Give us your favourites!
I will start with these ones:
Spend a penny: <em>got to the toilet</em>
Tell porkies:<em> tell lies</em>
<em> </em>Pear-shaped<em>: </em>things going pear-shaped<em>: things going wrong.</em>
give somebody a hammering: beating somebody or punish someone severely.
in stitches: laughing really a lot.
sick as a parrot: extremely disappointed
Note: correct me if I'm wrong : sick means ill (especially in american english)
sick means also "vomit" (especially in british english)
eg: in hospital: Patient: Nurse, nurse! I am going to be sick!
Nurse: That's why you are in hospital, Sir! LOL
"Tell porkies" is derived from Cockney rhyming slang. Pork pie = lie; "He's telling pork pies again...." Over time this became abbreviated to "telling porkies."
Other examples:
"Have a butchers" = "Have a look". The original rhyme was "butcher's hook = look". Over time we've dropped the 'hook' part and now just say simply 'butchers':
"Climb up on the wall and have a butchers at what's happening on the other side...."
"Barnet" = hair. The original rhyme was "Barnet fair = hair". Over time we've dropped the 'fair' and now just say simply 'barnet':
"I don't think much of your barnet...who cut it, Stevie Wonder?"
Loaf = head (Loaf of bread = head): "Use your loaf and figure it out...."
"Syrup" = wig (Syrup of fig = wig): "Have you seen his syrup? What a sight...."
Rabbit = talk (Rabbit and pork = talk) = "She kept rabbiting on for hours and I couldn't get away..."
"China" - mate (China plate = mate)... 'Hello my old china, how are you? I haven't seen you for ages..."
You're welcome Teja
Not bad at all, but I think the following sounds a tad better: "Thanks Ben. I am learning a lot from this discussion. I look forward for some more..."
a few more:
Jolly good: very good
Smell a rat: suspect that something is wrong or someone is dishonest and is trying to deceive you.
giving somebody gyp: causing pain. <em> I had a fall and my leg is still giving me gyp</em>.
make a pig's ear of something: execute something really badly. <em>the carpenter made a real pig's ear of that tableT</em>
Thanks Ben, got to learn a lot from your disscussion.looking forward for some more...
correct me if i am wrong anywhere.
Valentina.. Prego ;)