Ladymoon, be our guest, but!
Us brits are not shy in adopting argot from all over the world, so we are more than chuffed when others take a liking to ours.

That's a great story, CapK, but my wonder is that the Essex guy was embarrassed by it - on the whole, people from different regions aren't particulary over-sensitive to people taking the gentle mick out of accents - so long as it is done in a friendly fashion. Yorkshire people don't even think you are taking the mick - they just think you are trying to "talk proper" !!