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.
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My nan came onto facetime while i was talking to my sister, chatted sortly and then said "I have to go, I can't drink my tea unless its scalding hot" Its July...
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 f****r. Laughed out loud on that.
Us British can sneak up on you like a ninja in the night or even an iceberg in open water
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."
That's probably because they never had to become an independent country.
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?
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.
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).
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.
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 k******d and calling each other cow. I think I have developed a Scottish, Yorkshire, Puerto Rican accent.
That reminds me of something I read. In germany the waterworks have to perpare for the breaks during important football games.
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*
You hit the nail on the head Daria. There's the east coast accent, which differs from city to city, the southern draw, and if you live in the northern U.S., you start sounding like you're Canadian. Plus lots of others.
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Not the case, the various accents in the US are an amalgam of the various accents of those that left Europe and moved to the US. Lots of Irish and Scottish influence for example
Yes, there are isolated US accents that are probably close to the "levelled" accent originally developed, but the generic mid-west accent is very different to the southern English 16th century accent. The only thing in common is the rhotic R.
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The American Southern drawl is an English upper-class accent from the 18th century. The old Brooklyn accent, heard in films from the Thirties, is similar to a lower-class English accent from the same century. The standard American accent of today is not far off the accent you hear in parts of western Ireland. The American South was heavily populated by English debtors, working off their prison sentences, so there are a few variations in the Southern accent, corresponding to upper and lower classes. Maryland and Delaware were settled before New England. The New England accents? No idea, but they may have been from the East of England.
Its basically a modified amalgam of early 19th century London accents. Australia, NZ, S. Africa etc were settled after English standardised on the non-Rhotic pronunciation of the letter "R", the US & Canada before it, hence the major difference.
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Actually, most of the USA was not speaking English when they sailed over so I would think it is some mixture of accents. For example French has a clear influance on it in words like fiancé, genre, etc.
The original 13 colonies very much did speak English as the dominant language. The French influence on English comes from the Norman invasion and later loanwords that are common to both British & American English.
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Ahem. There is no one British accent!! Manchester doesn't sound like London or S England. Then you've got Welsh, Cornish, Scottish, N Irish.
True, all those are distinct accents, each with their own unique characteristics and in that context they're all very different, but when compared to, say, Jamaican English it quickly becomes clear that those various English accents, different as they are, are all one thing and Jamaican is something else altogether.
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Shakespeare actually would have had something similar to a Brummie or rural midlands accent. Not only is that the most logical assumption but the material seems to flow and sound better when spoken that way, even explains some of the stranger neologisms which suddenly make more obvious rhymes or near homophones with other parts of the passage... And of course those still existing accents are hardly what you'd call deliberate upper class affects. (what's described here I expect is the kind of RP that is often over emphasised by an "English" character in a US TV show or movie, and thought of as the universal English accent when it's actually just the vaguely aristocratic dialect put on by professional broadcasters and actors in the mid 20th century. There's a lot of US accents that still sound quite a lot like genuine everyday British ones... And many that very much don't. But then you had genuine multiculturalism on a wide scale long before we did, so there's been a lot of remixing)
I must admit, that really irritates me.. How alot of Americans think all us English sound like Sherlock homes, or something out of a Shakespearian play. No, its only the upper class that talk like that and even still you don't hear it much. I'm from a place called Yorkshire.. If anyone has hear Sean Bean speak his own dialect, yep, that's my accent.
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That's just bollocks. When I went to the Outer Banks, they sounded like people from the South of England; they might have retained the accent, but a Texan is sure as s**t not the same as Shakespeare spoke. 😂
British dialect differentiation is the whole basis for Pygmalion (aka the musical My Fair Lady).
Yeah, though it depends on the state, as some accents have more Spanish or French influence. Also, some people, such as Bostonians and Southerners have accents influenced by received pronunciation, so while they aren't like the modern British "standard", they are more similar to that than the more "natural" British accents that colonists would have had.
This does make me laugh, if you have the original British accent you would not be asking what a fortnight is, (c500AD) are all Americans this thick?
