“Can Someone Please Tell Me”: American Says They Are “Confused” By These 30 Things In Britain
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!
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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.
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.
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?
Exactly. But the concrete balls are much more dificult to move to another place. These cones have a litlle hole, so a litlle crane can grab them and move them aside, in case of an emergency or sidewalk repairs.
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Yep protect people walking from motorists cutting corners. Very British to round them to bell shape. Wouldn't want to damage the car from driving erratically
Also to signify that anyone cutting corners like that is a b*****d.
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We call them "Kensington Tractor Killers" round our way. Nothing as satisfying as watching a school run mum hit one with her (mostly plastic) Range Rover or BMW SUV
I witnessed one recently, she came round the corner too fast and literally ended up parked on top of it. Plastic car parts everywhere. Funniest thing was how she kept trying to drive it off again, and looking confused as to why her car wasn't moving. Nope you're stuck there.
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It's a bollard. They used to be little weedy poles, but since we now have an epidemic of SUVs, we have to have these idiot things which will wreck a normal car if you even touch it.
Yes, they are actually called 'bell bollards' and are there to protect pedestrians and buildings from heavy goods vehicles.
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Wouldn't simply getting the vehicles neutered solve the inappropriate mounting problem?
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They are meant to discourage vehicles and they are called bollards. I giggle every time I get to use that word!
I've never seen one of these, and I've walked on probably thousands of pavements in the UK.
They aren't in use nationwide. They are town and city specific, depending on the council and the amount of HGV issues they have. They are primarily to stop lorries ending up on pavements.
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They're for those of us who wont have any truck with those new fangled motor carriages to tether our riding Gnus to.
I always thought that they were put over the stubs of damaged light poles to prevent electrocution.
Again, I've never seen anything like this in 70 years in the UK. Where are these people looking?
This is a BELL BOLLARD from the UK Company called Furnitubes Ltd. Its. purpose is to deflect the wheels of trucks on corners
Yet I have lived in the UK all my life and never seen one. They are called 'bell bollards' and are there to protect people and buildings from HGVs that might mount the sidewalks.
My spouse has a great name for the round concrete balls on sidewalks, like this meant to stop people from driving on sidewalks: Dinosaur turds. :-)
I assume they're like the large red concrete balls in front of Target or the yellow/green (depending on the store) concrete pillars in from of Wal-Mart - they keep your car from going where it shouldn't
From Wikipedia - A bell bollard is a style of bollard designed to deflect vehicle tires. The wheel mounts the lower part of the bollard and is deflected by its increasing slope. Such bollards are effective against heavy goods vehicles that may damage or destroy conventional bollards or other types of street furniture.[18] A variant on the bell bollard is the "Martello bollard", its sloped shape inspired by the profile of historic Martello towers.
They are called ankle weights.... They are to help strengthen the leg muscles of male and female soccer players.
I've only seen them in London I think, and I believe they are mimicking something older - dock-crane counterweights? Something like that! Elsewhere we have the standard bollards which mimic cannons, except in really posh old towns were they have actual cannons with a larger caliber cannon-balls stuffed in the end!
They are also used to protect overhanging buildings from being side-swiped by lorries (trucks).
These are to stop hgv trailers going onto pavements - the bell shape keeps the wheels from going further onto the pavement (sidewalk 😂)
We use these instead, can be used as a temporary road sign holder as well 57aaa9ee72...7f10c7.jpg 
I think these should be law everywhere. Of course, where I live, we have the nice sheer rockfaces of the Blue Ridge to remind motorists to drive inside the lines!
Mines to deter illegal parking. Park illegally, and they slide up to your car and detonate
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.
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.
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
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.”
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.
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.”
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.
Because they were often houses or shops that were converted to be restaurants by the look of it.
These are very unusual: possibly 2 on the country. The one in the town of Slough is known as the "magic roundabout".
Sometimes the crime rate is so high that the courts just put a tag on the whole town to save time
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
Because we aren't as fat so we actually fit in. Plus most toilets aren't this small
One is hot. The plumber who installed this ran out of hot labeled taps.
Stop calling things "dangerous" that you don't understand! The top bit is metal so that it IS safe
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.
