| great britain | | |
| n. (location) | 1. britain, great britain, u.k., uk, united kingdom, united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland | a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; `Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom. |
| ~ balls-up, ballup, cockup, mess-up | something badly botched or muddled. |
| ~ clanger | a conspicuous mistake whose effects seem to reverberate.; "he dropped a clanger" |
| ~ clawback | finding a way to take money back from people that they were given in another way.; "the Treasury will find some clawback for the extra benefits members received" |
| ~ lucky dip | a selection or decision purely at random.; "their system of hiring people seemed to be a sort of lucky dip" |
| ~ flit | a secret move (to avoid paying debts).; "they did a moonlight flit" |
| ~ rustication | temporary dismissal of a student from a university. |
| ~ perambulation | a walk around a territory (a parish or manor or forest etc.) in order to officially assert and record its boundaries. |
| ~ fare-stage | a section along the route of a bus for which the fare is the same. |
| ~ pony-trekking | a sport in which people ride across country on ponies. |
| ~ rugby, rugby football, rugger | a form of football played with an oval ball. |
| ~ fives | a game resembling handball; played on a court with a front wall and two side walls. |
| ~ bar billiards, bagatelle | a table game in which short cues are used to knock balls into holes that are guarded by wooden pegs; penalties are incurred if the pegs are knocked over. |
| ~ tombola | a lottery in which tickets are drawn from a revolving drum. |
| ~ ludo | a simple board game in which players move counters according to the throw of dice. |
| ~ shove-ha'penny, shove-halfpenny, shovel board | a game in which coins or discs are slid by hand across a board toward a mark. |
| ~ lucky dip | a game in which prizes (e.g., candies or coins) are concealed in a container and for a small sum a player can draw one out at random. |
| ~ piss-up | vulgar expression for a bout of heavy drinking. |
| ~ rag | a boisterous practical joke (especially by college students). |
| ~ hornpipe | a British solo dance performed by sailors. |
| ~ panto | an abbreviation of pantomime. |
| ~ doddle | an easy task. |
| ~ minister | the job of a head of a government department. |
| ~ headship | the position of headmaster or headmistress. |
| ~ costing | cost accounting. |
| ~ 11-plus, eleven-plus | (formerly in Britain) an examination taken by 11 and 12 year old students to select suitable candidates for grammar school. |
| ~ swiz | British slang for a swindle. |
| ~ ministry of transportation test, mot test, mot | a compulsory annual test of older motor vehicles for safety and exhaust fumes. |
| ~ fire watching | (during World War II in Britain) watching for fires started by bombs that dropped from the sky. |
| ~ snogging | (British informal) cuddle and kiss. |
| ~ zizz | a nap.; "Arthur's taking a short zizz" |
| ~ dekko | British slang for a look. |
| ~ square-bashing | drill on a barracks square. |
| ~ rub up | a review that refreshes your memory.; "I need a rub up on my Latin" |
| ~ shufti | a quick look around (originally military slang).; "take a shufti while you're out there" |
| ~ lie-in | a long stay in bed in the morning. |
| ~ point duty | the control of traffic by a policeman stationed at an intersection. |
| ~ national assistance, social assistance, supplementary benefit | benefits paid to bring incomes up to minimum levels established by law. |
| ~ boot sale, car boot sale | an outdoor sale at which people sell things from the trunk of their car. |
| ~ invigilation | keeping watch over examination candidates to prevent cheating. |
| ~ aggro | (informal British usage) aggravation or aggression.; "I skipped it because it was too much aggro" |
| ~ punch-up | a fistfight.; "the quarrel ended in a punch-up" |
| ~ go-slow | a form of protest by workers in which they deliberately slow down in order to cause problem from their employers. |
| ~ battle of britain | the prolonged bombardment of British cities by the German Luftwaffe during World War II and the aerial combat that accompanied it. |
| ~ arterial road | a major or main route. |
| ~ backbench | any of the seats occupied by backbenchers in the House of Commons. |
| ~ bar | a heating element in an electric fire.; "an electric fire with three bars" |
| ~ betting shop | a licensed bookmaker's shop that is not at the race track. |
| ~ bin liner | a plastic bag used to line a trash or garbage bin. |
| ~ boot | British term for the luggage compartment in a car. |
| ~ bottle bank | a place where bottles can be deposited for recycling. |
| ~ caff | informal British term for a cafe. |
| ~ carriageway | one of the two sides of a motorway where traffic travels in one direction only usually in two or three lanes. |
| ~ clearway | a road on which you are not allowed to stop (unless you have a breakdown). |
| ~ climbing frame | a framework of bars or logs for children to climb on. |
| ~ common room | a sitting room (usually at school or university). |
| ~ countinghouse | office used by the accountants of a business. |
| ~ croft | a small farm worked by a crofter. |
| ~ crossbench | any of the seats in the House of Commons used by members who do not vote regularly with either the government or the Opposition. |
| ~ delf | an excavation; usually a quarry or mine. |
| ~ dickey, dickey-seat, dickie, dickie-seat, dicky, dicky-seat | a small third seat in the back of an old-fashioned two-seater. |
| ~ dixie | a large metal pot (12 gallon camp kettle) for cooking; used in military camps. |
| ~ doorhandle, doorknob | a knob used to release the catch when opening a door (often called `doorhandle' in Great Britain). |
| ~ elastoplast | an elastic adhesive bandage for covering cuts or wounds. |
| ~ fairy light | a small colored light used for decoration (especially at Christmas). |
| ~ fish slice | a food turner with a broad blade used for turning or serving fish or other food that is cooked in a frying pan. |
