Brilliant = Awesome

[withahip]

After a great deal of linguistic investigation, I have deduced that the British expression "Brilliant!" is exactly the same in meaning as the American expression "Awesome!"

And just as annoying.

[moondance]

It's cute when they just say "brill". Otherwise they do use brilliant way too much.

[Dr Cheese]

Hey stop talking about us as if we weren't here.

[withahip]

It's cute when they just say "brill". Otherwise they do use brilliant way too much.

Like totally. I hope they don't hear us.

[moondance]

Like totally. I hope they don't hear us.

They are just adorable people and I love them. Please don't let them know that I said that!

[Mr. Brian]

Do they have the internets in England? I'll bet they have a cool name for it like "the bugger pipe" or something awesome like that.

[guitarplayer on here too]

We Brits don't say "Brilliant!" -- sounds like Rick Mayall. Maybe "Spiffing, top show old bean!" for the Eton-educated toff, "top", "ace", "cool" have crept into the regional dialects. "Tidy" is a good one for the Welsh (G&S).. "Fandabidozi" for the Scots. Then there's this lot... the "chavs"... nobody knows what they say as they have their own language that only they can understand.

[Kounelaki]

It's cute when they just say "brill". Otherwise they do use brilliant way too much.

No one worth knowing says "brill".

PS Were you also taught to punctuate like the rest of the world?

[tonywojo]

No one worth knowing says "brill".

PS Were you also taught to punctuate like the rest of the world?

Sound, dead on, 100%, neat.

Brill is overused for effect.

[JackT]

Do they have the internets in England? I'll bet they have a cool name for it like "the bugger pipe" or something awesome like that.

I have it on good authority that it is called The Radioaethertrope over there. The slang term is "blinker blonker".

I went on one of those tour buses in London once. The tour was great, and the young lady was very personable and enthusiastic. My only criticism was that every other word was "brilliant". If you think about it, it's a pretty good expression, as it connotes great luminosity as well as ingeniusness. (I gave up on the spelling of that last word there, hope it's correct.)

Hey look at this:

"Ingenius is a legendary king of the Britons as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was the fourth son of King Morvidus and brother of Gorbonianus, Archgallo, Elidurus, and Peredurus."

Hmmm.... do I recall correctly that he was slain by an elf, ushering in the Third Age of Goblins?

[Mr. Brian]

I have it on good authority that it is called The Radioaethertrope over there. The slang term is "blinker blonker".

Milk came out of my nose when I read that and i have not had milk since 1992.

[Blackheathen]

Milk came out of my nose when I read that and i have not had milk since 1992.

Hmmm, that's a mental image I wish I could get rid of.

[Kounelaki]

And just as annoying.

"Awesome" is far more annoying.

[guitarplayer on here too]

We seem to have enough Polish immigrants in this country now, perhaps another one is "brylant" or some other obscure Eastern European word.

Incidentally, we don't have an alternative word for the Internet, given that a Brit -- Sir Tim Berners-Lee -- was supposed to have invented it (even if he was working in the US for an American firm). He now works at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sir Tim is nicknamed the "[God] father of the Web". Getonup, like a web machine. ow.

[crystal daze]

"Fandabidozi" for the Scots.

Wee Jimmy Krankie is not representative of anyone except him/herself. You're not still watching them are you???

At least when the british use brilliant it is in a context that bears some relation to the original meaning of the word.