The Cinema, and other terms

I went to the movies with folks from work this week, only they didn't refer to it as the movies but as the cinema. And after contemplating this difference long enough and thinking of the theater as the cinema myself, I had to admit that going to the movies started to sound a little funny: it sounds like something a fast-talking, 1920s Hollywood producer would say.

The Electric Cinema, supposedly the oldest theater in Birmingham.

Tasya suggested I write up a blog post on the difference between the British cinema and American movies, but it turns out I don't actually have much to report. We went to a small art house theater (which I understand isn't really indicative of most British theaters) and watched a private screening of The Goonies. Long story, don't ask.

Instead, I figured I'd share a few other British terms I've picked up over the last couple weeks. I've actually decided against validating any of these on online, so do let me know if I've got any of them wrong. Also, I'm going to assume that readers are fairly familiar with the most obvious British terms (the boot & loo, telly, windscreen, etc. being the kinds of examples I'm thinking of here) and won't bother with them here.

Pavement - What the British call the sidewalk. As far as I can tell, no one in Britain uses the term "sidewalk."

Quid - Slang for a (Great British) pound, the equivalent of how an American might refer to the dollar as a "buck."

Squid - A five-pound note.

Taking the piss (out of someone) - Giving someone a hard time.

Pudding - Any kind of dessert. This actually clarifies a line in Pink Floyd's The Wall for me, though I'm a little disappointed the kid wasn't necessarily eating an actual pudding cup, which is what I've always imagined.

Biscuit - A cookie or a cracker. This is especially weird because there are a surprising number of KFCs in England, and from what I understand, none of them have traditional American biscuits. Something about that just seems wrong.

Jelly - Referring to gelatin, like Jell-O. I think this is why most Brits generally find the idea of a PB&J revolting.

A full stop - English term for a period (in punctuation).

Nipping off (to nip) - To do something quickly. As in "I'm going to nip off to the loo right quick" or someone nipping between lanes in traffic.

Cheers - I initially thought this was an alternative for "thank you" but I've heard people say "Thank you, cheers" on multiple occasions now. It's kind of like a hybrid of "thank you" & "goodbye." I don't think there's a proper alternative for this in the US.

Rubbish - Saying something's no good. In America folks will sometimes call something "trash," but calling something rubbish in England seems to be way less critical. Then again it just might be the accent making people sound nicer than they are.

Shit(e) - Also saying something's no good, and again seemingly less pejorative than saying this in America. The context I heard this in was at a pub where someone was wanted a cigarette but had quit. He sad, and I quote: "Nah, I used to smoke 'em, back before my life was shite." He was piss drunk and Irish and I liked the cut of his jib quite a lot, actually.

Also, I met someone this week for whom the term "Time to shit or get off the pot" was completely novel, which makes me suspect this is a decidedly American phrase. I'm not sure if that's due to the fact that it's especially vulgar or especially direct, but I do like to think that it's American because of both these things.