| ~ fleapit | an old shabby movie theater. |
| ~ footplate | the platform in the cab of a locomotive on which the engineer stands to operate the controls. |
| ~ free house | a public house that is not controlled by a brewery and so is free to sell different brands of beer and ale. |
| ~ front bench | any of the front seats in the House of Commons that are reserved for ministers or former ministers. |
| ~ fruit machine | a coin-operated gambling machine that produces random combinations of symbols (usually pictures of different fruits) on rotating dials; certain combinations win money for the player. |
| ~ brolly, gamp | colloquial terms for an umbrella. |
| ~ glebe house | a parsonage (especially one provided for the holder of a benefice). |
| ~ greengrocery | a greengrocer's grocery store. |
| ~ greengrocery | groceries sold by a greengrocer. |
| ~ gun room | military quarters of midshipmen and junior officers on a British warship. |
| ~ guy | an effigy of Guy Fawkes that is burned on a bonfire on Guy Fawkes Day. |
| ~ gymslip | a sleeveless tunic worn by English girls as part of a school uniform. |
| ~ hair slide | a decorative hinged clip that girls and women put in their hair to hold it in place. |
| ~ hall of residence | a university dormitory. |
| ~ hard shoulder | a paved strip beside a motorway (for stopping in emergencies). |
| ~ highroad, trunk road | a highway. |
| ~ home-farm | a farm that supplies the needs of a large estate of establishment. |
| ~ hose, hosiery | socks and stockings and tights collectively (the British include underwear). |
| ~ hypermarket | a huge supermarket (usually built on the outskirts of a town). |
| ~ ironmongery | the merchandise that is sold in an ironmonger's shop. |
| ~ jobcentre | a government office in a town where information about available jobs is displayed and where unemployment benefits are administered. |
| ~ lido | a recreational facility including a swimming pool for water sports. |
| ~ life office | life assurance office. |
| ~ lodge | small house at the entrance to the grounds of a country mansion; usually occupied by a gatekeeper or gardener. |
| ~ l-plate | a square plate bearing the letter L that is attached to both ends of a car to indicate that the driver is a learner. |
| ~ lumber room | a storeroom in a house where odds and ends can be stored (especially furniture). |
| ~ mac, mack, macintosh, mackintosh | a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric. |
| ~ meat safe | a safe for storing meat. |
| ~ mews | street lined with buildings that were originally private stables but have been remodeled as dwellings.; "she lives in a Chelsea mews" |
| ~ milk float | a van (typically powered by electricity) with an open side that is used to deliver milk to houses. |
| ~ minicab | a minicar used as a taxicab. |
| ~ minicar | a car that is even smaller than a subcompact car. |
| ~ minster | any of certain cathedrals and large churches; originally connected to a monastery. |
| ~ mod con | modern convenience; the appliances and conveniences characteristic of a modern house. |
| ~ nearside | the side of a vehicle nearest the kerb. |
| ~ nick | (British slang) a prison.; "he's in the nick" |
| ~ boilers suit, boilersuit, overall | a loose protective coverall or smock worn over ordinary clothing for dirty work. |
| ~ oxbridge | general term for an ancient and prestigious and privileged university (especially Oxford University or Cambridge University). |
| ~ panda car | a police cruiser. |
| ~ pannikin | a small pan or cup (usually of tin). |
| ~ pantechnicon | a large moving van (especially one used for moving furniture). |
| ~ anorak, parka, windbreaker, windcheater | a kind of heavy jacket (`windcheater' is a British term). |
| ~ paternoster | a type of lift having a chain of open compartments that move continually in an endless loop so that (agile) passengers can step on or off at each floor. |
| ~ pelican crossing | an acronym for pedestrian light control; a pedestrian crossing with traffic lights that are controlled by pedestrians. |
| ~ pillar box | a red pillar-shaped letter box. |
| ~ play-box, playbox | a box for a child's toys and personal things (especially at a boarding school). |
| ~ plimsoll | a light gym shoe with a rubber sole and a canvas top. |
| ~ plughole | a hole into which a plug fits (especially a hole where water drains away). |
| ~ power point, point | a wall socket. |
| ~ gin mill, pothouse, pub, public house, taphouse, saloon | tavern consisting of a building with a bar and public rooms; often provides light meals. |
| ~ pull-in, pull-up | a roadside cafe especially for lorry drivers. |
| ~ punnet | a small light basket used as a measure for fruits. |
| ~ push-bike | a bicycle that must be pedaled. |
| ~ quarterlight | car window consisting of a small pivoted glass vent in the door of a car. |
| ~ racing circuit, circuit | a racetrack for automobile races. |
| ~ redbrick university | (British informal) a provincial British university of relatively recent founding; distinguished from Oxford University and Cambridge University. |
| ~ rowing boat | a rowboat. |
| ~ scullery | a small room (in large old British houses) next to the kitchen; where kitchen utensils are cleaned and kept and other rough household jobs are done. |
| ~ secateurs | small pruning shears with a spring that holds the handles open and a single blade that closes against a flat surface. |
| ~ sheeprun, sheepwalk | farm devoted to raising sheep. |
| ~ shooting brake | another name for a station wagon. |
| ~ skid lid | a crash helmet. |
| ~ skidpan | a paved surface on which cars can be made to skid so that drivers can practice controlling them. |
| ~ slip carriage, slip coach | a railway car at the end of the train; it can be detached without stopping the train. |
| ~ slop basin, slop bowl | a bowl into which the dregs of teacups and coffee cups are emptied at the table. |
| ~ stall | seating in the forward part of the main level of a theater. |
| ~ stately home | a mansion that is (or formerly was) occupied by an aristocratic family. |