Note: this post originally had 44 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I know this must be trolling, but my blood pressure as a Brit has sky rocketed
It was all meant to just be a joke. Remember this 'calm down dear? For once Michael Winner ( also used by David Cameron with typically poor judgement in the House of Commons) has a point.
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I'm amazed at how people are jumping on their horses about these ..common the guy is just making light jokes and trying to be fun. and find it even weirder if British people who are well known for their great sense of humor calls the dude an idiot or such
I forcused on the joke responses, much more the British way!
Load More Replies... Sorry pandas - but I really don't know how some of these questions (some are legit) but the majority must be asked by people who can't tie their own shoelaces! (I know down votes will be on most of my comments but geeze use your heads)
I know he's trying to be funny, but the whole post could be summed up as "Why isn't Britain America?"
Why isn't America Britain?, alternatively.
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I get that he's joking. I mean, it says right there in the title of the article that he's trying to be sarcastic. But....he failed miserably.
Yes, it is a piss-take. If you read the blurb at the beginning it clearly explains it is meant to be satire. You aren't alone in missing that apparently!
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Lmao at people getting heated but flappin their electronic lips every time a post is about America. Chill the f**k out and get over yourself
Please note* Not ALL Americans are this dense. Clearly, our American education system failed this silly one. Smh
I’m pretty sure this is why we’re known for being one of the least educated countries out there (I’m a American myself, don’t come for my head)
Don't be too hard on yourselves. All countries are a mix of abilities. It's meant to be a joke account - it might not be to many people's tastes but I certainly don't think it's representative of the average American. All the ones I've met in my travels have been smart, kind and funny.
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Can someone please tell me why I wasted 3 minutes of my life reading this post?
Did you really question everyone why you made a choice? OK here's my shot, your life is boring so you blankly stare at a screen and wonder why..
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Me, too, the only thing was the wand. I'm surprised he didn't recognize the mouse house door, though, and who goes noseying around a friend's home like that?
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It's just some very bored kid trying to annoy us Brits. I'm surprised they didn't take a photo of the Victorian actor outside the Baker St Holmes museum and ask why all Brits dress like that. Perhaps one of us should take similar idiotic pictures in the US and post them all over TikTok and Reddit. See how long it takes to get onto Bored Panda.
About 37 minutes I reckon. Especially given the number of comments complaining that BP is a US-bashing site. BP: come for the funny pics, stay for the rampant xenophobia
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I know two of these, mabey three. but these are LEGIT questions by Americans. british eggs aren't stripped with LYE to clean them, and don't have to take a week or two getting to market. the bricked over windows are because your property tax used to be done by your window count! they have seperate taps because they used to have rooftop storage tanks that critters would crawl into and die in; it was a way to have at least ONE tap of clean water. those biscuts aren't for breakfast, they're for tea and dessert. british cheddar is ACTUAL cheddar, not American processed cheeze (and brits, american chedder is bright yellow 'cause it wouldn' be recognized as cheddar if it wasn't). and obviouly, the washing machine is in the kitchen 'cause of limited space and so you don't have to run more plumbing.
USA eggs have cuticle, a natural protective layer on the egg, washed off, USDA regulations required. European eggs have to retain the cuticle. Thus US eggs would be illegal and vise versa
I am so disappointed. I recently moved back to the states from the UK and had many of the same questions, only to find a bunch of smart assed answers that think they are funny.
Can someone explain why they have so many guns in the US? It's so dangerous!
I feel like everything went from lighthearted to a hatefest. I usually come to connect and laugh but wow, so not the thread I guess.
As an American, I agree these posts are annoying.I really enjoyed the pics though! I admit I've never seen some of that stuff but you can figure it out if you use your head lol. Would love to visit someday!
Ps.. Also have never heard of New York buns 🤣 and author thinking everything is "'dangerous"'! 🤣 I can't
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I think the questions in the above article weren't written by an American. The tip off was the inquiry attached to #20. We call the items shown in #20 shopping carts. We do not call them trolleys. I've never heard these vehicles called trolleys in the US. Trolley is used by Brits. BTW, isn't the whole point of being a tourist in another land, to discover the other culture's oddities, traditions, culture? So if a tourist actually has these questions, why wouldn't it be considered normal?
Can someone please tell me why most of the posts are from the same dumbass tiktoker? I mean for f**k sake I'm an American and I recognized what and why most of these things were.
