Saturday 3 April 2010

Part C: Common Colloquialism Collection


I came up with this collection of common colloquialisms. Check this out, curious bloggers: Above each set of colloquialisms comes one in bold. This bold word is the definition; the upper class construction of each common colloquialism below it. Below the bold words are colloquialism collections in this continental order: America (Yanks), Australia (Ozzies), England (Poms).

Because I currently live in Greece, I've been considerably off course with colloquial chitchat. Which is a chagrin, cause it conclusively comforts me; it's like a Capella, or a chant - musicality of the English language.

Colloquialisms are like trademarks for each country; characteristics that cognominate each English-speaking country from the others. Can you conceptualize the ceasing of colloquialisms? Try to conceive how charmless the world would be.

So. I've committed myself to the concept that colloquialisms are like cake. They come in all sorts of colors, contours and capacities. Can you consider life with only one class of cake? No, I didn't think so ...

So come on in to my crazy head and add to this collection. Tell me you can, comment below with your common colloquialism set of three, and I'll post your blog link along with it cause I lurve you. Or even correct me. My American slang might be a little off course ;)

Stupid person
Airhead, Dipshit, Git

Girl/Young woman
Bird, Chick/Sheela, Skirt

Breasts
Airbags, Hooters, Jugs

Kiss
Make out, Pash, Snog

Drunk
Blitzed, Shitfaced, Arse-over-tit

Food
Eats, Tucker, Grub

Funny person
Goof, Dag, Donkey

Toilet
Washroom, Dunny, Loo

Please add to the list, Colloquialism Collectors! All crazy, canny, crude, continentally characteristic, or even cliched colloquialisms are welcome :)

Stephen T. McCarthy says:
Stupid person
Dumbass, Nimrod, Wally, Dork
(OK, did have 4 for this.)

Girl/Young woman
Gal,

Breasts
Headlights,

Kiss
Swap Spit,

Toilet
John,

Watery Tart says:
Butt
Arse, booty, hiney

Glynis says:
Friend
Homey, Cobber and Mate

Slushpile Slut says (this cracked me up I had to add it!):
LOL! I'm a dag skirt & when I'm arse-over-tit, I shake my airbags and like to snog but somehow I always end up in the loo tossing my tucker! :)

B. Miller says:
Southern colloquialisms to add to your collection:

Fixin' to: getting ready to do something.

Over yonder: That-a-way.

A fur piece: Pretty far down the road.

Trudy says:
How are you:
sup, wassup

Gas:
Petrol

Don't even get me going on how much texting has started an entire language of its' own.

LOL, GTG, TTYL.

Niki says:
It'll be ok, friend:
She'll be right, mate.

:o)

22 comments:

  1. A most enlightening post, I don't think I can add any as you have written the ones I knew. Strange we the English, Americans and the Austailians all speak english yet have differnt words for different things.
    A good letter"C" for the challenge.

    Yvonne.

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  2. Haha - love this! I am constantly amazed by all the variations in English. Even in England, it varies from region to region.

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  3. Hi, very interesting! I don't have any groups of three but I can add to some of those you have given.
    Breasts are called Boobs, or the girls.

    Drunk is described around here as being tipsy, or three sheets in the wind (don't ask me where that got its beginning. I don't know. i just know i have heard it all my life.)

    another word for girl is Babe or Cutie Pie.

    It is very interesting as to how there are so many words that are used colloquially. Accents are another thing of interest.

    Best regards to you. Thanks for reading my blog.

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  4. We're pretty laid back here in Canada. Just add - eh - after anything and your good to go, eh! That's all i got!

    Love in the Truth - eh

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  5. Howdy, A.A. ~
    Well, I ain't got da time to come up with sets of three ('cause I've got my own Blog Bit to write for the letter "C"), but I'll just add a few to your collection off the Top O'My Head:

    Stupid person
    Dumbass, Nimrod, Wally, Dork
    (OK, did have 4 for this.)

    Girl/Young woman
    Gal,

    Breasts
    Headlights,

    Kiss
    Swap Spit,

    Toilet
    John,

    Well, I've now put in my "eight cents worth."

    ~ "Lonesome Dogg" McMe

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  6. Well that got me thinking! Sorry I can't think of any at the moment.

    I will at about 2am!!

    Homey, Cobber and Mate are what I first thought of.

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  7. Love it! Well done on using all the Cs too. Though you forgot my April word!

    Butt: Arse, booty, hiney *snort*

    One of my favorite features of online friends is picking up all these colloquialisms... the Aussie one tickle me in that place I can't talk about.

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  8. LOL! I'm a dag skirt & when I'm arse-over-tit, I shake my airbags and like to snog but somehow I always end up in the loo tossing my tucker! :)

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  9. I don't know about Australia, or Greece for that matter, but in the US the slang actually differs from coast to coast. My husband, born and raised in New York, often uses words like schlep/to carry something heavy...as a Californian...I was perplexed.

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  10. Thanks for all your comments guys! I've added all your words :)

    Slushpile slut: You CRACK ME UP!!!!!

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  11. Great post! Here are some Southern colloquialisms to add to your collection:

    Fixin' to: getting ready to do something.

    Over yonder: That-a-way.

    A fur piece: Pretty far down the road.

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  12. She'll be right, mate.

    :o)

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  13. I also love colloquilisms and adore this post! How fun that you have thrown different cultures into the mix. I always enjoy learning what others say! I'll give this a crack, I suppose.

    How are you:
    sup, wassup

    Gas:
    Petrol

    Don't even get me going on how much texting has started an entire language of its' own.

    LOL, GTG, TTYL.

    Blessings and Happy Easter!

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  14. Me again...while I do love colloquialisms, I despise when I misspell things, so had to do another quick comment to let you know I can spell colloquialisms (see, I just did it twice in the same sentence)!

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  15. looool
    you are too funny!!!

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  16. Trudy: done't woery! I always maike speeling erahs ;)

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  17. Lol quite funny. I'm looking for colloquialisms at the moment 'cause I'm writing about a country boy in the 30's. Tis late and I'm smashed, buggered, beat, so all I can give you is Tucker, grub, chow ;-)

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  18. Hey, A.A. ~
    And a very Happy Easter to you, too!

    On my way home from work last night, two more occurred to me:

    Stupid person
    Doofus

    Food
    Vittles
    (But I believe this one is from the 1800s/Turn O'De Century, and no one uses it anymore, so you might not want to include it.)

    ~ McMe
    "As a dog returns to his own vomit,
    so a fool repeats his folly."
    ~ Proverbs 26:11

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  19. I love this!

    As a Canadian I'm sort of stuck somewhere in a colloquial no-man's-land: both American and British slang works for us. Plus, we have our very own hoser speak to help flesh things out too, eh?

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  20. I'm much too proper to use colloquialisms very much -- well not really proper I guess, but I tend not to use them much.

    I do use "cool" and "neat" with some frequency.

    Lee

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  21. Fantastic!!!

    Living in India, I am exposed to British and American colloquialisms. Nice to heard the ones from Oz.

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  22. I love this post. I'm not so sure about some of the American ones... and I think we tend to have different colloqualisms for different regions of the country as well (as you saw with some of the Southern ones!)

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