| ~ sten gun | a lightweight British submachine gun. |
| ~ strongroom | a burglarproof and fireproof room in which valuables are kept. |
| ~ surgery | a room where a doctor or dentist can be consulted.; "he read the warning in the doctor's surgery" |
| ~ tannoy | a loudspeaker. |
| ~ tea parlor, tea parlour, teahouse, tearoom, teashop | a restaurant where tea and light meals are available. |
| ~ terraced house | a house that is part of a terrace. |
| ~ titfer | a hat (Cockney rhyming slang: `tit for tat' rhymes with `hat'). |
| ~ sponge bag, toilet bag | a waterproof bag for holding bathrooms items (soap and toothpaste etc.) when you are travelling. |
| ~ tuck box | a box for storing eatables (especially at boarding school). |
| ~ tuck shop | a candy store in Great Britain. |
| ~ underfelt | a carpet pad of thick felt. |
| ~ van | (Great Britain) a closed railroad car that carries baggage or freight. |
| ~ verge | a grass border along a road. |
| ~ villa | detached or semidetached suburban house. |
| ~ vdu, visual display unit | (British) British term for video display. |
| ~ handbasin, lavabo, wash-hand basin, washbasin, washbowl | a basin for washing the hands (`wash-hand basin' is a British expression). |
| ~ norfolk wherry, wherry | sailing barge used especially in East Anglia. |
| ~ wincey | a plain or twilled fabric of wool and cotton used especially for warm shirts or skirts and pajamas. |
| ~ winceyette | cotton flannelette with a nap on both sides. |
| ~ wooden spoon | a booby prize consisting of a spoon made of wood. |
| ~ workhouse | a poorhouse where able-bodied poor are compelled to labor. |
| ~ cert | an absolute certainty.; "it's a dead cert" |
| ~ beastliness | unpleasant nastiness; used especially of nasty weather. |
| ~ cobblers | a man's testicles (from Cockney rhyming slang: cobbler's awl rhymes with ball). |
| ~ conk | informal term for the nose. |
| ~ physiognomy, visage, kisser, phiz, smiler, countenance, mug | the human face (`kisser' and `smiler' and `mug' are informal terms for `face' and `phiz' is British). |
| ~ noddle | an informal British expression for head or mind.; "use your noddle" |
| ~ nous | common sense.; "she has great social nous" |
| ~ facer | (a dated Briticism) a serious difficulty with which one is suddenly faced. |
| ~ snorter | something outstandingly difficult.; "the problem was a real snorter" |
| ~ niff, pong | an unpleasant smell. |
| ~ wheeze | (Briticism) a clever or amusing scheme or trick.; "a clever wheeze probably succeeded in neutralizing the German espionage threat" |
| ~ thatcherism | (England) the political policy of Margaret Thatcher. |
| ~ fabianism | socialism to be established by gradual reforms within the law. |
| ~ gutter press | press that engages in sensational journalism (especially concerning the private lives of public figures). |
| ~ rediffusion | a system for distributing radio or tv programs. |
| ~ magna carta, magna charta, the great charter | the royal charter of political rights given to rebellious English barons by King John in 1215. |
| ~ royal charter | a charter granted by the sovereign (especially in Great Britain). |
| ~ higher national diploma, hnd | a diploma given for vocational training that prepares the student for a career in a particular area; good students may progress to a course leading to a degree. |
| ~ class list, honours list | a list issued by examiners that categorizes students according to the class of honours they achieved in their degree examinations. |
| ~ rota | a roster of names showing the order in which people should perform certain duties. |
| ~ whip-round | (British) solicitation of money usually for a benevolent purpose. |
| ~ book token | a gift voucher that can be exchanged for books costing up to an amount given on the voucher. |
| ~ indent | an order for goods to be exported or imported. |
| ~ colour supplement | (British) a magazine that is printed in color and circulated with a newspaper (especially on weekends). |
| ~ bumf, bumph | reading materials (documents, written information) that you must read and deal with but that you think are extremely boring. |
| ~ cobblers | nonsense.; "I think that is a load of cobblers" |
| ~ double dutch | an incomprehensible talk. |
| ~ gen | informal term for information.; "give me the gen on your new line of computers" |
| ~ highway code | the code of rules governing the use of public roads. |
| ~ bachelor of medicine, mb | (a British degree) a bachelor's degree in medicine. |
| ~ honours, honours degree | a university degree with honors. |
| ~ first-class honours degree, first | an honours degree of the highest class. |
| ~ double first | a first-class honours degree in two subjects. |
| ~ storm cone | a canvas cone hoisted to warn of high winds. |
| ~ ticktack | system of signalling by hand signs used by bookmakers at racetracks. |
| ~ shoulder flash | something worn on the shoulder of a military uniform as an emblem of a division etc.. |
| ~ trad | traditional jazz as revived in the 1950s. |
| ~ skiffle | a style of popular music in the 1950s; based on American folk music and played on guitars and improvised percussion instruments. |
| ~ argle-bargle, argy-bargy | a verbal dispute; a wrangling argument. |
| ~ green paper | a preliminary report of government proposals that is published in order to stimulate discussion. |
| ~ plaint | (United Kingdom) a written statement of the grounds of complaint made to court of law asking for the grievance to be redressed. |
| ~ prang | a crash involving a car or plane. |
| ~ bun-fight, bunfight | (Briticism) a grand formal party on an important occasion. |
| ~ jolly | a happy party. |
| ~ whist drive | a progressive whist party. |
| ~ maundy | a public ceremony on Maundy Thursday when the monarch distributes Maundy money. |
| ~ burnup | a high-speed motorcycle race on a public road. |
| ~ race meeting | a regular occasion on which a number of horse races are held on the same track.; "the Epsom race meeting was an important social event" |
| ~ zizz | a buzzing or whizzing sound.; "a nasty zizz in the engine" |
