Americans Try to Guess British Idioms 🇬🇧️

Interactive English

9

- Today we are going to challenge each other

with some British idioms.

Today's lesson is going

to be a very difficult lesson for us

because we have some different British idioms

that we are going to ask each other

and see if we can figure out what they mean,

and I'm pretty sure I'm gonna do bad.

- Yeah, me too.

We're gonna try to do our best to guess them.

- Alright, so do you wanna ask me one of yours first?

- Yes.

It's a kerfuffle.

- I would say that's,

isn't that kind of like a commotion

or like a kind of a fight

or a dispute about something,

that they're a kerfuffle?

- I thought you said you were gonna be bad at this.

- I think I've heard of kerfuffle.

- Oh, yeah you're right.

- (laughs) Yes.

- Yeah it is. - It's like I'm British.

- It's a really good word though,

kerfuffle, I really like it.

What does it say?

- It says, a skirmish or fight

caused by different views.

Alright, your first one is

maybe you'll get it if you work through it.

All mouth and no trousers.

If you're saying somebody's

he's all mouth and no trousers.

- Is this similar to like if somebody's

bark is louder than their bite,

something like that?

- Kind of, like yeah. - So does it mean--

- It's similar.

- Somebody's like, just all talk,

but they're not really?

- Yeah, no that's exactly what it says,

all talk, no action.

Are you all mouth no trousers?

- Oh yeah, like I think many times

like I'll say things, but.

Okay, I like this one.

Can you give me a sentence?

- This party is knees up.

Is it, it's really cool, it's great,

it's happenin'?

- Yeah, kind of. - This lesson is knees up?

- Yeah, I hope we're using that the right way,

it just says adjective for liveliness.

Like, dancing, like your knees are up

when you're dancing, maybe.

- I guess that makes sense, yeah.

Okay, your next one, blinding.

- Like if something's very bright

or something? (chuckles)

What's a sentence?

- Okay, the Prime Minister

gave a blinding inauguration speech.

- So this could either be very good

or very bad I feel.

- I mean, or you could say like,

I'm trying to think of something more recent.

The royal wedding was blinding?

- Yeah, it's not making it any easier.

Well I'm guessing it means like amazing

or something really cool? - Maybe I'm using it wrong.

- Excellence, it says. - Oh.

An adjective for excellence.

- Interactive english is a blinding channel.

- We're very modest today.

We're so blinding.

- We're so blinding. - We're so freakin' blinding.

- This one I really like.

I gotta say, I think British idioms are better

than American idioms.

- The ones we've done thus far, yes.

- Yes.

Okay, so one is to know your onions

or to know one's onions.

- To know your onions?

I'd just say, is it like to know your stuff,

and you're aware of what's goin' on?

Like, hey, you know,

this guy doesn't know his onions.

- Yep.

- That's exactly what it is. - Alright,

well that was pretty easy based on the context.

- But how much better is to know your onions

than to know your stuff?

- That is much better.

- It's so much better. - Yeah.

Okay, the next one

I think you'll get the next one

'cause this is, this is a little bit a review,

for you, alright?

And it is-- - Oh gosh.

- (laughs) I remember this one - Chuffed.

'cause we did this one with Allie.

- But do I remember the meaning is the question.

- We did another idiom challenge with

Allie, from Papa Teach Me,

long time ago, we'll link it.

- He said chuffed to bits. - I think the idiom he gave,

chuffed to bits, yeah.

- I think it means, like

like excited or happy or delighted?

- Oh okay, thank god.

- Yeah. - I was like

is my memory that bad?

- No, yeah to be very pleased about something.

- The sentence was, I just, it's like,

Reginald was chuffed about the football match

and I just thought like-- - Very British and simple.

- Reginald, yeah, is such a,

seems like such a stereotypical

British name. - Reginald.

- Reginald was chuffed.

- This one I think you should know

because I've heard it around,

at least I know it.

- But I still really like it.

- I might surprise you and be very wrong.

'cause it's funnier that way.

- If you're miffed,

you're a little upset,

pissed off about something, you know you're miffed.

- Yeah, you're right.

I'm sorry I'm laughing,

I'm laughing because, because the example is,

he got all miffed about the football match.

- Sure people in the UK get miffed.

- Reginald, stop getting-- - About the football match.

Miffed about the football match.

- I imagine people were very miffed

at the last World Cup.

They were not chuffed at all.

- Reginald is miffed. - People were not chuffed.

Reginald especially, super miffed.

- Okay, we need to stop with this name okay.

