Understanding the British Vernacular: Differentiating Fag from Fag and Other Similar Words

Fag in the US pertains to the cigarette while in Britain means freshmen high school kids running errands for senior high school kids.

The British vernacular in some occasions translates the American vocabulary in slightly different contexts. When these two English-speaking people converse, they may end-up misunderstanding each other. A real dilemma!

Talking to a native British English speaker can be a formidable task. You need a good grasp of the local lingo, to be quick and sharp in understanding the context of the message relayed by the speaker.

There exists duality in meaning even within the Brit's language. An example would be the word soldiers. These are the men in the army but they also call strips of bread to be dipped in boiled egg as such. And they didn't have any problems with these dual meanings among themselves.

There are a number of words that the British people interpret differently. Examples would include boot is trunk, like in car boot. So when you want them to look for something in their trunk, tell them its in the boot. When you are looking for a phone booth because your mobile phone happened to be down, ask directions to the nearest call box.

Refer to the parking space as car park, although they practically mean the same thing. The building caretaker is actually the janitor. If you want cotton candy and you are in London, say cotton floss instead. If you'd like to ask for a shopping bag, simply ask for a carrier bag. Saying cheers without holding a drink means thank you in informal conversations. What you know as a crib, is called a cot. When in London you call your friends as mates.

Being mean in London isn't the same as being nasty, instead it means you are very stingy with money. Saying math in London, instead of maths will sound weird for them. When you actually want to call collect just tell the operator that you want reverse charges. Locals will also refer to your backpacks as rucksacks.