Being British: Garden Gate, Number Eight

[apollo13]

Spag-Bol is spagetti with mince (mixed in with tomatoes and sometimes some red pepper).

Sandy and Winifred

When? Winifred would be popular in the 1920's-1950's, Sandy, not really until very recent years.

And secondly, I need a basic (I don't want to totally confuse myself) overview of how the goverment works. I know there's a Prime Minister... but I'm pretty much hopeless after that.

Yes, there's the Prime Minister - at the moment it's Gorden Brown (ugly) and before him it was Tony Blair. If David Cameron ever comes into power I'll shoot myself.

The goveronment leaders meet in the Houses of Parliment, where they vote on things - we are a democracy. There are various parties - the one in power at the moment is the labour party - my family supports labour, and it's labour who brought in the NHS and state benefits and council housing and things. The conservative party is run by David Cameron, and they hold more traditional views. I am not against that party, just against Cameron because he's an idiot. There are also the Liberal Democrats, but I don't know much about them. There are other parties too, but they're not as important.

That's really basic, but I'm fifteen, so I don't pretend to be all-knowing in that field.

~Evie

[Schmerg_The_Impaler]

I swear, I visit this thread more often than some people visit the toilet...

But seriously, what are some words that British people use to mean nerd, geek, dork, dweeb, etc? I know 'swot,' but that suggests a teacher's pet/knowitall. What about people who are just socially inept, have weird hobbies, and act strange and stuff? Are there words for them, or do Brits say nerd, geek, dork, and dweeb, too? I'm constantly using those words in my writing and can't think of any substitutes.

[Weasley24]

Well, I do say geek but I don't say anything of your other names. Sometimes I will say 'Dweeb' but that would only be if I was making fun of Americans and it would be done in a very bad American accent.

How about freak, or maybe a simple teachers pet? Sometimes of I really don't like the person I'll just say, "That person," in a really snide voice. Also words like just saying It, That, That Thing would work.

[coolh5000]

I would tend to call someone a loser or say they were sad (meaning loser rather than unhappy). I might occasionally use the word geek but not really very often and it probably comes from too much american tv and isn't generally used.

I have a question for other brits - even though I live here, things can be different for different places. Where I live the word bod refers to someone who is a geek but does anyone else use that word or is it a local thing?

Just going back a bit further in the thread - PadfootnPeeves did you learn everything you need to know about the government because I could probably waffle on a bit more in addition to what Apollo said but if that gave you everything you need then I won't bother unless anyone else is especially interested?

p.s Winifred and Sandy - definate no-no. Maybe Winifred at a push if they had very old fashioned parents but I have never met anyone with those names in my life

[iloverupertgrint]

Another word for geek for younger age groups would be boffin or shortened to boff. Basically means teachers pet in teenage language.
Hope that helps.

[Horsesbella219]

sometimes people i know call them "Anorak's", but thats generally amongst an older age group (Like my mums sort of age), and kinda refers to the raincoat they would eb wearing whilst doing boring anorak-uy sort of hobbys like trainspotting. As far as i know an anorak (as in the actual coat) is a sort of thin, generally green, mac that matchs lovely with wellies....and binoculars i should imagine...

Thats all i've got, because most people have already said what i would have said

[Heather25x]

I'm pretty sure dweeb isn't used over here, but freak and loser would be quite common, as well as geek. And boff. Perhaps "know-it-all" or just someone saying "she/he think she's/he's so smart".

I know that i always say "what a loser" lol, and "you freak", but it depens on the context. It could be "she thinks she knows everything" or "she sucks up to the teachers". If you run out of names like boff and loser, then you could switch to phrases.


~Heather

[LilyLunaPotter]

Hi, everyone. I was wondering what part of Britain my character should be from. I want her to have gronw up in the countryside, but with a town close enough for her parents to commute. Her father preferably works in a factory and her mother is a phsychologist, but that's not set in stone and the countryside home is more important. Is there such a place?

[apollo13]

Commute to London? Where I live!! Suffolk. It is close to London, and has a network of railways that commutes specifically to London, but is very rural. It's pretty flat, and is known for a specific breed of cart horse, the Suffolk Punch, which is no longer used and quite rare, but is our pride and joy anyway.

My Dad used to commute to London, and it would take him two hours, roughly, every morning, about one hour on the train, the next hour getting through the appalling traffic to Canary Wharf.

~Evie

[SiriuslyMental]

And if not that there is always Yorkshire! Countryside, towns, and factories.