10 Very British Expressions

Yes Eat Sleep Dreamers welcome to London. Today we're going to look at ten very British

expressions and we're going to walk around London.

Number one 'keep your hair on'. Now

if someone says keep your hair on to you they are saying to you keep calm, don't get angry.

So for example maybe they didn't do what I wanted them to do. I said to them 'why didn't

you do the thing that I asked you?' They say to me 'Alright Tom keep your hair on!' Like

alright Tom, calm down, don't get angry. Keep your hair on. You also might hear people say

keep your wig on but I say keep your hair on. That's a nice one to get started. Alright

number two.

Ok, number two 'the best thing since sliced bread'. If you say something is the best thing

since sliced bread you are saying it's brilliant, it's a great idea, it's a great invention.

Now look, sliced bread it's the best thing, it's so good. So if something is the best

thing since sliced bread, it's a really good idea.

We have a phrase for the first day of every month. You can say 'a pinch and a punch for

the first of the month.' A pinch is with your fingers like this, so you pinch someone and

then a punch. And it's something you say on the first day of every month. I don't know

why we say it, but we just do, it's just something we say on the first of every month. And if

someone says it to you you can say 'a flick and a kick for being so quick.' I don't know

why we do it, British people are strange. A phrase I use quite a lot is 'your guess

is as good as mine'. It's basically saying 'I don't know, I know as much as you do. So

for example let's say 'Will there be any food at the party?' 'I don't know, your guess is

as good as mine.' It's just saying you know as much as I do, maybe, maybe not, I don't

know but yeah so 'your guess is as good as mine.'

My next phrase 'that's not on'. You could also say 'that's not cricket' but that's kind

of old fashioned so let's go with 'thats not on'. That's not on means like that's not ok,

like that's not acceptable. So let's say the babysitter takes your children outside on

a winter's day with no coats. You could say 'that's not on! It's just not on!' Or maybe

the government are raising the taxes in your country and you are like they are raising

the taxes but they are not giving us anything more, it's just not on.' It's not acceptable.

So any situation that you don't think is acceptable, that you don't think is ok you cold just say

'that's not on.'

Ok, this is a favourite of mine to 'play something by ear' or to 'play it by ear'. This means

that when you are arranging something like maybe the time to meet your friend you don't

make a definite plan, you are flexible and you change your plan depending on the situation.

So you might say to your friend 'Ok, what time shall we meet tonight?' and you say 'well

I'm working late so let's play it by ear.' Let's be flexible, let's not make a definite

plan now, let's see in the future if I have to work very late or whatever. So to play

something by ear, to play it by ear. So this is a really nice phrase if you are making

arrangements with someone. Yeah let's play it by ear. It might be because of the weather.

'Shall we go for a picnic tomorrow?' 'I don't know what the weather's going to be like,

let's play it by ear.' Let's not make a plan now, let's see what the weather will be like

tomorrow and then we can decide. Alright our next phrase to 'give someone a bell' or to

give them a ring or to give them a tinkle. They all have the same meaning and they mean

to call them. So if I said to you 'I'm going to give you a bell tomorrow' it means I'm

going to call you tomorrow. If I'm going to give you a ring tomorrow, it's the same thing,

I'm going to call you tomorrow. So to give someone a bell, a ring or a tinkle. Hmmm I

like that one. Eat Sleep Dreamers I'm going to give you a tinkle.

Ok, our next phrase 'full of beans'. If you are full of beans you have energy and enthusiasm

to do whatever it is. So you might wake up and go 'Today I'm full of beans'. I guess

because beans, they have energy so if you are full of beans you are full of energy and

enthusiasm. If something costs you an arm and a leg, it's very expensive. So let's say

you are buying a sandwich 'Oh my God! That sandwich cost me and arm and a leg' it means

that sandwich cost me a lot of money. It was very expensive. Obviously we are exaggerating

with this one, we don't actually give up an arm and a leg but yeah if something cost an

arm and a leg, it's a lot of money. Ok and my last one to 'pop to the little boys'

room'. This means to go to the toilet, to the male toilet. For the female to 'pop to

the ladies'. That's probably a good expression. To go to the ladies means to go to the female

toilet. Pop just means to go quickly, so to pop to the little boys' room or to pop to

the ladies. Two excellent expressions to finish off this video. Alright guys, I hope you enjoyed

that video looking at ten very British expressions. I'm walking backwards because I wanted to

show you this tunnel. Check out this tunnel. Anyway guys, thank you so much for watching,

I hope you enjoyed that, I hope you found it really useful. Remember I've got new videos

every Tuesday and every Friday, helping you take your English to the next level. I can't

walk backwards much longer so I'm going to say goodbye. This is Tom, the Chief Dreamer,

saying goodbye.