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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.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Lauren Southwood 9 years ago
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...
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#5
E Menendez 9 years ago
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.
#7
Nicola Morley 9 years ago
Us British can sneak up on you like a ninja in the night or even an iceberg in open water
#8
loveandbones 9 years ago
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."
#9
#10
Xmayze 9 years ago
Someone told me a lot of Americans don't even own a kettle, I'm slightly scared to ask if that's true....?
Melissa Nunya 9 years ago
We make our tea without kettles. First, you throw it in the harbor...wait a min
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Intensive Panda 9 years ago
f*ck atomic clocks, you know its 16 o'clock in UK if you have an outage
Janine Randall 9 years ago
Same theory as when the Super Bowl is on in America. All the flushing at halftime causes water shortages.
EvieNiffler 8 years ago
For those of you who want these sources; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_pickup https://www.geek.com/geek-cetera/tea-time-in-britain-causes-predictable-massive-surge-in-electricity-demand-1535023/ Though Netflix and iPlayer have made these surges less necessary/frequent.
GoldenAngels 9 years ago
Nobody uses kettles anymore we just have those coffee makers that you put the little cup thing in.
Mark Penrice 9 years ago
Because they don't have similar for all the fridge lights turning on in the US during the superbowl? :D
Brandy Summerlin 8 years ago
I'm American and consider myself a normal person- most days. I boil water in a stovetop kettle and steep tea with a strainer ( sometimes tea bag) in a ceramic mug. It seems like a lot of Americans use the microwave but I don't own one of those by choice so IDK.
Ian Mooney 9 years ago
How else do you think a tiny plot of land conquered so much of the world..... TEA POWER.
Mistrz Varflock 9 years ago
Here - I checked it for you: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_pickup
matt milne 4 months ago
Commercial breaks cause power surges and it's a phenomena that occurs around the world. This is most noticeable in the UK as their kettle is a high-powered device (3kw - up to triple the US rating), with 95% of uk homes owning and using a kettle, millions of them going on at once suddenly spikes the national demand by Gigawatts, which requires several large generating stations to produce maximum output across the country, simultaneously, to avoid brown outs. Slumps occur during key events like moments of silence, followed by a pick up of the same scale minutes later. Power surges can cause damage to generating and substation equipment, so TV viewership and scheduling is monitored to ensure the power network can meet demand at all times.
Sophia Gentile 5 years ago
I’m American, and we use an electric kettle, and have a full cupboard full of tea. We use sugar and milk, or honey instead of sugar. And drink out of jokingly decorated mugs. (Someone here said they just put it in the microwave. That’s not common here right? Bc if it is I didn’t get the memo.)
Janet Katz 8 years ago
I am a tea drinker, which I learned from visits to the UK and I did get an electric kettle. I got that habit from living in other countries. I saw a survey and more people in the US use electric kettles than kettles on the range (hob) now. The tea might not be the black tea you see in the UK (I do) but it's tea. More coffee drinkers, though.
Karen Hauck 8 years ago
" 'Twas brilling and.......". Lewis Carrol, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Translation/ it was 4pm, time to start grilling something for tea.
Merilyn Horton 8 years ago
I freaked out in Las Vegas when my hotel didn’t have a kettle in the room. Had to buy hot water from Starbucks! (For my tea bags)
Shannon McKee 9 years ago
Most Americans use teabags. They boil the water in a pot on the stove and pour the water over the teabag in a cup.
Rachel Tyson 8 years ago
Look into Britbox though Amazon you can watch east Enders and lots more British tv
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Susann Campbell 9 years ago
I watch this and just thought, well they sure do have everyone trained and I mean everyone.
Jocelyn King 9 years ago
Not weird at all, we buy wine by the plastic glass in the liquor stores in Canada
Daniel Law 9 years ago
They boost power here at peak times too. My internet slows way down too. All the school kids getting home during the school year.
didi 9 years ago
What? Did I miss something? Planes aren't powered by the national grid.
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#11
Sakata Gintoki 9 years ago
That's probably because they never had to become an independent country.
#12
Claire Kidd 9 years ago
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?
#18
Nicola Morley 9 years ago
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.
#19
#20
didi 9 years ago
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).
#23
Brigitte 9 years ago
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
ispeak catanese 9 years ago
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.
#26
Ninshi TheImp 9 years ago
That reminds me of something I read. In germany the waterworks have to perpare for the breaks during important football games.
#29
Daria B 9 years ago
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
Jade Lorreni💜💙 9 years ago
Im british and have never seen, heardor tasted this. And i think it sounds terrible
#34
Cynthia McDonald 9 years ago
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
Claire Kidd 9 years ago
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
Ines Äffchen 9 years ago
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
Neil Adams 9 years ago
It's correctly pronounced 'aitch', without the aspirant. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/aitch
#44
Cynthia McDonald 9 years ago
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!
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What do you think ?
Mark Smallman 9 years ago
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 :)
Lundy Castellano 9 years ago
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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Wanda Queen 9 years ago
A lot of rude people and a lot of rude replies. This was just supposed to be fun. Kind of disappointing.
