We all know big and small, but honestly, they’re a bit beige. To sound like a proper local you need a bit more oomph.
Here are 10 ways Brits go absolutely massive and 10 ways we go teeny-tiny.
The Big Lads (10 Ways to Say ‘Big’)
Enormous
Very, very big.
Turns out it was enormous. It now has its own postcode.
Massive
Extremely large.
The chocolate digestive packet was massive.
Substantial
Large in amount or importance.
That was a substantial portion of chips.
Colossal
Truly immense.
The queue for fish and chips was colossal.
Gargantuan
Huge, often for appetite or capacity.
The ‘small’ breakfast looked gargantuan.
Hefty
Heavy and large.
It was a hefty fine.
Ginormous
Silly, informal blend of giant + enormous.
The garden gnome is ginormous.
Bulky
Large and unwieldy.
The duvet was so bulky I knocked a hat off.
Whopping
Used before a number to show it’s huge.
He won a whopping £5.
Vast
Of very great extent.
The car park was vast.
The Little Ones (10 Ways to Say ‘Small’)
Tiny
Extremely small.
The phone case was tiny.
Miniature
A very small copy of something bigger.
A miniature toolkit — great for watches.
Minute
(MY-NUTE) Extremely small.
A minute piece of cheese.
Dinky
Small but neat or cute.
Our flat is a bit dinky.
Compact
Nicely packed together.
This electric car is compact.
Petite
Small and slender.
I’ll take the massive one, thanks.
Teeny-tiny
Cute, informal intensifier.
A teeny-tiny 1p coin. I’m rich.
Scant
Barely sufficient.
That’s a scant amount of milk.
Modest
Not excessive.
I said my pay rise expectations were modest.
Trivial
Of little importance.
Lost keys? Trivial. House on fire? Not yet.
Time to Practise
Swap the beige for the brilliant. Next time you see a ridiculous sandwich or a laughably small milk carton, use one of these words.
Blimey — that’s a ginormous sandwich! Is that for one person?
That’s a scant amount of milk. Could I have a bit more, please?