Lets talk English English!

[NeutralMunchHotel]

In the spirit of asking questions, do english people actually say "zed" instead of "zee" when they're talking about the letter "z" or is that just jokingly?

Honestly, if you reverse that and ask if Americans say 'zee' then people will be asking that just as jokingly.

 

[Lukeje]

can you really just say "shit" whenever in Britain? i hear it all the time on the BBC, but nobody says on American TV.

Yup (well, after watershed normally); it's the dog's bollocks.

Edit: and in writing that post I just had d&#233j&#224 vu of having d&#233j&#224 vu... weird.

i had to look up what watershed meant. the dog's bollocks means "good", right?

Yes. According to QI it's apparently a bastardisation of "Box Deluxe" (with "Box Standard" becoming bog standard). Though the OED claims it's just a phrase similar to "the bee's knees" and "the cat's whiskers".

 

[El Poncho]

In the spirit of asking questions, do english people actually say "zed" instead of "zee" when they're talking about the letter "z" or is that just jokingly?

I say zi. I know some people who say zee and some who say zed, just what you prefer I guess.

 

[Desert Tiger]

By the way, what the hell is a tosser? I've heard it in English English a few times but for the life of me I can't figure out what it means.

As far as I'm aware, a "tosser" is the same thing as a "wanker".

Bah, I thought the Brits were craftier then that. I was expecting something outlandish .

Surprisingly enough almost all British insults involve masturbation, I think it's something they are obsessed with as a culture.

Side note I had a teacher named Mr. Wanker

Two insults. Two insults are based around masturbation. Basically like saying how "************" makes the American culture obsessed with having sex with mothers as a culture.

 

[Sparrow]

By the way, what the hell is a tosser? I've heard it in English English a few times but for the life of me I can't figure out what it means.

As far as I'm aware, a "tosser" is the same thing as a "wanker".

Bah, I thought the Brits were craftier then that. I was expecting something outlandish .

Well, to be a little graphic, it's do to with the motion of wanking. Aka "tossing one off".

Now that is creative, ay?

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

I wanted to know (but never wanted to bother with a topic on it) why do the english call a ball point pen a biro. I looked it up and all I found was "a ball point pen is often refereed to as a biro" leaving me still wondering the reason.

I get bonnet and boot, water closet and other such terms but biro? I'm going to make a guess and say it was an early brand of ball point pen.

Ball point pen is a bit of a mouthful isn't it? Pfft, I supppose you've already been answered, but I'm too lazy to keep on trawlin'; the ball point pen was invented by a man with the name of Biro, henceforth it was called that.

 

[Lord Mountbatten Reborn]

OT: English words/terms for the police are legendary:-
The fuzz
The rozzers
The law
And it always must be preceeded by "Bloody hell its the..." and ended with "SCARPER!"
And its Zed.

"The rozzers" is my favourite, though I personally like to go "it's the hi-vi brigade!".

 

[Shoqiyqa]

In the spirit of asking questions, do english people actually say "zed" instead of "zee" when they're talking about the letter "z" or is that just jokingly?

Yes. It's closely related to the German name for that letter, tzet, which is itself related to the Greek zeta. Remember that d and t are interchangeable when trying to guess what a German word would be in another language, as in Tur and door or Du and tu, and you can see the similarity.

I think the US is the only place where someone decided that B, C, D, E, G, P, T and V needed a friend or was simply phobic of short vowels.

Over here, "dog" has only one syllable.

 

[Shoqiyqa]

NO WAY your not a Proper English speaker.

That should be "you're" in proper English on any side of any ocean, including "under the thermocline".

 

[ScarlettRage]

In the spirit of asking questions, do english people actually say "zed" instead of "zee" when they're talking about the letter "z" or is that just jokingly?

It's a joke. We say zee.

I also greatly enjoy the British accent.

Apparently it's a joke Canada missed out on then, as we say "zed".

Or at least I do...

i do to, i am also canadian
zed, tuc.. aboot.. (ok i kid for the last one...)

 

[Random Joker]

Ok Well im an English man.. What most of you are talking about is call "Cockney Rhyming" dates back to the 50's - 60's.

Its Cockney english slang like using rhyming words to make up different words such as

Apples and Pears - Stairs
Jack Nash - Slash
Tom Tit - Shit

Its not English English never has been its just Cockney Rhyming

Sorted Bruv

 

[Random Joker]

I have a habit of using rhyming slang, which annoys my Yank friends.

"Are you having a girrafe? Someone half inched my sharon stone! Ugh, I'm in so much barney rubble, you just don't have a scooby doo."