Anne Feldman 9 years ago
I know, here we are in the year 2017, and respect and peace is such a far reach.
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Warren Marris 9 years ago
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!
Buzz Mooney 9 years ago
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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Jilly Rogers 9 years ago
The word 'fortnight' is from Old English meaning fourteen nights. I found some of the responses highly amusing!
George Boyd 9 years ago
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
coffee zombie 9 years ago
Started off like innocent fun then went dark. I'm neither British nor American but felt uncomfortable reading some jokes.
Pamala Vela 9 years ago
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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Marysia Jawłowska 9 years ago
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.
Tery Briggs 9 years ago
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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Henny Hana 9 years ago
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.
Katinka Min 9 years ago
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.... -_- )
Donna Pirnat 9 years ago
Fannypack would not work over there. F***y means something....entirely different.
Kerry Carousel 9 years ago
yup you guys keep your f***y in the wrong place :)
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John Givern 9 years ago
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.
Jasmine Palmer 9 years ago
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.
Kerry Carousel 9 years ago
Don't worry about the hot dogs nobody buys those....Just like we don't buy American cars :D
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Fred and George Weasley 6 years ago
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
Irene Hodges-Abdallah 8 years ago
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.
Chris Frankland 8 years ago
If Trump had his way, we would become the 51st state. Perish the thought.
Craig Williams 8 years ago
American fireworks is to celebrate a plot against the government, too...only theirs succeeded.
Bridget Anne 8 years ago
I CAME HERE BECAUSE OF THE SINK BIN PREVIEW AND IT'S NOT EVEN PART OF THE ARTICLE. DAMN CLICKBAIT. boring-pan...5480d4.png 
TheDansetteList 8 years ago
"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?!
Dyan Richardson 8 years ago
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.
Yiğitcan Karadeniz 9 years ago
Turks drink more tea then English, why people act like they drink tea like whole day.
Yiğitcan Karadeniz 9 years ago
Turks drink more tea then English, and I dunno why world act like English drink tea whole day.
Gary N Glover 9 years ago
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.
Richard Schweitzer 9 years ago
Wait... wine by the glass in convenience stores? I thought it tea, only tea, all the time!?
Dianne Harlow 9 years ago
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.
Will Kelsall 9 years ago
Trump - in America its a president, in England it's a fart....... but no real difference there!
Brionna Alford 9 years ago
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)
matryoshkadoll 9 years ago
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!
matryoshkadoll 9 years ago
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
matryoshkadoll 9 years ago
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!
matryoshkadoll 9 years ago
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.
matryoshkadoll 9 years ago
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.
Ulrike Weber 9 years ago
What's wrong with "zebra crossing"? In Germany we have the same term "Zebrastreifen" (= zebra stripes).
Angela Doore 9 years ago
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
David Pincott 9 years ago
#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
Richard Vernon 9 years ago
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.
Tim Bruggeman 9 years ago
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?
Ron Gillespie 9 years ago
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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Frank Bromley 9 years ago
#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 )
Frank Bromley 9 years ago
#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
Sean Denny 9 years ago
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).
Cheryl Clair 9 years ago
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?
The Illuminati 9 years ago
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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silasozzie 9 years ago
Americans should google 'toilet flushing at half time in the superbowl'
silasozzie 9 years ago
Americans should google 'toilet flush problems at half=time in teh superbowl'
Dharmamitra Smon Gorvin 9 years ago
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?
Amanda Sango Hibbs 9 years ago
Northerner, southerner, Texan, Californian, and Alaskan. The rest is from ______(say region or state here).
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Dharmamitra Smon Gorvin 9 years ago
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?
Mark West 9 years ago
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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Cindi Beattie 9 years ago
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.
Kathleen Ramsey 9 years ago
I went to Europe and England was my favorite spot! Loved the scenery, the history and the people.
Nick Boulton 9 years ago
I love you America, you're so fantastically daft and never met one of you that I didn't like. Xxx
Tery Briggs 9 years ago
so what are the "xxx" for anyways? Are you blowing kisses? =P
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Darla Markle 9 years ago
I love to actually see differences from americans. One day I'll get to finally visit Britain, hopefully.
Paulette Sourisseau 9 years ago
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?
Paul Barton 9 years ago
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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Vera Kostadina 9 years ago
I come from country where wine is made for for many centuries. Nobody, but nobody would buy wine packed in plastic glasses.
RaeAnn Childs Perrault 9 years ago
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. ..
Sarah Richards 9 years ago
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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Cathy b 9 years ago
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.
Claire 9 years ago
...unless they are religious languages such as Classic Arabic and Biblical Hebrew. Otherwise yes. Linguistics is fascinating.
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Julie Obermiller 8 years ago
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
lasagna's underrated 9 years ago
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.
Mark Smallman 9 years ago
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 :)
Lundy Castellano 9 years ago
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... Wanda Queen 9 years ago
A lot of rude people and a lot of rude replies. This was just supposed to be fun. Kind of disappointing.
