Blimey, I'm Knackered!: An American's Survival Guide to British English
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- Create Date：2021-12-03 18:15:56
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- Author：Marshall Hall
- ISBN：1945501499
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Summary
Britspeak for Yanks！
Back in 1887， Oscar Wilde wrote， "We have really everything in common with America nowadays， except， of course， language。" One would think， in a world homogenized by technology and social media， that differences between British English and American English would gradually disappear。 Ask any recent traveler， though， and you'll learn that plenty of linguistic idiosyncrasies persist， and new ones emerge all the time。 Folks on both sides of the pond may be in closer touch than ever before， but we are still， as George Bernard Shaw purportedly noted， "two nations divided by a common language。"
Blimey， I'm Knackered is the perfect companion for anyone desiring to bridge the gap between US and UK English or who simply enjoys the evolution of language and culture。 American scholar and longtime UK resident Marshall Hall has organized his insightful definitions and explanations of British idioms， colloquialisms， abbreviations， acronyms， and slang into nineteen entertaining and revealing chapters covering everything from transportation and food to politics， education， and wardrobe。 Making the book truly comprehensive are sections on pejoratives and "naughty bits。" Hall's often amusing explanations make the book an engaging read for language lovers and travelers alike。 Charming pen-and-ink illustrations by Mark Cowie add whimsy and humor to this entertaining， useful， and unique compendium。 No American need ever be befuddled again！
Back in 1887， Oscar Wilde wrote， "We have really everything in common with America nowadays， except， of course， language。" One would think， in a world homogenized by technology and social media， that differences between British English and American English would gradually disappear。 Ask any recent traveler， though， and you'll learn that plenty of linguistic idiosyncrasies persist， and new ones emerge all the time。 Folks on both sides of the pond may be in closer touch than ever before， but we are still， as George Bernard Shaw purportedly noted， "two nations divided by a common language。"
Blimey， I'm Knackered is the perfect companion for anyone desiring to bridge the gap between US and UK English or who simply enjoys the evolution of language and culture。 American scholar and longtime UK resident Marshall Hall has organized his insightful definitions and explanations of British idioms， colloquialisms， abbreviations， acronyms， and slang into nineteen entertaining and revealing chapters covering everything from transportation and food to politics， education， and wardrobe。 Making the book truly comprehensive are sections on pejoratives and "naughty bits。" Hall's often amusing explanations make the book an engaging read for language lovers and travelers alike。 Charming pen-and-ink illustrations by Mark Cowie add whimsy and humor to this entertaining， useful， and unique compendium。 No American need ever be befuddled again！
Reviews
Dawn Thomas
，
Blimey， I’m Knackered by Marshall Hall9781945501494348 PagesPublisher: Imbrifex BooksRelease Date: August 31， 2021Nonfiction， Entertainment， Humor， Reference， British， SlangI picked up this book because I have English friends and love British television。 This book was entertaining， and I did learn a few new words。 There were a few words I questioned but overall， the book was enjoyable。 I would recommend this book to anyone that would like to improve their British slang。
Cecily
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The differences between British and American English have long been a source of fascination and humour， and there are numerous books， websites， blogs， and groups devoted to the subject。 This one opens with the obvious and much misattributed cliché about being “separated by a common language” （see Quote Investigator HERE）。 Marshall Hall grew up on an Ohio farm， moved， temporarily， to London in his 20s， and 33 years later， he’s still here: a UK citizen， with a British wife and adult children。 The The differences between British and American English have long been a source of fascination and humour， and there are numerous books， websites， blogs， and groups devoted to the subject。 This one opens with the obvious and much misattributed cliché about being “separated by a common language” （see Quote Investigator HERE）。 Marshall Hall grew up on an Ohio farm， moved， temporarily， to London in his 20s， and 33 years later， he’s still here: a UK citizen， with a British wife and adult children。 The fun of dinner table discussions morphed into a long list， and eventually this book。 He comes across as an affable chap， aiming for a bit of a Bill Bryson Notes from a Small Island vibe （especially his grumbles about traffic-calming）， along with George Mikes’ How to be an Alien。 He quotes both， several times。 However， I think the content would be better kept for family and friends， over a good bottle of wine， rather than being sold “For the assistance of fellow Americans planning to visit this great country and for the amusement of our British friends”。 The errors and omissions are too infuriating， numerous， and egregious to make it of practical use to the former or amusing to this Brit。 Image: Full English， illustrated by Mark Cowie。（Dis）organisationThe book is a list of words and definitions， grouped into thematic chapters， each starting with a short， chatty essay。 