What does that actually mean?

American and English seem so similar however I often hear American clients baffled by some English words.

When I started compiling this glossary for the US tongue I did not fully appreciate how difficult British English could actually be.

An American client pointed out to me that some of the fantastic things in Harry Potter’s school are not as weird and unexpected as some of the real school traditions we have. Interesting.

Here are some explanations …

Bap

A king-size bread roll. As in bacon bap. An English breakfast sandwich. Check out Brown’s Cafe in the Covered Market.

Fully licensed - Means licensed to sell alcohol including spirite

Pissed - drunk

Porter - College porters do not carry the suitcases in a college although they might. college porters have a huge range of responsibilities which may vary between colleges but essentially the greet people going in, bid goodbye to people going out, field enquiries from callers and know the college rules. That’s abasic description.

Porter’s Lodge - The lodge is not a mountain home. It is what Americans would call a gate house. This is where porters dwell. Mail and deliveries are taken here and visitors greeted. Each college has a team of porters who support the college and its students. The lodge is typically their headquarters.