Mumming play

Mumming play, also called mummers’ play,  traditional dramatic entertainment, still performed in a few villages in England and Northern Ireland, in which a champion is killed in a fight and is then brought to life by a doctor. It is thought likely that the play has links with primitive ceremonies held to mark important stages in the agricultural year. The name has been connected with words such as mumble and mute; with the German mumme (“mask,” “masker”); and with the Greek mommo (denoting a child’s bugbear, or a frightening mask).
Mumming is best described as early pantomime. The plays are based loosely on the legend of St. George and the dragon. The plays are intended to show the struggle between good and evil.

A chip shop

in the UK, a shop where you can buy fish and chips and other hotfoods to take away and eat.

Chav
Picture this: a young lad about 12 years of age and 4 ½ feet high baseball cap at ninety degrees in a imitation addidas tracksuit, with trouser legs tucked into his socks (of course, is definitely the height of fashion). This lad is strutting around, fag in one hand jewellery al over the over, outside McDonalds acting as if he is 8 foot tall and built like a rugby player, when some poor unsuspecting adult (about 17/18) walks round the corner wanting to go to mcdonalds for his dinner glances at the young lad, the young lad jumps up in complete disgust and says “Whats your problem? Wanna make sommin of it? Bling Bling” when the adult starts to walk towards the young lad, the young lad pisses himself and runs off to either his pregnant 14-year-old girlfriend or his brother in the army crying his eyes out.
A chav - is someone, especially a working-class person, who is not well educated, who dresses in designer clothes and wears a lot of gold jewellery but whose appearance shows bad taste.

Lovespoons

The giving and receiving of lovespoons between lovers, friends and family is a Welsh custom that dates back to the 17th century. 

Traditionally a lovespoon was a wooden spoon carved by a young man and presented to the woman he loved as a token of his affection.

Today lovespoons are very popular and used to mark and celebrate many occasions such as births, christenings, weddings, anniversaries and retirement. 

A lovespoon is usually decorated with certain symbols, with each symbol having certain significance and meaning,

Symbols and meanings

Bell – weddings, anniversaries
Ball(s) in cage – number of children
Cross – faith
Diamond – wealth, good fortune
Heart – Love
Horseshoe – good luck
Key/Keyhole – security, home
Knot/Celtic knotwork – everlasting, together forever
Dragon – Protection  (symbol of Wales)

Moreover, it can be a good present for Valentine's Day!

Thatcherism
A shorthand for the economic principles underlying the policies of the Thatcher government in the UK from 1979 to 1990. These included strengthening economic incentives by promoting competition, reduction of the role of government by deregulation and privatization, reliance on monetary policy to eliminate inflation, increasing individual choice, for example through the sale of council houses to their tenants, and a reduction in the powers of trade unions.


A mortar board is a stiff black cap which has a flat square top with a bunch of threads attached to it. In Britain, mortar boards are sometimes worn on formal occasions by university students and teachers.

Holmesian (n) is a fan of the character Sherlock Holmes; one who studies or enjoys the detective in stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Holmesian (adj) - characteristic of or pertaining to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes or his investigations, methods, or sayings.

Pork barrel (noun, Informal)

:a government appropriation, bill, or policy that supplies funds for local improvements designed to ingratiate legislators with their constituents.

Landslide

an election in which the winner gets a much greater number of votes than the loser

E.g. The presidential election turned out to be one of the biggest landslides in history. 

Cream tea - a small meal eaten in the afternoon consisting of tea with scones, jam, and cream.

Indian summer - a period of mild weather occurring in late autumn.


Uptown - a residential part of town away from the central commercial district.

Downtown - the central area or commercial center of a town or city.

Troubleshooter

1

:  a skilled worker employed to locate trouble and make repairs in machinery and technical equipment

2

:  an expert in resolving diplomatic or political disputes :  a mediator of disputes that are at an impasse

3

:  a person skilled at solving or anticipating problems or difficulties

Lawn mullet

A lawn which is well cared for on the front side of the house...

but in disarray on the back, much like a mullet - "business in the front, party in the back"

 For example: The Hendersons have such a mullet lawn. It's just like their marriage - they're always putting on their best face for the neighborhood, but deep down, they have issues...

 

Evel abbreviation English votes for English laws; the idea that only English (as opposed to Scottish, Welsh or Irish) MPs should be allowed to vote for laws that affect only England

Yet these are the two principal constitutional proposals that have come from the Conservative party in its kneejerk response to Ukip’s English nationalism and an ill-thought-out drive to impose what is commonly called ‘English votes for English laws’ (Evel).

 

Plug-in -  an electronic car

Since car makers and legislators ploughed billions into electric vehicles (and the infrastructure to support them), plug-ins have made the transition from rare-groove curios to viable short-range transport.

 

Shades of Red

a double-decker or a double-decker bus

 is a bus that has two levels, so that passengers can sit upstairs or downstairs

a pillar box 

is a tall red box in the street in which you put letters that you are sending by post.

a telephone box

 is a small shelter in the street in which there is a public telephone

Marmite

a dark savoury spread 

 made from yeast extract 

 and vegetable extract

LOLLIPOP LADY/MAN

a woman (or man) who is employed to help children cross the road safely near a school by holding up a circular sign on a pole to stop the traffic

Rushbearing Ceremonies

One of the most famous Rushbearing Ceremonies is held in Grasmere every year. It features a procession through the village where rushes are carried on a special linen sheet, held by six girls (the Rush Maidens), dressed in green, while others are made into elaborate shapes (called rush-bearings). a

the Underground is an underground railway, especially the one in London.

Cricket is an open-air game played on a large grass field with ball, bats, and two wickets, between teams of eleven players, the object of the game being to score more runs than the opposition. The full game with two innings per side can last several days; shorter matches are usual at the amateur level and have become popular at the professional level since the 1960s. 

Gig is a live performance by a musician or group playing popular or jazz music.

A laptop is a computer that is portable and suitable for use while travelling.

A jackpot is a large cash prize in a game or lottery, especially one that accumulates until it is won.

A punch bowl is a large bowl in which drinks, especially punch, are mixed and served.