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Partner's slang language

180 replies

oreo2020 · 21/01/2021 12:00

My partner was born in 1970s and grew up in London. I am an immigrant.
He's now in his 40s and fairly professional and still uses a lot of slang language that he grew up with intermittently with friends and colleagues, for example:

Jack diddly squat
Brown bread
Bird (talking of me)
Snuff it
You get me
Bump off

And similar...

He also says 'Valentimes' instead Valentine's although he spells it correctly! Hmm

I don't correct him as English is not my native language but I find it somewhat stuck in 1980s and do think a grown up man would have grown his vocabulary as he was building up his life and career.
But maybe it's more common than I think?

OP posts:
unmarkedbythat · 22/01/2021 10:32

How are you meant to say liquorice? I've just asked everyone in my office, one of whom is genuinely quite posh, and we all say "lickerish".

HeadNorth · 22/01/2021 10:50

@KirstenBlest

Not sure why the LOL. It is pretty neutral.
There is no such thing as a neutral accent. I suspect you mean your accent is quite RP. RP is still an accent. As an accent is may be regionally non-specific, but is still provides massive clues to the speakers likely upbringing, in common with all accents. It is no better, or worse, than any other accent. It just is.
Thymeout · 22/01/2021 11:18

To everyone who's asked:

liquorice

It's liquoriSS. Or used to be. Lots of attempts to classify posh or non-posh English. Most well-known is probably Nancy Mitford's U or Non-U.

Betjeman also wrote a poem about social-climber English, trying to be U but getting it wrong, like Hyacinth Bucket. 'Phone for the fish-knives, Norman ...'

Thymeout · 22/01/2021 11:20

Also nugget (S.E.London) for nougat - noo-gah.

DeeCeeCherry · 22/01/2021 21:07

It's hardly likely that in OP's country, people speak the same everywhere. Even on small islands, north to south speak and slang differently.

I learned English abroad. Arriving in UK I lived in East London. Went to grammar school but didn't speak "grammar" at home really, why bother? You're relaxed at home.

eg £5 is still a Jacks or a Bluey to me, if you ask me to sub you a Ton then I'll know the score, when chatting with mates from East. Obviously I don't speak like that at work.

Code Switching is a thing.

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