So I was reading this article about a bloke who had the brilliant idea to put an engagement ring into a helium balloon so he could "pop" the question when this bit stopped me: "I felt like such a plonker. It cost a fortune and I knew my girlfriend would kill me."

Plonker.

Great word, although it's better with a British accent, as in Plonk-ah. We Americans would say Plawnk-er, but still. Great word.

So I got to thinking about all the other uniquely British words and expressions that I'd heard in my days, going all the way back to The Young Ones when, as American teens without an Internet, we had to deduce the meaning of words like quid, bollocks, and bugger-all from their context.

Try adding these to your everyday language. Maybe something will catch on. If we could only be so lucky...

• banger (sausage)
• bimble (wander aimlessly)
• blimey! (exclamation of surprise)
• clanger (mistake/blunder)
• manky (ill or out of sorts)
• grotty (dirty, disgusting)
• gaffer (old man)

Labels: Ha