| ~ tuck | eatables (especially sweets). |
| ~ plain flour | flour that does not contain a raising agent. |
| ~ graham flour, whole meal flour, whole wheat flour, graham | flour made by grinding the entire wheat berry including the bran; (`whole meal flour' is British usage). |
| ~ fanny adams | nautical term for tinned meat. |
| ~ high tea | substantial early evening meal including tea. |
| ~ afternoon tea, teatime, tea | a light midafternoon meal of tea and sandwiches or cakes.; "an Englishman would interrupt a war to have his afternoon tea" |
| ~ nosh-up | a large satisfying meal. |
| ~ ploughman's lunch | a meal consisting of a sandwich of bread and cheese and a salad. |
| ~ hot pot, hotpot | a stew of meat and potatoes cooked in a tightly covered pot. |
| ~ caster sugar, castor sugar | very finely granulated sugar that was formerly sprinkled from a castor. |
| ~ pud, pudding | (British) the dessert course of a meal (`pud' is used informally). |
| ~ tipsy cake | a trifle soaked in wine and decorated with almonds and candied fruit. |
| ~ pease pudding | a pudding made with strained split peas mixed with egg. |
| ~ roly-poly pudding, roly-poly | pudding made of suet pastry spread with jam or fruit and rolled up and baked or steamed. |
| ~ suet pudding | a sweet or savory pudding made with suet and steamed or boiled. |
| ~ spotted dick | a suet pudding containing currants. |
| ~ tart | a pastry cup with a filling of fruit or custard and no top crust. |
| ~ eccles cake | a flat round cake of sweetened pastry filled with dried fruit. |
| ~ christmas cake | a rich fruitcake (usually covered with icing and marzipan) and eaten at Christmas. |
| ~ simnel | a fruitcake (sometimes covered with almond paste) eaten at mid-Lent or Easter or Christmas. |
| ~ tea biscuit, teacake | flat semisweet cookie or biscuit usually served with tea. |
| ~ cookie, biscuit, cooky | any of various small flat sweet cakes (`biscuit' is the British term). |
| ~ victoria sandwich, victoria sponge | a cake consisting of two layers of sponge cake with a jelly filling in between. |
| ~ lemon cheese, lemon curd | a conserve with a thick consistency; made with lemons and butter and eggs and sugar. |
| ~ chipolata | a small thin sausage. |
| ~ polony | another name for Bologna sausage. |
| ~ banger | (British informal) pork sausage. |
| ~ saveloy | a ready-cooked and highly seasoned pork sausage. |
| ~ butty | a sandwich.; "a bacon butty" |
| ~ hasty pudding | sweetened porridge made of tapioca or flour or oatmeal cooked quickly in milk or water. |
| ~ victoria plum | a large red plum served as dessert. |
| ~ whitefish | any market fish--edible saltwater fish or shellfish--except herring. |
| ~ rock salmon | any of several coarse fishes (such as dogfish or wolffish) when used as food. |
| ~ cattle cake | a concentrated feed for cattle; processed in the form of blocks or cakes. |
| ~ salad cream | a creamy salad dressing resembling mayonnaise. |
| ~ clotted cream, devonshire cream | thick cream made from scalded milk. |
| ~ golden syrup, treacle | a pale cane syrup. |
| ~ bubble and squeak | leftover cabbage fried with cooked potatoes and sometimes meat. |
| ~ cottage pie | a dish of minced meat topped with mashed potatoes. |
| ~ kedgeree | a dish of rice and hard-boiled eggs and cooked flaked fish. |
| ~ bitter | English term for a dry sharp-tasting ale with strong flavor of hops (usually on draft). |
| ~ pale ale | an amber colored ale brewed with pale malts; similar to bitter but drier and lighter. |
| ~ plonk | a cheap wine of inferior quality. |
| ~ hock, rhenish, rhine wine | any of several white wines from the Rhine River valley in Germany (`hock' is British usage). |
| ~ sundowner | a drink taken at sundown. |
| ~ scrumpy | strong cider (as made in western England). |
| ~ cuppa, cupper | a cup of tea. |
| ~ gob | a lump of slimy stuff.; "a gob of phlegm" |
| ~ al-muhajiroun | a hard-line extremist Islamic group in Great Britain who support bin Laden and other terrorist groups. |
| ~ national trust, nt | an organization concerned to preserve historic monuments and buildings and places of historical interest or natural beauty; founded in 1895 and supported by endowment and private subscription. |
| ~ special branch | a government police department dealing with political security. |
| ~ inland revenue, ir | a board of the British government that administers and collects major direct taxes. |
| ~ ordnance survey | the official cartography agency of the British government. |
| ~ estate of the realm, the three estates, estate | a major social class or order of persons regarded collectively as part of the body politic of the country (especially in the United Kingdom) and formerly possessing distinct political rights. |
| ~ first estate, lords spiritual | the clergy in France and the heads of the church in Britain. |
| ~ lords temporal, second estate | the nobility in France and the peerage in Britain. |
| ~ third estate, commons | the common people. |
| ~ common market, ec, eec, european community, european economic community, european union, eu, europe | an international organization of European countries formed after World War II to reduce trade barriers and increase cooperation among its members.; "he tried to take Britain into the Europen Union" |
| ~ nato, north atlantic treaty organization | an international organization created in 1949 by the North Atlantic Treaty for purposes of collective security. |
| ~ admass | the segment of the public that is easily influenced by mass media (chiefly British). |
| ~ ld., limited company, ltd. | a company that is organized to give its owners limited liability. |
| ~ slate club | a group of people who save money in a common fund for a specific purpose (usually distributed at Christmas). |
| ~ skiffle group | a band of musicians who play skiffle. |
| ~ gaudy | (Britain) a celebratory reunion feast or entertainment held a college. |
| ~ beanfeast | an annual dinner party given by an employer for the employees. |
