Set in the Manchester, England of 1973, Life on Mars is chock full of in-jokes and peculiar references. To help the American audience with some of these strange terms, we’ve compiled a list of many of the phrases they may be not be familiar with.
So don’t throw a wobbly. Just feast your mince-pies on the words below and bob’s your uncle!
THE LIFE ON MARS SLANG GLOSSARY
Babycham
Iconic 70’s brand of alcoholic apple-based sparkling perry
Banged-up
Several meanings, but in this sense, it means ‘locked up in a cell’
Blag
To rob or a robbery, most often a post-office or bank
Bog
Toilet
Boozer
Pub
Bourbons
Short for ‘Bourbon Cream’, a type of small chocolate cookie
‘Clunk click, every trip’
Catchphrase from the 1970’s UK government seat belt campaign
Collar
An arrest – a reference to grabbing someone by the collar
Dill
Idiot
Fit up
To incriminate someone using false evidence
Flat-foot
Police officer on the beat
Garibaldi
Sometimes known as ‘squashed flies’, a type of cookie containing raisins
‘The Gene Genie’
Gene Hunt’s appropriation of David Bowie’s 1972 hit, ‘Jean Genie’
Georgie Best
Famous Northern Irish soccer player from the 60’s & 70’s, best known for his career with Manchester United
Gobshite
Noisy idiot or loud-mouthed egotist
‘Goodnight Gracie’
Originally coined in 1958 as the sign-off from George Burns’ TV show, referring to his wife, Gracie Allen
Hoops
Reference to ‘Spaghetti Hoops’, the UK version of ‘Spaghetti O’s’
In a pickle
In a difficult situation
Jacksie
Backside
Knackered
Exhausted – originally used to describe worn-out horses destined for rendering in the ‘knacker’s yard’
Lots of gob
Loud-mouthed
Muggins
A humorous reference to oneself as gullible
On the blower
On the telephone
Party Seven
Introduced in 1968, the Party Seven can contained 7 pints of Watney’s Red Barrel beer
Plod
Disparaging term for uniformed police
Plonk
Disparaging term for female police officer
Prat
Stupid person
Ruck
Mass fighting
Sarnie
Sandwich – also known as a’butty’
Skive
To avoid work
Slag
Disparaging term for promiscuous woman
Tenner
A ten-pound note
Uniform
Collective term for uniformed police
‘You’re nicked!’
I am arresting you!
pss:999