Anne Feldman 9 years ago
I know, here we are in the year 2017, and respect and peace is such a far reach.
Load More Replies... Warren Marris 9 years ago
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!
Buzz Mooney 9 years ago
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... Jilly Rogers 9 years ago
The word 'fortnight' is from Old English meaning fourteen nights. I found some of the responses highly amusing!
George Boyd 9 years ago
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
coffee zombie 9 years ago
Started off like innocent fun then went dark. I'm neither British nor American but felt uncomfortable reading some jokes.
Pamala Vela 9 years ago
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... Marysia Jawłowska 9 years ago
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.
Tery Briggs 9 years ago
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... Henny Hana 9 years ago
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.
Katinka Min 9 years ago
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.... -_- )
Donna Pirnat 9 years ago
Fannypack would not work over there. F***y means something....entirely different.
Kerry Carousel 9 years ago
yup you guys keep your f***y in the wrong place :)
Load More Replies... John Givern 9 years ago
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.
Jasmine Palmer 9 years ago
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.
Kerry Carousel 9 years ago
Don't worry about the hot dogs nobody buys those....Just like we don't buy American cars :D
Load More Replies... Fred and George Weasley 6 years ago
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
Irene Hodges-Abdallah 8 years ago
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.
Chris Frankland 8 years ago
If Trump had his way, we would become the 51st state. Perish the thought.
Craig Williams 8 years ago
American fireworks is to celebrate a plot against the government, too...only theirs succeeded.
Bridget Anne 8 years ago
I CAME HERE BECAUSE OF THE SINK BIN PREVIEW AND IT'S NOT EVEN PART OF THE ARTICLE. DAMN CLICKBAIT. boring-pan...5480d4.png
TheDansetteList 8 years ago
"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?!
Dyan Richardson 8 years ago
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.
Yiğitcan Karadeniz 9 years ago
Turks drink more tea then English, why people act like they drink tea like whole day.
Yiğitcan Karadeniz 9 years ago
Turks drink more tea then English, and I dunno why world act like English drink tea whole day.
Gary N Glover 9 years ago
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.
Richard Schweitzer 9 years ago
Wait... wine by the glass in convenience stores? I thought it tea, only tea, all the time!?
Dianne Harlow 9 years ago
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.
Will Kelsall 9 years ago
Trump - in America its a president, in England it's a fart....... but no real difference there!
Brionna Alford 9 years ago
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)
matryoshkadoll 9 years ago
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!
matryoshkadoll 9 years ago
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
matryoshkadoll 9 years ago
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!
matryoshkadoll 9 years ago
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.
matryoshkadoll 9 years ago
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.
Ulrike Weber 9 years ago
What's wrong with "zebra crossing"? In Germany we have the same term "Zebrastreifen" (= zebra stripes).
Angela Doore 9 years ago
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
David Pincott 9 years ago
#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
Richard Vernon 9 years ago
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.
Tim Bruggeman 9 years ago
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?
Ron Gillespie 9 years ago
What, you think our Cuban and Puerto Rican team couldn't beat your team made up of Cubans and Puerto Ricans?
Load More Replies... Frank Bromley 9 years ago
#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 )
Frank Bromley 9 years ago
#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
Sean Denny 9 years ago
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).
Cheryl Clair 9 years ago
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?
The Illuminati 9 years ago
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... silasozzie 9 years ago
Americans should google 'toilet flushing at half time in the superbowl'
silasozzie 9 years ago
Americans should google 'toilet flush problems at half=time in teh superbowl'
Dharmamitra Smon Gorvin 9 years ago
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?
Amanda Sango Hibbs 9 years ago
Northerner, southerner, Texan, Californian, and Alaskan. The rest is from ______(say region or state here).
Load More Replies... Dharmamitra Smon Gorvin 9 years ago
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?
Mark West 9 years ago
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... Cindi Beattie 9 years ago
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.
Kathleen Ramsey 9 years ago
I went to Europe and England was my favorite spot! Loved the scenery, the history and the people.
Nick Boulton 9 years ago
I love you America, you're so fantastically daft and never met one of you that I didn't like. Xxx
Tery Briggs 9 years ago
so what are the "xxx" for anyways? Are you blowing kisses? =P
Load More Replies... Darla Markle 9 years ago
I love to actually see differences from americans. One day I'll get to finally visit Britain, hopefully.
Paulette Sourisseau 9 years ago
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?
Paul Barton 9 years ago
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... Vera Kostadina 9 years ago
I come from country where wine is made for for many centuries. Nobody, but nobody would buy wine packed in plastic glasses.
RaeAnn Childs Perrault 9 years ago
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. ..
Sarah Richards 9 years ago
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... Cathy b 9 years ago
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.
Claire 9 years ago
...unless they are religious languages such as Classic Arabic and Biblical Hebrew. Otherwise yes. Linguistics is fascinating.
Load More Replies... Julie Obermiller 8 years ago
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
lasagna's underrated 9 years ago
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.
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