I have read similar statement several times and every time it makes me laugh, Americans grasp anything trying to beat down other nationalities down whilst they are so pathetic. Your language came from a mix of many European tongues, you lot corrupted it so do not try and claim it as original English.
The US has multiple accents, not necessarily by state, but by region. The North East accent, most notably the Boston accent, is supposedly the closest American accent to British.
Bill Bryson wrote that he thinks early Americans sounded like Yosemite Sam.
I've heard our southern drawl we have in our more southern states is the closest we have to the English accent, that if you were to speed up the drawl you can hear the English in it. just what I;ve heard
OMG. The Shakespeare thing. I never thought about it like that before. Or that Americans have the original British accent. Too cool. :)
It's the Southeast U.S. that has the closest thing to what the English sounded like in Colonial times.
Depends on the British accent, OP is actually closer to most traditional west country dialects than any American. Rhoticity is the key distinction to RP and American; which hence leads to the "better" performance of Shakespear (As standard American is rhotic, and RP is non-rhotic; whereas west country accents - and OP - are some of the many examples of rhotic English accents). However many of the linguistic characteristics found in OP are found in neither RP or Standard American. In short, language is a tree that grows in four dimensions, both over distance and time. We speak two near twigs of the same branch, both have grown apart, neither has remained.
If there are a lot of people in the city like New York City or Los Angeles you will find different accents. If water separates parts of the city, like Charleston, South Carolina, you will find different accents. Sometimes it's like they come from a different country. The same can be said of Northern Germany and Southerh Germany. It's like they are from different countries.
Hearing American women say ''Oh ma Gawd'' is really funny to me. Which area do they come from?
Same with the Québec French accent, which is close to the Île-de-France area's accent in the 1600-1700. It's that specific area, as that's where many boat captains were from. The other folks came from areas that sometimes didn't speak French, so they picked it up with the captains' accent. We also kept folk songs and stories that have been lost over there.
you think all the great heroes from out west sounded like that? they had English accents! if you made an accurate western, it would have to be subtitled for american audiences!
No! Will is turning over in his grave at the mere suggestion that his words, or Marlowe's, sound better with an American accent. Daria B, I agree. There are many different accents in most countries.
Wouldn't it be the other way around? A lot of people who did move to the colonies (i.e. the Thirteen Colonies, the Antilles, and Canada were generally Puritans who were considered to be too overzealous and extremist according to Anglican doctrines and were persecuted to the point they left the country for a better life ... ?
We definitely do have different accents. Here in the southern US it's more prominate. I am a native Texan and we do have the southern drawl although we don't hear it when others Texans talk.
Also heard that ppl from Québec still have the french accent of 18th century in fact, and the french are making much fun of it....(i'm belgian btw =D)
Look up Smith Island Maryland to hear an old English accent in the US today. They are said to still have the vocabulary and accent of 1700's England.
That's Smith Island, VIRGINIA, not Maryland. I know this because my family originally owned the island. My family still inhabits Smith island and Eastern Shore, Va. And yes, they do speak with an Elizabethan accent. On The Shore, it's a mix.
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This isn't correct. The american accent doesn't sound like Shakespeare's English would have sounded, but then neither do any regional British dialects of the modern day. Extensive studies have been done into what it would have sounded like and its a sort of cross between brummy, west country, Irish, Yorkshire and American with a bit of jack sparrow thrown in lol.... No one modern accent sounded right and both modern American and modern British sounds just as different from Shakespeare's English as the other. If you look on YouTube you'll find plenty of examples of Shakespeare's original pronunciation... As for an original British accent, well even Shakespeare's original pronunciation would have just been a regional dialect of the time
This isn't correct. The american accent doesn't sound like Shakespeare's English would have sounded, but then neither do any regional British dialects of the modern day. Extensive studies have been done into what it would have sounded like and its a sort of cross between brummy, west country, Irish, Yorkshire and American with a bit of jack sparrow thrown in lol.... No one modern accent sounded right and both modern American and modern British sounds just as different from Shakespeare's English as the other. If you looknon YouTube you'll find plenty of examples of Shakespeare's original pronunciation
And Shakespeare most certainly does not sound better in an American accent.
