Things British....

Magna-Carta said:
I always think back to this when I hear Cockney Rhyming Slang. It goes over many people's heads, but even now I can't stop laughing at it.

Ronnie Barker; a sermon to a Cockney congregation ("Richard The Third", can mean Turd, can also mean something else!):


To the uninitiated:

“Trouble & Strife", Wife.
"Tea Leaf", Thief.
"Bricks & Mortar”, Daughter.
“Burton-on-Trent”, Rent. (Burton-on-Trent is a town in Staffordshire, on the river Trent)
“Half Inch”, Pinch (To steal something)
“Cherry Ripe”, Pipe.
“Frog & Toad”, Road.
“Dickie Dirt”, Shirt.
“How do you do’s”, Shoes.
“Westminster Abby”, Shabby.
“Pen & Ink”, Stink.

I'll leave the rest.
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Loved the two Ronnies...
 

The UK seems to be the only place on the planet with land areas referred to as a Heath, or Moor, or Bog. I'm familiar with Meadow, Field, Marsh, Swamp. Can someone please translate UK land to rest of the world land? :unsure:
 
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It's all there to be read

A heath ( / ˈhiːθ /) is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain —a cooler and damper climate.

A bog is a freshwater wetland of soft, spongy ground consisting mainly of partially decayed plant matter called peat. Bogs are generally found in cool, northern climates. They often develop in poorly draining lake basins created by glaciers during the most recent ice age.

Or as Sir Walter Scott put it :

O Caledonia! stern and wild,
Meet nurse for a poetic child!
Land of brown heath and shaggy wood,
Land of the mountain and the flood
 
JeeperDon said:
The UK seems to be the only place on the planet with land areas referred to as a Heath, or Moor, or Bog. I'm familiar with Meadow, Field, Marsh, Swamp. Can someone please translate UK land to rest of the world land? :unsure:
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No translation needed really, simply because… Heaths, Moors and Bogs can be found in other parts of the world known by those very names.

For instance…Anthropogenic heath habitats are a cultural landscape that can be found worldwide in locations as diverse as northern and western Europe, North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, Madagascar and New Guinea.

Yes, there are moorlands (moors) in the US and Canada. In the US, moorlands can be found in states such as Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming. In Canada, Algonquin Provincial Park, is one of the places where you can find moors.

As for bogs…Southern Appalachian Mountain Bogs are one of North America's rarest and most incredible habitats. Although nearly 5,000 acres of bogs were once found in North Carolina, only about 500 acres remain. Many bogs have been lost to draining, ditching, and development.

Just as a funny aside… the word “bog” is also a British slang word for toilet (or restroom) :)
 
A little about the British Series Downtown Abbey.

The fictional Crawleys in Downtown Abbey are based on the Earls and Countesses of Carnarvon. The present Earl and Countess of Carnarvon still reside at Highclere Castle, where the series is filmed (though the fictional Downton Abbey is in Yorkshire, rather than Hampshire, where Highclere Castle which is used for the series actually is).

Downton Abbey, the series, used many historical events and people to help shape its narrative. It is a period piece (people who know theatre are aware of this). The story follows the luxurious lives of the Crawley family, fictional aristocrats set in 20th century England. Although not entirely based on any particular true story, Downton Abbey is meant to be as historically accurate as possible.
Throughout its entire run, "Downton Abbey" employed historical consultants and drew on the family knowledge of series creator Julian Fellowes.

Even so, it's a fictional series, with many "edits" to make a more dramatically compelling and relatable story to people from all over the globe.
The actual story line may be fictional to a degree… however…the props, the clothes, the furniture are all part of the day to day furniture of Highcere Castle where the series was filmed.

Just to clear up some confusion, there is a difference between Historical Drama and Historical Fiction.
Historical fiction, usually presents fictional characters and events against a backdrop of historical events.

The only scenes not filmed at Highclere Castle is the Kitchen which you see in the Downtown series and that is because, the kitchen at Highclere is very modern and stream lined, so a studio was used to film the kitchen scenes.
I have visited Highclere Castle (Downtown Abbey) several times… the last time being last Christmas for a cocktail party (you can see this in my Diary). I have seen the rooms, the furniture, written about and it is no different to what one sees in the series.

 
The Joy of Morris Dancing:
Beards, silly outfits, wooden sticks and sash; the traditional English dance has been the butt of jokes for decades.

Compared to cheese rolling Morris Dancing looks almost sane:
 
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