British Stuff: 101 Objects That Make Britain Great

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One of the UK's many stately homes, Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, surrounded by an English garden. The house is one of the settings of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice. Stop faffing around – If you hear this and it’s aimed at you. Finish off whatever you are doing fast! The implication is you are taking too long or you are not doing it efficiently. Wonky – is another word for shaky or unstable. You can use it to refer to a person or an object. For example, you might say a chair has a wonky leg. Bite your arm off – don’t be alarmed if someone says this. No one is about to literally bite off any part of your anatomy. It is used to describe willingness. For example someone might say to you ”they will bite your arm off if you offer to write their essay.”

Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own currency which is legal tender elsewhere in the UK but if you use them anywhere else outside those contexts people might not accept them’ (Jouyin Teoh) In contrast to the comparatively homogeneous classical and pop genres, each nation of the UK has retained a distinct tradition of folk music. The traditional folk music of England has contributed to several genres, such as sea shanties, jigs, hornpipes and dance music. It has its own distinct variations and regional peculiarities, while musical Morris dancing is an English folk dance known to have existed at least as early as the mid-15th century. [38]However, not everyone was happy to see the opening of the postcard stall. In 1912, a notice appeared in the literary magazine 'The Athenaeum' submitted by 'An Old Reader'. They described the stall as 'large and obtrusive… surrounded by a chattering throng of young schoolgirls.' This image shows the postcard stall, located in the entrance hall, in 1929. Then, as now, don't forget to exit through the gift shop. The United Kingdom inherited the literary traditions of England, Scotland and Wales. These include Arthurian literature and its Welsh origins, Norse-influenced Old English literature, the works of English authors Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare, and Scots works such as John Barbour's The Brus. Robert Burns is regarded as the national poet of Scotland. [23] Crumpets: A small, round griddle cake made from unsweetened batter. Generally eaten with sweet toppings like syrup, jam, berries, sugar or cream.

One major advantage to having a weather system which can go from sunny to snowy in the same day is that it’s often accompanied by incredible cloud formations. You could cloud-watch all day and see everything from cumulus clouds to nimbus clouds all from the same spot. Dialects and regional accents vary heavily amongst the four countries of the United Kingdom, as well as within the countries themselves. This is partially the result of the long history of immigration to the UK, for example Northern English dialects contain many words with Old Norse roots. [18] Scottish English, Welsh English, and Hiberno-Irish are varieties of English distinct from both English English and the native languages of those countries. Received Pronunciation is the Standard English accent in England and Wales, while in Scotland Scottish Standard English is a distinct dialect. Although these accents have a high social prestige, since the 1960s a greater permissiveness toward regional English varieties has taken hold in education. [19] Roald Dahl: A much-loved children’s author who wrote classics such as Matilda, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Boy, The BFG, James and The Giant Peach and Fantastic Mr. Fox. One off – an expression used to describe something unique. For example: “I bought this one-off dress from a student studying fashion.”Ewan McGregor: An actor best known for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars franchise. Has been in other successful films such as Moulin Rouge and Big Fish. Hugh Laurie: An actor and comedian who is famous for being one half of the comedy duo Laurie and Fry, and for playing Dr. House on the TV series House. Daniel Day-Lewis: An actor famous for his dedication to method acting. Considered one of the best and most respected actors of his generation. One of three actors to have won three Oscars. Eden Project: A tourist attractoin in Cornwall. Biomes which house plants that are collected from various climates. There are no red flags or no showstoppers at any level so far. I think a long duration mission to the space station is a fantastic opportunity for us to learn about someone with a physical disability living and working in space.

At the beginning of the 20th century a new form of design, arts and crafts, became popular; the architectural form of this style, which had evolved from the 19th-century designs of such architects as George Devey, was championed by Edwin Lutyens. Arts and crafts in architecture is characterised by an informal, non-symmetrical form, often with mullioned or lattice windows, multiple gables and tall chimneys. This style continued to evolve until World War II. After that war, reconstruction went through a variety of phases, but was heavily influenced by Modernism, especially from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. Many bleak town centre redevelopments—criticised for featuring hostile, concrete-lined "windswept plazas"—were the fruit of this interest, as were many equally bleak public buildings, such as the Hayward Gallery. Yorkshire Pudding: A common English side dish. A baked pudding made of eggs, flour, milk and water. Chin wag – means to have a long chat and its origins come from a Welsh word meaning empty. It is believed that the word originates from a pub in North Wales where the landlady would ensure people drunk more than they intended by going around with a jug of ale and toping people’s glasses up by saying “chin wag” – which is Welsh for your cup is empty. D Yonks – when you haven’t seen someone for a long time. Example: “God, I haven’t been to a lecture for yonks!”

The arrival of Celtic and Germanic tribes influenced Britain's early development. [13] [14] The Celtic peoples introduced unique languages, traditions, and social structures. Subsequently, the migrations of Germanic tribes, such as the Anglo-Saxons, further influenced Britain’s cultural landscape. The ancient Roman occupation of Britain, lasting almost 400 years, also impacted the linguistic and cultural identity of Great Britain. [15]