B******t, for the most part anyway. There is a small island in the middle of Chesapeake Bay, Tangier Island, Virginia. It's an hour by ferry from the mainland and the community there is so isolated that the people retain not just an English accent, but specifically a West Country English accent. In the surrounding communities they're known as "hoy toid-ers" because that's how they say "high tide." English accents were retained in parts of New England for a long time and some of it still remains. It was also retained among certain socio-economic classes. (Watch some clips of Eleanor Roosevelt and listen to her voice.) But for the most part Americans sound very little like their English ancestors.
The American accent came into being after the Irish Migrations, particularly after the Great Potato Famine.
This is actually very true. Here is a persistent myth in the US that if you go to remote villages in the Ozarks you will find people that "speak the Queens English" but it is just a myth of ignorance.
Definitely not "Queen's English", but some of them do retain some distinctly English characteristics. In some parts of Kentucky people still pronounce "join" as "jine." If I remember right, that is supposed to have come from East Anglia. I have no idea if that's how they sound now.
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Im british and have never seen, heardor tasted this. And i think it sounds terrible
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.
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!
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.
It's correctly pronounced 'aitch', without the aspirant. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/aitch
That is my favorite TV show. I have NO CLUE what 90% of the things they are baking actually are -- never heard of them, never seen them. But the intensity with which they bake them is riveting!
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!
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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.
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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".
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The word 'fortnight' is from Old English meaning fourteen nights. I found some of the responses highly amusing!
they put a bowl in the sink to save water, during the heatwave of 76 we had a severe water shortage and still use them today because we pay by the litre for tap water
Started off like innocent fun then went dark. I'm neither British nor American but felt uncomfortable reading some jokes.
I'm both and understand it fully. Brit Dad /American Mom. Yeah I get it. Most Americans don't kn ow that the Union Jack is not the English flag...
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Why are Americans so shocked that there's a different world outside the US? Britain isn't even that different and it's already enough to be patronised, seriously? It should be pretty obvious that things are different in different places. As much as I like Americans in general, it never ceases to amaze me just how tiny their comfort zone is and how mesmerised they are by smallest deviation from what they're used to.
We aren't shocked at all really. We know there is a different and fascinating world out there beyond our borders. Let me ask you this... haven't you ever visited a friend's house and notice that there are some things they do different? You would see it all over the place here in the states. Everyone is different. So with that said, we are fascinated by the not so subtle differences in other countries. Mainly the language because that is the easiest way to connect with someone elsewhere. Marysia (pretty name btw), it's not about our comfort zone, it's about how we learn to appreciate other people and their differences.
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reminds me how i was awed by brits when i watched trainspotting.as an asian i'm still amazed by brit people.like,they're confusing but it's ok 'cuz they're cool and funny and you like it.
What's up with those downvotes?!? Did people really downvote posts because they are about something sexual??? (Aaaaaand let me guess the nationality of the people that downvoted that.... -_- )
Fannypack would not work over there. F***y means something....entirely different.
yup you guys keep your f***y in the wrong place :)
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All supposed to be in fun but taken far too seriously across the pond . I mean we also have an alternative meaning for the word "TRUMP"across this side of the pond we are far too polite to explain our version. Bear in mind that we had use of the words first and but for the bunch of tight arsed voyagers whingers who happened to stray too far from England the words might still have meaning for you. For example the word should obviously be acclimatise but where the hell did acclimate come from.
Hold on... what do you keep your hotdogs in?.... Also seriously what is with the sink bowl? I am british and I bloody hate those waste of time things.
Don't worry about the hot dogs nobody buys those....Just like we don't buy American cars :D
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one thing i will NEVER understand is that americans basically have a dessert for breakfast. pop tarts, cinnamon buns, sugar loaded cereal. then you have to pay for healthcare. honestly its kinda confusing and messed up
The funniest one I came across is the word F***y. In America it is the bum but in uk it is the women’s private part.