It's his account, his story, his channel...pick one🤦♀️
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The problem is that there's a mix of legit questions and legit trolling, so of course people don't know what to do with it. Not a good idea to use this one, BP
Well, uh, they don't seem to be American considering that they used "trolley" when they were talking about a shopping cart.. so.. maybe rethink that one, dude. And no, Americans are not stupid, ffs. I knew most of those.
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You guys really hate americans. Sorry our country isnt thousands of years old and attached to 20 other countries. Sorry we have so much undeveloped land we dont have to reuse buildings from before cars existed (except in places like new york). Sorry our depression era caused us to make shitty, overly sugary foods we still eat. Really sorry people lost interest in politics allowing politicians to run around like the kids in Lord of the Flies. Sorry we measure s**t weird, dont pay our servers, have the worst healthcare on the planet, talk loudly and have no concept of world geography. I am. But ya'll being snobby af. Acting like the "popular" kids at school and looking down your nose at us wont make us want to be your friend. Or learn about your culture.
No, this op is a typical American. Americans have an imperial attitude and complete ignorance of the rest of the world
Did you not read the opening info? It is a joke account and not meant to be taken seriously. Granted it isn't that funny but I've also seen worse.
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Or it is a satirical account as explained at the start.
Load More Replies... I'm calling Bullsh*t on a lot of these. Anyone who can read at the most fundamental level can see the information *on the packaging*. Someone's messing with us. I'm AMerican and got offended on the UK's behalf. And the US's behalf. HOw about someone post on "Things in the UK that *Germans* find weird"? Or the French? Or the Japanese? Heck, what about the weird sh*t you find in the US in some places? YOu ain't lived till you've stood by a *volcano evacuation route* sign, and, by turning around, found you were on the *tsunami evacuation route* too! (No, not common, but if the only place a Brit visited was the Seattle, WA region... )
It does say right at the start that it is a satirical TikTok account to create hilariously exaggerated videos. They haven't managed the 'hilarious' part but they do seem to me to have got it right with 'exaggerated'.
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I know this must be trolling, but my blood pressure as a Brit has sky rocketed
It was all meant to just be a joke. Remember this 'calm down dear? For once Michael Winner ( also used by David Cameron with typically poor judgement in the House of Commons) has a point.
Load More Replies... I'm amazed at how people are jumping on their horses about these ..common the guy is just making light jokes and trying to be fun. and find it even weirder if British people who are well known for their great sense of humor calls the dude an idiot or such
I forcused on the joke responses, much more the British way!
Load More Replies... Sorry pandas - but I really don't know how some of these questions (some are legit) but the majority must be asked by people who can't tie their own shoelaces! (I know down votes will be on most of my comments but geeze use your heads)
I know he's trying to be funny, but the whole post could be summed up as "Why isn't Britain America?"
Why isn't America Britain?, alternatively.
Load More Replies... I get that he's joking. I mean, it says right there in the title of the article that he's trying to be sarcastic. But....he failed miserably.
Yes, it is a piss-take. If you read the blurb at the beginning it clearly explains it is meant to be satire. You aren't alone in missing that apparently!
Load More Replies... Lmao at people getting heated but flappin their electronic lips every time a post is about America. Chill the f**k out and get over yourself
Please note* Not ALL Americans are this dense. Clearly, our American education system failed this silly one. Smh
I’m pretty sure this is why we’re known for being one of the least educated countries out there (I’m a American myself, don’t come for my head)
Don't be too hard on yourselves. All countries are a mix of abilities. It's meant to be a joke account - it might not be to many people's tastes but I certainly don't think it's representative of the average American. All the ones I've met in my travels have been smart, kind and funny.
Load More Replies... Can someone please tell me why I wasted 3 minutes of my life reading this post?
Did you really question everyone why you made a choice? OK here's my shot, your life is boring so you blankly stare at a screen and wonder why..
Load More Replies... Me, too, the only thing was the wand. I'm surprised he didn't recognize the mouse house door, though, and who goes noseying around a friend's home like that?
Load More Replies... It's just some very bored kid trying to annoy us Brits. I'm surprised they didn't take a photo of the Victorian actor outside the Baker St Holmes museum and ask why all Brits dress like that. Perhaps one of us should take similar idiotic pictures in the US and post them all over TikTok and Reddit. See how long it takes to get onto Bored Panda.