| ~ liberal democrat party | a political party in Great Britain; formerly the Liberal Party; advocates reforms and improvement of the conditions of working people. |
| ~ direct-grant school | formerly a school that charged tuition fees and also received government grants in return for admitting certain non-paying students who were nominated by the local authorities. |
| ~ training college | a school providing training for a special field or profession. |
| ~ open university | a British university that is open to people without formal academic qualifications and where teaching is by correspondence or broadcasting or summer school. |
| ~ privy council | an advisory council to a ruler (especially to the British Crown). |
| ~ works council | (chiefly Brit) a council representing employer and employees of a plant or business to discuss working conditions etc; also: a committee representing the workers elected to negotiate with management about grievances and wages etc. |
| ~ parliament | a legislative assembly in certain countries. |
| ~ conservancy | a commission with jurisdiction over fisheries and navigation in a port or river. |
| ~ select committee | a parliamentary committee appointed for some special purpose. |
| ~ central intelligence machinery, cim | the United Kingdom's central unit for the tasking and coordination and funding of intelligence and security agencies. |
| ~ sas, special air service | a specialist regiment of the British army that is trained in commando techniques of warfare and used in clandestine operations (especially against terrorist groups). |
| ~ military intelligence section 6, secret intelligence service, mi | the government agency in the United Kingdom that is responsible for internal security and counterintelligence overseas. |
| ~ military intelligence section 5, security service, mi | the government agency in the United Kingdom that is responsible for internal security and counterintelligence on British territory. |
| ~ admiralty | the department in charge of the navy (as in Great Britain). |
| ~ county council | the elected governing body of a county. |
| ~ british cabinet | the senior ministers of the British government. |
| ~ shadow cabinet | a group of senior members of the political party that is out of power; these members would probably assume corresponding positions as ministers in the British Cabinet if their party was elected. |
| ~ high commission | an embassy of one British Commonwealth country to another. |
| ~ public school | private independent secondary school in Great Britain supported by endowment and tuition. |
| ~ terrace | a row of houses built in a similar style and having common dividing walls (or the street on which they face).; "Grosvenor Terrace" |
| ~ spinney | a copse that shelters game. |
| ~ rave-up | a raucous gathering. |
| ~ local authority | an administrative unit of local government. |
| ~ heathland, heath | a tract of level wasteland; uncultivated land with sandy soil and scrubby vegetation. |
| ~ subtopia | monotonous urban sprawl of standardized buildings. |
| ~ county | (United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government.; "the county has a population of 12,345 people" |
| ~ county town, shire town | the town or city that is the seat of government for a shire. |
| ~ housing estate | a residential area where the houses were all planned and built at the same time. |
| ~ stockbroker belt | a wealthy residential suburb. |
| ~ shire | a former administrative district of England; equivalent to a county. |
| ~ kingdom | a country with a king as head of state. |
| ~ no-go area | an area that is dangerous or impossible to enter or to which entry is forbidden. |
| ~ pitch | a vendor's position (especially on the sidewalk).; "he was employed to see that his paper's news pitches were not trespassed upon by rival vendors" |
| ~ new town | a planned urban community created in a rural or undeveloped area and designed to be self-sufficient with its own housing and education and commerce and recreation. |
| ~ outport | a subsidiary port built in deeper water than the original port (but usually farther from the center of trade). |
| ~ weald | an area of open or forested country. |
| ~ british isles | Great Britain and Ireland and adjacent islands in the north Atlantic. |
| ~ great britain, gb | an island comprising England and Scotland and Wales. |
| ~ england | a division of the United Kingdom. |
| ~ blighty | a slang term for Great Britain used by British troops serving abroad. |
| ~ home counties | the English counties surrounding London into which Greater London has expanded. |
| ~ northern ireland | a division of the United Kingdom located on the northern part of the island of Ireland. |
| ~ scotland | one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts. |
| ~ cambria, cymru, wales | one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; during Roman times the region was known as Cambria. |
| ~ dale | an open river valley (in a hilly area). |
| ~ mere | a small pond of standing water. |
| ~ anglo-saxon | a person of Anglo-Saxon (especially British) descent whose native tongue is English and whose culture is strongly influenced by English culture as in WASP for `White Anglo-Saxon Protestant'.; "in the ninth century the Vikings began raiding the Anglo-Saxons in Britain"; "his ancestors were not just British, they were Anglo-Saxons" |
| ~ backbencher | a member of the House of Commons who is not a party leader. |
| ~ beadle | a minor parish official who serves a ceremonial function. |
| ~ berk | a stupid person who is easy to take advantage of. |
| ~ boffin | (British slang) a scientist or technician engaged in military research. |
| ~ chancellor | the honorary or titular head of a university. |
| ~ chief constable | the head of the police force in a county (or similar area). |
| ~ clever clogs, clever dick | an intellectual who is ostentatiously and irritatingly knowledgeable. |
| ~ coiner | a maker of counterfeit coins. |
| ~ blimp, colonel blimp | any elderly pompous reactionary ultranationalistic person (after the cartoon character created by Sir David Low). |