If Trump had his way, we would become the 51st state. Perish the thought.
American fireworks is to celebrate a plot against the government, too...only theirs succeeded.
I CAME HERE BECAUSE OF THE SINK BIN PREVIEW AND IT'S NOT EVEN PART OF THE ARTICLE. DAMN CLICKBAIT. boring-pan...5480d4.png 
"Whether it's their unique accent that somehow carries over into their typing" What, you actually think there's only ONE accent in the whole UK?!
Our daughter spent a quarter at Cambridge University. I went for a visit in the last part of May and almost froze to death. May in the South of the US has already gone through spring and we are in the 90's. The day I got there it was sleeting. The University had turned off the heat because that is just what one does. The 1st of June, we were in Edinburgh Scotland. The local kids were laying out on the grass and it was SNOWING! I thought we should have checked because they might be dead. My daughter made me be quiet but I was concerned. The first thing I really noticed was the tea cart. Everyone, except me, jumped up and followed the cart. If you came through the train with a coffee cart in the States, no one would jump up. It just wouldn't happen. I enjoyed my trip but the young people were a little hard to understand. They used slang that I didn't understand and said "f**k" in various forms too many times. I will probably go back but I will never try to drive again.
Turks drink more tea then English, why people act like they drink tea like whole day.
Turks drink more tea then English, and I dunno why world act like English drink tea whole day.
The thing with the X is from when people couldn't read and it was a way of signing your name it then came to be a short cut for things like love and kisses etc.
Wait... wine by the glass in convenience stores? I thought it tea, only tea, all the time!?
Canadian here with a somewhat British background I guess. Love tea, beans on toast, wash my dishes in a dishpan in the sink and on and on... What makes us different makes us interesting... be who you are lol.
Trump - in America its a president, in England it's a fart....... but no real difference there!
is a toast sandwhich like a legit thing? I mean I've heard of beans on toast at least. but not a toast sandwhich.... Also British people get concerned that we call all types of cookies cookies. (snickerdoodle chocolate chip oatmeal its all cookies and they don't understand lol)
Oh and beans on toast is all my youngest son would eat when he was going through a fad. Personally, I prefer beans and cheese on toast or on a jacket potato (baked potato). Oh, and x just means love or a kiss or something that is just nice. Like really? I even used to do that when I live in Canada!
Oh and 'F***y Packs'... 'F***y' refers to the vaginal opening... A bit gross, so please, it's not that weird. Plus in North America, they refer to rubbers as condoms, whereas in the UK, rubbers, rub out pencil mistakes. LOL
As far as the toastie is concerned, it is not a 'toast sandwich'... It is filling placed between two pieces of bread, buttered on the outsides of the sandwich and then placed in a sandwich maker, a bit like a waffle iron. My favourite is basic ham and cheese... Rip apart and dip in ketchup - But then again, I learned this when I went to school in Norway for a year when I was 19. Yummmmm - one of my favourite memories!
I moved back to the UK nearly 30 years ago and was shocked about the washing machine in the kitchen. However, there is one big difference between North America and the UK... That being space... If you think about it, the UK would fit into the province of Alberta nearly 3 times (sorry - I grew up in Alberta - so my reference point) The UK has just over 65 million inhabitants. In Alberta, there are just over 4 million inhabitants. So, therefore, most homes in the UK are packed into a much smaller area and have far less floor space. This means that it is generally less likely that people have room for a laundry room. And by the way, most UK homes don't have basements, so that rules out that space. This is also probably one of the reasons that in the UK, they use plastic tubs in the sink... Space... Most older UK homes don't have a double sink. Then I suppose the rest is tradition. If your mum used one, then you probably will as well.
In the UK, there are different types of crossings with different rules. You have a standard crossing, like at traffic lights. Then you have the pelican crossing which you have to press a button and lights stop the traffic. Finally you have the zebra crossing which has a lit pole and a crossing resembling the lines of a zebra - hence the name - and a person only has to walk up to the crossing and cars must stop immediately. This zebra style crossing is common - not always with the lit pole- accross much of Europe.
