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ta thanks!
Inf. Heard increasingly. Americans have no corresponding informal term. See
also ta-ta.
table, v.t. submit for discussion
This term means exactly the opposite of what it means in America, where to table
an item is to shelve it or to postpone discussion of it, perhaps hoping it will never
come up again. In Britain lay on the table means postpone indefinitely.
table money allowance
Expense money issued to officials who must entertain clients.
tack, n. Slang. chow; grub
Good tack is good eating. Synonymous with tuck.
Taffy, n. Welshman
One of those objectionable nicknames (e.g., Paddy, Paki).
tail. See top and tail
tail after pursue
Follow closely.
tailcoat, n. cutaway
take a decision make a decision
take against oppose
Also, begin to dislike.
take (one) all (one’s) time be all one can do
Inf. It takes me all my time to pay for the food means It’s all I can do to pay for the food.
Thus, He’s so fat it takes him all his time to get up the stairs.
take a rise out of, Inf. Inf. get a rise out of
take a scunner at (against), Slang. take a dislike to
take down, Inf., Slang. 1. Inf. take (a letter)
2. Slang. take (cheat)
take first knock Inf. go first
Inf. A term taken from cricket; synonymous with bat first.
t

take the shilling enlist
Inf. From the days when the Recruiting Sergeant gave the new recruit a shilling,
known as the King’s (or Queen’s) shilling.
take (make) up the running take the lead; set the pace
A racing term, often used figuratively of, e.g., participants in a conversation who
seem to compete with one another in their exchange.
taking, n. Inf. state of agitation
Inf. To be in a taking is to be upset, to be having a fit of anger or nerves. An old-
fashioned idiom.
takings, n. pl. revenue
takings

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The term is applied mostly to small businesses, e.g. shops and market stalls, and
most often to the money taken in a single day’s business.
talent-spotter talent scout
Both terms used in both countries.
talk the hind leg off a donkey Inf. talk a blue streak
Inf. Or off an iron pot.
talk through (out of) the back of one’s neck. Inf. Inf. talk through one’s hat
With never an end in sight.
tally plan installment plan
A tally plan or tally system was the method by which a tally shop, owned or ser-
viced by a tallyman or tallywoman, operated a retail business accommodating
needy customers who could not pay cash, the accounts being recorded in a pair
of matching books, one for each party, and usually paid weekly without billing.
In depressed areas, the practice has given way to regular installment buying,
called hire-purchase, or more popularly the never-never, in Britain.
Tannoy, n. Inf. P.A. system
Inf. A proprietary name gone generic.

tart, n. 1. pie
2. loose woman
1. What Americans think of when they recall Mom’s apple pie or cherry pie
would often be an apple tart or cherry tart in Britain. For the meanings of British
pie see pie.
2. Favorite epithet of jealous wives on the way home from a party at which their
husbands have looked longingly at another female.
tart up Slang. doll up
Slang. Often applied to interior decoration, and almost invariably pejorative,
indicating that the décor was gaudy, and possibly tawdry as well. He had his digs
tarted up by a Knightsbridge designer. Also used in reference to writing style: She
writes a dreadfully tarted up prose. Overdone is the adjective that comes to mind, but
perhaps it is stronger than that.
ta-ta, interj. Inf. bye-bye
Inf. (First a as in hat, second as in hah, stress more or less equal). Such baby-talk
is heard among adult cockneys, as is ta.
tater, ‘tatur, tatie, n. Slang. spud
Slang. The lowly potato, always welcome at the dinner table.
tatt, n., v.i. 1. n. frills
2. v.i. fritter away one’s time
1. n., Slang. The décor of the apartment was lovely and without tatt.
2. v.i., Slang. Do more or less useless jobs just to pass the time.
tatties Inf. potatoes
Especially in Scotland.
tatty, adj., Inf. shabby
See grotty.
taws, n. lash
A thong, cut into narrow strips at the end, used for chastising children. Also
tawse. A Scottish word.
taxman, n. Inf. the Inland Revenue

