n cat. Implies a cat marginally more streetwise than your average “kitty.” A cat which has graduated from the university of life, if you will.

n 1 one of those fiendishly complicated wrench-type devices which can have its tension adjusted by means of a screw on the handle end. Americans know them better as “vise grips,” but it’s probably safe to say that if you don’t know what I’m talking about on either score then you are not going to live life at a great deficit. 2 popular sexual position. This is a joke.

adj overly looked-after. Spoiled in a sort of possessive way: He seemed very nice to start with but I think he’s been rather molly-coddled by his mother.

adj for a moment. Not to be confused with the U.S. definition, “in a moment.” I was alerted to this by a Brit who heard a station announcement in Chicago that his train would be “stopping momentarily at platform 6” and was unsure as to whether he was supposed to take a running leap to get into it before it left.

n unattractive woman. Most often heard in post-drinking assessments: Yeah, was a great night – we all got completely pissed and Bob ended up snogging a complete moose!

adj provoking of further consumption. I once wrote that you’d never find this word in a dictionary, but I had to change when someone pointed out to me that it was in the OED. I hate you all. It means something (usually food) which leads you to want more – Jaffa Cakes, Jelly Babies or dry roasted peanuts would be some good personal examples. It’s rather light-hearted; you wouldn’t go around describing heroin as moreish, whether it is or not.

n automobile. Derived from the time when all cars were known as “motor-cars.”

n freeway.

n gullible person: He’s such a mug, he just took the entire story and believed every word of it!

n commercial car parking garage with, well, many floors. Americans call the same building a “parking ramp,” “parking structure” or “parking deck,” depending upon where they are in the country.

n mom. Brits do also use the word in the American sense of “quiet” (as in “keep mum about that”) though maybe not as much in everyday speech as Americans. They’d probably say “schtum” instead.

n deeply unattractive woman. Pretty much equivalent to “dog” or “pig.”

n dimwit: You’ve left the handbrake off, you muppet.