What's wrong with "zebra crossing"? In Germany we have the same term "Zebrastreifen" (= zebra stripes).
We do not all talk street in England I understand it but I dont talk like that. Plastic wine glasses are popular as they are disposable after use
#7... as a welsh man I can say we try really hard to forget about england but the buggers over the bridge still insist on sticking their noses into our business
The power thing is true and its all to do with the fact that major British sporting events don't stop every 10 minutes for a TV commercial break like the US ones do. So when half time comes about in any major football or rugby event, everybody goes into the kitchen and turns the kettle on to make a cup of tea (or Coffee in my case). We have a couple of special power stations in North Wales whose role is to deal with the power demand spikes when they happen.
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 c**p out of your team, will you allow us to call it a World Series?
What, you think our Cuban and Puerto Rican team couldn't beat your team made up of Cubans and Puerto Ricans?
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#30 is mind blowing not as mind blowing as what a CHip butty is and why the eff we didn't think of it first (frenchfry sandwich )
#30 blows my mind also a chip butty is a french fry sandwich on buttered bread with ketchup mustard and or brown sauce on it ....i have no idea how they came up with that before us
Who the heck stamped American Style on a jar of pickled meat? There is nowhere in this nation where you will find hot dogs in brine jars. They are in plastic ziplocked hotdog pouches and usually double sided (4 dogs per side).
As an American living in the Republic of Ireland, I found this whole thing hilarious. My question is, why can't Brits "th" instead of replacing it with a v or and f.? As in Mover instead of mother birthfday instead of birthday?
I have never pronounced any of those words like that, and neither do the majority of British people. You know, I think you may have been watching too much Eastenders.
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Americans should google 'toilet flushing at half time in the superbowl'
Americans should google 'toilet flush problems at half=time in teh superbowl'
Do Americans have or understand regional names for people. I'm talking about calling someone something dependant on where they come from. Do you know what a scouser is? Or a Deedah? Or a Geordie? Or a Jock.. Do you guys have anything similar?
Northerner, southerner, Texan, Californian, and Alaskan. The rest is from ______(say region or state here).
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Do Americans have or understand regional names for people? I'm talking about calling someone something dependant on where they come from. Do you know what a scouser is? Or a Deedah? Or a Geordie? Or a Jock? Do you have anything similar?
As opposed to all Americans being Yanks, a Yankee is someone from the East Coast north of the Mason-Dixon line. Also known as carpet baggers when they move south of said line.
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Too funny. I got to visit Britain in 1993. The conversations are hilarious. They had shrimp sandwiches in the vending machine at our hotel for just one pound. They were delicious. Jizz.
I went to Europe and England was my favorite spot! Loved the scenery, the history and the people.
I love you America, you're so fantastically daft and never met one of you that I didn't like. Xxx
so what are the "xxx" for anyways? Are you blowing kisses? =P
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I love to actually see differences from americans. One day I'll get to finally visit Britain, hopefully.
SO: What about putting the plastic tub in the sink to do dishes? You got us here using that as enticement & then didn't address it! What gives?
So you can still throw stuff down the plug hole. Tea dregs etc. Milk your kids forgot to finish. Water in tub stays cleaner longer. Logic.
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I come from country where wine is made for for many centuries. Nobody, but nobody would buy wine packed in plastic glasses.
You don't wash your dishes in the bathtub so whyyyyy would you not put a bucket in the sink that's washed your baby's stinky off? ! Geeezzz. ..
It's not a bucket. It's a tub just for dishes. I wash mine with bleach twice a week and I rinse it every time it's used.
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I guess we can play like this with all the different french speaking countries : Belgium, Swisserland, Quebec etc... Or the portugues speaked in Portugal or in Brazil... Americans just forgot that the first english migrants were probably speaking like this 250+++ years ago. All the languages changes are mostly due to a mix with other people coming from other countries. Languages are not frozen and continue to evolve for the better and sometimes the worst.
...unless they are religious languages such as Classic Arabic and Biblical Hebrew. Otherwise yes. Linguistics is fascinating.
