​

​14/10/25 Tech Bro & Broligarch

The two words Tech Bro and Broligarch go hand in hand.

​

The term “Tech Bro” is a colloquial expression that emerged in the 2010s to describe a certain stereotype of technology professionals — typically young, affluent male, and based in Silicon Valley or similar technology hubs.

​

The phrase combines “tech”, referring to the technology industry, and “bro”, a slang term rooted in African American English that later spread into mainstream youth culture.

​

While “bro” once simply meant “brother” or “close male friend” in Black communities, in this newer context it defines a specific subculture of privileged, self-assured young men — often associated with venture capital, start-ups, and disruptive innovation.

​

Tech Bro thus carries an ironic/critical tone, implying arrogance, social insularity and perhaps a lack of concern about the broader social consequences of technology as may be seen in the rush to AI and the concerns it creates.

​

Politically, the label often signals critique of Silicon Valley’s libertarian or techno-utopian leanings — the belief that technology and entrepreneurship can solve all societal problems without government intervention or ethical restraint.

​

At this point Tech Bro has evolved into the subset of people described as Broligarchs, a more recent, satirical word that blends “bro” and “oligarch.”

​

Broligarch is thus used to describe tech figures who’ve moved beyond the scrappy start-up phase of business and now wield huge economic or political power through massive success — effectively becoming modern-day oligarchs.

Where a Tech Bro is busy pitching ideas to venture capitalists wearing jeans, a Broligarch is typically a billionaire with huge financial power and libertarian politics – think Elon Musk, Peter Thiel – able to easily open doors and buy influence to suit themselves.

​

The irony is that the Broligarchs would claim to be against the establishment but in many ways have become the establishment, what in Britain in the not too distant past would have been called the old-boy network, referring to the network of people who through having attended particular schools are able to gain access to power.

​

02/10/25 Tad & "English Understatement" 

This word of American origin has somehow become very British and is in common usage.

 

Tad is a word well suited to the use of "English Understatement", the British tendency to describe things as less important or dramatic than they actually are.

 

I saw a good example of English Understatement in a French textbook at School. Madame Dupont had just smashed up her husband's new Renault 16 (I'm showing my age here) and he was berating her, shouting "Sacrebleu" at her, the English translation given was a very tame "Tut tut".

​

• Examples:

  1. “I’m a tad tired after Binge-watching the entire last season of Game of Thrones.”

  2. “Could you turn the music down just a tad? My tea is vibrating.”

  3. “That meeting was a tad longer than I expected… I grew a beard waiting.”

 

02/10/25 Tat

Things that are flashy, junky stuff — the kind of things you buy on holiday, then wonder why on earth you brought them home. Can also mean general rubbish.

​

The word dates back to the early 17th century meaning “tattered clothes”; today it’s perfect shorthand for anything shoddy but sometimes endearingly so.

​

• Examples:

  1. “That souvenir shop sells nothing but cheap tat.”

  2. “Clear out the garage, it’s full of old tat you’ll never use.”

 

23/09/25 Hols

Well I've just come back from my Hols and now, out of the heat of the sun, can start writing these little definitions again. When you learn English formally you may well be asked about your "holidays" but in the real world it is very often abbreviated to just "Hols".

​

Examples:

• “We’re off to Greece for our summer hols — can’t wait for some sunshine!”

• “The kids are driving me mad now they’re on their school hols.”

It’s essentially the same as saying “vacation” in American English, but with a relaxed British approach of chopping down words to make them sound friendlier (hols, uni, veg, sides[ugh]).

​

​

23/09/25 Skint

​

A word I've used too many times, a cheerful little British word meaning broke, penniless, without even "two coins to rub together". One of very very many ways of describing being out of money.

 

It’s often said with a shrug and a grin, as if to suggest being out of money is just another part of life’s ups and downs not some serious insuperable condition of poverty.

​

Examples:

• “I’d join you for a curry tonight, but I’m completely skint till payday — beans on toast it is!”

• “We went on holiday to Spain, came back tanned, happy, and utterly skint.”

 

Probable etymology:
“Skint” is chiefly British slang, first recorded in the late 1920s. It’s thought to come from dialectal use of skinned — as in “having been skinned of one’s money” (stripped bare). Over time, it shortened to “skint” and became a light hearted way of admitting you’re strapped for cash.

​

There are plenty of other ways of describing this condition, often regional, words like "Stony Broke", "Brassic" a word derived from Cockney rhyming slang "boracic lint" which rhymes with Skint.

​

​

22/05/25 Mains and Sides

​

In my youth, indeed up till about 20 years ago ”Mains” meant “mains electricity” a corollary of “water mains”.

 

Latterly though sinister forces have given it a new and degenerate meaning, providing a good example of a recent trend in English to abbreviate. So as a programmer I used to write applications, I now find they are called apps. Apparently this is progress…

​

So back to Mains and Sides - when I used to go to a restaurant I would order my main course and sometimes a side dish or two. Well in some “Eateries” (I'll explain later perhaps) the waiter or waitress will now take your order for Mains and Sides...

