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Even though Britain and America share the same language, these two countries couldn’t be more different. Whether it’s their quirky accent, absurd sense of humor, or baffling obsession with tea and the weather, Brits have a gift of leaving people on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean scratching their heads from confusion.

So when swfinds moved across the pond, they began noticing all the things in the UK that "puzzle" them. Getting to a new country and immersing in its culture left the American so baffled, they started a satirical TikTok account to create hilariously exaggerated videos and to make others laugh.

Bored Panda collected some of the "weirdest" things the user has posted. Check them out below and make sure to upvote the most comical ones. And if you have a funny explanation on hand, don’t be shy and share it with us in the comments!

#1

UK

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Alexis Perold
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cos mousies need homes with fancy schmancy front doors. In the UK the mice don't live like peasants. They be fancy AF. And it's cute.

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#2

UK

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M
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Local planning laws - it is designed to break the roof line in non urban sites

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Naturally, every country has its quirks that immediately strike you as different. But this time around, Great Britain deserves special recognition. From wondering what those yellow bins on the side of the road are to asking why the subway is called underground when it’s actually above ground, swfinds bio humorously states: “So many things in the UK confuse me!”

The user regularly posts exaggerated clips of "weird" things they encounter in the UK. Many people seem to find them entertaining since the creator has gathered more than 34.6K followers and 2.6M likes in just a few months. The simple and sometimes silly questions have irritated some Brits and Americans, leading to commenters saying that the account is in fact satire.

#3

UK

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Virgil Blue
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Here in Holland they are giant concrete balls and here they are meant to deter motorists from driving on the sidewalks. So I guess same but with metal cones?

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#4

UK

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James016
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There used to a window tax, the more windows you had, the more tax you paid. These are bricked up windows to so the home owner at the time paid less tax. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Window_tax

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While moving overseas can be a thrilling experience—meeting new people, tasting traditional foods, exploring unfamiliar cities—it can also be a difficult and overwhelming time. Although some people can fit in quite easily, others might take longer to familiarize themselves with the new country.

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According to UWS London, we experience culture shock because of the specific challenges we face when we first move and how we deal with losing our familiar surroundings. So if your new environment is similar to the one you came from or if you have lived in another country before, you might be able to adapt quite smoothly.

#6

UK

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cybermerlin2000
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

True story, America did try to adopt them by pretending they invented them and calling them something like pastry dogs only to be called out globally for their bullsh*t

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However, if you’re a foreign student or a first-time expat who has never lived abroad before, you might face some challenges. There are four stages of culture shock that you could experience in one year. Of course, every person has different experiences, and some process the changes quicker than others, but most people share similar feelings.

First is the honeymoon phase. When you move somewhere new, you can have great fun and enjoy unexpected things around you. It is also known as the “tourist” stage: [It] often includes the feelings of excitement that you have as you look forward to the new journey you are starting.” 

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#8

UK

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Robert T
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They are Karen traps. If you annoy shopkeeper or pub landlord, they open these so that you fall into the hole as you leave. This is why we don't have as many Karens in the UK.

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Yet, the honeymoon eventually ends, and you have to deal with the reality. This is the negotiation stage, probably the worst one of your whole adventure. “You may feel exhausted and constantly tired of the discoveries you have been making. You may also feel frustrated by how different things are from what you are used to,” UWS London explained. "The aspects of your new life that you found endearing at first, may feel irritating or confusing when you’re in the negotiation stage.”

After that, you begin to adjust to your current living situation and learn how to manage your feelings. Your baffling thoughts that are trying to make sense of how and why things are so different, suddenly become clearer. “During this stage, you may still experience problems and negative feelings” but you begin to understand more about your surroundings.

#9

UK

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James016
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Salt is stored in them for when the roads are icy and the grit trucks come out

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The final stage of culture shock is adaptation and acceptance. Even if you may never fully accept your new home, you no longer feel isolated or lonely and are used to your day-to-day life and activities with friends. In this phase, “many people can permanently say goodbye to culture shock and feel happier and more secure in their environment long-term.”

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#11

UK

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Amy S
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because many of our homes were built before we had proper roads. There wouldn't have been any cars when that house was built.

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#12

UK

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Otter
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Can someone tell me why Americans pour milk over candy, and eat it with spoons at breakfast?

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Try to remember that the feelings you’re going through are completely normal and that most expats go through this too. Culture shock is not a sign things are going badly, but a part of the whole experience. One day, you will probably look back on this time and see that it was full of sweet moments.

#13

UK

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IRA
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because most of us don't live in big a** mansion with laundry room ? And very normal in Europe ?!

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#14

UK

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Virgil Blue
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because they were often houses or shops that were converted to be restaurants by the look of it.

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#15

UK

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Perry Sologia
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These are very unusual: possibly 2 on the country. The one in the town of Slough is known as the "magic roundabout".

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#18

UK

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cybermerlin2000
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sometimes the crime rate is so high that the courts just put a tag on the whole town to save time

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#21

UK

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cybermerlin2000
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Feudal Realty. The seller chooses as many realty companies as they like and the best champions are chosen to represent them in the arena and fight to the death until either one survives or the house gets sold

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#22

UK

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neilbidle avatar
Devil's Advocate
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because we aren't as fat so we actually fit in. Plus most toilets aren't this small

mrnnglry420 avatar
Colleen Rudolph
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is little difference between the uk and the us so far as obesity goes. The percentages are 68% vs 64%. You are very close to as fat as us so please stop talking all that nonsense.

