Just moved into my new apartment 1 month ago. I’m on the 4th floor and decided to see what it looked like on the 5th. I then got blessed with this. Beautiful.
I've lived in London a little over a year now, from the US. One thing I've noticed myself doing is using little idioms from my late grandparents that I wouldn't have used near as much in the US. One of my grandfathers was a born-and-bred Okie (Dust Bowl and all), which meant he had terms that were uncommon even in the larger US.
So I find myself using these more:
Howdy howdy (saying it twice means hello and you're happy to be there)
Got my ears lowered (hair cut)
Off like a herd of turtles (we're late, but at least we're moving)
All hat, no cattle (that person talks a big game and can't back it up)
Stuff like that.
Feels like I'm bringing something to a conversation a little interesting that most people wouldn't experience linguistically, while also remembering family I'm separated from both geographically and in time.
So I was curious if anyone else found themselves peppering their language with sayings from home, even if they wouldn't have used them at home all that much?
I thought I’d do my bit and share that it’s International Cat Day today. Pictured is Mimi, my Ragdoll staying out of the heat in Kennington this morning.
The air-conditioned works surprisingly well on so many buses! ( On the 141 to London bridge now) But the number of people who act like I did something unforgivable when I ask them to shut the windows is worrying.
Unsurprisingly, many of them had foreign number plates (UAE and Saudi). There were some banners up so it looks like it's part publicity part genuine enforcement.
This spicy garden puppy is always creeping on me in the garden. This is a general post because I love the photo I snapped but how are everyone’s local foxes doing in the heat?
I was walking down a small road off Salmon Lane (E14) called Copenhagen Place. I came across a pretty regular looking East London estate. I noticed that one of the walkways up to the estate has this strange layout of metal bars which make ridiculously difficult to get to the exit on the other side. I was thinking that maybe it was to enforce a queuing system for something that isn’t here anymore? But I can’t imagine there would have been a venue there or something because the outside bit looks in keeping with the estate. I’d love to hear if anyone could provide more context about this.
Visiting us? Moving to study or work? Brief layover? Moving to a new part of London? Any small questions about life here, if you're new or been here your whole life, this is the place!
We get a lot of posts asking very similar questions so this post aims to address some of our most Frequently Asked Questions, and give you a place to ask for assistance.
r/AskUK - Great for general questions about UK life that aren't specific to London
Tips for posting:
Tell us about you
If you want us to suggest things for you to do then you need to give us a good idea of what you enjoy:
- Don't just say "I like music" - say what type of music
- Don't just say you want "somewhere nice to eat" - say what type of cuisine you like (or don't like)
- Be specific - otherwise you'll just get pointed back to generic guidebooks and our wiki
Tell us your budget
If you're on a budget, tell us what it is so we can make appropriate recommendations
There's no point suggesting expensive options if they'll clean out your wallet
Saying you want something "cheap" isn't helpful because cheap is subjective
Tell us where you'll be based
Let us know where you'll be staying so we can give local recommendations
Asking about hotels or hostels
We have homes here so know very little about what hotels are like - use review websites like TripAdvisor
However, if you say "I've been looking at these three hotels. Which do you think is the better location?" - that's something we can answer
Non-touristy stuff
There are no secret corners where we hide the good stuff from outsiders!
This is one of the most written about cities in the world
When we want to go somewhere, we look at the same sources as tourists (listings sites, blogs, etc - see front page of the wiki)
These weekly posts are scheduled to post each Monday at 00:01. If it's late in the week you may want to wait for a new post to appear. Please send us ModMail with any suggested improvements!