That’s a good premise， but the sequence of chapters is bizarre: the first is “Buildings and Structures” but “Around the Home” is chapter 10， and “British Slang” and “Rhyming Slang” are 14 chapters apart！The words are listed alphabetically in each chapter， which seems logical， except that some definitions depend on words not explained until later， and not always cross-referenced or in the index。 It is especially unhelpful in the chapter about education， because many of the terms make more sense explained chronologically by pupil age。 Sketches and quotes are scattered throughout。There’s a map of the British Isles at the front， but it’s titled “Great Britain”。 The section near the end that explains that they’re not the same， doesn’t reference the map， although an unconnected essay about the history of local place names has a duplicate of the map。What’s missingMany of the definitions are very brief。 Adding a dash of history， usage， or etymology to them would be helpful and interesting。 Some entries merely state what an initialism stands for。 The NHS deserves more than three words: the founding concept of universal healthcare， free at the point of use， does not yet exist in the US。 （It has drifted from that in the UK， but Brits aren’t bankrupted by medical costs or forced into Breaking Bad scenarios。） Other times， the definition is unhelpfully literal， rather than explanatory， such the one for “new towns”， which is factually incorrect as well。When Hall does give usage examples， they’re sometimes pointlessly self-referential， without adding to the preceding definition: “Chalk and cheese: A remark indicating that two things， usually people， are very different from one another。 For example， ‘Those two are like chalk and cheese， they are。’” The introductory essay on slang says that it varies hugely by geography and time， but makes no mention of class differences， which are often more significant。English， whether British， American， Canadian， Australian， Indian or whatever， is a polysemous language: one string of characters can have many meanings that may or may not be related to each other。 There are multiple instances where common meanings are omitted， and not just where they wouldn’t fit the chapter theme: “Dummy” gets a single word definition of “pacifier”， perhaps because that’s the only one where it’s different， but a US reader might infer that’s the only meaning used here。 What’s wrongIncompleteness often leads to inaccuracy， and there are many specific errors， as well as a few typos。Erroneously stating that a “dressing gown” is the same as a “bathrobe” could lead to minor confusion and annoyance （the latter is absorbent towelling; the former is not）， saying “pukka” is “old British slang” without mentioning it's a relatively recent import from Hindi and Urdu doesn’t really affect anything， and the incorrect definition of “greenbelt” won’t matter to visitors （it’s not correct that “no new construction is permitted”）， but suggesting “queer” is still used to mean “feel slightly ill” is hugely misleading and could cause offense。Anyone who has discussed language in groups of Brits and USicans will know the confusion around food， especially baked items。 So it’s no surprise that “Cooking and Food” is the longest chapter。 The entry for “biscuits” ends with five named examples: Battenberg， Dundee Cake， Eccles Cake， French Fancies， and Victoria Sandwich。 Not a single one of them is a biscuit， and two of them even have “cake” in their name！ It also says our biscuits are sweet， but we have a wide range of savoury ones too （“crackers” to USicans）。 The entry for “Jaffa Cakes” a few pages later is confusing （I’ve added the bold） and misses the opportunity to mention the famous legal case that declared them cakes for tax purposes （see HERE）:“Jaffa cakes: Small cookies with a layer of sponge cake topped with sweet orange jam and finished off with semi-sweet chocolate。 Named after Jaffa oranges， Jaffa Cakes are so loved in the UK that they’ve been ranked the bestselling biscuit。”Image: A selection of British biscuits （Source: “A history of biscuits in 15 fantastic facts”）Hall says “London is a truly great city and I have chosen to make it my permanent home”， but in the biography at the back he says he lives in a small Buckinghamshire town “just outside central London”。 I am very familiar with the town he names: it’s 30 miles from London， has its own distinct and historical identity， and people actively move out of London to live there for its rural charm。 It is definitely not London， and not really “just outside” it either。 It may sound picky， but this sort of fuzzy thinking is typical。 What’s surprisingThere are some very niche terms that US visitors are highly unlikely to encounter or need。 For instance， who ever mentions a DPC， unless they’re a builder， or wanting to buy a home？ There are also terms I have never ever heard， like “back doubles”， which is apparently a UK term for “residential streets running off main roads。 May also refer to a shortcut。 Also known as a ‘rat run’”。 Nor have I heard a Brit call a motorway an “M road” or refer to “Macadam” （we call it tarmac）。“Sloane Ranger” was a zeitgeisty coinage in the late 1970s， as Hall states， but I’ve not heard it in thirty years， and am baffled that it “indicates that you are of a generally reasonable class level”。There are two whole pages of Metric to Imperial measurement conversions for cooking， though the page comparing clothing sizes might be more useful to US visitors。Hall claims it's now common for Brits to refer to their “backyard”。 I don't believe him。 We know what it means from books， films， and TV， but we don't have them。 For us， a yard is concrete or tarmac; anything with grass， decking， and plants is a garden。