I set the challenge of a non "english" english speaker to translate it. Winner gets a Joe Blake

EDIT: Over the "Zee" over "Zed" thing. I'm British and I missed the joke as well because I say "Zed". I also say "Nought" instead of zero sometimes

One of my old lecturers used to have a go at us for buggering up cockney rhyming slang so its kind of stuck in my head and I now have an annoying urge to call you out. Sorry.

Undesirables on the streets of old London made it up so they could communicate without alerting or being overheard by the police. Because of this you shouldn't actually use the rhyming part of the slang just the first word so its sounds even more like non-sense.

"Are you having a giraffe" (Well ok that right ) But the rest should have been "Someone halfed me Sharon! Urg, I'm in so much Barney you just don't have a Scooby..."

OT: English words/terms for the police are legendary:-
The fuzz
The rozzers
The law
And it always must be preceeded by "Bloody hell its the..." and ended with "SCARPER!"
And its Zed.

But thats just skimming the top what about

Po Po

Feds

Pigs

Youths have made up most of these like myself well know in all of england and alot of american films like Friday with ice cube

 

[Lukeje]

I have a habit of using rhyming slang, which annoys my Yank friends.

"Are you having a girrafe? Someone half inched my sharon stone! Ugh, I'm in so much barney rubble, you just don't have a scooby doo."

I set the challenge of a non "english" english speaker to translate it. Winner gets a Joe Blake

EDIT: Over the "Zee" over "Zed" thing. I'm British and I missed the joke as well because I say "Zed". I also say "Nought" instead of zero sometimes

One of my old lecturers used to have a go at us for buggering up cockney rhyming slang so its kind of stuck in my head and I now have an annoying urge to call you out. Sorry.

Undesirables on the streets of old London made it up so they could communicate without alerting or being overheard by the police. Because of this you shouldn't actually use the rhyming part of the slang just the first word so its sounds even more like non-sense.

"Are you having a giraffe" (Well ok that right ) But the rest should have been "Someone halfed me Sharon! Urg, I'm in so much Barney you just don't have a Scooby..."

OT: English words/terms for the police are legendary:-
The fuzz
The rozzers
The law
And it always must be preceeded by "Bloody hell its the..." and ended with "SCARPER!"
And its Zed.

But thats just skimming the top what about

Po Po

Feds

Pigs

Youths have made up most of these like myself well know in all of england and alot of american films like Friday with ice cube

He also forgot "coppers" and "peelers"...

Edit: and isn't "Feds" American?

 

[Shoqiyqa]

... from the film Billy Elliot and that "FOCK USE!" style of speaking).

Scousers?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX7yreazVjY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfz6kTvyiiU

Apart from the Beatles, the rest of us tend not to like them either.

... Wait. Mining town? Could be Tyneside.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GeTaAkIAN4

...

"Arr, oi be sowin' me seeds this mornin'."

Somerset to me, Pirate to the Yanks.

...

Another word for police, rather more specific: the Sweeney, from Sweeney Todd, meaning the Flying Squad.

 

[FallenRainbows]

"Spiffing day good fellow" Joking, Yeah... go listen to some Cockney farmer, have a gander at that.

 

[Xaryn Mar]

Once you hit the north of England, the accents do change a lot, so much so that Americans have to have subtitles when Scottish people speak in shows such as Taggart. Scouse and Mancunian aren't too bad, people who aren't British usually have a problem with Geordies and Scots.

Scots are actually relatively easy to understand for someone from Denmark (and I would guess Scandinavia in general). Especially if written, since several words are only marginally different from Danish. E.g. Bairn (scottish for child) is very close both in spelling and pronounciation to the Danish Barn (meaning child), Kirk is another example.

I am not so sure about Geordies, since I have not heard one as far as I know.

 

[Unserene]

English insults and phrases?

Just buy Roger's Profanisaurus: The Magna Farta. You've got over 10,000 words and phrases in there, all of which come from the British public.

As some examples, there's kidney prodder, potato fat, saga louts and biggie smalls.

Or you can see some examples online:

http://www.viz.co.uk/profanisaurus.html

 

[TheNumber1Zero]

I also say "Nought" instead of zero sometimes

You mean like Jethro Bodine?

 

[Lukeje]

I am not so sure about Geordies, since I have not heard one as far as I know.

Just try googling for episodes of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auf_Wiedersehen,_Pet].

 

[walls of cetepedes]

Geordies also have a tendancy to add `like` to the end of sentances

Aye we do. And I haven't the slightest idea why, like.

In the spirit of asking questions, do english people actually say "zed" instead of "zee" when they're talking about the letter "z" or is that just jokingly?

We say "zed".

How could it be a joke?