Relative clauses British, American and Australian slang Call My Bluff
British and American English/ Australian English/ slang/ idioms/ non-defining relative clauses
Student A/ Group A
Make up definitions for the slang expressions followed by blanks below and write them down in the same format as the other sentences. If you already know the meaning of an expression which is blank below, please make up a wrong definition rather than writing the real one. When you have finished, read out your true and made-up definitions to another student/ group, and see if they can guess which one is which.
“Spend a penny”, which is a British expression, means “go to the toilet” (True sentence, so just read it out as it is)
“Any road”, ____________________________________________________________, _____________________________________________________________ (False sentence, so make up a false definition before you read it out)
“Ankle biter”, ________________________________________________________, __________________________________________________________________
“Ballpark figure”, which comes from American sport, means “approximate amount”
“Barmy”, which comes from British English, means “crazy”
“Brewski”, which is only used in America, means “a beer”
“Dead presidents”, ____________________________________________________, ___________________________________________________________________
“Baccy”, which is British slang, is short for “tobacco”
“Belt up”, ___________________________________________________________, ____________________________________________________________________
When your teacher stops you, look at both worksheets and try to guess the meanings of the ones with made-up definitions.
Check as a class or with the suggested answers.
Do the same, but with your own ideas of slang to define.
Student B/ Group B
Make up definitions for the slang expressions followed by blanks below and write them down in the same format as the other sentences. If you already know the meaning of an expression which is blank below, please make up a wrong definition rather than writing the real one. When you have finished, read out your true and made-up definitions to another student/ group, and see if they can guess which one is which.
“The bees’ knees”, _______________________________________________________, _________________________________________________ (False sentence, so make up a false definition before you read it out)
“Arvo”, which is a typical piece of Australian slang, is short for “afternoon” (True sentence, so just read it out as it is)
“Bent out of shape”, _______________________________________________________, _______________________________________________________________________
“Bite your arm off”, ________________________________________________________, ________________________________________________________________________
“Have a butchers”, _______________________________________________________, _______________________________________________________________________
“A chin wag”, which comes from the UK, is another way to say “a chat”
“I am beat”, which is only used in the US, means “I am tired”
“Airhead”, which is an American insult, means “stupid”
When your teacher stops you, look at both worksheets and try to guess the meanings of the ones with made-up definitions.
Check as a class or with the suggested answers.
Do the same, but with your own ideas of slang to define.
Suggested answers
Student A/ Group A
“Spend a penny”, which is a British expression, means “go to the toilet”
“Any road”, which is a British expression, means “anyway”
“Ankle biter”, which is Aussie slang, means “small child”
“Ballpark figure”, which comes from American sport, means “approximate amount”
“Barmy”, which comes from British English, means “crazy”
“Brewski”, which is only use in America, means “a beer”
“Dead presidents”, which comes from the States, means “paper money”
“Baccy”, which is British slang, is short for “tobacco”
“Belt up”, which is used in the North of England, means “shut up”
Student B/ Group B
“The bees’ knees”, which is something British people say, means “the best”
“Arvo”, which is a typical piece of Australian slang, is short for “afternoon”
“Bent out of shape”, which comes from the US, means “annoyed”
“Bite your arm off”, which is British English, means “really keen to get something”
“Have a butchers”, which is Cockney rhyming slang from London, means “have a look”
“A chin wag”, which comes from the UK, is another way to say “a chat”
“I am beat”, which is only used in the US, means “I am tired”
“Airhead”, which is an American insult, means “stupid”
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Related pages
British and American English page
49 EFL bluffing games/ EFL lying games (TEFLtastic Classics Part 24)
This exercise is excellent! Thanks so much for sharing.