53 Times Americans Were Surprised By British Things
The UK and the USA may share a language (mostly) in common, but when it comes to a number of cultural customs, the Atlantic Ocean seems like the smallest thing separating them.
Whether it's their unique accent that somehow carries over into their typing, their obsession with tea, or the fact that they put baked beans on their toast, Brits certainly have a way of making those of us on the Western side of the world scratch our heads with confusion. That's not to say that Americans don't have quirks of their own, but here at Bored Panda, we think Great Britain deserves some special recognition this time around.
Check out the top British moments that left Americans completely stumped below, and be sure to vote for the ones that you're still trying to understand as well.
#5
I am from the US and I have thought the same thing ( why do we call it math when it should be maths) and always assumed I was just overthinking. Then I learned that Brits use maths and now I feel less foolish. Also, I love eagle fucker. Laughed out loud on that.
#7
Us British can sneak up on you like a ninja in the night or even an iceberg in open water
#8
Translation: Friend it's hard to explain, it's just like one day you will be with your friends having a look in a sports shop (called JD) and you might fancy the curry offer that's on at the local pub (called Wetherspoons) but your friend Calum, who is a legend and awesome will be like "Guys let's go to Nando's (a resturant chain in the UK, cheap and good tasting food, hence it feeling a bit cheeky) instead." and you'll think "Great idea. Let's go for it."
#11
That's probably because they never had to become an independent country.
#12
Why is that so weird to Americans? You know what I find weird? That Americans make everything sickly sweet and have an unhealthy relationship with Maple Syrup. On bacon? Really people?
#15
#18
And you thought us Brits were straight laced and uppity. Mr Blobby is proof, do not mess with the Brits if you don't want the nightmares Freddy Kruger gets when sick.
#20
Due to the common market trade agreements, there was something of a campaign a while back for food terminology in Europe: They basically wanted all British chocolate renaming as chocolate candy because it wasn't pure enough by their standards (too much milk fat and sugar, not enough cocoa).
#22
#23
Actually all over Europe it's pretty common to have your washing machine in the kitchen. If the bathroom is too small and there is no extra room, where else would you put it? Also in some apartments the water/drain pipes for washing machines are installed in the kitchen only, so you really have no other choice.
#24
We've been watching Vera, The Loch, Unforgotten, Happy Valley, Scott & Bailey & Shetland and have added so many great new insults and idioms to our speech! It's fun yelling knobhead and calling each other cow. I think I have developed a Scottish, Yorkshire, Puerto Rican accent.
#26
That reminds me of something I read. In germany the waterworks have to perpare for the breaks during important football games.
#29
Makes sense, but.... I'm sure U.S.A. doesn't have the same accent in each state, just like the U.K. accents vary by countries and regions. Even in one single city of London you can differentiate between particular accents depending on the part of the city, no? Sorry, I'm an overthinker. *shrug*
#30
I have NEVER heard of this sandwich! Where the hell was this dug up from? A 'toasted sandwich' is two slices of bread,toasted,with a filling of either meats,cheese or vegetables,etc... A 'thin slice of bread inbetween two slices of thicker bread' ?..... Seriously?
#34
so... you know those little plastic packs that hot dogs come in have a salty liquid in them, right? They're not vacuum sealed in there all dry.
#36
Yeah, Americans have this weird view of the British. In their TV shows EVERY British person either speaks in a really posh voice or is a cockney. WE DON'T TALK LIKE THAT!
#39
when I first moved to the UK and switched on the TV I learned that this is a show about people who have some complaint that's "too embarrassing to show your doctor". But yeah, let's ALL have a look at that on national TV, why not.
#40
#43
It's correctly pronounced 'aitch', without the aspirant. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/aitch
#44
#46
They don't....It's called Polo and mainly played by the very wealthy in the UK and completely different.
