BRITISH SLANGS FOR IELTS (Part 16)

• ˜Fortnight - Two weeks. Comes from an abbreviation of "fourteen nights". Hence terms like "I'm off for a fortnights holiday" meaning "I am going on a two week vacation"

• Full monty - Since the movie has come out of the same name I have heard some odd Texan descriptions of what the full monty means. It really has nothing to do with taking your clothes off. It just means the whole thing or going the whole way. That's it. Clearly when applied to stripping it means not stopping at your underwear! The origins of the expression are still under discussion. There are many theories but no conclusive evidence at the moment.

• Full of beans - This means to have loads of energy. It is a polite way of saying that a child is a maniac. I was often described as being full of beans as a kid and now it is my wife's way of telling me to keep still when she is trying to get to sleep. Strangely the same expression in some parts of the US means that you are exaggerating or talking bollocks!

• Gagging - Desperate, in a fat slaggy kind of a way. Not nice.

• Gallivanting - The dictionary says "to gad about", which probably doesn't help much! It means fooling around or horseplay.

• Gander - When I was a kid, my Dad often used to go off for a gander when we were visiting a new town or village. It means to look around.

• Gen - Gen means information. If you have the gen then you know what is going on.