Lonely Planet British Phrasebook (Lonely Planet Phrasebook: India) (Paperback)

by Elizabeth Bartsch-Parker (Author), Roibeard O'Maolalaigh (Author), Stephen Burger (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"...Lonely Planet phrase books have long taken a hip, streetwise approach." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 27, 2004

"Lonely Planet Phrasebooks. Portable, pocket-size, cheap, and available for almost any country you might want to visit..." -- National Geographic Traveler, September 2006

Product Description

'Lighthearted and informative. Amusing...lively...and eminently accessible. A fascinating store of information.'
- JDA Widdowson, Director, The National Centre for English Cultural Tradition, The University of Sheffield

• take a tour of the dialects of Britain
• order a pimple and blotch (scotch) at the rub-a-dub-dub (pub) and have a rabbit and pork (talk) with the locals
• slang and colloquial usage
• avoid embarrassing British - US differences
• cultural tips, festivals, food and shopping
• fit in at a football match or follow the cricket
• Scottish Gaelic and Welsh included

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0864424841
• ISBN-13: 978-0864424846
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 3.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #652,329 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This item is part of The Lonely Planet Phrasebooks Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars required reading for Americans in Britain, August 22, 2000

By	A Customer (London, UK) - See all my reviews

As an ex-pat American living in London, I find this book essential when trying to decipher the large number of different words and phrases that the Brits use: I can honestly tell you that the Phrasebook saved me from the horrors of a zucchini dinner when I found out what 'courgettes' really are. I also finally understood the meanings of 'put paid' and 'punters' and enjoyed the section on British sport: while I still don't fully understand cricket and have absolutely no idea about rugby, I now know a bit more than nothing, which is helpful the next time you're in a pub and a Test Match is on.

The less helpful sections of the book were the bits on more obscure language usage like Cockney rhyming slang and Scots Gaelic: I've never heard any rhyming slang in London and when I was in the Highlands the only time I heard Gaelic was on the radio. However, I'm not complaining: it's a whole lot of fun to be able to know how to say 'caite am bheil an t-amar snamh' ('where's the swimming pool'), even if the Scots themselves don't understand, and now I know that nothing beats a good dinner of Lillian Gish (fish) with gay and frisky (whiskey).

Anyway, the Phrasebook also contains a section for each part of Britain plus sections on pronounciation, accomodation, entertainment and society (how to address the Queen when you meet her) and, most important of all, a mini American-British dictionary.

All in all, highly recommended.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Informative, June 13, 2000

By	T. C. Ross (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Aussies at Lonely Planet have done it again. I am totally convinced that Lonely Planet phrasebooks make for some of the most fun and entertaining reading around when it comes to foreign-language guides and this effort to demystify the oddities of the Queen's English just underscores that belief. Filled with asides about British culture and history -- and with a complete chapters on British sport, slang, regional accents/dialects, and Cockney rhyming slang -- this phrasebook is idea for a trip abroad or for simply trying to figure out what's going on on "Eastenders." The Scottish Gaelic and Welsh chapters are nice, although (and I'm just being picky here) a bit more on Cornish and Scots and anything on Manx would have been welcome additions.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent companion for non-British visitors to the UK, July 17, 1999

By	[e-mail] (London) - See all my reviews

This book is hillariously accurate. There are lots of dialects, slang, strange words, and a section on Gaelic and Welsh. Highly recommended