Being British #5

[apollo13]

Well, it depends on your family - my family always has dinner at about six, sometimes earlier and just snacks on toast for the rest of the evening. It's really bad, actually.

Another family I know doesn't have dinner until half eight!

A sandwich is a good idea, or possibly just get the biscuit tin out with a cup of tea/coffee.

~Evie

[miss padfoot]

I think I'll go with biscuits and tea. That's what I originally had in mind, but didn't mention it in case it was really out of order.

Thanks for your help, everyone!

[emmaholloway]

whats wrong with dinner at half eight...??
my cousines usually dont eat dinner before like 10... its quite fun really
tea and biscuits is probably best. Very easy. and it sounds all english like. I do like tea and biscuits

[R_Ravenclaw]

Here's a few random questions and I'm sorry if they've been asked before!

Do the British drink coffee in the morning, or do they usually have tea?

Do you (by "you" I mean the British) ever use the phrases "hanging out" (like with friends) or "shut up"?

How about "guys" in the sense of friends? Like "Do you guys want to go somewhere?" Or how about "guys" in the sense of not a kid anymore but not really men yet?

What slang is there for hot? In America we say hot, of course. Really good looking. I always find myself typing the word hot and then realising I shouldn't be!

Um, that's really all I can think of. I'll probably be back with more later

*thanks God for this thread*

[apollo13]

Yes, we drink coffee a lot. We don't drink as much tea as you American's make us out to!

Hanging out, shut-up and guys are all used, but guys is probably only in the last twenty years.

Hot, well it is used a bit today, mainly by Paris Hilton wannabes, you're better off using the word fit. If you want to stress it, then use the word well in front of it, eg.

"That girl is well fit."

~Evie

[rita_skeeter]

Just be wary of the phrase 'well fit'. I'd say it's more what a man/boy would say. If you're writing [particularly teenage] girls, 'cute' is a good option.

[Diamond Quill]

The way us teenagers speak has been completely Americanised recently. I'm as British as they come but my friends and I call guys (we always call boys our age guys) hot as well as fit. We don't tend to call inanimate objects hot though. *thinks Paris Hilton* We also say 'hanging out' and 'shut up'. Having said that, it's probably best to stick to the words Jo uses in the books if your worried about being accused of using Americanisms.

[cmwinters]

How recent is "well-fit"? Is it something that would have been said during the Marauder era? During the Dark Lord's era? Only since 1999?

[Stubbornly_appeared]

I know "barrister" is the term for "lawyer", but if someone had a nameplate on their desk that would, in America, read this:

LEWIS ZELLER
ATTORNEY AT LAW

what would it be in British terms?

Thanks!

-Stubby (hoping she is right with the info she already has)

[mankytoes]

How recent is "well-fit"? Is it something that would have been said during the Marauder era? During the Dark Lord's era? Only since 1999?

"Well" as a slang prefix is quite recent- I can't see any of the marauders saying it, you might get away with it in the Harry at Hogwarts days, but that would be tight, i'd say its more appropriate for the next generation.

What does an Attorney at Law actually do?

In terms of using Americanised speech, its more common in urban areas than rural, and i'd say more girls than boys, though some may disagree, that might just be people I know.

For English teenage slang speech, i'd recommend listening to the Arctic Monkey's, their songs are full of it.