Apparently， our roundabouts （traffic circles） range “from a mile in diameter to as small as a few meters”。 With that， he achieved his stated aim of amusing a Brit。 Now I just have to find such a massive roundabout， though I expect that if there is one， it will be more of an interchange。 When compiling this book， Hall and his family:“Soon discovered that there are no written， institutionalized， or even commonly accepted definitions for most of the entries。”Image: COED: one of many excellent British English dictionaries， readily available in libraries， bookshops， and， for those beyond our shores， online （for example， https://www。oxfordlearnersdictionarie。。。）。 As I said at the start， Hall seems a jovial fellow， with good intentions， and the illustrations and quotes are a nice touch， but I can’t recommend his book。 However， it has plenty of 4* and 5* ratings to counterbalance my two， although most （so far） are from people in the US， who may be in for some surprises if they visit。 。。。more
Marianne
，
Definitely not bad， but not as good as I wanted it to be…My husband I have traveled extensively in the UK and have many British friends so we thought we would get a kick out of this。 My son also played club/competitive soccer where he was coached by coaches from Scotland， England and Wales。 It’s a different humor and a completely different slang （the accent helps up the ante as well）。 This book is one of those “fast facts/trivia” types， not the kind you would curl up with for a long afternoon。 I Definitely not bad， but not as good as I wanted it to be…My husband I have traveled extensively in the UK and have many British friends so we thought we would get a kick out of this。 My son also played club/competitive soccer where he was coached by coaches from Scotland， England and Wales。 It’s a different humor and a completely different slang （the accent helps up the ante as well）。 This book is one of those “fast facts/trivia” types， not the kind you would curl up with for a long afternoon。 It’s definitely more for the novice that has limited knowledge and exposure。 Some good and bad but fun overall。 Thanks to NetGalley， the author and Imbrifex Books for a copy in exchange for a review。 。。。more
Helen Frost
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Reading this as a Brit I found it vastly entertaining as I hadn’t completely appreciated how many differences there are between American English and the language I know and love。 All of the classics and obvious differences are included but there a plethora of additional words and phrases。 The research from this perspective is brilliant and very comprehensive and I liked the way the words were grouped into topics so it felt less like wading through a dictionary。 There were， however， quite a lot o Reading this as a Brit I found it vastly entertaining as I hadn’t completely appreciated how many differences there are between American English and the language I know and love。 All of the classics and obvious differences are included but there a plethora of additional words and phrases。 The research from this perspective is brilliant and very comprehensive and I liked the way the words were grouped into topics so it felt less like wading through a dictionary。 There were， however， quite a lot of glaring errors which made me shout at the book a few times。 The section that lists biscuits that you must try proceeds to list cakes such as Battenberg。 A sympathetic proof read by a native Brit would definitely be a good plan but overall the enjoyment wasn’t spoiled for me。 A really good effort and very entertaining。 。。。more
Sam Haysom
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Thank you to Marshall Hall， NetGalley， and Imbrifex Books for my ARC of “Blimey， I’m Knackered” in exchange for my honest review。I wanted to read this as I am actually in the process of moving to the UK for graduate school。 While I’ve spent time in Scotland and Dorset visiting my family， I still find there are phrases I’m not familiar with。 I also just love to learn about language - how words came to be， what their original use was， how it’s changed over time， how it may have been adopted in oth Thank you to Marshall Hall， NetGalley， and Imbrifex Books for my ARC of “Blimey， I’m Knackered” in exchange for my honest review。I wanted to read this as I am actually in the process of moving to the UK for graduate school。 While I’ve spent time in Scotland and Dorset visiting my family， I still find there are phrases I’m not familiar with。 I also just love to learn about language - how words came to be， what their original use was， how it’s changed over time， how it may have been adopted in other languages， etc。 So， “Blimey， I’m Knackered” was right up my alley。The book is divided up into organized sections， a quick， easy， and fun read。 I liked the background information on the main topics the book is divided into， like transport， education， etc。， so it gives the reader generalized knowledge on the topic， too。 Hall makes sure to also note regional colloquialisms or words， which I also found helpful as there are major differences even within the UK itself on what certain words mean。 Hall also included some nice and helpful illustrations - one， in particular， I am fond of is the Reliant Robin as I love that car。 I also like that Hall is writing this from an American perspective， so he understands what Americans go through when navigating the subtle language differences。 It’s a great resource for people going to the UK for the first or twentieth time。 。。。more
Brandi