About 37 minutes I reckon. Especially given the number of comments complaining that BP is a US-bashing site. BP: come for the funny pics, stay for the rampant xenophobia
Load More Replies... I know two of these, mabey three. but these are LEGIT questions by Americans. british eggs aren't stripped with LYE to clean them, and don't have to take a week or two getting to market. the bricked over windows are because your property tax used to be done by your window count! they have seperate taps because they used to have rooftop storage tanks that critters would crawl into and die in; it was a way to have at least ONE tap of clean water. those biscuts aren't for breakfast, they're for tea and dessert. british cheddar is ACTUAL cheddar, not American processed cheeze (and brits, american chedder is bright yellow 'cause it wouldn' be recognized as cheddar if it wasn't). and obviouly, the washing machine is in the kitchen 'cause of limited space and so you don't have to run more plumbing.
USA eggs have cuticle, a natural protective layer on the egg, washed off, USDA regulations required. European eggs have to retain the cuticle. Thus US eggs would be illegal and vise versa
I am so disappointed. I recently moved back to the states from the UK and had many of the same questions, only to find a bunch of smart assed answers that think they are funny.
Can someone explain why they have so many guns in the US? It's so dangerous!
I feel like everything went from lighthearted to a hatefest. I usually come to connect and laugh but wow, so not the thread I guess.
As an American, I agree these posts are annoying.I really enjoyed the pics though! I admit I've never seen some of that stuff but you can figure it out if you use your head lol. Would love to visit someday!
Ps.. Also have never heard of New York buns 🤣 and author thinking everything is "'dangerous"'! 🤣 I can't
Load More Replies... I think the questions in the above article weren't written by an American. The tip off was the inquiry attached to #20. We call the items shown in #20 shopping carts. We do not call them trolleys. I've never heard these vehicles called trolleys in the US. Trolley is used by Brits. BTW, isn't the whole point of being a tourist in another land, to discover the other culture's oddities, traditions, culture? So if a tourist actually has these questions, why wouldn't it be considered normal?
Can someone please tell me why most of the posts are from the same dumbass tiktoker? I mean for f**k sake I'm an American and I recognized what and why most of these things were.
It's his account, his story, his channel...pick one🤦♀️
Load More Replies... The problem is that there's a mix of legit questions and legit trolling, so of course people don't know what to do with it. Not a good idea to use this one, BP
Well, uh, they don't seem to be American considering that they used "trolley" when they were talking about a shopping cart.. so.. maybe rethink that one, dude. And no, Americans are not stupid, ffs. I knew most of those.
Load More Replies... You guys really hate americans. Sorry our country isnt thousands of years old and attached to 20 other countries. Sorry we have so much undeveloped land we dont have to reuse buildings from before cars existed (except in places like new york). Sorry our depression era caused us to make shitty, overly sugary foods we still eat. Really sorry people lost interest in politics allowing politicians to run around like the kids in Lord of the Flies. Sorry we measure s**t weird, dont pay our servers, have the worst healthcare on the planet, talk loudly and have no concept of world geography. I am. But ya'll being snobby af. Acting like the "popular" kids at school and looking down your nose at us wont make us want to be your friend. Or learn about your culture.
No, this op is a typical American. Americans have an imperial attitude and complete ignorance of the rest of the world
Did you not read the opening info? It is a joke account and not meant to be taken seriously. Granted it isn't that funny but I've also seen worse.
Load More Replies... Or it is a satirical account as explained at the start.
Load More Replies... I'm calling Bullsh*t on a lot of these. Anyone who can read at the most fundamental level can see the information *on the packaging*. Someone's messing with us. I'm AMerican and got offended on the UK's behalf. And the US's behalf. HOw about someone post on "Things in the UK that *Germans* find weird"? Or the French? Or the Japanese? Heck, what about the weird sh*t you find in the US in some places? YOu ain't lived till you've stood by a *volcano evacuation route* sign, and, by turning around, found you were on the *tsunami evacuation route* too! (No, not common, but if the only place a Brit visited was the Seattle, WA region... )
It does say right at the start that it is a satirical TikTok account to create hilariously exaggerated videos. They haven't managed the 'hilarious' part but they do seem to me to have got it right with 'exaggerated'.
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