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And all this from a country that has a baseball tournament called the World Series that only teams from the US compete in. Obviously they see themselves as the entire world :)
recently found out its called the world series after an old newspaper call the world which was the original sponsor - still, they really should change it!
Look at the Nationalities of MLB players now, then ask yourself if they should change it. #WorldSeries
you mean ZA WAAAARUDO.....-BOOM random jojo referrence
Yep they were the original sponsor.....I don't have a problem with that because the players are from all over the baseball playing world.....I do take issue with the NFL putting "world champions" on their superbowl rings.....
No, the New York World was NOT the original sponsor. Don't they have Snopes in the U.K.? ;-)
I am an American born and raised and I used to wonder the same thing. Why is it called "The World Series" if it doesn't involve teams from other countries. Then I found out why and understood. But that doesn't mean that I nor anyone else I know (and I know a shit ton of folks) believe that the USA is the entire world. I do find it fascinating tho that folks from Britain or any other country think that we think that of ourselves.
They have to call it the World Series because it's so damn boring they have to make it sound exciting. My lacrosse coach during practice "if you want to stand around, go play baseball"
LOL I guess I can understand your comment if you have never played the game to begin with. I am the same with soccer and golf. Never played either and I think they are super boring! But I have played baseball and softball a good part of my life. I will say that playing outfield can be boring so I played where the action was and that was either pitcher of first base. Don't knock it till you try it (yes I should take my own advice too hahaha)
That's also what's cool about it. There are a lot of dynamics because slow periods accentuated by major action when someone hits a homer etc. A lot of Americans (Myself included) think soccer / football is boring because so little scoring. If they made the goals larger that would help?
To the people who think the World Series was named after a newspaper, that is FALSE. It's an old wives tale. To the people who bristle about us calling the World Series "world" by all means put together a team and challenge the World Series baseball champion team. The after they beat the living crap out of your team, will you allow us to call it a World Series?
The World Series was named by the World Series newspaper/magazine, it just stuck....a lot of the players are not from the United States but are from all over the baseball playing world, and since when is Canada ( which has the Blue Jays in Toronto ) a U.S. based team? What's more to the point is the NFL which puts "world champions" on their rings.....now the NFL is entirely within the U,S, and is the only country that plays American football.....a better analogy than baseball which is played in Canada, Australia, Japan, Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, to name a few, eh?!
Canada also plays American Football...we've got the CFL
I guess you've never heard of NFL Europe? Or the CFL? American football is also played in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, France, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador. Those are the ones I've seen on YouTube and on TV. But hey, don't let the facts get in the way of your hatred of this country and its traditions. Wikipedia also mentions Austria, Finland, Switzerland, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Spain, and Sweden.
Just for kicks, the CFL should pronounce the Grey Cup winner as "World Champions". / btw, there have been a few teams from USA that played in the CFL. The team from Baltimore, MD USA, actually won it. Oh yeah, and the Grey Cup is more than twice as old as the Superbowl.
Because there are Canadian teams in Major League Baseball
How many professional British baseball teams are there?
Way to totally discard Canada... :) And we are the best in the world at baseball... :)
'scuse me! 'scuse me!!! The US is NOT the only country to compete. That jewel of the Commonwealth, Oh, Canada, also competes. HRUMPH
Other countries are welcome to come in and try their hand. I don't have high hopes for them.
We are. Y'all are just tag-a-longs on our journey!
As far as I remember, The Toronto Blue Jays and the Montreál Expo's also play - making it more than the USA... But I haven't lived in Canada for nearly 30 years
Canada is a separate country, you know. And Mexico's coming soon...
Technically, it's not only US teams in the MLB. Canada has at least one team, that I know of.
Not true. We deemed Toronto and Montreal worthy enough to compete. Of course, we changed our minds about Montreal.
Two words: Toronto Bluejays
You've forgotten about the Toronto Blue Jays.
C'mon now, you're forgetting the token Canadian team!
