Britishisms sneaking into American vernacular

[LizzieMaine]

It's like they say -- The USA and the UK: two nations separated by a common language.

 

[ButteMT61]

Hmm. I ad a roommate/colleague/friend that was part of this club:http://biwcc.play-cricket.com/home/home.asp None of my Brit pals got offended at any of our "taking a piss" at some of the funny differences between our renditions of "English”. Quite the contrary - it was more often funny as h3ll to compare the two. We were called a "little bugger" as kids, and I didn't know it had any other meaning until I said it one night in reference to one of the gang's kids. Wow. Now that, in my twisted mind, is quite funny. The list is long. But one thing my Brit friends always said/say is we Americans get offended too easily. I agree. But maybe that affliction is more wide spread...

 

[stephen1965]

The common expression when someone is offended is :" Don't take the piss!" (or alternatively "Are you taking the micky?") but not "a". Although, confusingly, there is the English/London use of the 'glottal stop' which can make "the" sound like " a".

 

[ButteMT61]

The common expression when someone is offended is :" Don't take the piss!" (or alternatively "Are you taking the micky?") but not "a". Although, confusingly, there is the English/London use of the 'glottal stop' which can make "the" sound like " a".

lol touché! Wasn't trying to offend

 

[Dubya]

Again iIcannot understand why your taking 7 pages to work it out.

Perhaps it's because no one understands what you are trying to say!? By your reckoning, virtually the entire population of the UK would agree with you.........whatever it is you are trying to make a point about!?
Please, a little clarity perhaps?

 

[esteban68]

as a member of the UK and one of the sixty or so million in question I really would like to know just what were are discussing.... In fact I d like it if we stopped playing games and to use an old English saying.... pee on the pot or get off......signing off for tonight a slightly disgruntled 'Brit ' who does not especially like being given as a reason or excuse to be part of an offended group to a question that no one on here has the slightest clue what is being spoken about /offended at???

 

[Dubya]

Nah, those are underpants, because they go under pants. See? Our way is so logical.

Oh behave! You'll be calling the bonnet of a car the 'hood', and the boot the 'trunk' next!!

 

[stephen1965]

lol touché! Wasn't trying to offend

Of course you weren't mate. I knows it.

 

[esteban68]

deleted double post

 

[ButteMT61]

Of course you weren't mate. I knows it.

Funny thing. My friend tried to get me to appreciate cricket fr years. Hated it, sans the beer and darts and chips and girls in the pub after. Last year when we were in Durham, I spent four days straight watching the Tst Cricket games and became amazingly fascinated. Then it was off for curry and ale and I had the best time ever. All jokes aside, I do love the Brits. Sans Simon Cowell. lol

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

:rofl:
Geesh, three pages ago I had gone out for lunch.

 

[ButteMT61]

:rofl:Geesh, three pages ago I had gone out for lunch.

You mean a spot of tea, right?

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

That was dinner, not tea, bruv.

 

[ButteMT61]

That was dinner, not tea, bruv.

It's bruva. Bro.

 

[Sloan1874]

Dialects and regionalisms are common part of every language, but I would argue that there are 'British' expressions, ones universal to all parts of the country - 'spot on' is an excellent example of it. Also, twee, rather than a Scotticism, was actually first used in Punch magazine circa 1905 - and is a lot more common than you imagine. Take Twee Pop, for instance, a well-known genre that takes in the likes of Belle and Sebastian, Shonen Knife, The Field Mice.
Oh, and as far as the Gaelic translation goes in Scotland, beyond the Central Belt, much money has been wasted ensuring that we all have to check road signs twice to ensure that we're heading in the right direction.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Gee, I always liked Ginger Tompkins (Benny Hill)!!!

-dixon cannon

 

[MikeBravo]

For some reason I am reminded of an Australian expression:

raw prawn

From the traditional Australian expression: "Don't come the raw prawn!" or "Don't come the raw prawn with me!", meaning: "Don't try to put one over me!" or "Don't treat me like a fool!".

Particularly used to indicate that the listener is aware of the speaker's ingenuousness, for example where the person to whom it's directed feigns innocence or naivety.

Etymology:
Some sources say it is a WWII Australian Army expression. As to why it arose: one suggestion is that the reason lies in cooked prawn being more palatable than raw prawn.

 

[MikeBravo]

As a Scandinavian, I can say a great many people here are reddish-blonde rather than ash-y blonde and most blondes get freckles from the sun. Lots of Swedes and Norwegians are strawberry blonde and Danes especially tend to be reddish-haired and freckled, IME. But try being short and dark and then convincing people you're Swedish... Anyway, The people who assumed I was Irish did give my colouring as part of the reason (pale, dark hair, green eyes) - one of them even said: "You have Irish eyes!" I sucked that comment up because 1) it sounds poetic and 2) being Swedish is the most boring origin imaginable so anything else is a step up.

Bingo!

I think this anti-redhead sentiment can be traced back to the invasions of the British Isles by the Norsemen/Vikings who were reputed to be red-headed devils out to destroy civilisation. They did indeed make great inroads into areas of Britain and even had to be bribed to go no further (see Danegeld).

They also successfully invaded Ireland and established the capital of Dublin where they stayed for quite some time. Obviously they inter-married with the indigenous Irish, hence some Irish people having red hair.

As for the "black Irish", I believe the theory is that when the Spanish Armada was defeated in 1588, many of the ships sailed around Britain with many of them foundering on the north coast of Ireland. Generally, Spanish people are more "swarthy" (dark of skin and hair) than the indigenous Irish. While many were slaughtered, some survived and inter-married with the Irish; hence many Irish have dark skin and brown eyes.

PLEASE NOTE: These theories may have been discredited now, and I mean no offence to anybody

 

[Louise Anne]

Your are talking about "Briticism"

You got one from me!


The English ladies were thinking along the right lines, along with two euopean members.
and I feel Lizzie was not far off toward the end


Definition of Briticism
noun
an idiom used in Britain but not in other English-speaking countries: ‘Toy boy’ is a Briticism for a ‘gigolo.’
The Oxford English Dictionary.

 

[AntonAAK]

All jokes aside, I do love the Brits. Sans Simon Cowell. lol

That's ok. We don't like him either.