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American born and bred but I have an affinity for all things Brit and the BBC is a must. I find the language and custom idiosyncrasies to be delightful! Every country has their pet names for things others will never understand and things we do and say here in the US boggle minds across the world! Why not just celebrate the differences and have a good laugh? People these days are so critical and snarky! Love the Brits!!! <3
Now that I think about it. Both of my parents are American, but my grandfather came from Britain in the mid-1900s, and my mother has British ancestry, but America was first a British colony. So that means, I'm mostly British. Wow, what the Internet can make you realize. I don't know why I didn't figure this out sooner.
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!
Load More Replies... 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.
Load More Replies... 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".
Load More Replies... The word 'fortnight' is from Old English meaning fourteen nights. I found some of the responses highly amusing!
they put a bowl in the sink to save water, during the heatwave of 76 we had a severe water shortage and still use them today because we pay by the litre for tap water
Started off like innocent fun then went dark. I'm neither British nor American but felt uncomfortable reading some jokes.
I'm both and understand it fully. Brit Dad /American Mom. Yeah I get it. Most Americans don't kn ow that the Union Jack is not the English flag...
Load More Replies... Why are Americans so shocked that there's a different world outside the US? Britain isn't even that different and it's already enough to be patronised, seriously? It should be pretty obvious that things are different in different places. As much as I like Americans in general, it never ceases to amaze me just how tiny their comfort zone is and how mesmerised they are by smallest deviation from what they're used to.
We aren't shocked at all really. We know there is a different and fascinating world out there beyond our borders. Let me ask you this... haven't you ever visited a friend's house and notice that there are some things they do different? You would see it all over the place here in the states. Everyone is different. So with that said, we are fascinated by the not so subtle differences in other countries. Mainly the language because that is the easiest way to connect with someone elsewhere. Marysia (pretty name btw), it's not about our comfort zone, it's about how we learn to appreciate other people and their differences.
Load More Replies... reminds me how i was awed by brits when i watched trainspotting.as an asian i'm still amazed by brit people.like,they're confusing but it's ok 'cuz they're cool and funny and you like it.
What's up with those downvotes?!? Did people really downvote posts because they are about something sexual??? (Aaaaaand let me guess the nationality of the people that downvoted that.... -_- )
Fannypack would not work over there. F***y means something....entirely different.
yup you guys keep your f***y in the wrong place :)
Load More Replies... All supposed to be in fun but taken far too seriously across the pond . I mean we also have an alternative meaning for the word "TRUMP"across this side of the pond we are far too polite to explain our version. Bear in mind that we had use of the words first and but for the bunch of tight arsed voyagers whingers who happened to stray too far from England the words might still have meaning for you. For example the word should obviously be acclimatise but where the hell did acclimate come from.
Hold on... what do you keep your hotdogs in?.... Also seriously what is with the sink bowl? I am british and I bloody hate those waste of time things.
Don't worry about the hot dogs nobody buys those....Just like we don't buy American cars :D
Load More Replies... one thing i will NEVER understand is that americans basically have a dessert for breakfast. pop tarts, cinnamon buns, sugar loaded cereal. then you have to pay for healthcare. honestly its kinda confusing and messed up
The funniest one I came across is the word F***y. In America it is the bum but in uk it is the women’s private part.
If Trump had his way, we would become the 51st state. Perish the thought.
American fireworks is to celebrate a plot against the government, too...only theirs succeeded.
I CAME HERE BECAUSE OF THE SINK BIN PREVIEW AND IT'S NOT EVEN PART OF THE ARTICLE. DAMN CLICKBAIT. boring-pan...5480d4.png
"Whether it's their unique accent that somehow carries over into their typing" What, you actually think there's only ONE accent in the whole UK?!