| ~ commissionaire | a uniformed doorman. |
| ~ police constable, constable | a police officer of the lowest rank. |
| ~ convener | the member of a group whose duty it is to convene meetings. |
| ~ crossbencher | a member of the House of Commons who does not vote regularly with either the government or the Opposition. |
| ~ esq, esquire | a title of respect for a member of the English gentry ranking just below a knight; placed after the name. |
| ~ fire watcher | (during World War II in Britain) someone whose duty was to watch for fires caused by bombs dropped from the air. |
| ~ frontbencher | a member of the House of Commons who is a minister in the government or who holds an official position in an opposition party. |
| ~ fruiterer | a person who sells fruit. |
| ~ greengrocer | a grocer who sells fresh fruits and vegetables. |
| ~ guvnor | (British slang) boss. |
| ~ home help | a person hired to help in another's home (especially one employed by a local authority to help the infirm with domestic work). |
| ~ hooray henry | a lively and ineffectual upper-class young man. |
| ~ inquiry agent | a private detective. |
| ~ houseman, intern, interne, medical intern | an advanced student or graduate in medicine gaining supervised practical experience (`houseman' is a British term). |
| ~ invigilator | someone who watches examination candidates to prevent cheating. |
| ~ justiciar, justiciary | formerly a high judicial officer. |
| ~ kerb crawler | someone who drives slowly along the curb seeking sex from prostitutes or other women. |
| ~ noblewoman, peeress, lady | a woman of the peerage in Britain. |
| ~ land agent | a person who administers a landed estate. |
| ~ linendraper | a retail dealer in yard goods. |
| ~ lollipop lady, lollipop woman | a woman hired to help children cross a road safely near a school. |
| ~ lord chancellor, lord high chancellor | the highest officer of the Crown who is head of the judiciary and who presides in the House of Lords. |
| ~ mate | informal term for a friend of the same sex. |
| ~ mercer | a dealer in textiles (especially silks). |
| ~ mod | a British teenager or young adult in the 1960s; noted for their clothes consciousness and opposition to the rockers. |
| ~ muffin man | formerly an itinerant peddler of muffins. |
| ~ nan | your grandmother. |
| ~ copper's nark, nark | an informer or spy working for the police. |
| ~ news reader, newsreader | someone who reads out broadcast news bulletin. |
| ~ office-bearer | the person who holds an office. |
| ~ outfitter | someone who sells men's clothes. |
| ~ parliamentary agent | a person who is employed to look after the affairs of businesses that are affected by legislation of the British Parliament. |
| ~ patrial | a person who has the right to be considered legally a British citizen (by virtue of the birth of a parent or grandparent). |
| ~ peer | a nobleman (duke or marquis or earl or viscount or baron) who is a member of the British peerage. |
| ~ peer of the realm | a peer who is entitled to sit in the House of Lords. |
| ~ placeman, placeseeker | a disparaging term for an appointee. |
| ~ pointsman | a policeman stationed at an intersection to direct traffic. |
| ~ pork butcher | a vendor of pork and products made from pork. |
| ~ potboy, potman | a worker in an inn or public house who serves customers and does various chores. |
| ~ preceptor, don | teacher at a university or college (especially at Cambridge or Oxford). |
| ~ publican, tavern keeper | the keeper of a public house. |
| ~ question master, quizmaster | the host or chairman of a radio or tv quiz show or panel game. |
| ~ ranker | an enlisted soldier who serves in the ranks of the armed forces. |
| ~ ranker | a commissioned officer who has been promoted from enlisted status. |
| ~ ratepayer | a person who pays local rates (especially a householder). |
| ~ recorder | a barrister or solicitor who serves as part-time judge in towns or boroughs. |
| ~ redcap | a member of the military police in Britain. |
| ~ remover | someone who works for a company that moves furniture. |
| ~ returning officer | the official in each electorate who holds the election and returns the results. |
| ~ rocker | a teenager or young adult in the 1960s who wore leather jackets and rode motorcycles. |
| ~ sandboy | a young peddler of sand; used now only to express great happiness in `happy as a sandboy'. |
| ~ scrimshanker | a shirker. |
| ~ scrutineer, canvasser | someone who examines votes at an election. |
| ~ settler | a clerk in a betting shop who calculates the winnings. |
| ~ sir | a title used before the name of knight or baronet. |
| ~ sixth-former | a student in the sixth form. |
| ~ skivvy, slavey | a female domestic servant who does all kinds of menial work. |
| ~ slop-seller, slopseller | a dealer in cheap ready-made clothing. |
| ~ smallholder | a person owning or renting a smallholding. |
| ~ sod | an informal British term for a youth or man.; "the poor sod couldn't even buy a drink" |
| ~ spiv | a person without employment who makes money by various dubious schemes; goes about smartly dressed and having a good time. |
| ~ sprog | a child. |
| ~ sprog | a new military recruit. |
| ~ squire | an English country landowner. |
| ~ stipendiary, stipendiary magistrate | (United Kingdom) a paid magistrate (appointed by the Home Secretary) dealing with police cases. |
| ~ stockjobber | one who deals only with brokers or other jobbers. |
| ~ stone breaker | someone who breaks up stone. |
| ~ sublieutenant | an officer ranking next below a lieutenant. |
| ~ suffragette | a woman advocate of women's right to vote (especially a militant advocate in the United Kingdom at the beginning of the 20th century). |
| ~ supergrass, grass | a police informer who implicates many people. |
| ~ supremo | the most important person in an organization. |
| ~ tallyman | one who sells goods on the installment plan. |
| ~ tearaway | a reckless and impetuous person. |
| ~ ted, teddy boy | a tough youth of 1950's and 1960's wearing Edwardian style clothes. |
| ~ thatcherite | an advocate of Thatcherism. |
