50 Americanisms That Brits Apparently Hate

[Shock and Awe]

I found this article while browsing the BBC website, and as an American this is pretty damn funny.

Spoiler: The list

1. When people ask for something, I often hear: "Can I get a..." It infuriates me. It's not New York. It's not the 90s. You're not in Central Perk with the rest of the Friends. Really." Steve, Rossendale, Lancashire

2. The next time someone tells you something is the "least worst option", tell them that their most best option is learning grammar. Mike Ayres, Bodmin, Cornwall

3. The phrase I've watched seep into the language (especially with broadcasters) is "two-time" and "three-time". Have the words double, triple etc, been totally lost? Grammatically it makes no sense, and is even worse when spoken. My pulse rises every time I hear or see it. Which is not healthy as it's almost every day now. Argh! D Rochelle, Bath

4. Using 24/7 rather than "24 hours, 7 days a week" or even just plain "all day, every day". Simon Ball, Worcester

5. The one I can't stand is "deplane", meaning to disembark an aircraft, used in the phrase "you will be able to deplane momentarily". TykeIntheHague, Den Haag, Holland

6. To "wait on" instead of "wait for" when you're not a waiter - once read a friend's comment about being in a station waiting on a train. For him, the train had yet to arrive - I would have thought rather that it had got stuck at the station with the friend on board. T Balinski, Raglan, New Zealand

7. "It is what it is". Pity us. Michael Knapp, Chicago, US

8. Dare I even mention the fanny pack? Lisa, Red Deer, Canada

9. "Touch base" - it makes me cringe no end. Chris, UK

10. Is "physicality" a real word? Curtis, US

11. Transportation. What's wrong with transport? Greg Porter, Hercules, CA, US

12. The word I hate to hear is "leverage". Pronounced lev-er-ig rather than lee-ver -ig. It seems to pop up in all aspects of work. And its meaning seems to have changed to "value added". Gareth Wilkins, Leicester

13. Does nobody celebrate a birthday anymore, must we all "turn" 12 or 21 or 40? Even the Duke of Edinburgh was universally described as "turning" 90 last month. When did this begin? I quite like the phrase in itself, but it seems to have obliterated all other ways of speaking about birthdays. Michael McAndrew, Swindon

14. I caught myself saying "shopping cart" instead of shopping trolley today and was thoroughly disgusted with myself. I've never lived nor been to the US either. Graham Nicholson, Glasgow

15. What kind of word is "gotten"? It makes me shudder. Julie Marrs, Warrington

16. "I'm good" for "I'm well". That'll do for a start. Mike, Bridgend, Wales

17. "Bangs" for a fringe of the hair. Philip Hall, Nottingham

18. Take-out rather than takeaway! Simon Ball, Worcester

19. I enjoy Americanisms. I suspect even some Americans use them in a tongue-in-cheek manner? "That statement was the height of ridiculosity". Bob, Edinburgh

20. "A half hour" instead of "half an hour". EJB, Devon

21. A "heads up". For example, as in a business meeting. Lets do a "heads up" on this issue. I have never been sure of the meaning. R Haworth, Marlborough

22. Train station. My teeth are on edge every time I hear it. Who started it? Have they been punished? Chris Capewell, Queens Park, London

23. To put a list into alphabetical order is to "alphabetize it" - horrid! Chris Fackrell, York

24. People that say "my bad" after a mistake. I don't know how anything could be as annoying or lazy as that. Simon Williamson, Lymington, Hampshire

25. "Normalcy" instead of "normality" really irritates me. Tom Gabbutt, Huddersfield

26. As an expat living in New Orleans, it is a very long list but "burglarize" is currently the word that I most dislike. Simon, New Orleans

27. "Oftentimes" just makes me shiver with annoyance. Fortunately I've not noticed it over here yet. John, London

28. Eaterie. To use a prevalent phrase, oh my gaad! Alastair, Maidstone (now in Athens, Ohio)

29. I'm a Brit living in New York. The one that always gets me is the American need to use the word bi-weekly when fortnightly would suffice just fine. Ami Grewal, New York

30. I hate "alternate" for "alternative". I don't like this as they are two distinct words, both have distinct meanings and it's useful to have both. Using alternate for alternative deprives us of a word. Catherine, London

31. "Hike" a price. Does that mean people who do that are hikers? No, hikers are ramblers! M Holloway, Accrington

