BRITISH SLANGS FOR IELTS (Part 18)

• Grub - Food. Similar to nosh. I remember my Dad calling "grub's up", when dinner was ready as a kid. A grub is also an insect larva. Not usually eaten in England. Actually is available in some Australian restaurants!

• Gutted - If someone is really upset by something they might say that they were gutted. Like when you are told that you have just failed your driving test!

• Haggle - Barter and negotiate are other words for haggle. Most people that wangle stuff are usually quite good at haggling. I just learnt that in the USA you dicker over a price, particularly for used cars!

• Hanky panky - Hanky panky - or "slap and tickle" as some older folks call it - would be making out in America.

• Hard - After your 20 pints of lager, the curry or the doner, your average 20 year old feels hard. Since his male organ has no chance of working at this stage, hard clearly refers to something else - it means he is ready to fight anything or anybody or to take on any bet. This is the time to make fun of drunken lads by betting them they can't jump off the end of the pier, hang on to the back of a bus etc.

• Hard lines - This is another way of saying hard luck or bad luck.

• Hash - The thing you call a pound sign! Before you ask, yes it is also something you smoke - see wacky backy. Also to make a real hash of something means you really screwed it up.