- This, go away. - How can you see?

- Yeah, well I don't want you to see,

'cause you're trying-- - Well I can't.

- I am-- - You're trying to cheat.

- Like, like does he have to something

he would like put a cork in it or something?

- No.

- Oh, a corker.

- Corker, I, this I don't think

you'll get it, do you,

would you like a sentence?

- Yes.

- You're probably still not gonna get it,

but it's a good sentence.

- Great job, Jim.

You're a real corker.

Maybe you will get it.

- Like a good person

or a good sport or something good?

- Yeah, I mean, kinda,

it's, this says-- - Good lad?

- Unless, unless this source is wrong.

Someone or something that is outstanding, a stand out.

Yeah, that Reginald,

he's a real corker.

There's like a Reginald watching this right now,

like, screw you guys. - I'm sorry,

we're not picking on you. - Sorry, you know.

- We actually do like the name, it's really--

- I am somebody who should not

be making fun of anybody's name.

- I mean, to be fair-- - Yeah.

- Me neither, because nobody's heard of my name.

- So we're with you, Reginald.

- We understand.

- We know (chuckles).

- Names are hard.

- Yes, it's an adjective.

- Well let me take a guess

and then you give me a sentence.

A numpty, I'd say somebody

who is lazy, kind of like a bum,

sloth, they're not working hard,

they're a numpty.

- Stupid numpties.

- You are kind of wrong,

but also kind of, I mean you're right

on the connotation of the word.

- Why wouldn't, okay, alright.

It's not a good word.

- Not a numpty,

it's an adjective, so--

- Oh, if somebody's a numpty?

Okay, so-- - Well no--

- Can you give me a sentence?

- That's somebody's a numpty, somebody's--

- Somebody's numpty.

- We're still struggling

with the concept of adjectives today.

- You and your numpty friend should apologize.

- You and your stupid-- - That is such a good one.

- You and your stupid friend should apologize?

- Is it?

- We're gonna bring some of these idioms

back to America and start saying,

hey numpty, what are you doin'?

Numpty friend, that numpty shirt.

This is another, this is a good one.

I like this one too.

British idioms are much better.

- They're much better.

- Is it like a doofus?

- D-O-O-F-E-R, doofer.

- Like a doofus?

- No.

- I'll give you the saying,

it's to say like, you know,

what is that doofer?

That made it harder.

- What is that doofer?

- Is it a thing?

A doofer is a thing?

- Kind of, but there's a little more to it.

What do you call that doofer over there?

- Or could be a thing.

- It says, it's an unnamed object,

so if you don't-- - Oh, so like a thing?

- Yeah, a thing, like if you don't know the name

of something, like,

oh, what's, what's that doofer?

Thingamajig, whatchamacallit.

I think a lot of people in the US

would say a thingamajig,

Whatchamacallit, I think of the,

Whatchamacallit

- What is that?

- It's the song

that was like the old commercial.

Thingamabob, gobbledygook

Whatchamacallit

- You don't know your onions, apparently.

- Apparently about Whatchamacallits.

Okay, oh I think you know this one.

- No, I'm like, odds and sods,

can I have a sentence?

- Okay, You lot got first picks

and left with nothing but odds and sods.

- That you like, odds and sods,

like empty handed?

I got all a bunch of of rubbish.

- See, that's why I think

this particular sentence wasn't the best.

- Did you wanna give me another sentence?

- Like at the flea market,

you, you, you could find a bunch

of odds and sods. - Doofers?

Is it a doofer?

- Unnamed. - It's an unnamed thing.

It's just a bunch of,

like a bunch of knickknacks?

- Yeah, miscellaneous things.

- But what I didn't want it to think,

it's like it's not something

that's not valuable,

it's just like,

yeah, miscellaneous things.

Another good one, I thought, an earwig.

- Yeah an earwig.

- I think it's a verb.

Earwig. - To earwig?

If, do you want a sentence?

- Yes. - I think you'll,

you might be able to get it based on the context.

Don't earwig on my personal phone calls.

- Oh, is it like to eavesdrop? - Don't earwig.

Yeah, it says to eavesdrop.

it's like, like kind of like wiggling your ear,

like kind of like an earwig

or something instead

of like a wig you put on your head.

- That's how I imagined it.

- That's what I first thought of when I heard it.

- A little wig for your ear.

Okay, the next one from me is spawny.

Somebody who thin and lanky

and gangly, like they're spawny.

- No.

- Spawny, I don't know,

can you give me a sentence? - It's an adjective.

That was a spawny outcome for you.

