British Stuff: 101 Objects That Make Britain Great

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Naff – is used to describe something that is of poor or inferior taste. Example: “I don’t like my flat, the furniture is a bit naff.” Eden Project: A tourist attractoin in Cornwall. Biomes which house plants that are collected from various climates.

Flogging a dead horse – to try and find a solution to a problem that is unsolvable. For example: “You’re flogging a dead horse by asking Martha to move to the UK – she hates rain” G The Financial Times: An English daily newspaper owned by the Japanese company Nikkei (and headquartered in London).

Easy peasy – A fun and childish way of expressing something is easy to do or understand. We dare you to use it next time your lecturer is explaining something.

Following the building of the world's first seaside pier in July 1814 in Ryde, Isle of Wight off the south coast of England, the pier became fashionable at seaside resorts in the UK during the Victorian era, peaking in the 1860s with 22 being built. [101] Providing a walkway out to sea, the seaside pier is regarded as among the finest Victorian architecture, and is an iconic symbol of the British seaside holiday. [101] By 1914, there were over 100 piers around the UK's coasts. [101] Today there are 55 seaside piers in the UK. [101] Tower Bridge (half a mile from London Bridge) opened in 1895. During the High Middle Ages tales originated from Brythonic traditions, notably the Arthurian legend. [117] Deriving from Welsh source; King Arthur, Excalibur and Merlin, while the Jersey poet Wace introduced the Knights of the Round Table. These stories are most centrally brought together within Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae ( History of the Kings of Britain). Another early figure from British tradition, King Cole, may have been based on a real figure from Sub-Roman Britain. Many of the tales make up part of the wider Matter of Britain, a collection of shared British folklore. Thandie Newton: An actress who has appeared in various successful films, like Solo: A Star Wars Story and The Pursuit of Happyness. It would be refined over the following 47 years until it was made completely automated by Kenworthy and Bullough. Kate Bush: A singer-songwriter and producer. Topped the UK singles chart with her debut single “Wuthering Heights” for a month.Kerfuffle – is a fuss or commotion. For example: “What’s all the kerfuffle about? I’m only two hours late!” From the valley’s – an expression used to describe people from Wales, owing to the number of valleys (which is the low area between hills) in Wales. James Corden: An actor, television host and comedian. Known as the host of The Late Late Show with James Corden. Twiggy: A model, actress and singer who is considered a cultural icon for her modelling work in the 60s. Tom Hiddleston: An actor who is also a musician and film producer. Most famous for his role as Loki in the Marvel cinematic universe.

I’m not being funny but I haven’t got all day – this is a popular saying in Wales and simply means hurry up! It is one of a number of revelations that Mr McFall has helped ESA uncover as part of the feasibility project to find out whether it is possible to send disabled astronauts into space. Finishing a class at 3 and wanting to go to sleep because it was already getting dark’ (Santiago Borda Esquivel), ‘Long 19-hour days of sun in summer and short 7 hours of sun winters’ (Mahmoud Tareq Beshir), ‘Winter sunset at 4pm, and 10pm in Summer.’ (Mncedisi Taala). For crying out loud – This is a replacement for a rude word. For example, you discover your bike has a flat tyre & you yell “Oh, for crying out loud!” International football tournaments, such as the World Cup, are historically the most viewed sports events among the public, while Match of the Day is the most popular weekly football show. The 1966 FIFA World Cup Final and the Funeral of Princess Diana are the two most watched television events ever in the UK. [43] Satire has been a prominent feature in British comedy for centuries. The British satire boom of the 1960s, which consisted of writers and performers such as Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett, David Frost and Jonathan Miller, has heavily influenced British television, including the sketch comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus created in 1969 by Monty Python. Regarded as the leading figure of the satire boom, Peter Cook was ranked number one in the Comedians' Comedian poll. [44] The puppet show Spitting Image was a satire of the royal family, politics, entertainment, sport and British culture of the 1980s up to the mid-1990s.

1. The Reflecting Telescope by Isaac Newton in 1668

Bob’s your uncle – the origins of this saying and how it is used today differ. The saying originally meant you could get anything or do anything if you had the right connections because it came about after the 20th British Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury, famously appointed a nephew into an important political post for which he didn’t have the relevant experience. Today it is more commonly used to say everything is OK. British Baroque music was heavily influenced by continental fashions. This is exemplified by George Frideric Handel, a German-born naturalised British citizen whose choral music set British taste for the next two centuries. His operas also helped Britain challenge Italy as a centre of operatic production. Classical music attracted much attention from 1784 with the formation of the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival, which was the longest running classical music festival of its kind until the final concerts in 1912. Beyond this, the establishment of the London Philharmonic Society in 1813, Royal Academy of Music in 1822, and Irish Academy of Music in 1848 aided the professionalisation of British classical music and patronage of composers. Russell Brand: An actor, comedian, author and activist who has spoken on various political and cultural issues like addiction, wealth inequality, climate change and capitalism.

Radcliffe Camera, Oxford: Also known as “Rad Cam” or “The Camera”. The house of the Radcliffe Science Library.Saint George’s Day: Also known as the Feast of Saint George. A holiday celebrated in honour of Saint George. London Eye: Also known as the Millennium Wheel or the Coca-Cola London Eye. A huge ferris wheel/observation wheel on the River Thames. Neopagan witchcraft began in England in the early 20th century with notable figures such as Aleister Crowley and the father of Wicca Gerald Gardner, before expanding westward in the 1960s. [142] Settling down near the New Forest in Hampshire, Gardner joined an occult group through which he claimed to have encountered the New Forest coven into which he was initiated in 1939. [142] Believing the coven to be a survival of the pre-Christian Witch-Cult, he decided to revive the faith, supplementing the coven's rituals with ideas borrowed from ceremonial magic and the writings of Crowley to form the Gardnerian tradition of Wicca. [142] Moving to London in 1945, following the repeal of the Witchcraft Act of 1736 Gardner became intent on propagating Wicca, attracting media attention and writing Witchcraft Today (1954) and The Meaning of Witchcraft (1959). Crowley (the founder of Thelema) was described as "the most notorious occultist magician of the 20th century", and he remains an influential figure over Western esotericism and the counter-culture. [143] His motto of "Do What Thou Wilt" is inscribed on the vinyl of Led Zeppelin's album Led Zeppelin III, and he is the subject of Ozzy Osbourne's single " Mr Crowley". [144] National parks, museums, libraries, and galleries [ edit ] Heritage administration [ edit ] Stonehenge, Wiltshire at sunset Piece of cake – to describe something as a “piece of cake” means you think it’s easy to do. For example, you might say “this essay is a piece of cake.” Once you have a clearer idea of a toys value, you can put it up for sale. It might take a while for it to sell, but there's always a demand for rare and collectable toys.