • sixpence, tanner - a small coin of the United Kingdom worth six pennies; not minted since 1970
    • maundy money - specially minted silver coins that are distributed by the British sovereign on Maundy Thursday
    • divvy - short for dividend; especially one paid by a cooperative society
    • carry-forward, carry-over - the accumulated and undivided profits of a corporation after provision has been made for dividends and reserves
    • premium bond - a government bond that bears no interest or capital gains but enters the holder into lotteries
    • civil list - a sum of money voted by British Parliament each year for the expenses of the British royal family
    • last - a unit of capacity for grain equal to 80 bushels
    • quarter - a quarter of a hundredweight (28 pounds)
    • in, inch - a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
    • perch, pole, rod - a linear measure of 16.5 feet
    • tod - a unit of weight for wool equal to about 28 pounds
    • stone - an avoirdupois unit used to measure the weight of a human body; equal to 14 pounds
    • bugger all, fanny adams, fuck all, sweet fanny adams - little or nothing at all
    • milliard - a billion
    • 1000000000000, billion, one million million - the number that is represented as a one followed by 12 zeros; in the United Kingdom the usage followed in the United States is frequently seen
    • one million million million, trillion - the number that is represented as a one followed by 18 zeros
    • quadrillion - the number that is represented as a one followed by 24 zeros
    • top-up - an amount needed to restore something to its former level
    • poverty trap - a situation in which an increase in income results in a loss of benefits so that you are no better off
    • crick, kink, rick, wrick - a painful muscle spasm especially in the neck or back (`rick' and `wrick' are British)
    • dog's breakfast, dog's dinner - a poor job; a mess
    • appro - an informal British abbreviation of approval
    • hard cheese - bad luck
    • fug - (British informal) an airless smoky smelly atmosphere
    • ratability, rateability - the state of being liable to assessment or taxation
    • town gas - coal gas manufactured for domestic and industrial use
    • derv - diesel oil used in cars and lorries with diesel engines; from d(iesel) e(ngine) r(oad) v(ehicle)
    • clunch - hardened clay
    • surgical spirit - methylated spirit used in the practice of medicine (especially for cleansing the skin before injections or before surgery)
    • half-term - a short vacation about halfway through a school term
    • november 5 - anniversary of the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot
    • guy fawkes day - day for the celebration of the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot
    • sell-by date - a date stamped on perishable produce indicating the date by which it should be sold
    • quarter day - a Christian holy day; one of four specified days when certain payments are due
    • guest night - an evening when members of a club or college can bring their friends as guests
    • rag, rag week - a week at British universities during which side-shows and processions of floats are organized to raise money for charities
    • rag day - a day on which university students hold a rag
    • boxing day - first weekday after Christmas
    • poppy day, remembrance day, remembrance sunday - the Sunday nearest to November 11 when those who died in World War I and World War II are commemorated
    • speech day - an annual day in the schools when speeches are made and prizes are distributed
    • year dot - as long ago as anyone can remember
    • kip - sleep
    • question time - a period during a parliamentary session when members of British Parliament may ask questions of the ministers
    • judder, shake - shake or vibrate rapidly and intensively
    • scrimshank - British military language: avoid work
    • potted - (British informal) summarized or abridged
    • fly - (British informal) not to be deceived or hoodwinked
    • pawky - cunning and sly
    • dinky - (British informal) pretty and neat
    • dishy - (informal British) sexually attractive
    • non-u - not characteristic of the upper classes especially in language use
    • u - (chiefly British) of or appropriate to the upper classes especially in language use
    • starkers - (British informal) stark naked
    • boss-eyed - (British informal) cross-eyed
    • canty - lively and brisk
    • garden - the usual or familiar type
    • groovy, swagger - (British informal) very chic
    • gammy - (British informal) sore or lame
    • all-mains - used of a radio receiver that is adaptable to all voltages
    • niffy - (British informal) malodorous
    • swingeing - severe; punishingly bad
    • shirty, snorty - (British informal) ill-tempered or annoyed
    • po-faced - humorless and disapproving
    • peckish - somewhat hungry
    • dickey, dicky - (British informal) faulty
    • potty - (British informal) trivial
    • whacking - (British informal) enormous
    • ex-directory - (of telephone numbers) not listed in the telephone directory
    • long-dated - of a gilt-edged security; having more than 15 years to run before redemption
    • short-dated - of a gilt-edged security; having less than 5 years to run before redemption
    • take-away, takeout - of or involving food to be taken and eaten off the premises
    • red-brick, redbrick - of or relating to British universities founded in the late 19th century or the 20th century
    • grotty - very unpleasant or offensive
    • post-free - postpaid
    • buckshee - free of charge
    • made-up - having been paved
    • chuffed - very pleased
    • jumped-up - (British informal) upstart
    • toffee-nosed - snobbish; pretentiously superior
    • major - of the elder of two boys with the same family name
    • minor - of the younger of two boys with the same family name
    • billion - denoting a quantity consisting of one million million items or units in Great Britain
    • trillion - one quintillion in Great Britain
    • tod - alone and on your own
    • bloody-minded, cantankerous - stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate
    • bolshy, stroppy - obstreperous
    • capital - first-rate
    • spiffing - excellent or splendid
    • top-flight, top-hole, topping - excellent; best possible
    • ropey, ropy - (British informal) very poor in quality
    • gobsmacked - utterly astounded
    • jiggered - (British informal expletive) surprised
    • buttoned-up - (British colloquial) not inclined to conversation
    • brummagem - cheap and showy
    • ratable, rateable - liable to payment of locally assessed property taxes
    • unratable - not subject to locally assessed property taxes
    • drained, knackered - very tired
    • whacked - (British informal) exhausted or worn out
    • manky - inferior and worthless
    • tinpot - inferior (especially of a country's leadership)
    • fuggy - (British informal) poorly ventilated
    • clapped out - worn from age or heavy use and no longer able to operate (of cars or machines or people)
    subtypes: blighty - a slang term for Great Britain used by British troops serving abroad
    is an instance of: kingdom - a country with a king as head of state
    belongs to:
    has:
    • england - a division of the United Kingdom
    • 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; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts
    • cambria, cymru, wales - one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; during Roman times the region was known as Cambria
    is a part of: british isles - Great Britain and Ireland and adjacent islands in the north Atlantic
    same as: britain, great britain, u.k., uk, united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland

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