As you’ll doubtless have gleaned from the above title, we’ve done a couple of posts in the recent past on differences between British and American idioms – you can find part one here, and last year’s follow-up here.
Now we’re back with part three: yep, another dozen entries in our ongoing guide to quintessentially UK or US sayings and phrases, and their transatlantic equivalents.
In this installment we’re delving a little deeper to bring you a handful of colloquialisms that, at first glance, might seem a little more impenetrable (depending which side of the pond you’re reading from). But rest assured – either way, we’ve got you covered with a local translation you’ll certainly have heard used closer to home!
This list of idioms was created by Ashley Fleming, blogger and creator of a huge resource of financial idioms.
Now we’re back with part three: yep, another dozen entries in our ongoing guide to quintessentially UK or US sayings and phrases, and their transatlantic equivalents.
In this installment we’re delving a little deeper to bring you a handful of colloquialisms that, at first glance, might seem a little more impenetrable (depending which side of the pond you’re reading from). But rest assured – either way, we’ve got you covered with a local translation you’ll certainly have heard used closer to home!
British English (BrE)
|
American English (AmE)
|
Swings and roundabouts
|
Ups and downs; Win some lose some
|
Buttering up
|
Blowing smoke (up one’s ass)
|
To get the hump
|
To get steamed/burned up
|
To get on with (someone)
|
To get along with
|
All mouth and no trousers
|
All hat and no cattle
|
On tenterhooks |
On needles and pins (NB: not to be confused with ‘having pins and needles’ in UK)
|
To have a go at
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To tear into; To tear a new one
|
Hard cheese
|
Tough titty
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To bang on about
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To rant and rave
|
A damp squib
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A bomb; a washout; (literal) a wet firecracker
|
To call a spade a spade
|
To talk turkey; to call it as one sees it
|
To cram; to swot (up)
|
To hit the books
|
This list of idioms was created by Ashley Fleming, blogger and creator of a huge resource of financial idioms.
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