U.K.


Also found in: Thesaurus, Wikipedia.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.U.K. - a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; `Great Britain' is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom
balls-up, ballup, cockup, mess-up - something badly botched or muddled
clanger - a conspicuous mistake whose effects seem to reverberate; "he dropped a clanger"
clawback - finding a way to take money back from people that they were given in another way; "the Treasury will find some clawback for the extra benefits members received"
lucky dip - a selection or decision purely at random; "their system of hiring people seemed to be a sort of lucky dip"
flit - a secret move (to avoid paying debts); "they did a moonlight flit"
rustication - temporary dismissal of a student from a university
perambulation - a walk around a territory (a parish or manor or forest etc.) in order to officially assert and record its boundaries
fare-stage - a section along the route of a bus for which the fare is the same
pony-trekking - a sport in which people ride across country on ponies
rugby, rugby football, rugger - a form of football played with an oval ball
fives - a game resembling handball; played on a court with a front wall and two side walls
bar billiards, bagatelle - a table game in which short cues are used to knock balls into holes that are guarded by wooden pegs; penalties are incurred if the pegs are knocked over
tombola - a lottery in which tickets are drawn from a revolving drum
ludo - a simple board game in which players move counters according to the throw of dice
shove-halfpenny, shove-ha'penny, shovel board - a game in which coins or discs are slid by hand across a board toward a mark
lucky dip - a game in which prizes (e.g., candies or coins) are concealed in a container and for a small sum a player can draw one out at random
piss-up - vulgar expression for a bout of heavy drinking
rag - a boisterous practical joke (especially by college students)
hornpipe - a British solo dance performed by sailors
panto - an abbreviation of pantomime
doddle - an easy task
minister - the job of a head of a government department
headship - the position of headmaster or headmistress
costing - cost accounting
11-plus, eleven-plus - (formerly in Britain) an examination taken by 11 and 12 year old students to select suitable candidates for grammar school
swiz - British slang for a swindle
Ministry of Transportation test, MOT test, MOT - a compulsory annual test of older motor vehicles for safety and exhaust fumes
fire watching - (during World War II in Britain) watching for fires started by bombs that dropped from the sky
snogging - (British informal) cuddle and kiss
zizz - a nap; "Arthur's taking a short zizz"
dekko - British slang for a look
square-bashing - drill on a barracks square
rub up - a review that refreshes your memory; "I need a rub up on my Latin"
shufti - a quick look around (originally military slang); "take a shufti while you're out there"
lie-in - a long stay in bed in the morning
point duty - the control of traffic by a policeman stationed at an intersection
national assistance, social assistance, supplementary benefit - benefits paid to bring incomes up to minimum levels established by law
boot sale, car boot sale - an outdoor sale at which people sell things from the trunk of their car
invigilation - keeping watch over examination candidates to prevent cheating
aggro - (informal British usage) aggravation or aggression; "I skipped it because it was too much aggro"
punch-up - a fistfight; "the quarrel ended in a punch-up"
go-slow - a form of protest by workers in which they deliberately slow down in order to cause problem from their employers
Battle of Britain - the prolonged bombardment of British cities by the German Luftwaffe during World War II and the aerial combat that accompanied it
arterial road - a major or main route
backbench - any of the seats occupied by backbenchers in the House of Commons
bar - a heating element in an electric fire; "an electric fire with three bars"
betting shop - a licensed bookmaker's shop that is not at the race track
bin liner - a plastic bag used to line a trash or garbage bin
boot - British term for the luggage compartment in a car
bottle bank - a place where bottles can be deposited for recycling
caff - informal British term for a cafe
carriageway - one of the two sides of a motorway where traffic travels in one direction only usually in two or three lanes
clearway - a road on which you are not allowed to stop (unless you have a breakdown)
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
References in periodicals archive ?
Summary: A recent survey of L&D professionals working in the U.K. revealed that 60 percent of companies already using their apprenticeship levy funds are very confident that they have a sustainable talent pipeline.
The British Office Taipei (BOT) and Taiwan Financial Services Roundtable (TFSR) agreed to cooperate on the development of financial technology (FinTech) in both Taiwan and the U.K. through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday.
The United Kingdom's decision to leave the European Union has been described by a former Deputy Prime Minister of the U.K. Lord Michael Heseltine as being "the greatest constitutional crisis in modern times" in the U.K.
"All that is certain is that if the U.K. is to make a success of Brexit, it will need to draw on vast reserves of global goodwill," explains Simon Nixon for the Wall Street Journal.
Clinton election, on June 23, the U.K. voted 51.9 percent to 48.1 percent in favor of leaving the European Union--a totally unexpected result that could have substantial impact not only on the world economy, but also on U.S.
Facebook will changed the way it will pay tax in the U.K., resulting in millions more being paid by the social network after it was heavily criticized for funneling profits through Ireland where the corporation tax is much lower.
A revised proposal to require qualifying large businesses or groups to publish a tax strategy as it relates to U.K. activities (the Tax Strategy Proposal or Proposal) was issued on 9 December 2015 under Clause 65 of Finance Bill 2016.
Great British festival in Kerala is organized to boost business relations between the state and U.K., and for encouraging innovative entrepreneurs.
Driving further investment in the gluten-free category, Boulder Brands, Boulder County, CO, has acquired Davies Bakery, one of the U.K.'s top gluten-free baking businesses.
At the launch this month of the British Film Institute's five-year forward plan, "Film Forever: Supporting U.K. Film 2012-2017," BFI chief executive Amanda Nevill highlighted the importance of focusing on the international stage as a growth area for U.K.
1 Which U.K. band released the 2004 album Nightfreak And The Sons Of Becker?