Any tourist needs a few phrases to get by in a foreign land. Visitors to the Palace of Westminster are no exception. If someone says something ridiculous, reply that the idea is “for the birds”, an Americanism that is popular among inhabitants of sw1 and nowhere else in Britain. If someone has done something outrageous, suggest that perhaps they have “thrown a dead cat on the table”—a cunning ruse to distract from other matters. Most important, when asked about any controversial action by the government, simply reply: “It is not a good look.”