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After spending 8 weeks in London, UK in 2008, I am returning for a week visit! I had an internship in the West End Theatre District working backstage on Hairspray the Musical and am going back on my spring break to visit friends and see shows!
New Words and Phrases from the Brits....
- "(I) Can't Be Asked"- it's tough to find an American equivalent that people use on a regular basis like this phrase. It means 'I can't be bothered' but is used in varying situations. It could mean anything from "don't bug me," to "I dont give a shit" to "I could care less" to "oh it's a mess I don't know."
- "....love"- Everyone uses it after Hello, thank you, or any sort of request here.
- "Oh bullocks!" - "Oh crap!" or "Balls!" Also used to mean 'the shit/the bomb!'...Ex. "Oh, she's the bullocks!"
- "You alright?"-This is a common greeting that seems to be the equivalent of the American "How are you?" that requires a simple "i'm good, you?" answer, not usually answered with anything more than one word. This phrase is sometimes accompanied with "how are you" preceding it.
- ***The Stalls- Orchestra level seating in a theatre.
- **Interval- Intermission
- *DSM (Deputy Stage Manager)- Basically the equivalent of an assistant stage manager in a professional theater in the states.
- Beginners- the equivalent of "places!" in America...for example the SM will come over the headset and ask "How we doing on Beginners?" to see if everyone is onstage yet.
- belland- a jerk, dick
- Brill- comes from 'brilliant' a popular word here. It is an "abbrev" and I love that the British do that with their words too! :) Ex. "That's just brill!"
- Cans- A headset
- Cheers!- something people say to mean: thank you, bless you, see you later, or just for the heck of it. Ex. "Where can I find that?...oh thank you." "Cheers!"
- Close-muggy, hot (prounced with the S- sound at the end like "close to me")
- cop- an annoyance with someone. "Oh I'm in a cop with her"
- cow- bitch
- Dep-someone coming in to fill in for an empty plot, for example a sound number 3 plot dep.
- Dodgy- odd, not quite right "I dont know, lately I've just felt kind of dodgy"
- For Let- to lease (the signs are everywhere on buildings)
- Get-in - Load In for a show
- Get-out - Load out or strike of a show
- gutted- to be gutted means that you are heartbroken, crushed, or disappointed about something. Eg. "I am already completely gutted at the thought of leaving London."
- knickers- underwear
- Lemonade- Sprite with Lemon and sugar in it
- mate- a good friend "Oh she's one of our best mates over here."
- Minger- someone unappealing
- Minging- Disgusting, appalling, gross.
- Page- to hold or pull the curtain as an actor or piece of scenery goes through. Ex. "page the curtain there"
- Pillock- idiot
- Pillock- idiot
- Plaster- bandaid or bandage. "I need to plaster my toe up"
- Plunker- idiot
- Pros (pr-ah-ss)- the proscenium arch
- Quids- Pounds, kind of like saying bucks for dollars
- Shattered- exhausted Ex. "I am absolutely shattered today!"
- Skank- dirty, messy, filthy
- Slapper- slut
- Still, Mineral or Tap? - the question you are asked when you order water at a restaurant...except you usually have to request tap if you want it free.
- The Tube- the subway system in London
- To fancy- to like someone, have a crush on them. Ex. "I fancy her"
- To stay or take away?- what they ask you at restaurants where you dont sit down to order...usually it costs more to stay.
- Toilets- no longer really called the "Lou" in my experience so far, this is what the restrooms are always called.
- Touch Wood- a figure of speech meaning the same as "knock on wood"
- Tramp- homeless person
- Treads-sneakers
- trollup- slut
- Twat- idiot
- Twit- idiot
- Uni- at college, university, school
- wanker- stupid idiot
MAKE ART NOT WAR- the most memorable artists and works in my museum-going...
- Althamer, Pawel- "Foksal Gallery Foundation," a sculpture of an office scenario
- Bacon, Francis - of course another classic favorite
- Balka, Miroslaw- giant string of soap probably about 20 feet tall...just bars of soap stacked!
- Beckmann, Max- "Carnival"
- Boccioni, Umberto- "Unique Forms of Continuity in Space," knew this one too!
- Bomberg- "Ju-Jitsu"
- Calle, Sophie- probably my favorite display. "Hotel." She was a maid who analyzed and went through hotel guests belongings and documentated her work with text and photography. It was like reading a suspense novel.
- Cattelan, Maurizio- "Ave Maria"- three arms through a wall...a bit odd and thought provoking
- Demand, Thomas- "Tavern," photography
- Denny, Robyn- "Golem I"-paint splattered across the work
- Gainsborough, Thomas- "Giovanna Baccelli," reminded me of Maria in The Sound of Music that I saw the same week.
- Hiller, Susan- 5 film screens in 5 tints of women moving objects with only their minds! Matilda the movie was on one of the screens!
- Hirst, Damien- "spot" paintings, polka dots!
- Holzer, Jenny- "Inflammatory Essays," these were neon boxes of text covering a wall
- Johns, Jasper- "0 through 9" A great work that shows numbers one through nine all at once!
- Kandinsky- classic abstract/cubism. "Swinging"
- Kiefer, Anselm- "Lilith", Reminiscent of Lord of the Rings set design to me
- Kokoschka, Oskar- "Ambassador Ivan Maisky," unique color use in skin tones and portraiture
- Kossoff, Leon- "Christ Church, Spitafields," bold, charcoal line
- Landy, Michael- Collage drawings, newspaper-like
- Lewitt, Sol- Wall drawings
- Lichtenstein, Roy- Always close to my heart, Lichtenstein is! "Whaam!," and "Wall Explosion II"
- Magritte, Rene- of course a favorite. "Man With a Newspaper"
- Mondrian, Piet- hey this one is familiar! (the basis for the design of the show PUSH that I was asst. set designer for), "Composition C No. III," "Composition B, No. II"
- Nash, Paul- geometric, 3D shapes
- Nay, Ernst William- post war expressionism
- Nevinson- "Bursting Steel"
- Nicolson, Ben- "Le Quotiden," collage, music staff inside
- Noble, Paul- "Paul's Palace," for some reason this just screamed Google Sketch Up to me and a demo project I did using that program last semester
- Oiticica, Helio-"Metaesquema"
- Picabia, Francis- "The Fig Leaf"
- Picasso, Pablo- "The Three Dancers"
- Rauschenberg, Robert- "Almanac," a black and white image for free association...no true meaning!
- Sargent, John Singer- "Carnation Lily, Lily Rose," just a beautiful painting of two little girls with lanterns.
- Shimamoto, Shozo- "Holes," works about Hiroshima
- Starkey, Hannah- color photography, painterly
- Tabrizian- "Beyond the Limits" contemplative photography, some of Iran/Iraq, that piece was of a man falling out of an otherwise peaceful building headfirst.
- Turner, JMW- "the Harbour of Brest" unfinished, blocked in paint
- Warhol, Andy- how could I go to the Tate Modern without seeing some Warhol? "Hamburger," "Gun."
- Whistler- "Nocturne Blue and Silver Cremorne Lights"
- Williams, Fred.- from Australia. Abstract art.
- Wilson, Richard- sketchbook process work
Links to browse...
My London Playlist
- "A Foggy Day (In London Town)," by Ella Fitzgerald
- "Baker Street," by Gerry Rafferty
- "Electric Avenue," by Eddie Grant
- "LDN," by Lily Allen
- "London Calling," by the Clash
- "London Girl," by the Pogues
- "London's Brilliant Parade," by Elvis Costello
- "London," by Third Eye Blind
- "Werewolves of London," by Warren Zevon
- "West End Girls," by The Pet Shop Boys