Only 10% of Americans Know These British Words

By: Isadora Teich
Estimated Completion Time
2 min
Only 10% of Americans Know These British Words
Image: shutterstock

About This Quiz

English is spoken natively around the world, from North America to the UK to Oceania, but it is also an international language used by millions and millions for business, science, tech and more. It all started in Britain, where the slang is unique from all the rest. While Brits are often cast as villains in Hollywood films and many people are fond of many of the UK's accents, British slang can be a little hard to grasp for someone who is not used to it. Do you know a bloke from a bog roll? The Brits do.   

With the popularity of BBC shows and Harry Potter, certain British words have become more commonplace on a larger scale, but some of that posh slang might seem downright silly or confusing to outsiders. After all, there are a lot of words that were not included in "Sherlock" or "Doctor Who." The accents that many Americans and people in other countries consider whimsical or attractive definitely come with their interesting ways of using language. This makes them incredibly unique. 

If you are an anglophile with a love for language and all of its slang quirks, then see if you can take on this quiz!   


A bloke is a:
cigarette
man
car
snack
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A bloke is a general term used to apply to a man. He can be of any age.

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"Crisps" are what kind of a snack?
candy
sliced vegetables
chips
pretzels
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the UK, you will not hear of someone eating a bag of chips. It's always crisps.

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What do Brits call the television?
vichy
TV
telly
tel-tel
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In different places there are different nicknames for the TV. In the UK, it's the telly.

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Bog roll is:
blankets
raincoats
a thunderstorm
toilet paper
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In British slang there are a few words for bathroom, including bog. This is why toilet paper can be called bog roll.

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If someone asks you to "budge up," what are they asking you to do?
move over
go to bed
shut up
lend them money
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If a British person asks you to budge up they are asking you to move over slightly. You might hear this on the tube, for example.

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If someone is "cheesed off," how do they feel?
in love
sick
annoyed
successful
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You don't want to make someone feel cheesed off. It is used as a synonym for displeased or annoyed.

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When ordering "chips" at a UK restaurant, what will you get?
french fries
mashed potatoes
fish fingers
curly fries
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the UK, french fries are known as chips. What are considered chips in America, however, are known as crisps.

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Someone who is "dishy" is:
obnoxious
good-looking
suspicious
hungry
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You might have heard people say things along the lines of "She's a dish!" or "He's a snack!" when talking about someone they find attractive. Dishy works in the same way.

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If you have "dosh" what do you have?
nothing
beer
free time
money
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the US, dollars are called dough. In the UK, pounds are called dosh.

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What does it mean to be "jammy"?
sweet
weird
annoying
lucky
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Brits describe other people as jammy when they are lucky. They might say "It was very jammy of him to find his lost phone."

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Someone who is "knackered" is:
stupid
broke
tired
crazy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Knackered is a common British slang word. It means exhausted.

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If someone says that you "know your onions" is it a compliment?
yes
no
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If someone tells you that you "know your onions" it means that they think you know what you're talking about. It's a good thing.

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Someone who is "legless" is:
overwhelmed
drunk
married
beautiful
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Someone who is legless is not literally missing their legs. It means that they are very drunk.

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If something is "scrummy" it is:
delicious
evil
annoying
amazing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A Brit might consider shepherd's pies, puddings, or fish and chips scrummy. It is a shortened form of the word scrumptious.

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What does it mean to "skive off"?
mess up
lie
win at a game
play hooky
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Skiving off means to shirk one's responsibilities or play hooky. Everyone does this sometimes.

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To "snog" means to:
make out
run away
steal
drink
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

To snog means to kiss or make out. This one became popular thanks to the "Harry Potter" films.

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If someone calls you a "tosser" are they insulting you?
yes
no
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This is a classic insult of British slang. A tosser is a stupid person.

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What is "uni"?
unity
college
a cocktail
a popular nickname
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Uni is short for university. Much of the world refers to college as university or uni.

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Is "wazzock" a compliment?
yes
no
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are many ways to insult someone in the UK. You can opt for twit, wazzock, pillock, wanker and git.

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What does it mean to "give someone a bell"?
marry them
call them
trick them
be their friend
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This phrase is similar to the American phrase "give them a ring." It means to give someone a call.

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If someone has "lost the plot" what have they done?
gone broke
stollen
gone to jail
gone crazy
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This phrase means to have gone crazy. After all, plots are what make stories make sense.

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What does it mean to "kip"?
nap
get drunk
study
work hard
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

To kip means to have a nap. It can be used as both a noun and a verb.

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Something "wicked" is:
bad
weird
outdated
cool
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

While Brits love their insults, there are also many ways to compliment people or things. Wicked is another way of saying cool.

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What is a "scouser"?
a sport
a person from Liverpool
a foreigner
a dessert
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Scousers are what people from Liverpool are called. Liverpool is a city in England.

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Someone who is wearing "pants" is wearing:
leggings
underwear
shoes
nothing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the UK you wear your pants under the American definition of pants. Think twice before mentioning your pants across the pond.

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What is "zed"?
a food
a letter grade in school
the letter "Z"
an insult
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In America they say "Z." In Britain "Z" is zed.

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If someone has been "made redundant" they have been:
broken up with
deathly ill
stupid
fired
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If someone has been "made redundant" they have been let go or fired. They no longer have a job.

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Where is someone who is "going off to Bedforshire" going?
to Bedfordshire
to Scotland
to the beach
to bed
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If someone tells you they are going off to Bedforshire they are not literally going to Bedfordshire. They are going to sleep in their bed.

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If it's "monkeys outside" then what is the weather like?
hot
raining
cold
beautiful
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This is a uniquely British slang phrase. It means that it is very cold outside.

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What is a "stag night"?
a hunting trip
Halloween
a bachelor party
Christmas
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bachelor parties are called stag nights in the UK. They are also called stag dos and stag weekends.

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If something is "ace" it's:
lame
ugly
cool
expensive
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Cool is more of an American expression, but it is used more universally. Ace is British version of it.

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Someone who is "gutted" is:
unhappy
dead
rich
lost
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Someone who is gutted is unhappy. They are specifically unhappy because something didn't work out the way they wanted it to .

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If someone is "skint," what don't they have?
a significant other
money
time
a clue
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

To be skint is to be totally out of money. You don't want to be skint.

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If he "has the bottle" what does he have?
courage
beer
smarts
bad luck
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This is slang for courage. A Brit might say "He doesn't have the bottle to go first."

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If someone is "chuffed," is that a good thing?
yes
no
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Someone who is chuffed is incredibly pleased. Usually it is with a situation.

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