"If I'm standing on it, it's America."-U.S. Marine
I love you, Scotty
Technically, it's not just the U.S. The Toronto Blue Jays have been in (and won) the World Series twice. But I get your point.
It's not only teams from the US who compete....just so you know
A lot of rude people and a lot of rude replies. This was just supposed to be fun. Kind of disappointing.
I know, here we are in the year 2017, and respect and peace is such a far reach.
Wow rude and insensitive people in there internet how shocking... I totally understand where your coming from banter should be illegal cause it could hurt people's feelings!
95% of the time I don't look at comments because they make me so angry.
Sod it! I am UK born and Bred... But I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND why the Yanks find it hard to grasp... But The Yanks ain't much better... How many Cereals WE CREATED HERE IN THE UK... Get to the states and get RENAMED for NO REASON!!! For instance - UK - Kellogs Frosties US - Kellogs Frosted Flakes? WHY???? There are so many more I can come up with... How about how We play Rounders, but the US made it Baseball? Why is Football in the US so much Like Rugby but teh game where you actually use your feet to kick the ball - and not your hands to pick it up and run with it is called SOCCER? There are so many silly idiosyncrasies... I just hoe we can all have a laugh at how DUMB we can ALL BE and appreciate our differences!
Soccer is actually a British term, originally. In the late 19th and early 20th century, there was an effort to try to establish a single set of rules for football, but there were so many variations, that they had to be divided into two groups. One was Association Football, called 'Soc football, for short: that word became "Soccer". Both words were used interchangeably, for years, but when footie became popular in America, there was already a popular sport, based looselyon the OTHER form of football, as popularised at the rugby School. So in the U.S., rugby became the dominant form, and in Britain, Soc football became the dominant form, and in each country, the popular form was called football, while the lesser form took on the alternate name. As to rounders/baseball, they're not the same game: they, and cricket, developed as separate branches of a game often known as "base".
Someone who actually "gets it" and knows how to research before popping off at the mouth! I love you Buzz
Ugh dude I never got past your Cereal comment.. Lmao Kellog is An AMERICAN CEREAL COMPANY.. so you Guys are the ones who changed the names of cereals lmao!
Sean - It's called football because you kick the fekking ball with your fekking foot. Your "football" is rugby for scared boys that need full body armour!
Mike Pittman, so you never sat an the touch line and watched 2 Rugby League teams in full flight obviously let alone doned a kit and had a go!
It's called football because you play on foot - as opposed to on horseback.
American football uses pads because they move faster on average each play, grown men, top tier athletes, going full speed in opposite directions...they'd kill each other without pads.
Just a PSA. If you are ever in the Southeastern USA, never ever call someone a yank. It is the quickest way to make an enemy or have someone give you a nasty stare. I can't stand that word. We aren't Yanks in the South. Northerners are the Yankees.
Just because USA calls football soccer, doesn't mean it's correct. In Europe, Asia, Africa and in South America football is ... football. Not the game similar to rugby, the game of Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, The Premiere League. Nobody cares about your "football", but ours has fans all around the world, with very important competitions. Go and eat charred bacon.
You tell Em Sean D. I'm from Virginia.. I'm no Yank! and Just in case you wondered, Virginny... May be the Northernmost southern state!... but a southern state none the less! We southerners get called Rebels. By the Yanks! And proud of it too!
Sorry Sean, all Yanks lol
Also, Kellogs is an AMERICAN created company so any Kellogs cereal you have in the UK is thanks to us. Maybe we call it baseball because we wanted to differentiate ourselves from our British counterparts. Also rounders is a stupid name. We call it football because all kickoffs, punts, field goals, and extra points are done by kicking the ball with our foot. Why don't you call your sport Foot, Head, Belly, Knee Ball since every part of your body is fair to do it with besides the hands.
Mate Kellogs is an american company. Always has been
Your Hoe seems to need a pee!
Oh so that's where all the garbage cereals come from...