- Okay, a positive, great, unexpected?

- That's a good connotation-- - That's, that was--

- It's the right kind of connotation.

- You know, that was a spawny outcome,

that was surprising?

- Getting closer.

- Should I keep guessing?

It means lucky.

Maybe you'll get this one.

Well I don't wanna give you a hint.

- Do you want me to give you a hint

before I give you the sentence?

- Eating irons,

it's basically exactly what it sounds like.

- No it can't be.

- Eating irons.

- I don't know, eating spinach?

- Eating irons, like no. - Spinach is iron.

- Somebody would ask or something like,

don't we have any clean eating irons?

- Oh, is it like utensils?

- Uh huh, yeah, cutlery, eating utensils.

- I wonder how common this one is.

- Eating irons.

- I just assume somebody is eating iron,

so that's why I was like, what?

Like is it vitamin deficiency thing?

Okay, the next one is steaming.

- Steaming if you're steaming? - Steaming.

If you're steaming,

then you're really mad,

you're angry, you're upset?

- No, but that's a good guess.

- Okay, can you use a sentence?

- Steaming, the drunk Reginald

hobbled out of the pub.

- Is that really the sentence?

(laughs) - Yes.

- Reginald, he's everywhere.

In that case, it'd be like an adverb of degree,

like a very, very,

a very drunk Reginald?

- I think you were right,

even in the beginning,

now I see the second part of the definition.

the state of extreme drunkenness

or extreme anger,

so maybe you were right in the beginning,

but steaming I think does add excessiveness

to whatever is that you're doing.

- This one I think you

will get, some of you

may even know about it.

- I have no idea.

- Yeah, how would I know the fuzz?

- Because there was a movie called Hot Fuzz.

- Oh, I haven't seen it.

- Don't let the fuzz catch you.

There's any problem, call the fuzz.

- Oh.

- You've never heard that?

I think that's been used,

I've heard that quite a bit. - I mean I may have heard it.

- In like movies and shows,

like people thought the fuzz, the cops.

- Now I'll know.

- Now you know your onions. - Mmhm.

- Okay, I'm gonna say to wag off is to like,

just gonna go out there and say it,

talk back to somebody,

- No.

- No.

Maybe it is connected,

but it means something else. - To wag off.

Like get outta here?

- No.

I'll give an example,

I had nothing to do, but wag off at work.

- Just do nothing of importance?

I don't know, you're bored, you wag off,

you screw around, you don't do much?

What are you doing?

- To waste time.

- What are you doing?

- It kind of means to waste time.

- To waste time?

Okay, I kinda got that.

Georgie, you waggin' off?

- You just wag off all day.

The next one, honk.

It's a verb, honk.

It's not a car.

- Oh, I was like,

that's easy, that's a real word.

I have no idea, what,

what, I mean, can you like give me some kind of hint?

- I can give you an example sentence.

- Reginald coughed so hard,

he honked all over the pub.

- Ew.

Does it mean to throw up?

Ew. - Uh huh, to vomit.

- I'm gonna check where we got these,

'cause we got these off of,

like a site, just to challenge each other.

The cat honked.

- I wonder if, yeah, I wonder if the person who kind of

wrote that like, blog post.

- If their name is Reginald. - With all of these,

it was Reginald.

- You should know this one,

I believe because I've heard it before,

but this one goes, warts and all.

- Just, you're not feeling good about your appearance,

like warts and all, or like just--

- You don't know this?

I've heard it in the US too, I thought.

- I've never heard of warts and all.

- Alright, I'll keep the cat, warts and all.

- Like you'll keep,

you'll, for something for better or for worse?

Like, you'll keep it with all the defects

and problems that something might have, warts and all?

I've never heard warts and all.

- Really? - No.

I think you'll get it,

I think people have said it in the US before.

or the idiot box.

- I don't think I've heard it,

but it's good, it sounds good.

- Most homes have an idiot box.

- Oh, like a panic room?

Why would that be an idiot box?

- Well you're acting like I'm supposed to know,

is that, am I the idiot box?

I think I'll spend the night

in front of the idiot box.

- Oh, a TV.

- Uh huh, yeah.

- Oh.

- It's the idiot box.

So if you learn some new idioms,

just like we did,

we want you to do two things:

please hit that like button down below,

also, write to us in the comments

and tell us which one was your favorite

or if you know of some other British idioms,

we'd love to hear em',

because yeah, we think they're just better

than the American idioms.

- They're way funnier.

- Thank you guys so much for watching

and we'll see you next time.

- Bye.