| ~ ticket tout, tout | someone who buys tickets to an event in order to resell them at a profit. |
| ~ townee | townsman unacquainted with country life especially a slick and flashy male city dweller. |
| ~ valuer | someone who assesses the monetary worth of possessions. |
| ~ victualer, victualler | an innkeeper (especially British). |
| ~ wally | a silly and inept person; someone who is regarded as stupid. |
| ~ wog | (offensive British slang) term used by the British to refer to people of color from Africa or Asia. |
| ~ wykehamist | a student enrolled in (or graduated from) Winchester College. |
| ~ knock-on effect | a secondary or incidental effect. |
| ~ medium wave | a radio wave with a wavelength between 100 and 1000 meters (a frequency between 300 kilohertz and 3000 kilohertz). |
| ~ pot plant | a plant suitable for growing in a flowerpot (especially indoors). |
| ~ ratables, rateables | property that provides tax income for local governments. |
| ~ smallholding | a piece of land under 50 acres that is sold or let to someone for cultivation. |
| ~ crown land | land that belongs to the Crown. |
| ~ rent-rebate | a rebate on rent given by a local government authority. |
| ~ peppercorn rent | very low or nominal rent. |
| ~ hire-purchase, never-never | installment plan.; "we bought a car on the never-never" |
| ~ sick benefit, sickness benefit | money paid (by the government) to someone who is too ill to work. |
| ~ christmas box | a present given at Christmas for services during the year. |
| ~ council tax | a tax levied on households by local authorities; based on the estimated value of the property and the number of people living in it. |
| ~ rates | a local tax on property (usually used in the plural). |
| ~ poor rates | a local tax for the relief of the poor. |
| ~ base rate | the interest rate set by the Bank of England for lending to other banks. |
| ~ refresher | a fee (in addition to that marked on the brief) paid to counsel in a case that lasts more than one day. |
| ~ water-rate | rate per quarter for water from a public supply. |
| ~ assurance | a British term for some kinds of insurance. |
| ~ giro account | an account at a post office that can be used in similar ways to an account at a bank. |
| ~ giro, giro cheque | a check given by the British government to someone who is unemployed; it can be cashed either at a bank or at the post office. |
| ~ tenpence | a decimal coin worth ten pennies. |
| ~ threepence | former cupronickel coin of the United Kingdom equal to three pennies. |
| ~ sixpence, tanner | a small coin of the United Kingdom worth six pennies; not minted since 1970. |
| ~ maundy money | specially minted silver coins that are distributed by the British sovereign on Maundy Thursday. |
| ~ divvy | short for dividend; especially one paid by a cooperative society. |
| ~ carry-forward, carry-over | the accumulated and undivided profits of a corporation after provision has been made for dividends and reserves. |
| ~ premium bond | a government bond that bears no interest or capital gains but enters the holder into lotteries. |
| ~ civil list | a sum of money voted by British Parliament each year for the expenses of the British royal family. |
| ~ last | a unit of capacity for grain equal to 80 bushels. |
| ~ quarter | a quarter of a hundredweight (28 pounds). |
| ~ in, inch | a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot. |
| ~ perch, rod, pole | a linear measure of 16.5 feet. |
| ~ tod | a unit of weight for wool equal to about 28 pounds. |
| ~ stone | an avoirdupois unit used to measure the weight of a human body; equal to 14 pounds.; "a heavy chap who must have weighed more than twenty stone" |
| ~ bugger all, fanny adams, fuck all, sweet fanny adams | little or nothing at all.; "I asked for a raise and they gave me bugger-all"; "I know sweet Fanny Adams about surgery" |
| ~ milliard | a billion.; "in England they call one thousand million a milliard" |
| ~ billion, 1000000000000, one million million | the number that is represented as a one followed by 12 zeros; in the United Kingdom the usage followed in the United States is frequently seen. |
| ~ one million million million, trillion | the number that is represented as a one followed by 18 zeros.; "in England they call a quintillion a trillion" |
| ~ quadrillion | the number that is represented as a one followed by 24 zeros.; "in England they call a septillion a quadrillion" |
| ~ top-up | an amount needed to restore something to its former level. |
| ~ poverty trap | a situation in which an increase in income results in a loss of benefits so that you are no better off. |
| ~ crick, kink, rick, wrick | a painful muscle spasm especially in the neck or back (`rick' and `wrick' are British). |
| ~ dog's breakfast, dog's dinner | a poor job; a mess.; "they made a real dog's breakfast of that job" |
| ~ appro | an informal British abbreviation of approval.; "he accepted it on appro" |
| ~ hard cheese | bad luck. |
| ~ fug | (British informal) an airless smoky smelly atmosphere. |
| ~ ratability, rateability | the state of being liable to assessment or taxation. |
| ~ town gas | coal gas manufactured for domestic and industrial use. |
| ~ derv | diesel oil used in cars and lorries with diesel engines; from d(iesel) e(ngine) r(oad) v(ehicle). |
| ~ clunch | hardened clay. |
| ~ surgical spirit | methylated spirit used in the practice of medicine (especially for cleansing the skin before injections or before surgery). |
| ~ half-term | a short vacation about halfway through a school term.; "he came to visit at half-term" |
| ~ vac | informal term for vacation. |
| ~ november 5 | anniversary of the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot. |
| ~ guy fawkes day | day for the celebration of the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot. |
| ~ sell-by date | a date stamped on perishable produce indicating the date by which it should be sold. |
| ~ quarter day | a Christian holy day; one of four specified days when certain payments are due. |
