Origin of fag (meaning a cigarette in British English)
Dec 1, 2015 · According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, it comes from "fag", meaning a loose piece of cloth:. fag (n.1) Look up fag at Dictionary.com British slang for "cigarette" (originally, especially, the butt of a smoked cigarette), 1888, probably from fag "loose piece, last remnant of cloth" (late 14c., as in fag-end "extreme end, loose piece," 1610s), which perhaps is related to …
How offensive is it to call someone a "slag" in British English?
One more colorful slang term I gleaned from the British movie I recently watched is slag. In the movie, it was used in curses like, "Fuck-ing dogs! Slags." "Right slag, that one." Now I know via dictionaries that slag means "a loose, promiscuous woman." But there are multiple slang terms for such a woman in American English that have varying ...
What is the difference between "English" and "British"?
Dec 17, 2011 · Britain (and thus the adjective British) refers geographically to the whole of the island on which England, Wales, and Scotland lie. By extension, when the United Kingdom held onto the northern part of Ireland, they too were subjects of the British Empire. (It was a British empire, where the English were the dominant partners of the United ...
What's the origin of the phrase "show true colours?"
Mar 25, 2021 · This phrase dates back to the 1700s. It has a nautical origin and refers to the color of the flag which every ship is required to fly at sea. Pirates used to deceive other ships by sailing under false flags so that they would not excite suspicion. The other ships, thinking that the pirates were friendly, sailed close to them and fell under ...
Which is correct, "neither is" or "neither are"?
“Neither the Russians nor the Americans were ready to talk” is perfectly correct, but so is “Neither a British flag nor an American one flies above the pole.” The controversial case is disparate numbers where you actually have to check which part falls next to the verb, as in “Neither all the troops nor one general is ready” versus ...
Origin of "jack sh*t" - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
Oct 7, 2011 · In British use the jack has been since the 17th c. (except under the Commonwealth) a small sized ‘Union Flag’ of the period (Union Jack), which has also been, since 1707, inserted in the upper canton of the ensign; hence, the name ‘union jack’ is often improperly applied to the union flag itself, when this is not carried or used as a jack.
british english - What do Americans think of using 'cheers' to sign …
• [chiefly British] gratitude or acknowledgment for something: Billy tossed him the key. “Cheers, pal.” Cheers is therefore used to express good wishes in both American English and British English; it's probably understood to have that meaning in a specific context (e.g., before drinking). I would use good wishes.
"s" vs. "z" in BE vs. AE - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
In both American and British English, there is a small set of verbs that must always be spelled with -ise at the end. The main reason for this is that, in these words, -ise is part of a longer word element rather than being a separate ending in its own right.
I'm not sure how this "quartering" works it the sentence
Oct 4, 2020 · Quartering is when a flag or lozenge or shield or what most think of as a "coat of arms" is made up of several elements, split into four. With two sources, as Union Jack and Stars and Stripes, one will be repeated top left and bottom right, the other top right and bottom left… very different from the way Australian or New Zealand flags ...
"flat" vs. "apartment" - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
Jul 11, 2011 · Flat is used in British English, and apartment is used in North American English. The exact meaning of the word apartment depends on where you live. In large parts of Canada and in or near New York City, it is used for a residence in a multi-unit building; this meaning is the one given by OALD, and is a synonym of the British word flat.