Our daughter spent a quarter at Cambridge University. I went for a visit in the last part of May and almost froze to death. May in the South of the US has already gone through spring and we are in the 90's. The day I got there it was sleeting. The University had turned off the heat because that is just what one does. The 1st of June, we were in Edinburgh Scotland. The local kids were laying out on the grass and it was SNOWING! I thought we should have checked because they might be dead. My daughter made me be quiet but I was concerned. The first thing I really noticed was the tea cart. Everyone, except me, jumped up and followed the cart. If you came through the train with a coffee cart in the States, no one would jump up. It just wouldn't happen. I enjoyed my trip but the young people were a little hard to understand. They used slang that I didn't understand and said "f**k" in various forms too many times. I will probably go back but I will never try to drive again.
Turks drink more tea then English, why people act like they drink tea like whole day.
Turks drink more tea then English, and I dunno why world act like English drink tea whole day.
The thing with the X is from when people couldn't read and it was a way of signing your name it then came to be a short cut for things like love and kisses etc.
Wait... wine by the glass in convenience stores? I thought it tea, only tea, all the time!?
Canadian here with a somewhat British background I guess. Love tea, beans on toast, wash my dishes in a dishpan in the sink and on and on... What makes us different makes us interesting... be who you are lol.
Trump - in America its a president, in England it's a fart....... but no real difference there!
is a toast sandwhich like a legit thing? I mean I've heard of beans on toast at least. but not a toast sandwhich.... Also British people get concerned that we call all types of cookies cookies. (snickerdoodle chocolate chip oatmeal its all cookies and they don't understand lol)
Oh and beans on toast is all my youngest son would eat when he was going through a fad. Personally, I prefer beans and cheese on toast or on a jacket potato (baked potato). Oh, and x just means love or a kiss or something that is just nice. Like really? I even used to do that when I live in Canada!
Oh and 'F***y Packs'... 'F***y' refers to the vaginal opening... A bit gross, so please, it's not that weird. Plus in North America, they refer to rubbers as condoms, whereas in the UK, rubbers, rub out pencil mistakes. LOL
As far as the toastie is concerned, it is not a 'toast sandwich'... It is filling placed between two pieces of bread, buttered on the outsides of the sandwich and then placed in a sandwich maker, a bit like a waffle iron. My favourite is basic ham and cheese... Rip apart and dip in ketchup - But then again, I learned this when I went to school in Norway for a year when I was 19. Yummmmm - one of my favourite memories!
I moved back to the UK nearly 30 years ago and was shocked about the washing machine in the kitchen. However, there is one big difference between North America and the UK... That being space... If you think about it, the UK would fit into the province of Alberta nearly 3 times (sorry - I grew up in Alberta - so my reference point) The UK has just over 65 million inhabitants. In Alberta, there are just over 4 million inhabitants. So, therefore, most homes in the UK are packed into a much smaller area and have far less floor space. This means that it is generally less likely that people have room for a laundry room. And by the way, most UK homes don't have basements, so that rules out that space. This is also probably one of the reasons that in the UK, they use plastic tubs in the sink... Space... Most older UK homes don't have a double sink. Then I suppose the rest is tradition. If your mum used one, then you probably will as well.
In the UK, there are different types of crossings with different rules. You have a standard crossing, like at traffic lights. Then you have the pelican crossing which you have to press a button and lights stop the traffic. Finally you have the zebra crossing which has a lit pole and a crossing resembling the lines of a zebra - hence the name - and a person only has to walk up to the crossing and cars must stop immediately. This zebra style crossing is common - not always with the lit pole- accross much of Europe.
What's wrong with "zebra crossing"? In Germany we have the same term "Zebrastreifen" (= zebra stripes).
We do not all talk street in England I understand it but I dont talk like that. Plastic wine glasses are popular as they are disposable after use
#7... as a welsh man I can say we try really hard to forget about england but the buggers over the bridge still insist on sticking their noses into our business
The power thing is true and its all to do with the fact that major British sporting events don't stop every 10 minutes for a TV commercial break like the US ones do. So when half time comes about in any major football or rugby event, everybody goes into the kitchen and turns the kettle on to make a cup of tea (or Coffee in my case). We have a couple of special power stations in North Wales whose role is to deal with the power demand spikes when they happen.
