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THE ABBERLEY BEACH MURDERS an addictive crime thriller with a fiendish twist (Detective Dove Milson Book 3)

Page 29

by D. E. White


  ITU: intensive therapy unit in hospital

  Jane/John Doe: a person whose identity is unknown/anonymous

  JCB: a manufacturer of construction machinery, like mechanical excavators

  Jerry-built: badly made

  Jungle: nickname given to migrant camp near Calais

  Lad: young man

  Lass: young woman

  Lift: elevator

  Lord Lucan: famous British aristocrat who allegedly killed his children’s nanny and disappeared in 1974 and was never found

  Lorry: truck

  Lovely jubbly: said when someone is pleased

  Luftwaffe: German air force

  M&S: Marks and Spencer, a food and clothes shop

  Miss Marple: detective in a series of books by Agatha Christie, often used to imply a busybody, especially of older women

  MOD: Ministry of Defence

  Mobile phone: cell phone

  MP: Member of Parliament, politician representing an area

  MRSA: A strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

  Myra Hindley: famous British serial killer

  Naff: tacky/corny, not cool

  Naff all: none

  National Service: compulsory military service, in the UK ended in 60s

  Net curtains: a type of semi-transparent lace curtain

  NHS: National Health Service, public health service of the UK

  Nick: police station (as verb: to arrest)

  Nowt: nothing

  Nutter: insane person, can be used affectionately

  Nursery: a place which grows plants, shrubs and trees for sale (often wholesale)

  O levels: exams taken between age 14 and 16 until 1988 (replaced by GCSEs)

  Old bag: old woman (insulting)

  Old Bill: police

  OTT: over the top

  Owt: anything

  Pants: noun: underwear, adjective: bad/rubbish/terrible

  Para: paratrooper

  Pay-as-you-go: a cell phone on which you pay for calls in advance

  PC: police constable

  Pear-shaped: gone wrong

  Petrol: gasoline

  Pictures: movie

  Pillbox: a concrete building, partly underground, used as an outpost defence

  Pillock: fool

  Pips: police insignia indicating rank

  Piss off: an exclamation meaning go away (rude), can also mean annoy

  Pissing down: raining

  Playing field: sports field

  Pleb: ordinary person (often insulting)

  Portakabin: portable building used as temporary office etc.

  Post: mail

  Planning Department: the local authority department that issues licences to build and develop property

  PNC: police national computer

  PSNI: Police Service of Northern Ireland

  Prat: idiot, can be used affectionately

  Premier League: top English soccer division

  Proms: annual concerts held at the Albert Hall

  Public analyst: scientists who perform chemical analysis for public protection purposes

  RAF: Royal Air Force

  Rag: newspaper

  Ram-raiding: robbery where a vehicle is rammed through a shop window

  Randy: horny

  Recce: reconnaissance

  Red Adair: famous oil well firefighter

  Resus: resuscitation room

  Right state: messy

  Ring: telephone (verb)

  Roadworks: repairs done to roads

  Rozzers: police

  RSPB: Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

  RTC: road traffic collision

  RV: rendezvous point

  Royal Engineers: British army corps dealing with military engineering, etc.

  Rugger: rugby (posh American football)

  Sarge: sergeant

  SCO19: Specialist Crime and Operations Specialist Firearms Command

  Scrote: low life

  Section: to have someone committed to a mental hospital under UK mental health laws

  Semi: semi-detached house, a house with another house joined to it on one side only

  Shedload: a large amount

  Shop: store

  Shout the odds: talk in a loud bossy way

  Sickie: day off work pretending to be ill

  Sixth-form college: where students study A levels

  SIO: senior investigating officer

  Skell: a homeless person, aka ‘tramp’ (insulting)

  Skip: a large open container used for building waste

  Slapper: used to label somebody as overtly sexual, typically a younger woman, aka ‘skank’ (insulting)

  Smackhead: heroin addict (insulting)

  Snout: police informer

  SOCO: scene-of-crime officer

  Sod: an annoying person

  Sort: to do or make

  Solicitor: lawyer

  Sparky: electrician

  Spook: spy

  Spuds: potatoes

  Squaddie: a soldier of low rank

  Stunner: beautiful woman

  Super: superintendent (police rank)

  Surveyor: someone who examines land and buildings professionally

  Sweeting: endearment, like sweetheart

  Tabloid: newspaper, typically known for a sensationalist style of journalism

  Tea: dinner (Northern English)

  Tea towel: drying cloth

  Till: cash register

  Tip: a mess, e.g. ‘This room is a tip’, or a local garbage dump

  Tipsy: a bit drunk

  Top oneself: commit suicide

  Torch: flashlight

  Tutor: university teacher

  Tower block: tall building containing apartments (usually social housing)

  Twoc: steal a car, often just for joyriding (taking without owner’s consent)

  Upmarket: affluent or fancy

  Wacky baccy: cannabis

  Wally: silly person (can be used affectionately)

  War Cry: Salvation Army magazine

  Wash: the washing machine

  Water board: company supplying water to an area

  White van man: typical working-class man who drives a small truck

  WI: Women’s Institute, organisation of women in the UK for social/cultural activity

  Widow’s weeds: black clothes worn by a widow in mourning

  Wilco: will comply, i.e. ‘yes’

  Wrinklies: old people

  Yellowbelly: native of Lincolnshire (not to be confused with yellow-belly, meaning a coward)

  Yob: a rude or aggressive youth or person

  Yorkie: type of chocolate bar

 

 

 


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