This novel uses British English spellings and slang, some of which I’ve listed below so you can check any with which you are unfamiliar.
LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES
BRITISH SLANG: MEANING
A
(A suspect’s) Brief: Lawyer
Autumn: Fall
B
Backhander: Bribe or To Smack Someone
Bike: Woman of Loose Morals
Bloke: Man
Box-clever: Use your brain
Bollocking: Stern reprimand
Born the wrong side of the blanket: Illegitimate child
Brief: A suspect’s lawyer
Bright spark: Clever person
Builder’s bum: Bottom cleavage
Buttie: Sandwich
By-blow: Illegitimate child
C
Chippie: Carpenter / Fish and Chip Shop / A person inclined to be snappish (Chippy)
Cock-a-hoop: Delighted
Cock-a-snook: A derisive gesture
Come clean: Tell the truth
Coughed for: Admitted to crimes
Cracking up: Having a nervous breakdown
Cup of builder’s: Strong tea
Cup of Rosie Lee (Cockney Rhyming Slang): Tea
D
Daft: Foolish
Divvy up: Share out
Do a (moonlight) flit: Disappear suspiciously suddenly
Dodgy: Illegal
Dodgy person: A person of suspect morals (in a legal sense)
Do/Doing a Bunk: Disappear (usually before the law or creditors catch up with you)
Done a bunk: Ditto
Dosh: Money
EF
Easy: Morally lax (in a sexual sense)
‘I’m easy’: Happy to go along with everyone else
Flabbergasted: Astonished
Full wack: Full price
G
Geezer: Man
Get your marching orders: To be sacked, dismissed
Give someone a bell: Telephone someone
Give something the once-over: Check something out
Gnashers: Teeth
Gobsmacked: Astonished, shocked
God-botherer: Religious
Gormless: Lacking intelligence, stupid
(Got) Form: Got a criminal record
Grass up: Inform on someone to the police
Grotty: Horrible
HI
Half-inch=Pinch (Cockney Rhyming Slang): Steal
Have it out: Brisk exchange of views
High-falluting: Fancy, posh
Iffy Whistle (Whistle and Flute=Suit (Cockney Rhyming Slang): Stolen suit of male clothing
In a jiff/jiffy: Quickly / Soon
JKL
Jammy git: Lucky man
Jiffy bag: Padded envelope
‘Let’s get cracking: ‘Let’s get on with it’
M
Measly: Very Little
Moolah: Money
More front than Brighton / ‘You’ve Got Some Front: Plenty of chutzpah
NO
Old lags: Prison inmates
On someone’s watch: While responsible for
PQR
Pikey: Traveller, Gypsy
Pillock: Idiot
Porkie pie (Cockney Rhyming Slang): Lie
Rat-arsed/pissed: Drunk
Right Pillock: Total Idiot
Right plonker: Total idiot
Ruddy health: Very well
S
Scarper: Run away
Scrote: Insult, short for ‘scrotum’
Scumbag=Slag (Cockney Rhyming Slang): Insult (low-life male character)
Short and curlies: Pubic hair
Shtum: Don’t Tell Anyone, keep quiet
Slag: Toe-rag=Slag (Cockney Rhyming Slang): Insult (Low-life male character)
Slag: Insult (Female character of low morals)
Skedaddle: Make oneself scarce / Escape
Skive/skive off: Pretend to work/Take off, when supposed to be working
Smarties: Similar to M & M’s
Snout: Police informer
Sparks: Electrician
Sparks’ll fly: A situation will become inflamed
Spondulicks: Money
Sticky Situation: Difficult
Stroppy: Answer back (like a smartarse)
T
Taff, Taffy: Nickname for a Welshman
Take down a peg or two: Humiliate
Take the Mick/Mickey/Michael: Make fun of
Taradiddle: Petty lie/A fib
Tea-leaf (Cockney Rhyming Slang): Thief
Tetchy: Irritable, touchy, snappish
Toe-Rag=Slag (Cockney Rhyming Slang): Insult (Low-Life male character)
Tosh: Rubbish, garbage
Tosser: Insult (male given to personal sexual abuse)
Trick-cyclist: Psychiatrist
Trouble and strife (Cockney Rhyming Slang): Wife
Turn a girl’s head: Make her smitten/keen on someone
UV
Up to one’s eyeballs: Very busy
WXYZ
Wasted: Very Drunk
Welly: Wellington boot
(Give it some) welly: Give encouragement to do one’s best
Whistle and flute (Cockney Rhyming Slang): Suit of male clothing
Wuss: Weakling
‘You make me crack up’: ‘You make me laugh’ (sometimes used in a sarcastic manner)
‘You’ve Got Some Front’: Plenty of chutzpah
BRITISH SPELLING v US SPELLING
Alternative-v-Alternate
Colour-v-Color
Grey-v-Gray
Labour-v-Labor
Neighbour-v-Neighbor
Organise-v-Organize
Practice (Doctor’s Practice)-v-Practice
Practise (as in to practise doing something)-v-Practice
Queue-v-Line of people
Rationalise-v-Rationalize
Realise-v-Realize
Recognise: Recognize
There are lots more, I’ll add them to my list as I think of them.