Hello again! I hope that everyone has settled into the term nicely and that you’ve all been enjoying some of the fantastic events that the JCR have been hosting so far. If you would like to know more about what’s going on within the college, I would advise you to get onto the Facebook page and give it a like, as that is the main hub regarding information surrounding events and other happenings too!

Also, Amy Gibbons, our Director of Engagement here in Bowland has asked me to promote the college’s Student Engagement Survey, which acts as a way for students to voice their opinions, as to how they would like to further improve the student experience here at Lancaster. Why would you complete this survey you ask? Well, there are a total of 3, £50 Amazon giftcards up for grabs for anyone who completes it! Hurry though, as the survey closes on Wednesday at midnight!

Now, with all of that aside I would like to dive right into the main topic of many article – British colloquial terms. We all know them, or do we? Lancaster University is home to almost 3000 international students, hailing from a wide range of different countries and continents, meaning that there is a large number of students who will have little to no idea about these terms before coming to the UK! What can we do to combat this issue? Well, instead of just curating a long and boring list of all the common terms that we Brits use on a daily basis, that we could have a bit of fun with it by quizzing none other than our friendly neighbourhood International Representative, Jerry Li! So, without further ado – here are his answers.

 

Ta – thank you (Correct! ‘Ta’ is a Northern term, and is just a short and simple way to say thanks!)


Alright? – how’re you doing bro (Correct! This is a bit of a strange one that has caused me problems whilst living abroad, as it would usually be used as a way of gaging whether a person is okay or not. Whereas in the UK, using ‘Alright?’ as a one term question can be used interchangeably either as a greeting, or as a substitute for ‘how are you?’)


Scran – uhhhh is this like breakfast or something? Or a fight? 😃 (Incorrect! Close Jerry, very close. 'Scran' is another word for food!)


That’s mint – that’s dope (Correct! This is another term hailing from the North and is quite a strange one, considering that mint is a flavour and not a way of describing something! But in UK culture, ‘mint’ is synonymous with good, usually very good!)


dead cool/smart/fit – hot? (Incorrect! You’re on the right lines, as ‘fit’ does mean attractive, but what I was actually getting at with this one was the use of the term ‘dead’, which in UK culture is similar to the use of ‘mint’, as it is synonymous with something being good.)


Cup of squash – fruit syrup (Correct! Although, to call it ‘fruit syrup’ is an insult to the beautiful invention that is squash, Jerry! Squash, or as it is known in other areas of the UK, ‘cordial’ or ‘dilutey juice’ is a concentrated fruit juice that is added to water. It is a British delicacy. End of story.)


What’s the crack? – drugs? (Incorrect! Contrary to what you would expect, asking someone what the ‘crack’ is, has nothing to do with illegal substances & is actually just another way of asking how someone is, or what their plans for the day are.)


What you having for pudding? DESSERT (Correct! Somewhat of an inside joke to the JCR, Jerry named his first event ‘Pudding With Pals’ without actually knowing at first what a ‘pudding’ was! But after explaining that a ‘pudding’ is just a ‘desert’ he was happy to go along with it.)


The road’s choca – chocolate? (Incorrect! To say something is ‘choca’ is to say that something is busy, not covered in chocolate!)


Bare (I’ve got bare work to do) – like none? I’m just guessing now (Incorrect! This is another confusing one, as it would make sense for something that is ‘bare’ to be empty, but in UK culture to say that something is ‘bare funny’ or to say ‘I’ve got bare work to do’ means that it is very funny or that they have a lot of work to do!)


Bugger All – nothing (Correct! To say that you have ‘Bugger all’ is another way of saying you have nothing.)


Gutted – sad (Correct! Gutted is just another way of expressing sadness. For example:
Person 1: I couldn’t get any tickets for Glastonbury this year, they sold out in seconds!
Person 2: Aw, gutted. )


Skive -????????????????? (This was an extra hard one, so I’m sorry Jerry! To ‘skive’ is to miss or skip something, usually used in relation to missing a day of school, or work.)

So, there you have it – a list of some of the most commonplace colloquialisms that exist within British culture today! This article, though framed as a bit of a laugh, deals with quite a serious issue. It raises the question of how we, as a college and community can help to better the experiences of our international students by being more inclusive and welcoming.

There is a criticism that permeates the entire country, throughout the universities of the UK, that international students can often find it next to impossible to integrate with our British-born students. I think that as a college and university as a whole we do a good job of making sure to look after and integrate these students, (Don’t forget, our lovely President Domenica is Italian!) but let’s make sure that regardless of our existing efforts that we, as a college, do our best to be a collectively kind and compassionate community where everyone moves forward under one banner – the Bowland banner!

Signing off,

Sam Cooper (Bowland Magazine Editor)