SarahTheCoat

British Spelling     Those Verbs with T Endings

I mentioned in a couple of previous posts that some British English verbs will get a T instead of an -ed ending. A number of comments asked for a source. These are what I have been able to cobble together. I’ve not included really obscure or archaic versions, just the ones I have run across as a reader. 

There are thirty-three verbs that take a t rather than an -ed ending in British English, including some ubiquitous words (like left and shot) we may not even think of as having irregular forms because they are the only forms we know — for example, leaved and shooted are not options, not even in American English.

1. Bent: the only correct form of the past tense of bend, although the archaic form bended is used jocularly, for example in the phrase “on bended knee” 2. Blest: a variant form of the past tense of bless 3. Built: the primary form of the past tense of build, though builded is used in some dialects 4. Burnt: a variant form of the past tense of burn; used in favor of the primary spelling in names of pigments such as burnt orange and burnt sienna (familiar to Crayola crayon aficionados) 5. Clapt: a variant form of the past tense of clap 6. Cleft: a variant form of the past tense of cleave; also, a noun or adjective referring to a split 7. Crept: the only correct form of the past tense of creep, except in the slang sense of being creeped out, or unsettled 8. Dealt: the only correct form of the past tense of deal 9. Dreamt: a variant form of the past tense of dream 10. Dwelt: a variant form of the past tense of dwell 11. Felt: the only correct form of the past tense of feel; also, a noun referring to a type of material or a similar substance 12. Gilt: a variant form of the past tense of gild; also, a synonym for gold or a noun or adjective referring to gold plating or other surfacing, or a young female pig 13. Girt: a variant form of the past tense of gird 14. Knelt: the primary form of the past tense of kneel 15. Leant: an alternate form of the past tense of lean, used mostly in British English but occasionally appearing in American English usage as well (pronounced “lent”) 16. Leapt: a variant form of the past tense of leap (see this related post) 17. Learnt: an alternate form of the past tense of learn, used mostly in British English but occasionally appearing in American English usage as well 18. Left: the only correct form of the past tense of leave, meaning “go,” although the past tense for leave in the sense of forming leaves is leaved 19. Lent: the only correct form of the past tense of lend 20. Lost: the only correct form of the past tense of lose 21. Meant: the only correct form of the past tense of mean (pronounced “ment”) 22. Pent: an alternate form of the past tense of pen, meaning “confine,” although the past tense for pen in the sense of writing is penned 23. Rent: an alternate form of the past tense of rend 24. Sent: the only correct form of the past tense of send 25. Shot: the only correct form of the past tense of shoot 26. Slept: the only correct form of the past tense of sleep 27. Smelt: a variant form of the past tense of smell; also, a noun referring to a type of fish or a verb for melting or reducing metal or another substance 28. Spelt: an alternate form of the past tense of spell, used mostly in British English but occasionally appearing in American English usage as well; also, a noun referring to a type of wheat 29. Spent: the only correct form of the past tense of spend 30. Spilt: a variant form of the past tense of spill 31. Spoilt: a variant form of the past tense of spoil 32. Wept: the only correct form of the past tense of weep 33. Went: the only correct form of the past tense of go

I hope this helps, @deelaundry and @spiffytea!

Yet More British idioms

“Codswallop”

Something untrue – often made up for dramatic effect. Although no one is completely sure of the word’s origins, some sources say it derives from the words “cod” and “wallop,” which historically meant “imitation” and “beer” respectively . The word’s meaning of  “nonsense” is a slang synonym for rubbish, bosh, humbug, hogwash, tommyrot, tripe and drivel. The Supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary published in 1972  throws in the etymological towel with a despairing “origin unknown.’‘  James McDonald, in his 1984 book ’'Wordly Wise,” writes that in the 19th century “an inventor called Hiram Codd patented a new type of bottle with a glass marble in its neck. Mineral waters were sold in such bottles and, wallop being a slang term for fizzy ale, the contents became known as Codd’s Wallop.” An alternative etymology is suggested by Farmer and Henley’s slang dictionary, completed in 1904, which describes cods as a term of venery (think “cod piece”). In Norman W. Schur’s “English English,” the noun codswallop, defined as “hot air,” follows a slang verb, cod, meaning “to horse around.”

No matter what the origin, it is used to dismiss what someone has said as something untrue. Younger readers may assume it is is a synonym for “fake news”.

“Dog’s dinner”

 A “dog’s dinner” is a mess or fiasco – a mash-up of leftovers sometimes also referred to as a “dog’s breakfast.” Chaotic, badly organised, untidy. The first example of 'dog’s dinner’ in print is from a novel by the English writer E. F. Benson - Scarlet & Hyssop, 1902:“Scraps only, scraps from other places. It always reminds me of a dog’s dinner,” said Lady Alston; “and all of us who live here are like scraps for a dog’s dinner, too." 

