Knickers in a Twist

Don't play the silly bugger in front of your mates! Take a deep dive into British language and culture with this "hilarious and entertaining" reference (Chicago Tribune).

Brits and Americans dress the same, eat at the same chain restaurants, and pass music back and forth across the Atlantic, and our national leaders are practically conjoined twins. But the second the Brits open their mouths, all bets are off. So don't dream of visiting the United Kingdom, dating a Brit, or truly understanding what Jude Law is saying without this handy, hilarious, and informative guide to Britspeak.

With the cheekiness of Austin Powers and the tidbit quotient of Schott's Miscellany, screenwriter Jonathan Bernstein's collection of Cockney rhyming slang, insults culled from British television shows of yore, and regional and "high British" favorites provides hours of educational, enlightening, even life-saving hilarity. And if it doesn't accomplish that, at least you'll be aware that when a British citizen describes you as a "wally," a "herbert," a "spanner," or a "bampot," he's not showering you with compliments. Knickers in a Twist is as indispensable as a London city guide, as spot-on funny as an episode of The Office, and as edifying as Born to Kvetch and Eats, Shoots and Leaves.

"Indispensable." —Vanity Fair

"Will probably do more for revolutionizing the way you and your nearest and dearest address one another than any other book out this year . . . Often bring[s] an overt chuckle." —Edge New York