I *do* have an Uncle Bob!

As an Anglophile, I must admit that I am occasionally puzzled by the odd word or phrase that I encounter in a book or TV series. Sometimes, I will consult the Internet or the OED in an effort to find out just what in the world that odd word meant, but generally, I forget it almost as soon as I hear it. This does not add to my understanding of the work in question, I'm sure. That's why I was so happy to discover the delightful tome The Septic's Companion by Chris Rae. This book undertakes to explain common British terms to confused Americans.

The book is not only a dictionary. The front part of the book contains some helpful explanations about British life and culture in general. Among the sections covered are the political geography of the U.K., weights and measures, the British educational system, and getting around. I was especially glad to see a section on "telling time." You'd think this would be obvious, something that you'd mastered by the time you entered second grade, but even something so elementary is fraught with opportunities for misunderstandings. I was especially relieved to see an explanation of the term "half three" (3:30). One really doesn't like to ask someone for a clarification of such a basic term ("Excuse me, when you say 'half-three', is the little hand on the two or the three?"), but it might be necessary. Unfortunately in my case, I've lived in Sweden, so the waters are even more muddled. In Sweden, when someone says "half three", they mean 2:30 -- because you're half-way to three, get it? So I wasn't sure if it was the same way in Britain or not (I've been set straight -- NOT!).

There is plenty of other useful information in this book, and it's all presented in a very humorous style that makes for enjoyable reading. The dictionary that comprises most of the book is helpful as well as laugh-out-loud funny. If you encounter an unfamiliar British word, just look it up in the back and, well, Bob's your uncle!

Chris Rae, the author, also keeps a very entertaining and enlightening blog at America: Things America does right. Things America does wrong.

Final Verdict for The Septic's Companion: Four Gherkins, for being a very amusing and educational explanation of unfamiliar British terms