32. Going forward? If I do I shall collide with my keyboard. Ric Allen, Matlock

33. I hate the word "deliverable". Used by management consultants for something that they will "deliver" instead of a report. Joseph Wall, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire

34. The most annoying Americanism is "a million and a half" when it is clearly one and a half million! A million and a half is 1,000,000.5 where one and a half million is 1,500,000. Gordon Brown, Coventry

35. "Reach out to" when the correct word is "ask". For example: "I will reach out to Kevin and let you know if that timing is convenient". Reach out? Is Kevin stuck in quicksand? Is he teetering on the edge of a cliff? Can't we just ask him? Nerina, London

36. Surely the most irritating is: "You do the Math." Math? It's MATHS. Michael Zealey, London

37. I hate the fact I now have to order a "regular Americano". What ever happened to a medium sized coffee? Marcus Edwards, Hurst Green

38. My worst horror is expiration, as in "expiration date". Whatever happened to expiry? Christina Vakomies, London

39. My favourite one was where Americans claimed their family were "Scotch-Irish". This of course it totally inaccurate, as even if it were possible, it would be "Scots" not "Scotch", which as I pointed out is a drink. James, Somerset

40.I am increasingly hearing the phrase "that'll learn you" - when the English (and more correct) version was always "that'll teach you". What a ridiculous phrase! Tabitha, London

41. I really hate the phrase: "Where's it at?" This is not more efficient or informative than "where is it?" It just sounds grotesque and is immensely irritating. Adam, London

42. Period instead of full stop. Stuart Oliver, Sunderland

43. My pet hate is "winningest", used in the context "Michael Schumacher is the winningest driver of all time". I can feel the rage rising even using it here. Gayle, Nottingham

44. My brother now uses the term "season" for a TV series. Hideous. D Henderson, Edinburgh

45. Having an "issue" instead of a "problem". John, Leicester

46. I hear more and more people pronouncing the letter Z as "zee". Not happy about it! Ross, London

47. To "medal" instead of to win a medal. Sets my teeth on edge with a vengeance. Helen, Martock, Somerset

48. "I got it for free" is a pet hate. You got it "free" not "for free". You don't get something cheap and say you got it "for cheap" do you? Mark Jones, Plymouth

49. "Turn that off already". Oh dear. Darren, Munich

50. "I could care less" instead of "I couldn't care less" has to be the worst. Opposite meaning of what they're trying to say. Jonathan, Birmingham

The part they have a problem with is bold in the actual article.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14201796

 

[BlumiereBleck]

Oh my, the brits have a problem with us. Well I sure feel like I'm back in 1770.

 

[Nuuu]

Some of them seem to be a bit over-reactive to small phrases. So what, you said cart instead of trolley once, how is that a reason to be digusted with yourself?

 

[Booze Zombie]

This is amusing? I see various people complaining about the British use of English and I don't really see how this is much different.

 

[Stalk3rchief]

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
I'm obviously American, and I'm also from the south. This article brings me the realization that if I were to talk to an English person, they would instantly hate me. The English I was raised on is very far from "proper".

 

[Easton Dark]

Deplane?

I have never heard someone say deplane ever, anywhere.

 

[SilentCom]

I think the Brits just don't like us butchering their precious language...

Some of the stuff on there I found rather funny.

...Shopping trolley ^-^

 

[Megahedron]

What's amusing is reading this list as though it were a conversation between two elderly British women. While they're sipping tea.

 

[Shaoken]

Some of those people are morons. Especially 36 and 38.

My most hated Americanism is really one that encompases them all; the fact that it seems like most Americans are completely incapable of understanding alternative ways of saying the same thing. For instance while my family was living in the states for three years, she was ordering food from a resturant to bring back home, but the cashier couldn't understand what she meant by "take away." She had to spend so much time explaining the entire concept of it until stumbling across the words "To Go" at which point the girl finally understood what she was trying to say.

And this was all in the English language too, so it's not like either party didn't have a full grasp of it.

EDIT:

I think the Brits just don't like us butchering their precious language...

Funny thing; while a lot of Brits and Australians and other English-speaking nations like to think that American has bastardised English and changed it to their own means, their actually the only ones who use the spellings and other such things from 300 years ago. Since the revolution the rest of the English speaking world slowly evolved it, while the Americans didn't.

So really, the Americans are just holding onto tradition.

 

[JaceArveduin]

Unless I'm mistaken, it is "shopping cart"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopping_cart

I know, cause the man who invented it lived in Oklahoma, and being a high school student from said area, they decided to make that one of the things you had to read for one of the end of year tests. One of the others was about Chuck Norris, I kid you not, who also happens to be from Oklahoma.