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Blimey， I’m Knackered is a fun read。 It is insightful and helps explain many expressions。 I am surrounded by those who attempt to speak in a British accent and use expressions accordingly， and this has been a great tool to be able to contribute， intelligently， but without a proper accent。 I am thrilled that someone took the time to compile all these expressions for the American people。 I was torn between being entertained and being informed。 In my opinion， this is a great place to be when readin Blimey， I’m Knackered is a fun read。 It is insightful and helps explain many expressions。 I am surrounded by those who attempt to speak in a British accent and use expressions accordingly， and this has been a great tool to be able to contribute， intelligently， but without a proper accent。 I am thrilled that someone took the time to compile all these expressions for the American people。 I was torn between being entertained and being informed。 In my opinion， this is a great place to be when reading a book。 Definitely recommended for American’s who are trying to understand popular expressions from a language so similar to our own。 Gives fresh insight to culture and how language evolves and changes。 I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own， freely given。 。。。more
Petra wants more princes & less frogs to kiss
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This is full of errors。 No fact-checker was employed。 Or perhaps an American one :-） Confusing Wales and Scotland is a very egregious error。 Some of the words were out of date around the time of the dinosaurs， some are so local that if you don't come from that city you wouldn't ever have heard it。 But。。。。 it is entertaining。Due to my hopefully not permanent blindness from endophthalmitis in one eye （I only got surgery Saturday 11th and it's the 15th today） I am only allowed 10 mins in every hour This is full of errors。 No fact-checker was employed。 Or perhaps an American one :-） Confusing Wales and Scotland is a very egregious error。 Some of the words were out of date around the time of the dinosaurs， some are so local that if you don't come from that city you wouldn't ever have heard it。 But。。。。 it is entertaining。Due to my hopefully not permanent blindness from endophthalmitis in one eye （I only got surgery Saturday 11th and it's the 15th today） I am only allowed 10 mins in every hour on a computer or phone so I can't note down things。 It's very frustrating！ 。。。more
Robin
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**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 ** I love language so much so any chance I get to learn about slang from another country， I will take it。 This book was an easy to navigate， fun read。 If you love words， this book is for you。
Susan Johnston
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Princess Fuzzypants here: Clearly we Canadians have closer ties linguistically to the British than our neighbours to the south do。 Both in spelling and in the words that are part of our speech， many of the words listed here are in common use in Canada。 Add to that some very strong ties to Britain， both from living there and visiting， most of the words are familiar。 In fact， I use a lot of the expressions both in speech and writing。 There were a few surprises though- things that were new to me。 W Princess Fuzzypants here: Clearly we Canadians have closer ties linguistically to the British than our neighbours to the south do。 Both in spelling and in the words that are part of our speech， many of the words listed here are in common use in Canada。 Add to that some very strong ties to Britain， both from living there and visiting， most of the words are familiar。 In fact， I use a lot of the expressions both in speech and writing。 There were a few surprises though- things that were new to me。 Whether the words were old hat or brand new， this is a fun and informative book。 Perhaps less than in the past， thanks to a ton of British programs and movies，， Americans have been baffled by the unusual colloquialisms they discover upon visiting Old Blighty。 They are indeed separated by a common language。 This would be a handy guide to read or take when venturing across the pond。 And even if， like my family， you are well acquainted with the words， you will be chuffed and gobsmacked by this book。Five purrs and two paws up。 。。。more
Diane Hernandez
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Puzzled by words used by Britons？ Want to understand more while watching Love Island UK or Australia？ Blimey， I’m Knackered！ has you covered。As a lover of mysteries， I watch a lot of British TV on streaming services。 It would have been helpful to have this guide when I first started。 But even after a decade or more of Acorn， I still found many unfamiliar words in here。 For example， doing porridge is not a British version of the plot twist in American Pie。 It means spending time in prison。 The bo Puzzled by words used by Britons？ Want to understand more while watching Love Island UK or Australia？ Blimey， I’m Knackered！ has you covered。As a lover of mysteries， I watch a lot of British TV on streaming services。 It would have been helpful to have this guide when I first started。 But even after a decade or more of Acorn， I still found many unfamiliar words in here。 For example， doing porridge is not a British version of the plot twist in American Pie。 It means spending time in prison。 The book includes words and phrases for the entire British Commonwealth。 So， The Casketeers， set in New Zealand， will now be completely understandable。The book is alphabetized within chapter groupings of things like slang and wardrobe。 There is also an alphabetical index without the groupings。 You will be saying Blimey， I’m Knackered！ （Dang， I’m exhausted） if you try to read this book straight through。 It is better suited for traveling and translating British TV， movies， and books on the fly。 Additionally， it would be a fantastic reference for writers planning on setting their novels in the British Commonwealth。 4。5 stars rounded up to 5 stars！Thanks to Imbrifex Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Theediscerning