Inf. The term does not necessarily imply a bad character. A tearaway is a wild
youngster, a cut-up, who is probably going to straighten out in time.
tease, n. Inf. tricky job
Inf. “It was quite a tease,” said the Mr. Fixit, explaining why it took so long and
cost so much for what had at first seemed the simple job of repairing the lawn
mower.
teat, n. 1. nipple
2. bulb
1. On a baby bottle.
2. The rubber bulb of a medicine dropper.
tea-towel, n. dish towel
Mostly designed for drying dishes. Also referred to as a washing-up cloth.
teetotalist. See TT.
telegraph pole telephone pole
Both functions are served in both countries, which somehow assign different pri-
orities to the respective wires.
telephone box. See call-box; kiosk.
telephonist, n. switchboard operator
(Accent on the second syllable.)
telly, n., Inf. Inf. TV
Also, goggle-box. See also have square eyes.
temporary guest transient
Hotel term.
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teach someone’s grandmother to suck eggs
ten. See under twenty.
tenner, n. sawbuck
Inf. A ten-pound note (bill).
term, n. trimester

that cock won’t fight that excuse (plea, plan) won’t work
that’s it! right!
that’s the job! Slang. that’s the ticket!
Slang. Often that’s just the job!
that’s the job!

365
that’s torn it! Slang. that does it!
Slang. Said in exasperation when things have gone wrong.
theatre, n. operating room
Short for operating-theatre; a theatre sister is an operating-room nurse; a confinement
theatre is a labor room. See comments under lint and sister.
then? see comment
A bit of friendly jocularity. Then? at the end of a sentence is little more than punc-
tuation. “Been doing a bit of work, then?” says the gardener to the boss as he
notes a weeding job done in his absence. “Off on a holiday, then?” says your rustic
neighbor, as he strolls by and catches sight of you lugging a valise to your car.
theological college divinity school; seminary
there’s a . . . that’s a . . .
As in, There’s a good boy.
there’s no shifting it Inf. it’s unshakable
Inf. Once he’s made up his mind, there’s no shifting it. Seems to be used only in the
negative.
thermic lance blowtorch
Rarely heard nowadays.
thick, adj. Inf. dull and stupid
And someone who is dull and stupid could be called a thicko or a thicky. As thick
as two short planks is a standard insult.
thick ear, Slang. cauliflower ear
thin on the ground few in number

time is up; instead there are three short beeps on a long distance call or a series of
rapid pips on a local call from a pay station. No pips when you dial directly from
a private telephone.
2. This meaning relates to elimination competitions in sports, called knock-outs
in Britain. Thus (in cricket): In the North, Yorkshire and Lancashire are through. That
means that they are ‘still alive’ in American sports parlance. Through, in Ameri-
can English, would more likely be taken to mean the exact opposite: ‘finished,’
‘eliminated.’
throw a wobbly Inf. see comment
To throw a wobbly is to express anger or uncertainty about something. It is akin to
having a temper tantrum: He threw a wobbly when he heard about the escalating build-
ing costs. But it may also connote anxiety about something: When he learned that he
would have to ride bareback, he threw a wobbly.
throw one’s bonnet (cap) over the windmill throw caution to the winds
Evokes the Victorian atmosphere of a young lady involved in an impetuous
elopement; but this expression is current usage.
throw out add on; build
Referring to adding an extension to a structure: to throw out a wing, thus enlarg-
ing a building or a room. The British also talk of throwing out a pier, i.e., building
one out into the water.
throw up, n. Inf. throw in
In both cases, it’s the sponge or the towel that is thrown up signaling defeat.
thumping, adj., adv. Inf. enormously
Inf. Rarely used by itself to mean ‘enormous,’ as in a thumping lie; usually in com-
bination with great or big; a thumping great feast. Thumping good means the same
thing: a thumping good victory is an overwhelming one.
The Thunderer Inf. The Times
The London newspaper, that is.
thundering, adv. Inf. mighty
Inf. In the sense of ‘extremely’—a thundering good actor; a thundering good piece

slows down).
tic-tac see comment
Inf. An arm-movement signaling system used by tic-tac men at racetracks to flash
the changing odds to resident bookies.
tiddler, n. minnow
Inf. This word is sometimes used informally as an epithet for little creatures, like
kittens and children, and can even be stretched to cover abstractions, like clues.
“We haven’t found a tiddler yet,” says the police investigator, meaning, “We
haven’t found even the most trifling clue.”
tiddl(e)y, adj., Inf. Inf. tipsy
Formerly, a word meaning ‘a drink.’
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thunder-mug