British English has many small phrases for work that is good.
Not half bad: Very good.
That’ll do nicely: This is exactly what was needed.
Nice one: Well done.
Decent: Good, sometimes very good.
Does the job: Works well.
No news is good news: If nobody has said anything, things are probably fine.
At work, British criticism often comes as a question or a suggestion.
Have you thought about…?: This needs to change.
I’m not sure I’d have gone that way: That was the wrong choice.
That’s one option: That is not the option I would choose.
I wonder whether…: You should.
It’s not quite there yet: It needs a lot more work.
With respect: I disagree.
British English has many joking phrases that carry a real message.
Pull the other one: I do not believe a word of it.
You’re having a laugh: That is not acceptable.
Nice of you to join us: You are late.
Don’t give up the day job: This is not your talent.
Steady on: That goes too far.
British English has many phrases for a rebuke given out of sight of others.
A word in your ear: A private warning.
To take someone aside: To speak to someone away from others, often to correct them.
To be carpeted: To be called in and reprimanded by a superior.
Interview without coffee: A severe reprimand by a senior officer. The phrase began in the British Army.
See me: Written by a teacher at the end of a piece of work. The pupil should come for a talk about it.
British English has many ways to answer praise without accepting it.
Team effort: I did much of it, but I will not say so.
I can’t take the credit: I am pleased, but I will share it.
Beginner’s luck: It went well, and I will not claim skill.
Oh, this old thing?: The answer to a compliment on clothes, even new ones.
It’s not rocket science: Said about one’s own work, to make it sound easy.
Stop it, you’re embarrassing me: Thank you, but please do not go on.
British English has many disapproving phrases for visible anger.
To lose it: To lose control of one’s temper.
To lose one’s rag: To become very angry.
To throw a wobbly: To have a sudden fit of temper.
To throw one’s toys out of the pram: To react to a setback like an angry child.
To fly off the handle: To become angry suddenly.
Keep your hair on: Calm down.
British English has many phrases for accepting criticism calmly.
To take it on the chin: To accept criticism or a setback without complaint.
Point taken: I accept the criticism.
It’s a fair cop: I have been caught, and I admit it.
Don’t take it personally: The criticism is about the work, not about the person.
No hard feelings: The disagreement is over, and nobody is offended.
England played West Germany in the World Cup final at Wembley on 30 July 1966. Before extra time, the manager, Alf Ramsey, told his players: “You’ve won it once. Now you’ll have to go out there and win it again.”
England won 4-2. Ramsey did not join the celebrations. According to FIFA’s account, he smiled broadly, without moving from his bench, and let his players enjoy the moment.
In Jane Austen’s Emma, published in 1815, Mr. Knightley finally tells Emma Woodhouse that he loves her. He begins: “I cannot make speeches, Emma.” Then he says: “If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.”
On 19 June 1815, the day after the Battle of Waterloo, the politician Thomas Creevey called on the Duke of Wellington in Brussels. Creevey recorded the Duke’s verdict on the victory: “It has been a damned nice thing—the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life.”
Creevey’s account was published in The Creevey Papers in 1909.