| ~ guest night | an evening when members of a club or college can bring their friends as guests. |
| ~ rag week, rag | a week at British universities during which side-shows and processions of floats are organized to raise money for charities. |
| ~ rag day | a day on which university students hold a rag. |
| ~ boxing day | first weekday after Christmas. |
| ~ poppy day, remembrance day, remembrance sunday | the Sunday nearest to November 11 when those who died in World War I and World War II are commemorated. |
| ~ speech day | an annual day in the schools when speeches are made and prizes are distributed. |
| ~ year dot | as long ago as anyone can remember.; "he has been a conductor since the year dot" |
| ~ kip | sleep.; "roused him from his kip" |
| ~ question time | a period during a parliamentary session when members of British Parliament may ask questions of the ministers. |
| ~ judder, shake | shake or vibrate rapidly and intensively.; "The old engine was juddering" |
| ~ scrimshank | British military language: avoid work. |
| ~ potted | (British informal) summarized or abridged.; "a potted version of a novel" |
| ~ fly | (British informal) not to be deceived or hoodwinked. |
| ~ pawky | cunning and sly.; "the pawky rich old lady who incessantly scores off her parasitical descendants" |
| ~ dinky | (British informal) pretty and neat.; "what a dinky little hat" |
| ~ dishy | (informal British) sexually attractive.; "a dishy blonde" |
| ~ non-u | not characteristic of the upper classes especially in language use. |
| ~ u | (chiefly British) of or appropriate to the upper classes especially in language use. |
| ~ starkers | (British informal) stark naked. |
| ~ boss-eyed | (British informal) cross-eyed. |
| ~ canty | lively and brisk. |
| ~ common or garden | the usual or familiar type.; "it is a common or garden sparrow" |
| ~ swagger, groovy | (British informal) very chic.; "groovy clothes" |
| ~ gammy | (British informal) sore or lame.; "a gammy foot" |
| ~ all-mains | used of a radio receiver that is adaptable to all voltages.; "an all-mains set" |
| ~ niffy | (British informal) malodorous. |
| ~ swingeing | severe; punishingly bad.; "swingeing taxation"; "swingeing damages awarded by the judge" |
| ~ shirty, snorty | (British informal) ill-tempered or annoyed. |
| ~ po-faced | humorless and disapproving. |
| ~ peckish | somewhat hungry. |
| ~ dickey, dicky | (British informal) faulty.; "I've got this dicky heart" |
| ~ potty | (British informal) trivial.; "potty little details" |
| ~ whacking | (British informal) enormous.; "a whacking phone bill"; "a whacking lie" |
| ~ long-dated | of a gilt-edged security; having more than 15 years to run before redemption. |
| ~ short-dated | of a gilt-edged security; having less than 5 years to run before redemption. |
| ~ take-away, takeout | of or involving food to be taken and eaten off the premises.; "takeout pizza"; "the takeout counter"; "`take-away' is chiefly British" |
| ~ red-brick, redbrick | of or relating to British universities founded in the late 19th century or the 20th century. |
| ~ grotty | very unpleasant or offensive.; "a grotty little play" |
| ~ post-free | postpaid. |
| ~ buckshee | free of charge.; "if they deposit these shares in the scheme they will get further buckshee shares on a one-for-one basis" |
| ~ made-up | having been paved. |
| ~ chuffed | very pleased.; "I'm chuffed to have won" |
| ~ jumped-up | (British informal) upstart. |
| ~ toffee-nosed | snobbish; pretentiously superior. |
| ~ major | of the elder of two boys with the same family name.; "Jones major" |
| ~ minor | of the younger of two boys with the same family name.; "Jones minor" |
| ~ billion | denoting a quantity consisting of one million million items or units in Great Britain. |
| ~ trillion | one quintillion in Great Britain. |
| ~ tod | alone and on your own.; "don't just sit there on your tod" |
| ~ bloody-minded, cantankerous | stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate.; "unions...have never been as bloody-minded about demarcation as the shipbuilders" |
| ~ bolshy, stroppy | obstreperous. |
| ~ capital | first-rate.; "a capital fellow"; "a capital idea" |
| ~ spiffing | excellent or splendid.; "that's a perfectly spiffing idea" |
| ~ top-flight, top-hole, topping | excellent; best possible. |
| ~ ropey, ropy | (British informal) very poor in quality.; "ropey food"; "a ropey performance" |
| ~ gobsmacked | utterly astounded. |
| ~ jiggered | (British informal expletive) surprised.; "Well I'm jiggered!" |
| ~ buttoned-up | (British colloquial) not inclined to conversation. |
| ~ brummagem | cheap and showy.; "a cheap Brummagem imitation" |
| ~ ratable, rateable | liable to payment of locally assessed property taxes.; "the ratable value of property" |
| ~ unratable | not subject to locally assessed property taxes.; "unratable properties" |
| ~ knackered, drained | very tired. |
| ~ whacked | (British informal) exhausted or worn out. |
| ~ manky | inferior and worthless. |
| ~ tinpot | inferior (especially of a country's leadership).; "he's a tinpot Hitler" |
| ~ fuggy | (British informal) poorly ventilated. |
| ~ clapped out | worn from age or heavy use and no longer able to operate (of cars or machines or people). |
| n. (location) | 2. gb, great britain | an island comprising England and Scotland and Wales. |
| ~ british isles | Great Britain and Ireland and adjacent islands in the north Atlantic. |
| ~ britain, great britain, u.k., uk, united kingdom, united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland | a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; `Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom. |
| ~ albion | archaic name for England or Great Britain; used poetically. |
| ~ scotland | one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts. |
| ~ island | a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water. |
| ~ solway firth | a large firth on the west coast of Britain between England and Scotland. |
| ~ brit, britisher, briton | a native or inhabitant of Great Britain. |
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