English is a confusing language. Apparently easy to understand yet hard to master, it is a minefield of pronunciation hazards, spiked with spurious spellings and an ever-widening vocabulary. Add the rich, fast-growing tapestry of slang, and you have problems.
That is especially so for the 'septic tanks' (Yanks). So says British Airways, which adheres to the maxim that the two nations are divided by a common language. The airline has put billboard adverts across New York, explaining Britishisms and London slang to unwitting tourists planning to visit London.
It is a worthwhile gesture. Visitors would do well to remember that a 'monkey' is GBP500 ($7,090) and a 'pony' GBP25. A GBP10 note is a 'tenner' or a 'Paul McKenna', a GBP5 note a 'fiver' or 'Lady Godiva'. A 'Bobby Moore' is a 'score', or GBP20, while 'shrapnel' means loose change. And GBP1,000? A 'grand', or a 'gorilla', because it's two monkeys.
BA has placed beer mats in Manhattan bars spelling out the do's and don'ts of conversational London - 'bonkers' is mad, 'sacked' is fired, while feeling 'Hank Marvin' indicates the need for food (starvin').
The BA campaign is a tad behind the times, though, as slang moves too fast even for dictionaries. Collins publishers, however, hopes to avoid this with its new online Living Dictionary.
In come buzzwords such as 'chav' and 'hoodie', the slang for louts adorned in the uniform of gold chains, Burberrys, hooded tops, prison-white trainers and Kappa sportswear. There is 'bingo wings', the flab on arms usually seen while shouting 'bingo, I've won'. This should not be confused with 'bouncebackability', meaning resilience, coined by a London football club manager whose team had none, and got relegated.