Spoken English. British weather, expressions and idioms

If you have been in the UK for a while, you might have noticed that after the customary greeting of, “Good morning, good afternoon, good evening or good day”, between passers-by on the street, it is almost invariably followed by a comment about the weather. The reason for this, of course, is that the British weather is very changeable, totally unpredictable and not usually very good, and we Brits have developed an extensive vocabulary dedicated to describing the whole gamut (scale) of atmospheric conditions.

Never mind the weather!

 A “typical” London morning might be referred to as dreary, gloomy, grey, dim, dull, dismal, murky, overcast or simply cloudy, and you might overhear someone say, “It’s a right miserable morning”. If it’s a little cold, we might say, “There’s a nip in the air” or “Darn chilly, isn't it”, or “It’s proper parky today”. In all the movies, the streets of London are invariably portrayed as being swathed and enveloped in a foreboding mist, which we would call fog, and if it’s really thick, so “You can’t see your hand in front of your face”, it’s known as, “Real pea-supper!” 

 I imagine your English teacher has not taught you any of these, and while some are not really “correct” English, this is the language that people speak on the street, and if you are going to be able to hold a conversation, it might help to have a few of these up your sleeve (know them). The English language relies greatly on colloquialisms or local expressions, and getting to grips with (studying) some of these will definitely help you keep up in (understand) a real conversation!

Rain glorious rain!

Just as the Eskimo peoples have many different words to describe the different types of snow that affect their daily lives, so the British have many words to describe the different types or rain! When rain-clouds are forming, we may say it is “clouding over” and the sky may be said to be leaden, foreboding, threatening, unsettled or lowering/louring (it can be spelled either way). If a few drops of rain are falling, “it is spitting” and if the drops are fine and consistent, “it is drizzling or sprinkling”, and the general atmosphere is described as damp. As the rain gets harder, we may say, “It’s chucking it down, tamping it down, teeming it down or bucketing it down”, or “It’s raining cats and dogs!!!” There is a deluge, a downpour, a cloudburst, a tempest or a torrent, but when it stops, “It was just a shower!”

Wild, wet and windy!

If there is a little wind, “It is breezy”. If the wind is a little stronger and intermittent, “It is gusty, blowy or blustery”. If there is a single puff, blast or draught of wind, and if accompanied by rain, “It is squally or wintry”. When there is strong wind, you can say “Blowing a hurricane, or a gale”. We speak of “a rough or wild day” when it is stormy, and thunder and lightening threaten. There are hailstones, those hard little balls of ice that fall at great speed from the sky. Also, beautiful white snowflakes swirl in the air that turn too soon to slush (sloppy and grey matter) that forms before giving us time to play in snow drifts, make snow men or have snowball fights.

There is hazy weather, which is like misty, but relates to sunshine, and is the indicator of a good, bright, fine, clear, sunny day, ”Without a cloud in the sky”. We may speak of a hint or glimpse of sunshine and rarely a blazing hot, stifling, suffocating day!  It is strange that the British do not seem to have many words to describe nice days.

So now you are fully equipped with knowledge of the British weather and if you are planning to go to study in the UK, you are armed for a good conversation covering any kind of weather; just remember before you go out to practice, "Better take your brolly (Umbrella)!"