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Robert T
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ah, now what you have found there is a bathroom designed from people who are suffering from both ends. You can safely and comfortably peform the necessary without making a mess.

moncici19 avatar
Question everything
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Funny. Also whoever designed this cloakroom toilet was a moron. To comply with the rules a tiny corner sink would have sufficed.

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Got Myself 4 Dwarves
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These are specifically designed for the hungover or unwell so you can poop and throw up simultaneously- if you ever been that unwell you'd know they're invaluable. (Clearly joking, kinda sad I need to point that out). But like, they're big enough to serve their purpose - what do you want? A massive room to faff about in? Maybe a gap in the door would make higher feel more at home?

pigasus1 avatar
pigasus1
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We have small restrooms in America too. Until after WWII most US homes had outhouses, when they got enough money to get indoor plumbing they just shoehorned the bathroom into a closet or some other small space. Very common in rural areas.

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Tash
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This looks like a downstairs cloakroom which is usually just a sink & toilet. Then you'd have a main bathroom which would be bigger. Again though, its because our houses are generally smaller.

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Otter
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unusable? All you have to do is stand up, and you're right where you need to be to wash your hands!

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Zaza
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unusable? What are you, an elephant? I'm 6 ft tall and have a wide behind and this would not be a problem at all (assuming you don't go to the toilet to put your feet up and watch 3 hours of netflix)

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Pezor Zass
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

there seems to be about a foot between the toilet and the sink. if you were sitting on the toilet, your toes would be against the cabinet. it's not technically unusable, but you have to admit that it's hardly comfortable.

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Jane Dorothy Warner
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Many older houses only had inside toilets put in after the house was built, so had to use the space available. Before inside toilets, we only had outhouses in the garden.

briton4ever43 avatar
JJM
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Could be it was a tiny closet at one time. There was no indoor toilets just public lavs for a penny (even they are disappearing) so some of these are small because it's the only room they have.

ssallingham avatar
Steve Allingham
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's not a bathroom, it's a toilet. Toilets of this type will not be the only one in the house, so if you have fat Americans visiting you can have them use one in an actual bathroom.

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Paz Arboleda
Community Member
2 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Building codes allow it. Actually back in the 50's US bathrooms were pretty small too. BTW that sink looks like what they could sell at the bath dept at IKEA-I've seen similar there.

54b1758c9974d avatar
Lynne Stankard
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

eeerrrrrr.....have you ever been into a toilet in America????? Good God the doors don't close properly and people on the outside can see you on the inside!!!! Then there's the 18" gap at the bottom anyone who wants to can limbo underneath it!

fu avatar
Chris McCabe
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The housing crisis in the UK has forced a lot of people to learn to use the WC sidesaddle.

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Karo
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Many flats or even houses in Europes didn't have bathrooms (because there was no indoor plumbing and many houses, especially in imner cities, are really old) - best you could get was a pit toilet in the stairwell. So they had to appropriate other rooms for toilets when it was no longer allowed to rent out flats or houses without toilets.

ealizabethane avatar
Lisa Shaw
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Has to do with age of the country and the fact that the homes were much smaller, so when indoor plumbing (originally called water closets) were brought indoors they were built in any useable space available.

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Baali Venomax
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That looks like a public one. Most bathrooms in most homes have more space between the toilet and the sink or have a toilet in a room next door to the bath/sink/shower setup.

jeremy_bell8591 avatar
Jeremy Bell
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These are not bathrooms. They are toilets, loos, bogs, etc. Do you really think that you could have a bath in one of these sinks? And this one is small. Not all are this size.

navydoc192 avatar
Steven Meyer
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The long sink is actually a urinal, that way you don’t waste water with every flush

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Mumof1
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you're desparate for a pee you'll find it's not "unusable" Get over yourself.

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Christopher Hosmer
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm American and fat and proud of it. Maybe it's linked to why the shopping carts aka trolley are bigger here to fromthepreviouspost. More food More toilet. 'Merica

yvonne_helene avatar
Yvonne Helene
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The sink is too close to the toilet regardless how big you are

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Nicole A
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's not a living room. What more space do you need? You pee or poo and wash up and go. Nobody wants to have a conversation while standing in one so it doesn't need to be bigger.

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Curly Bill Brosius
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is actually a mirror over the sink so you can see your poop face....

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Panda Parade
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You should know the answer since you flew to the UK by booking double seating on that plane.

lisac72 avatar
Not Proud British
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's the spare bathroom as opposed to the family bathroom and again, I think they knew this and are just trying to make the British out to be weird.

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Martin Murd
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This, btw, is a reason UK tends to keep their washing machines in kitchen.

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Carrie de Luka
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Nope. This is the downstairs cloakroom and usually near the front door. They were never meant to have washing machines.

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#23

UK

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#25

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M
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

cheddar is never orange - you mean red leicester - American Cheese is not something anyone from Europe recognises as 'cheese'

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#26

UK

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M
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

because that isnt mayo - its salad cream, a totally different sauce!

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#28

UK

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Devil's Advocate
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Stop calling things "dangerous" that you don't understand! The top bit is metal so that it IS safe

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#29

UK

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Otter
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"New York Easter buns", dude? Those are called "hot cross buns"!

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#30

UK

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Virgil Blue
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We in europe don't wash the eggs the way the US does. So the layer that is naturally on the egg to prevent infection isn't broken and its safe to keep them out if you want.

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Note: this post originally had 44 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.