And all this from a country that has a baseball tournament called the World Series that only teams from the US compete in. Obviously they see themselves as the entire world :)
recently found out its called the world series after an old newspaper call the world which was the original sponsor - still, they really should change it!
Look at the Nationalities of MLB players now, then ask yourself if they should change it. #WorldSeries
you mean ZA WAAAARUDO.....-BOOM random jojo referrence
Yep they were the original sponsor.....I don't have a problem with that because the players are from all over the baseball playing world.....I do take issue with the NFL putting "world champions" on their superbowl rings.....
No, the New York World was NOT the original sponsor. Don't they have Snopes in the U.K.? ;-)
I am an American born and raised and I used to wonder the same thing. Why is it called "The World Series" if it doesn't involve teams from other countries. Then I found out why and understood. But that doesn't mean that I nor anyone else I know (and I know a shit ton of folks) believe that the USA is the entire world. I do find it fascinating tho that folks from Britain or any other country think that we think that of ourselves.
They have to call it the World Series because it's so damn boring they have to make it sound exciting. My lacrosse coach during practice "if you want to stand around, go play baseball"
LOL I guess I can understand your comment if you have never played the game to begin with. I am the same with soccer and golf. Never played either and I think they are super boring! But I have played baseball and softball a good part of my life. I will say that playing outfield can be boring so I played where the action was and that was either pitcher of first base. Don't knock it till you try it (yes I should take my own advice too hahaha)
That's also what's cool about it. There are a lot of dynamics because slow periods accentuated by major action when someone hits a homer etc. A lot of Americans (Myself included) think soccer / football is boring because so little scoring. If they made the goals larger that would help?
To the people who think the World Series was named after a newspaper, that is FALSE. It's an old wives tale. To the people who bristle about us calling the World Series "world" by all means put together a team and challenge the World Series baseball champion team. The after they beat the living crap out of your team, will you allow us to call it a World Series?
The World Series was named by the World Series newspaper/magazine, it just stuck....a lot of the players are not from the United States but are from all over the baseball playing world, and since when is Canada ( which has the Blue Jays in Toronto ) a U.S. based team? What's more to the point is the NFL which puts "world champions" on their rings.....now the NFL is entirely within the U,S, and is the only country that plays American football.....a better analogy than baseball which is played in Canada, Australia, Japan, Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, to name a few, eh?!
Canada also plays American Football...we've got the CFL
I guess you've never heard of NFL Europe? Or the CFL? American football is also played in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, France, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador. Those are the ones I've seen on YouTube and on TV. But hey, don't let the facts get in the way of your hatred of this country and its traditions. Wikipedia also mentions Austria, Finland, Switzerland, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Spain, and Sweden.
Just for kicks, the CFL should pronounce the Grey Cup winner as "World Champions". / btw, there have been a few teams from USA that played in the CFL. The team from Baltimore, MD USA, actually won it. Oh yeah, and the Grey Cup is more than twice as old as the Superbowl.
Because there are Canadian teams in Major League Baseball
How many professional British baseball teams are there?
Way to totally discard Canada... :) And we are the best in the world at baseball... :)
'scuse me! 'scuse me!!! The US is NOT the only country to compete. That jewel of the Commonwealth, Oh, Canada, also competes. HRUMPH
Other countries are welcome to come in and try their hand. I don't have high hopes for them.
We are. Y'all are just tag-a-longs on our journey!
As far as I remember, The Toronto Blue Jays and the Montreál Expo's also play - making it more than the USA... But I haven't lived in Canada for nearly 30 years
Canada is a separate country, you know. And Mexico's coming soon...
Technically, it's not only US teams in the MLB. Canada has at least one team, that I know of.
Not true. We deemed Toronto and Montreal worthy enough to compete. Of course, we changed our minds about Montreal.
Two words: Toronto Bluejays
You've forgotten about the Toronto Blue Jays.
C'mon now, you're forgetting the token Canadian team!