 

[Dagny]

I agree with some of these, but others seems like overreactions. I can understand getting annoyed over alternate vs. alternative, or wait on vs. wait for, because they actually affect the meaning of the sentence; but I don't get the issue with "24/7" or "half hour."

 

[zehydra]

Well, all this list told me is that Brits are intolerant of the way we speak, according to this little thing.

" I caught myself saying "shopping cart" instead of shopping trolley today and was thoroughly disgusted with myself. I've never lived nor been to the US either. Graham Nicholson, Glasgow"

Glad to see people disgusted to speak like an American. Screw you and your "trollies". I'll get my damn groceries the way I like, sir.

 

[BRMXJzjsoawk321]

-

 

[Innegativeion]

Surely the most irritating is: "You do the Math." Math? It's MATHS. Michael Zealey, London

What is this I don't even...



Wow, seriously this list is extremely hilarious. I've never even seen half these phrases used and the other half is really funny overreaction.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Oh my, well I do see some of those being ridiculous, like winningest only because that's just stupid. The others? I either thought were funny or that they need to get over themselves.

 

[Booze Zombie]

Deplane?

I have never heard someone say deplane ever, anywhere.

I too have never heard this in all of the American movies involving planes and people saying "let's get off this plane" or "disembark".

Unless I'm mistaken, it is "shopping cart"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shopping_cart

I know, cause the man who invented it lived in Oklahoma, and being a high school student from said area, they decided to make that one of the things you had to read for one of the end of year tests. One of the others was about Chuck Norris, I kid you not, who also happens to be from Oklahoma.

Scrolling down to the names area you get this:

Shopping cart ? the United States and Canada.
Trolley/shopping trolley ? the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and some regions of Canada.
Barrae - Some places in Scotland
Carriage/shopping carriage ? New England region of the United States.
Buggy ? Some regions of Canada, Southern U.S. and Pittsburgh; the latter case often being considered a word related to Pittsburghese.
Bascart/basket ? various regions.
Wagon ? Hawaii, New England.
Caddy ? France

Anyway, I wouldn't get defensive about this. It's not like you're being attacked, a group of people's thoughts on things that bother them have been collected into a list.

 

[The Madman]

Not all of those are British, though it is a British news source so obviously the majority are. But there are also a couple replies from people in the US itself as well as various other countries.

Besides, it was just a lighthearted article. Some people seem to be taking this wayyyyy too defensively. Hell I agree with the last one myself, were I to have sent one in that would have been the one.

"I could care less!"

I've heard it so often and every time I do it makes me wince. Is it really that hard to add a 'couldn't' in there for the sake of, you know, making sense?

 

[thelastone]

I'm Australian and sometimes the things Americans say annoy me too - but most of those on the list I find petty and wouldn't have thought them worth a 'top 50' list.
The one that really does frustrate me though is the last one - "I could care less." I have mostly heard it on US TV shows, and every time it annoys me. You COULDN'T care less. If you COULD, it means you have an amount of care! Aarrgh!

 

[Hero in a half shell]

Most of these are just nit-picking, and being overly stubborn, but the only one That would actually bug me is number 39.

39. My favourite one was where Americans claimed their family were "Scotch-Irish". This of course it totally inaccurate, as even if it were possible, it would be "Scots" not "Scotch", which as I pointed out is a drink. James, Somerset

As someone who lives on the island of Ireland it is very annoying when Americans (It seems to be only Americans, I've never encountered anyone else from another country who claims to be Irish, or indeed a different nationality other than the one they are currently living in!) fail to distinguish between their ancestory and their nationality.
You are American. You live in America, are grounded in American culture, read the American papers, listen to the American news, are ruled by American laws, etc. etc. You may have Irish/Italian/Maori Tribesman/whatever ancestory, and that's fine, in fact it's pretty cool if your relatives used to live in Ireland, Obama's part Irish, who would have thought it? but as much as you want it to that does not make you Irish.

Just a pet peeve of mine, I know there are many people who don't really care, but when you've lived all your life in Scotland, are visiting America and are told by someone who has never left America, and knows nothing about life in Scotland other than what pop-culture and Braveheart have told them about it that they are more Scottish than you because their Granmother emigrated from Scotland. (This actually happened to a friend of mine.) Then it gets a bit ridiculous.

Oh, and "could care less" No, that just doesn't make sense America. Argh!