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 c**p out of your team, will you allow us to call it a World Series?
What, you think our Cuban and Puerto Rican team couldn't beat your team made up of Cubans and Puerto Ricans?
Load More Replies... #30 is mind blowing not as mind blowing as what a CHip butty is and why the eff we didn't think of it first (frenchfry sandwich )
#30 blows my mind also a chip butty is a french fry sandwich on buttered bread with ketchup mustard and or brown sauce on it ....i have no idea how they came up with that before us
Who the heck stamped American Style on a jar of pickled meat? There is nowhere in this nation where you will find hot dogs in brine jars. They are in plastic ziplocked hotdog pouches and usually double sided (4 dogs per side).
As an American living in the Republic of Ireland, I found this whole thing hilarious. My question is, why can't Brits "th" instead of replacing it with a v or and f.? As in Mover instead of mother birthfday instead of birthday?
I have never pronounced any of those words like that, and neither do the majority of British people. You know, I think you may have been watching too much Eastenders.
Load More Replies... Americans should google 'toilet flushing at half time in the superbowl'
Americans should google 'toilet flush problems at half=time in teh superbowl'
Do Americans have or understand regional names for people. I'm talking about calling someone something dependant on where they come from. Do you know what a scouser is? Or a Deedah? Or a Geordie? Or a Jock.. Do you guys have anything similar?
Northerner, southerner, Texan, Californian, and Alaskan. The rest is from ______(say region or state here).
Load More Replies... Do Americans have or understand regional names for people? I'm talking about calling someone something dependant on where they come from. Do you know what a scouser is? Or a Deedah? Or a Geordie? Or a Jock? Do you have anything similar?
As opposed to all Americans being Yanks, a Yankee is someone from the East Coast north of the Mason-Dixon line. Also known as carpet baggers when they move south of said line.
Load More Replies... Too funny. I got to visit Britain in 1993. The conversations are hilarious. They had shrimp sandwiches in the vending machine at our hotel for just one pound. They were delicious. Jizz.
I went to Europe and England was my favorite spot! Loved the scenery, the history and the people.
I love you America, you're so fantastically daft and never met one of you that I didn't like. Xxx
so what are the "xxx" for anyways? Are you blowing kisses? =P
Load More Replies... I love to actually see differences from americans. One day I'll get to finally visit Britain, hopefully.
SO: What about putting the plastic tub in the sink to do dishes? You got us here using that as enticement & then didn't address it! What gives?
So you can still throw stuff down the plug hole. Tea dregs etc. Milk your kids forgot to finish. Water in tub stays cleaner longer. Logic.
Load More Replies... I come from country where wine is made for for many centuries. Nobody, but nobody would buy wine packed in plastic glasses.
You don't wash your dishes in the bathtub so whyyyyy would you not put a bucket in the sink that's washed your baby's stinky off? ! Geeezzz. ..
It's not a bucket. It's a tub just for dishes. I wash mine with bleach twice a week and I rinse it every time it's used.
Load More Replies... I guess we can play like this with all the different french speaking countries : Belgium, Swisserland, Quebec etc... Or the portugues speaked in Portugal or in Brazil... Americans just forgot that the first english migrants were probably speaking like this 250+++ years ago. All the languages changes are mostly due to a mix with other people coming from other countries. Languages are not frozen and continue to evolve for the better and sometimes the worst.
...unless they are religious languages such as Classic Arabic and Biblical Hebrew. Otherwise yes. Linguistics is fascinating.
Load More Replies... American born and bred but I have an affinity for all things Brit and the BBC is a must. I find the language and custom idiosyncrasies to be delightful! Every country has their pet names for things others will never understand and things we do and say here in the US boggle minds across the world! Why not just celebrate the differences and have a good laugh? People these days are so critical and snarky! Love the Brits!!! <3
Now that I think about it. Both of my parents are American, but my grandfather came from Britain in the mid-1900s, and my mother has British ancestry, but America was first a British colony. So that means, I'm mostly British. Wow, what the Internet can make you realize. I don't know why I didn't figure this out sooner.