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This higgledy-piggledy book should find a place， even if that is in the smallest room， for occasional browsing。 I think it's perfectly aware and happy of that destination， mind。 Created by Yanks working and living over here， it's designed to portray the British Isles to the potentially confused Americans， so it guides us through terms of the high street and housing， our foodstuffs， words that mean greatly different things either side of the Atlantic， and so on。 It manages to break away from the This higgledy-piggledy book should find a place， even if that is in the smallest room， for occasional browsing。 I think it's perfectly aware and happy of that destination， mind。 Created by Yanks working and living over here， it's designed to portray the British Isles to the potentially confused Americans， so it guides us through terms of the high street and housing， our foodstuffs， words that mean greatly different things either side of the Atlantic， and so on。 It manages to break away from the expected societal and linguistic differences， though， and give itself diversions to touristic suggestions， a guide to working out place name origins， and so on。 One chapter presents the orders of the peerage and something of how we're governed – the next discusses sexual euphemisms。 Generally there is a greater amount of the unexpected， and more work in this volume's creation， than I would have presumed。But， it's heavily flawed。 "Blinkered" is not and never will be "slang"。 I've never heard of "bollitics" in my life， or "Bungalow Bill" （the song or the idiom）。 I'm not sure when any of the tiny British birds we call tits came to be "small to medium sized" - they're hardly condors， now。 "Dicky" is in here， but not as a bow-tie。 Nobody ever calls it an "M-road"， and it's wrong to say number plates always stay with the car。 Most of the places listed as being in Northern Ireland， are not。 Cauliflower cheese is certainly not "children's food"， "maize" is a long way down the pecking order of what we call it， and baked beans are only a "variation" to a full English if breathing is a minority hobby。So yes， this needs a solid iron before really being presented to the Queen。 But if you enjoy the frivolous and trivial， when I would have thought the more comprehensive option is definitely out there somewhere， this could well be for you。 If anybody ever asks me about the languages I speak I always reply that "I'm getting quite good at English"， and this is definitely one enjoyable way for non-English English speakers to pick up a tip or two。 Three and a half stars， with potential for four had it not goofed so often。 。。。more
Kelly
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Helpful for anyone who wants to understand British English for travel or understanding some of the things said in British movies and television shows。 Fun to read and learn some new things about the English language。 There are some words and uses of words and expressions that are listed in the book as British English that many Americans use regularly。 For example， every use of "excuse me" is actually used in the United States by Americans。 Helpful for anyone who wants to understand British English for travel or understanding some of the things said in British movies and television shows。 Fun to read and learn some new things about the English language。 There are some words and uses of words and expressions that are listed in the book as British English that many Americans use regularly。 For example， every use of "excuse me" is actually used in the United States by Americans。 。。。more
Cindee Ketches
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A quite well done compendium of Britishisms for those of us west of the Atlantic。 It’s more than just a list of translations; although if that is what you’re looking for， there is an index at the back of the book。 I do however recommend reading the book through。 I got many laughs as I moved through the narrative。Chapters are laid out to group the bewildering collection into useable chunks which include comments and quips on the chapter’s subject。 Groups include “Buildings & Structures”， “Colloqu A quite well done compendium of Britishisms for those of us west of the Atlantic。 It’s more than just a list of translations; although if that is what you’re looking for， there is an index at the back of the book。 I do however recommend reading the book through。 I got many laughs as I moved through the narrative。Chapters are laid out to group the bewildering collection into useable chunks which include comments and quips on the chapter’s subject。 Groups include “Buildings & Structures”， “Colloquialisms”， “Driving & Transportation”， “Cooking & Foods”， just to name a few。 The author has added interesting tidbits from his own experiences and quotes from different celebrities。 And don’t miss the “Anatomy & Naughty Bits” section; definitely a “laugh out loud” read！In the afterword， Marshall Hall does acknowledge that some of the inclusions would already be familiar， but they were often included to give a little history or context to the topic。 He also admits that the English language is always changing and that today’s global world is making things a little less local and a little more standard， which will date this book sometime in the future。A definite 4。5/5 for this one！ I would have liked to have the chapter on the education system laid out a little better。 Perhaps I am just a little thick when it comes to understanding the Brit’s system。 。。。more