 

Unfortunately my one person crusade to stop this degradation of the language of Shakespeare has failed completely. It makes me cry…

 

Examples:

Mains

• "For the mains, we have grilled sea bass, roast lamb, and a vegetarian risotto."

  → Refers to the main course options on the menu.

• "Would you like to order your mains now, or would you prefer another starter first?"

  → A server checking if the diners are ready for their main course.

Sides

• "All mains come with a choice of two sides – chips, salad, or seasonal vegetables."

  → Indicates optional or included accompaniments to the main dish.

• "Can we get a few extra sides for the table? Maybe some garlic bread and onion rings?"

  → Customers ordering additional side dishes to share.

​​

​

08/04/25 Gobsmacked​

​

This lovely word is actually in quite common usage and everyone will understand it but you are very unlikely to find it in a textbook.

​

So, have you ever been so surprised by something that's happened you were left without words, you couldn’t speak?

 

That’s being gobsmacked. "Gob" is old slang for mouth, so it’s like getting hit or smacked in the mouth.

​

Examples:

• I was gobsmacked when I won the prize.

• He looked completely gobsmacked when his girlfriend turned up unannounced.

​​

08/04/25 Gobby

​

So when in English you learn one word you so often also learn others, here for instance is Gobby, again starting from the word "Gob" but this time to describe someone who talks too much or perhaps is "cheeky"

So more formally it describes someone who is loud, opinionated and not afraid to speak their mind with an emphasis on sometimes a bit too much!

​

If someone’s being “gobby”, they’re probably talking a lot and not exactly being shy about it. Think bold, brash and maybe a bit in-your-face. It’s not always meant to be nasty—sometimes it’s teasing, sometimes it’s spot-on.

​

Examples:

• She’s a bit gobby after a couple of drinks, but she means well.

• He got gobby with the bouncer and ended up getting kicked out.

​

​

01/04/25 Dodgy

​

Dodgy (adjective, British informal) – Meaning dishonest, unreliable, suspicious, or of poor quality. It can also mean risky or dangerous in certain contexts.

​

Examples:

• I wouldn’t buy a car from him—he’s a bit dodgy. (Untrustworthy or suspicious)

• That neighbourhood gets right dodgy after dark, so be careful. (Very unsafe or risky)

In the second example, "right dodgy" is a British colloquialism meaning "very dodgy", the word "right" intensifies the adjective. It’s very commonly used in spoken English, in and around London and also the North of England/Midlands.

​

​

25/03/25 Chuffed

​

"Chuffed" is a British English informal adjective meaning very pleased, proud, or delighted. It is very  commonly used to express satisfaction or happiness about something. It's a word almost exclusively used in moments of joy, however I well recall a previous manager of mine from Yorkshire who was adamant that in Yorkshire "Chuffing hell", was used to replaced the "F. word" which should thus be avoided in polite company if you're in Yorkshire but only there because it is widely understood to mean "pleased"

​

Examples

• I just got promoted at work—I’m absolutely chuffed!

• She was chuffed to bits when she found out she had won the competition.

​​

The expression "to bits" is interesting as it serves to emphasise the following word, thus pleased to bits means "really pleased" as does "Chuffed to bits". It doesn't have the same negative sense as the Italian "a pezzi".

​

 

13/03/25 Knackered

 

When I've had a hard day, I'm completely exhausted and want to slump into my sofa with a good book and a cup of tea, I can say that I'm completely "knackered".

 

The word "knackered" is a very common British English slang term meaning really tired or exhausted. It can also mean something is broken or worn out and as in the examples below it's very common to see it prefaced with words like absolutely, totally.

 

Its etymology is simple, being based on the "knacker" - a man who put down old horses for consumption and who worked in a "knacker's yard". The word grew in application through the years and became almost exclusively related to exhaustion/or things being broken

​

Examples:

• "I’ve been working a 12-hour shift—I’m absolutely knackered!" (I’m extremely tired.)

• "This old washing machine is completely knackered." (It’s broken and doesn’t work anymore.)

• "After studying all night for the exam, I feel totally knackered." (I’m mentally exhausted.)

​

​

07/03/25 Chav

​

A word I first heard from two nieces complaining about potential boyfriends being chavs - meaning 

A young person (usually male) of a type characterized by coarse and brash behaviour (with connotations of low social status).

"most of the shops were derelict and there just seemed to be chavs everywhere"

​The image they painted was of a badly dressed young man wearing gold trainers - definitely not boyfriend material for my nieces who were decidedly Posh

​​

07/03/25 Posh

A person with the quality of being elegant, stylish, or upper class.

"we finally bought a colour TV, which seemed the height of posh"

"my sister loves her posh frock, she wears it whenever she can"

This very British class-oriented word has the legend that it is an acronym for "Port Out, Starboard Home" used for the very wealthy steamship passenger going from the UK to India who wanted a cabin on the cool Port side of the ship in the direction of India, returning on the cool Starboard side of the ship coming home. Unfortunately there is no evidence to support the legend but given there is NO other credible explanation, it works well for me...

​

​

​