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...
No cable then? That isnt so bad. Heck over here we get over 200 channels on basic cable and most of the time, there is STILL nothing worth watching on! It's all reruns of old shows. Heck the Kardashions hold channel E hostage and run almost all day every day!
Think of it, at least for the BBC stations (including radio and interactive services) as the original equivalent of the "sign up for a paid membership to remove ads" thing that a lot of websites and particularly streaming services do now, with a cost of a little over £12 per month per household for everything. AND it means fewer ads on the commercial stations too, as the main networks get a little subsidy each from the license authority, and they don't have to pay as much for transmitter rental etc because a lot of the main network maintenance is covered by it (many of the main antenna sites being BBC property, by way of them claiming all the best hilltops years before the other stations even started)... Really, considering how much cable or satellite service charges here, and how it'd likely still come out of my pocket in taxes anyway (where does the money come from to run basic cable services in the US? as far as I know they're largely municipal utilities, so, tax?), it's an OK rate
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Bored (Panda) at work. BBC 1: Mainstream and Popular. BBC2: Bit edgier and experimental. BBC 3: For the Yoof. BBC 4: Education/Cultural. BBC Alba, and all the 'local' BBC station BBC Radio 1: For the yoof. BBC Radio 2: For the middle aged. BBC Radio 3: Classical and Experimental music. BBC Radio 4: Documentary, comedy and current affairs BBC Radio 5: Sports BBC Radio 6: Hipster music BBC Radio 4 extra: Repeats
You forgot R1 extra (urban yoof), R5 extra (weird sports), the local radio stations (which become a joined-up, nameless shadow network overnight) and of course the World Service (sort of like dial up era internet turned into a radio stream, then beamed everywhere via Long Wave AM so that people in North Korea making illicit foreign broadcast receivers from scraps of chicken wire and contraband digital watches can still pick it up...). Just for the latter alone, £145 a year seems like a good deal. Here, plucky DPRK electrician, have a programme about Vladmir Nabakov in a language you can't speak. O world that has such wonders in it.
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There's 5live (phone in radio) and 5livesportsxtra (!) for the cricket, etc. xxx
Literally only just spotted the "English Channel" bit... :D More seriously... ITV (now a network with multiple numbered and named tendrils), Channel 4 (likewise), C5 (a third entirely separate company and network), Sky and UKTV both with their own sets of channels, and a raft of other smaller-time outfits. And oh so many shopping channels. And lets not even get into all the commercial radio stations... (and local BBC sub-franchises)
and they're all s**t! its about time they ban the TV licence.. !!!! f**k the BBC
You sound worrying like someone who probably thinks ITV is worth giving the time of day to. That or you can afford Sky so easily that you don't even think of how much it costs you per year (hint: way more than the license fee) even though they then STILL have the utter cheek to bombard you with 15 minutes of advertisements over the course of an hour... generally wrapped with supposed content that, if it was printed, I wouldn't bother to even line a bird cage with. Viva Auntie, Viva freeview.
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Channels 3,4 and 5 are longstanding commercial TV channels not operated by BBC
*ITV, Channel 4, and Five ... assuming they've stopped stylising themselves as 5ive...
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In my country we call it La Manche ... not English channel ... and we call the tunnel eurotunnel :D :D there is always confusion when I talking with British people about these things
Doesn't "Manche" mean something analogous to Channel anyway? (Or "wrinkle" or "cut" or something... I was told, once, and have since forgotten... Besides, calling it Eurotunnel when you're already in Europe is silly. It's Britunnel, surely (Etatsunnel Unis?). Though either way you lose the simple job of calling it "Chunnel" ;)
Load More Replies... ITV.... and Channel 4, which then goes into into other ITV channels and More 4, E4, 4OD, ect... lol
BBC kids is called Children's BBC (CBBC) we also have Ceebeebies for the under fives. BBC 3 and/or 4 covers the darker side of the Beeb. News24 is the BBC Extreme channel, 24 hours of unadulterated BBC news and weather. It's too extreme for me, I just barely make it a couple of hours past the watershed. (Nothing like a watergate btw)
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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*
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.
