Overview

Hidden within normal English is a separate language still spoken by those born with silver spoons in their mouths. It’s called Posh. A word of English can be spelt the same but mean something completely different in Posh. If you say the word ‘Mention’ in English, people will understand ‘Remark upon’; but in Posh this means a large house. Say ‘Ace’ and speakers of Posh will think you are referring to a cold thing one’s butler puts in a G&T. Hugh Kellett hilariously captures the spirit and nuances of those who speak Posh and, allied with Oliver Preston’s brilliantly accurate cartoons, this book is the key to understanding and interpreting this language – literally with tongue-in-cheek.

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9781846893971

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Reviews

'If you are keen to brush up the clipped tones of the 1950s Field reader, or inveigle yourself into conversation with two grand dowagers, then Hugh Kellett's funny little volume may help. Written with a wordsmith's ear for the sound of language, it runs from A to Z but incorporates within it a story, a 'lexiconic novel', perhaps the first of its kind... In Kellett's dictionary Dad is dead, and flesh is flash; mind becomes maned and ears for yes; all of which makes perfect audible sense. For those in need of assistance simply turn to Kellett's guide to phonetics in the appendix first. A jolly stocking filler, illustrated by Field regular Oliver Preston, and destined for yuletide loos.' -- Alexandra Henton * The Field * 'How to talk Portia* than Her Majesty. *For us hoi polloi, that means 'posher'. And as Olivia Colman speaks the Queen's English [...], here's a witty guide on how we can all sound awfully upper class. Olivia Colman's first two words as the Queen in the new series of TV's The Crown are 'old bat' as she describes her likeness on a new set of stamps. Colman is said to pronounce the words as 'ewld bet'. Cearly, the 'Queen's English' is much posher than the one most of us speak. A new book, The Dictionary of Posh, by Hugh Kellett, gives a wry guide to how the royals and fellow upper classes speak. So pour yourself a nice glass of 'wane' and get learning! Cheers... or should that be 'chairs'?' * Daily Mail * 'Learn how to speak the refined, plummy prose so beloved by the rich and well-heeled in our gracious land (or lend).' * Lady magazine * 'Mention', that is to say, 'mansion. 'Ace' that is to say 'ice'. Hugh Kellett's wit, along with cartoons by Oliver Preston, provides a hilarious insight into an endangered language, Posh.'

'If you are keen to brush up the clipped tones of the 1950s Field reader, or inveigle yourself into conversation with two grand dowagers, then Hugh Kellett's funny little volume may help. Written with a wordsmith's ear for the sound of language, it runs from A to Z but incorporates within it a story, a 'lexiconic novel', perhaps the first of its kind... In Kellett's dictionary Dad is dead, and flesh is flash; mind becomes maned and ears for yes; all of which makes perfect audible sense. For those in need of assistance simply turn to Kellett's guide to phonetics in the appendix first. A jolly stocking filler, illustrated by Field regular Oliver Preston, and destined for yuletide loos.' -- Alexandra Henton * The Field * 'How to talk Portia* than Her Majesty. *For us hoi polloi, that means 'posher'. And as Olivia Colman speaks the Queen's English [...], here's a witty guide on how we can all sound awfully upper class. Olivia Colman's first two words as the Queen in the new series of TV's The Crown are 'old bat' as she describes her likeness on a new set of stamps. Colman is said to pronounce the words as 'ewld bet'. Cearly, the 'Queen's English' is much posher than the one most of us speak. A new book, The Dictionary of Posh, by Hugh Kellett, gives a wry guide to how the royals and fellow upper classes speak. So pour yourself a nice glass of 'wane' and get learning! Cheers... or should that be 'chairs'?' * Daily Mail * 'Learn how to speak the refined, plummy prose so beloved by the rich and well-heeled in our gracious land (or lend).' * Lady magazine * ‘Mention’, that is to say, ‘mansion. ‘Ace’ that is to say ‘ice’. Hugh Kellett’s wit, along with cartoons by Oliver Preston, provides a hilarious insight into an endangered language, Posh.' 'This is a fun book – a witty guide on how we can all sound awfully upper class. Thoroughly recommended.' -- Country Squire Magazine

Author Information

Hugh Kellett studied languages at Oxford and has been playing around with words in London advertising agencies most of his life. The humorous potential of the English language has become his abiding passion. Now he turns his wordsmithery to the revelation and preservation of a rather exclusive version of the English language, Posh. The result is a restoration comedy of rumbustious proportions, and a book that will have you laughing out loud. Oliver Preston’s illustrations have been published in The Times, Punch, Cotswold Life and The Independent and he draws regularly for The Field magazine. Oliver’s work has been published in sixteen books, including compilations of his cartoons and he is the current chairman of The Cartoon Museum in London.

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