"If I'm standing on it, it's America."-U.S. Marine
I love you, Scotty
Technically, it's not just the U.S. The Toronto Blue Jays have been in (and won) the World Series twice. But I get your point.
It's not only teams from the US who compete....just so you know
A lot of rude people and a lot of rude replies. This was just supposed to be fun. Kind of disappointing.
I know, here we are in the year 2017, and respect and peace is such a far reach.
Wow rude and insensitive people in there internet how shocking... I totally understand where your coming from banter should be illegal cause it could hurt people's feelings!
95% of the time I don't look at comments because they make me so angry.
Sod it! I am UK born and Bred... But I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND why the Yanks find it hard to grasp... But The Yanks ain't much better... How many Cereals WE CREATED HERE IN THE UK... Get to the states and get RENAMED for NO REASON!!! For instance - UK - Kellogs Frosties US - Kellogs Frosted Flakes? WHY???? There are so many more I can come up with... How about how We play Rounders, but the US made it Baseball? Why is Football in the US so much Like Rugby but teh game where you actually use your feet to kick the ball - and not your hands to pick it up and run with it is called SOCCER? There are so many silly idiosyncrasies... I just hoe we can all have a laugh at how DUMB we can ALL BE and appreciate our differences!
Soccer is actually a British term, originally. In the late 19th and early 20th century, there was an effort to try to establish a single set of rules for football, but there were so many variations, that they had to be divided into two groups. One was Association Football, called 'Soc football, for short: that word became "Soccer". Both words were used interchangeably, for years, but when footie became popular in America, there was already a popular sport, based looselyon the OTHER form of football, as popularised at the rugby School. So in the U.S., rugby became the dominant form, and in Britain, Soc football became the dominant form, and in each country, the popular form was called football, while the lesser form took on the alternate name. As to rounders/baseball, they're not the same game: they, and cricket, developed as separate branches of a game often known as "base".
Someone who actually "gets it" and knows how to research before popping off at the mouth! I love you Buzz
Ugh dude I never got past your Cereal comment.. Lmao Kellog is An AMERICAN CEREAL COMPANY.. so you Guys are the ones who changed the names of cereals lmao!
Sean - It's called football because you kick the fekking ball with your fekking foot. Your "football" is rugby for scared boys that need full body armour!
Mike Pittman, so you never sat an the touch line and watched 2 Rugby League teams in full flight obviously let alone doned a kit and had a go!
It's called football because you play on foot - as opposed to on horseback.
American football uses pads because they move faster on average each play, grown men, top tier athletes, going full speed in opposite directions...they'd kill each other without pads.
Just a PSA. If you are ever in the Southeastern USA, never ever call someone a yank. It is the quickest way to make an enemy or have someone give you a nasty stare. I can't stand that word. We aren't Yanks in the South. Northerners are the Yankees.
Just because USA calls football soccer, doesn't mean it's correct. In Europe, Asia, Africa and in South America football is ... football. Not the game similar to rugby, the game of Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, The Premiere League. Nobody cares about your "football", but ours has fans all around the world, with very important competitions. Go and eat charred bacon.
You tell Em Sean D. I'm from Virginia.. I'm no Yank! and Just in case you wondered, Virginny... May be the Northernmost southern state!... but a southern state none the less! We southerners get called Rebels. By the Yanks! And proud of it too!
Sorry Sean, all Yanks lol
Also, Kellogs is an AMERICAN created company so any Kellogs cereal you have in the UK is thanks to us. Maybe we call it baseball because we wanted to differentiate ourselves from our British counterparts. Also rounders is a stupid name. We call it football because all kickoffs, punts, field goals, and extra points are done by kicking the ball with our foot. Why don't you call your sport Foot, Head, Belly, Knee Ball since every part of your body is fair to do it with besides the hands.
Mate Kellogs is an american company. Always has been
Your Hoe seems to need a pee!
Oh so that's where all the garbage cereals come from...