British terms

British terms used in the Harry Potter Series are generally specific to British culture and may seem foreign to readers from other countries. At times, terms may even have been changed in certain translations to more culture-appropriate terms.

List of British terms

 * Barking - Shortened form of "barking mad" or "barking crazy." Used for emphasis.
 * Bogey - Booger. See Bat-Bogey Hex. In the US, an unidentified military aircraft or missile detected on radar; also, a score of one point over par in golf.
 * Bloody - A useful swear word used to give emphasis, as in bloody hell.
 * Cracking - Something at its best, usually said without pronounciation of the ending g. Also, corking.
 * Dodgy - Something that cannot be trusted. See Elphias Doge.
 * Git - Mildly derogatory, meaning a foolish or contemptible person.
 * "Hanged for a dragon as an egg" - Synonymous with "hanged for a sheep as a lamb"; If one is to be punished for committing minor offense anyway, one may as well go ahead with something even worse if it gets the job done better.
 * Have done - A shortened version of "have done it," as in, "he couldn't have done it."
 * Having kittens - Stressing out. Specifically, Molly Weasley was "having kittens" over her family's welfare.
 * Holiday - Any vacation or time off the usual work schedule. In the US, this term is only used for specific calendar days, such as Thanksgiving. Otherwise, "vacation" is used.
 * Jumper - A warm shirt, sometimes knitted. Specifically, Molly Weasley knits jumpers for her family every Christmas. This was changed to sweater in the US version, due to cultural differences (in the US, a jumper is a dress).
 * Knickerbockers - Short pants.
 * Knickers - Underwear, usually a female's.
 * Mental - Crazy, as in absolutely mental.
 * Nosh - Food; grub. In the US, this term means a snack rather than a full meal.
 * Prang - To wreck an automobile. Specifically, the Knight Bus operator Ernie Prang.
 * Prat - Literally, backside. Specifically, Fred and George Weasley maintain only prats become Prefects. In the US, there is a New York college of Art called Pratt.
 * Rubbish - Nonsense, craziness.
 * Tea - Aside from the drink, it's an afternoon snack time.
 * Trainers - Running shoes. In the US, sneakers.
 * Whinging - Persistant complaining; can also be spelled whining. Specifically, Dudley Dursley's hometown of Little Whinging.
 * Wotcher - A greeting developed from the phrase What cheer?