British English vs. American English

(D) Bob is, in fact, your uncle

The answer is (A) Presto, there you have it. This expression is used to end a set of directions, a recipe, etc. For example: "Pop the pheasant into the oven, baste every ten minutes, remove after an hour, garnish with parsley, and Bob's your uncle!" There are several versions of the origin of this phrase. My favorite refers to Robert Peel's campaign for a seat in Parliament: "Vote for Bob -- Bob's your uncle!" ("uncle" having been a term for benefaction and protection).

* The phrase "You're a brick" means:

(A) You're the cornerstone of the family
(B) You're quite boring
(C) You're quite heavy
(D) You're dependable

The answer is (D) You're quite dependable.

* If something is "smashing," it's:

(A) overdone
(B) destroyed
(C) really great
(D) sneaky

The answer is (C) really great. You'll hear "smashing" in England with the same frequency as "awesome" or "cool" in the States. Another word the Brits will use to express approval is "brilliant."

Scoring: Oh, don't even bother scoring. You can go to England and say "Bob's your uncle" all you want, but you'll still be that visitor whose ancestors high-tailed it over the pond centuries ago. The point is not for the Brits to understand you. They will understand much of what you're saying, but may pretend not to. No, the point is for you to understand them. Good luck -- you'll be smashing!

* Footnote: This article is not meant to slander the British culture in any way; I have a deep affection for them and really miss my old "home" there!

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