Steve
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I enjoyed this book。 I liked reading about the author’s experiences。 Some of the illustrations are cute and some of the occasional quotes are clever。 Some of the material was very funny， most not， but very interesting。 The only sections I didn’t like were The Education System （too confusing） and Rhyming Slang （too many examples）。 I enjoy etymology and reading books about the English language。 This book fulfills both criteria and I found it worthwhile reading even though I have no plans to travel I enjoyed this book。 I liked reading about the author’s experiences。 Some of the illustrations are cute and some of the occasional quotes are clever。 Some of the material was very funny， most not， but very interesting。 The only sections I didn’t like were The Education System （too confusing） and Rhyming Slang （too many examples）。 I enjoy etymology and reading books about the English language。 This book fulfills both criteria and I found it worthwhile reading even though I have no plans to travel to that part of the world。 Thank you to Netgalley and Imbrifex Books for the advance reader copy。 。。。more
Lori Holuta
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I love learning about other countries and cultures。 Getting familiar with a country's slang is a fun way to get a bit of an insight into the minds of the people。 Blimey， I'm Knackered！ is a treat for Anglophiles， wordplay aficionados， and people who enjoy British literature， television and movies。This book is not just an alphabetical listing of words and phrases。 The author has taken the time to sort the entries into groups。 You'll find chapters dedicated to topics such as Buildings and Structur I love learning about other countries and cultures。 Getting familiar with a country's slang is a fun way to get a bit of an insight into the minds of the people。 Blimey， I'm Knackered！ is a treat for Anglophiles， wordplay aficionados， and people who enjoy British literature， television and movies。This book is not just an alphabetical listing of words and phrases。 The author has taken the time to sort the entries into groups。 You'll find chapters dedicated to topics such as Buildings and Structures， Cooking and Foods， Around the Home， Down the Pub， Wardrobe， and my personal favorite， The Education System。 Along with the definitions， there's chatty introductions， anecdotes， and the occasional witty quote from a notable personality。And yes， I've anticipated the question you're hesitating to ask。 There's a no-holds-barred chapter titled Pejoratives， Insults， and Derision。 Oh， the things you will learn in that eye-popping chapter。My thanks to author Marshall Hall， Imbrifex Books， and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book。 This review is my honest and unbiased opinion。 。。。more
Brandi Riedford
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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book。 I love the way Brits speak and expressions they use。 I think even the most crass words sound posh with an English accent。 This book was a light and quick read。 I would recommend this for sure if you’re planning a trip but it’s also fun to read where some of the terms originated。 I also learned some things I did not know like you need an adaptor to plug in to the wall as the voltage is much higher。 Pick this up for a Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book。 I love the way Brits speak and expressions they use。 I think even the most crass words sound posh with an English accent。 This book was a light and quick read。 I would recommend this for sure if you’re planning a trip but it’s also fun to read where some of the terms originated。 I also learned some things I did not know like you need an adaptor to plug in to the wall as the voltage is much higher。 Pick this up for a quick， fun and educational read。 。。。more
Leslie McKee
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I love all things British， so I was excited to check this out。 This reference book is a great guide on UK English for Americans。 I'm a bit of a word nerd， and I enjoyed learning the historical meaning behind the words and phrases， many of which I was familiar with （and some are even used in the US）。 If you enjoy British books and shows， this is a fun book to check out。Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy， but I wasn't required to leave a positive review。 I love all things British， so I was excited to check this out。 This reference book is a great guide on UK English for Americans。 I'm a bit of a word nerd， and I enjoyed learning the historical meaning behind the words and phrases， many of which I was familiar with （and some are even used in the US）。 If you enjoy British books and shows， this is a fun book to check out。Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy， but I wasn't required to leave a positive review。 。。。more
Andréa
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Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss。
MookNana
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This is definitely a very thorough guide to UK English for Americans。 While it does have some illustrations and historical/cultural notes， it reads more like a reference text than a book for recreational consumption。 Still， it would be very useful for folks relocating to the UK and probably quite appealing for hardcore word nerds。Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review！
Angie Boyter
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