“Go to hell in a handbasket”

When things go wrong, very wrong, this phrase gets trotted out. Some sources link it to the gold rush miners who went down a shaft in a basket, but its origin is much earlier. The first version of 'to hell in a handbasket’ that appears in print comes from The Weekly Pacquet of Advice from Rome: or, The history of popery, 1682:

”…that noise of a Popish Plot was nothing in the world but an intrigue of the Whigs to destroy the Kings best Friends, and the Devil fetch me to Hell in a Hand basket, if I might have my will, there should not be one Fa∣natical Dog left alive in the three Kingdoms.“

In medieval iconography, the “handbasket” was what today we would call a “wheelbarrow” and it appears full of sinners being taken to hell by a demon. It’s in LOTS of medieval manuscripts and even stained glass windows.

"Faff”

To “faff” is to waste time doing very little. “Faff” comes from the 17th century word “faffle,” which meant to flap about in the wind.  'Faff’ has been used to mean 'dither; fuss; flap’ since the 19th century. 

“Lurgy”

In modern usage, if someone’s “caught the lurgy,” they’re suffering from cold or flu-like symptoms. But, in mid 18th century it was a dialect word meaning ‘laziness, regarded humorously as a medical condition’ or an excuse to get time off work due to illness (possibly faked). 

It came back into general use (and with COVID is heard regularly) in the 1940s, popularized by the British radio series The Goon Show, in which one character has to deal with a national epidemic of an unidentified illness. Etymologists  have rejected the idea that lurgy is based on a mispronunciation of the word “allergy.”

“Miffed”

Slightly irritated or annoyed. “Miffed” possibly derives from the German “muffen,” meaning “to sulk.” “I was a bit miffed, I can’t lie.”

“On the pull”

Someone that’s “on the pull” has gone out, usually on a night out, with the intention of attracting a sexual partner. “Pull” can also be used as a verb. If you’ve “pulled,” you’ve managed to convince someone new to go on a date or to head for the bedroom. It’s the prelude to “getting off” with someone, although a bit less crude than that.

“Sherlock, I’m right in the middle of a date. D’you want me to chase some killer while I’m trying to … (He breaks off.) 

SHERLOCK: What? 

JOHN (losing his patience and talking much louder): … while I’m trying to get off with Sarah!”

“Pear-shaped”

A situation which has quickly evolved into an accident waiting to happen might be described as “gone pear-shaped.” Think of it as plans that go wrong, despite one’s best efforts. The phrase is reportedly old slang from the Royal Air Force and was used to described pilots who couldn’t manage to do circular loops but instead made wobbly shapes. Others push the date much further back, referring to glassblowing, where a perfectly spherical vessel can be ruined if the glass is overheated. This makes the shape of the blown glass change as it cools, leaving a pear-shaped container. Yet another is related to ceramics, when one’s efforts at turning clay on the wheel ends up sagging at the bottom because the clay is too wet, allowing gravity to make it slump. 

“Shirty”

Someone short-tempered or irritated might be described as “shirty.” The meaning of this slang has been debated at length by entymologists; the Oxford English Dictionary dates it from 1846. It may relate to the idea of taking one’s shirt off before a fight. Or it may be linked to #t The word “shirt” being derived from the Norse for “short,” hence short-tempered. “Don’t get shirty with me, mister,” is something I think could be said to John just before we get the rage sniff.

“Skew-whiff”

Something that is “skew-whiff” is askew, as in not straight. “Is it just me or is that door knocker a bit skew-whiff?”

“Skive”

“Skiving” is the act of avoiding work or school, often by pretending to be ill. “Skive” is derived from the French “esquiver,” meaning “to slink away.” “He skived off school so we could all go to Thorpe Park on a weekday.” it was used in the First World War in the British army to refer to someone avoiding a fatigue duty (a work assignment like digging trenches).

“Spanner in the works”

An event that disrupts the natural, pre-planned order of events could be described as a “spanner in the works.” The phrase describes the mayhem caused when something is recklessly thrown into the intricate gears and workings of a machine.“ By getting pregnant, Mary threw a spanner in the works.” According to some sites, it has links to the Luddites, and should be seen as a deliberate act of sabotage.  Luddites were a group of textile workers in the 1800s who destroyed weaving machines as a form of protest. They were scared that if machines could take over their jobs then they would become obsolete. They were known to throw spanners in “the works” in order to damage the machines. 

“Wind-up merchant”

Someone that makes comments just to spark controversy or argument might be labelled a “wind-up merchant.” The “wind-up merchant” will often claim to be making their comments as a light-hearted jest when the recipients start becoming irritated. If you’re “winding someone up,” you’re making them tense or irritated in the same way you wind up a Jack-in-the-box before it pops. “Stop being such a wind-up merchant and be serious for one second!"   Alternatively, it’s someone who likes to stir things up.

If you are an etymologist or someone writing dictionaries professionally, do take pity on me. I am trying not to bore for Britain on the subject of English idioms’ just trying to help writers who site their stories in the UK or whose characters are British.