While famously being very, very polite, it’s no secret that Brits also love the occasional witty, tongue-in-cheek comment. And not only that. They take the gold medal for the ability to laugh at themselves like there’s no tomorrow, mocking both little and serious things. I mean, should I even remind you of the notorious English comedian Ricky Gervais?!
And for the fans of the British lifestyle, we have a real treat! The Twitter page “No Context Brits” is an online destination which offers “a celebration of all things British,” meaning it’s both things we understand and things that leave us flabbergasted. Created pretty recently, in April 2021, the account has amassed 780K devoted followers and its audience seems to be growing still.
Below we selected some of the most entertaining, bizarre, and wholesome posts from “No Context Brits” for you to enjoy with your cuppa, so scroll down and upvote your favorite posts! After you’re done, be sure to check out our previous feature on the same page, as well as a similar post on another popular Twitter account, “No Context UK.”
This post may include affiliate links.
In Britain, embarrassing moments, awkward encounters and clumsiness are all considered funny, contrary to many other places in the world. But the real challenging part of British humor, especially for foreigners, is to actually tell whether they are joking or being serious.
In this piece for TIME, the legendary English comedian Ricky Gervais tried to distinguish the key differences between American and British humor. According to Gervais, Americans do not hide their hopes and fears and they applaud ambition and openly reward success. The British, on the contrary, embrace the underdog, Gervais argues.
Gervais explained: “Americans say, ‘have a nice day’ whether they mean it or not. Brits are terrified to say this.” It’s because Brits don’t want to celebrate anything too soon, Gervais writes. “Failure and disappointment lurk around every corner. This is due to our upbringing. Americans are brought up to believe they can be the next president of the United States. Brits are told, ‘It won’t happen for you.’”
Although any generalization should be taken carefully, an Anglo-American writer, Paul Goodman, argues similarly to Gervais. “The American philosophy and approach to life tend to be optimistic: life is an opportunity and we should enjoy it.” Meanwhile, “Brits are more likely to see life as a bit of an ordeal, tinged with absurdity, and sometimes you just have to just grin and bear it,” he explains.
The quintessential part of British humor is irony and sarcasm, which are commonly used by Brits who rarely say anything literally. In fact, very often, they say one thing and mean completely different, and this is especially prominent in humor. This can cause great confusion to visitors, as Brits ironically mock their enemies, playfight with friends or point out the absurdities of daily life.
For those of us that can't do the Chester run in less than 12 parsecs. Edit: I genuinely had no idea it was 4th May when I posted this. 😂
Goodman argues that the confusion may also arise due to the fact that Brits often say ironic jokes with a straight face. “To avoid being misunderstood, most Americans will either deliver irony with a smile on their face, or 'signpost' it, adding a phrase such as 'only joking' afterward. Brits don’t usually do that.”
Puns and wordplay are also very prominent in British humor. “There’s a more intense and playful relationship with the language,” according to Goodman. “It’s seen in other ways, too, not just with humor, examples being cryptic crosswords and word-orientated game shows,” he adds.
It’s important to highlight that essentially humor relies on culture and its people. What’s normal in one culture can seem very bizarre or even offensive to another. For this reason, we cannot ever fully translate humor. Some of the British comedy may be found very weird and not funny by Americans, while some mainstream American comedy can feel too obvious for Brits’ liking.
Also the phrase "to bum a f*g" has two completely different meanings between US and UK English
US doesn't really use that one, though. You'd be more likely to get a snarky comment like "what do you think you're british?" if you say "bum a f*g" here. They're spot on about "smoke a f*g" though. We're weird here (US)
Load More Replies...Dated a guy from the UK many yrs ago. Told me right after he arrived in the US he was hungry & wanted a cigarette. As his friend rolled around to the pick up window he yelled, "I'm gasping for a f*g, man!" Guy at drive thru window looked bug- eyed at him but said nothing.
I have never heard anyone in the US say "smoke a f*g." Where are you from?!
Load More Replies...that one american friend *lowers glasses* "yo WAT"
Load More Replies...As a lesbian and an american the only conclusion I can come to is *clears throat* WTF america
Up that's us - well, some of anyway. The minority of us are really nice folks.
I have no idea how f@g came to be a slur here. It's never been especially offensive anywhere else. But don't act like the US is the only nation that has ever persecuted the LGBQ+ community. There are still places where anything not heteronormative is actually illegal and may get you killed by law.
F*gs are short for f@ggot which was a term for a bundle of wood used to burn gays to the stake....it's kinda like the n word
Load More Replies...This says as much about the attitudes of the two countries as it does their terminology.
Yeah, when I was younger, I was surprised to learn that Brits call cigarettes f**s.
I am now questioning the people in my county. (Shakes head in disappointment)
From America, not gay and I would've assumed that meant giving a gay guy head.
This is a sad reality in the US that f*g is a derogatory name for homosexuals. . It has dark origins, of course. It originates from when the government would burn homosexual Native Americans, saying they will "burn up like a F****t (small bundle of sticks), and then turned into a horrible term for homosexuals.
Probably get a load of people mistakenly now saying 'but these are for paramedics' NO they are not. They always check the WHOLE car EVERY single time. For good reason - some people don't use these, what if it fell off or was forgotten in a rental car etc, etc. Michael Lerner created them because he was scared by the aggressiveness of other drivers when driving his 18 month old nephew and wanted people to be more considerate. Google it before arguing.
What did you say to me sign? That is offensive in dog language
Who hasn't seen a Dalek being transported? Those things are slow and can't do stairs well. The TARDIS is a different matter...
Reminds me of the British Brexit politicians who talked about 'British fish'. Apparently fish need passports.
Working from home, I'm shirt and tie above waist, and tie fighter pyjamas below.
That’s not me, I’d try staying awake for 24 hours just in case. I end up losing lots of me time worrying about whether or not they’d reply
I remember the day when England had won the Rugby world championship. I was many times in the UK, but I have never seen the people party as hard as on this day...
That's nothing! I was there in the '70s in a quiet cafe when a local concert ended. A concert by The Bay City Rollers. I survived that onslaught of screaming plaid-laden girls, I can survive anything, lol!
Load More Replies...I feel people don’t understand that Britain is a group of countries that have quite a few differences - most of these would only be applicable to england, most definitely don’t apply to where I live in Scotland. We may live on the same island but we don’t have the same overall culture as each other and our reputations can be very different. It can be super annoying that people think British = English, as much as I am very much behind Scotland being independent we are still always going to be British, just not in the uk which let’s face it is not a United Kingdom
Why are you being downvoted. I've equalised both your pro Scot comments.
Load More Replies...I remember the day when England had won the Rugby world championship. I was many times in the UK, but I have never seen the people party as hard as on this day...
That's nothing! I was there in the '70s in a quiet cafe when a local concert ended. A concert by The Bay City Rollers. I survived that onslaught of screaming plaid-laden girls, I can survive anything, lol!
Load More Replies...I feel people don’t understand that Britain is a group of countries that have quite a few differences - most of these would only be applicable to england, most definitely don’t apply to where I live in Scotland. We may live on the same island but we don’t have the same overall culture as each other and our reputations can be very different. It can be super annoying that people think British = English, as much as I am very much behind Scotland being independent we are still always going to be British, just not in the uk which let’s face it is not a United Kingdom
Why are you being downvoted. I've equalised both your pro Scot comments.
Load More Replies...