50 Americanisms That Brits Apparently Hate

[Owyn_Merrilin]

Also, what the hell is a "regular Americano?

The coffee chains over here call a regular coffee an "Americano". Why I don't know, but there you go. They have fancy-pants names for the rest of them so "regular coffee" prolly had to go

It's actually a European term, which goes back to American soldiers serving in Europe during World War II. Technically, an Americano is a watered down Espresso -- American GIs liked coffee, but they didn't want it distilled into rocket fuel. The term "americano" evolved to describe coffee prepared in the way American soldiers liked it. In the US it's just called "coffee," by the way. source

I think that about sums up the ignorance shown in the linked article; when one of your "Americanisms" was actually coined by a European to describe something that Americans like, you might have a problem with facts.

 

[monkey jesus]

Please don't take this too seriously, its only the opinion of 50 UK nationals.

There are at least 57 people currently resident in the UK.

So that's 7 folk unaccounted for, I did the MATHS!

 

[SyphonX]

I've come to the conclusion that there is really something wrong with Brits and their obsessive compulsive nature on nitpicking grammar differences. People have different versions of the same expression in various parts of the world.

I mean, if you're nitpicking with sarcasm and having a laugh, that's fine, but if you're nitpicking because you are quite literally annoyed or frustrated, well that's kind of sad. It's like people fail to realize that common courtesy is more important than faking it with perfect grammar and structure. If you get in someone's face for using a slightly different version of a common expression, then you are the asshole.

In reality, I know this doesn't represent Brits, but oh my do I get tired of people going ballistic over things that don't matter.

 

[Plinglebob]

Because I can't resist, lets have a look at some of the more entertaining ones:

24/7 - No issues wiith this, though sometimes I think its a bit of a weird phrase to use, but then I'm pedantic.

Wait On - I've heard this and yes its stupid.

Fanny Pack - Hee hee, fanny.

Shopping Cart - I'll stick with Trolley as its more fun to say.

Bangs - I'm against this because its such a stupid word. Why use a sound effect to describe your hair?

Take-out - No real issues, but Take-away's better and you know it.

A Half-hour - Half an Hour is itself a shortening of "Half of an Hour" so I've no real issue with shortening it more.

Train Station - While Railway Station sounds nicer, I've no problem with this. Personally I just use Station.

Alphabetize - Too long to make use of the Z in a Scrabble game so switch it with an S and I won't mind it.

Bi-weekly - Ok, this one confused me. I've always taken Fortnightly to mean "Once every 2 weeks" and Bi-weekly to be "Twice a week". If I've just been an idiot (which is more then likely) and they mean the same thing, I'll stick with fortnightly as its a nice word.

Hike a price - I hike both up and down hills.

A million and a half - Mathmatically incorrect, and "One point five million" is much easier to say.

Math - Mathmatics is always said as a plurel so its abbreviation should follow the same rules.

Period - No real issue with the word, but prefer full stop.

TV Season - I'm just going to keep using series to confuse people.

Z - Yeah, we're right, you're wrong and the rest of the world backs us up

I got it for free - No real issue as I see how it comes about.

I could care less - Whoever says this needs a slap.

To those complaining about why this was done, its fun in the classic British sense. The only time you will ever get Britons to agree is when we're collectively bashing someone else. The Americans are the same, but we use words rather then an army

 

[Volkov]

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".

As was theirs, for the most part. The uptight dumbasses surveyed in the article above are pretty far from the average brit.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

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."[/quote

This is true. It is sad that semantics is the only way to parse meaning out of a sentence. If only we had some other piece by which to judge what people mean when they say something. Now if we included syntax and context when judging meaning, then we might be able to eliminate confusion.

But, in all seriousness, the problem is often that that critical context might not be obvious to an outside observer without some assistance. While I have no trouble understanding the meaning of the word "boot" with respect to the storage space in a car, such a word seems remarkably strange. By contrast, calling that same space a "trunk" makes more sense given that a trunk might also refer to a box with a hinged lid used for storage. And while I certainly understand what a British person asking for a torch probably does not want a flame on a stick but rather a flashlight, and though I am well aware that the function of the primitive flame-stick was eventually filled by the flashlight (and the former is rarely used, at least I assume), it seems strange there would be no effort to use a new word.

Several of the entries on this list simply demonstrate that some people seem to misunderstand a common trait of a living language. Words and phrases that are commonly used are eventually shortened. The most used words in a language tend to be shortest, both in terms of writing and speaking. "Twenty Four Hours a day, seven days a week" expresses the same idea as "24/7" but the former uses 38 more characters and 8 extra words. Even a few decades ago there would be no need for such truncation given that one would rarely have cause to say such a thing but now, in the US at least, I can find dozens of places to eat and shop that only close on Christmas. The same can be said of many other businesses and activities.

 

[Jonabob87]

Just want to explain to all the Americans who are talking about British people being "up tight" about the way they speak:

This article is not about things Americans say, it's about American-style things that British people are beginning to say.

American culture is so widespread now that it's starting to "infect" people and they speak like Americans instead of like people from where they're from. Children and young adults in the UK now speak in a highly Americanised manner and for someone who is very proud of their own heritage (just as many Americans are proud of theirs) this can be a problem.

My home country (Scotland) is incredibly important to me. I love it. It's history, it's culture. I just love it. So for that to be infringed upon by the culture of someone else is awful to me.

Understand?

That said, I haven't heard a large number of those, and a lot of them are just poor phrasing.

p.s. I don't speak Gaelic because Gaelic is all but a dead language at this point. Would love to learn it, but there's little point at this stage.

 

[White Deer]

I have never heard someone saying 'Shopping Trolley'.

 

[Liberaliter]

Lots of Americans in this thread getting all uptight about the list, which was clearly written in good humour.

 

[Griff]

I'm British and even I know normalcy is an anglicism, thank you Mr Bryson. Also the only thing I don't like is I could care less.....It makes no sense!!!!

 

[Communist partisan]

I have no real idea what this is about...

 

[Darius Brogan]

Many of those are over-reactions, yes, but I find it funny that so many people seem to think that these opinions are a general Brit thing.

There were only 50, that doesn't mean there are only 50 people in the UK, that means that 50 of many millions don't like the word/phrase.

 

[Insideout Ink Demon]

made me chuckle, as some of those do irk me, others i've found myself doing.
would it not just me easier to claim americans speak american rather than english? then its their own language to mould who they like with comment from outside.
oh yeah, i'll add "sidewalk" to the list as No. 51 from Mr Ink and flat/apartment makes me laugh

 

[Macrobstar]

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.

There not being serious when they say disgusted, its only a little bit of fun

 

[Insideout Ink Demon]

oh yes, i got to number 5, someone from Holland isn't a brit.

Gavin & Stacy, "whats occuring" grrr i hate that!

 

[JWRosser]

This all seems a little over the top - the only one on the list that angers me is "I could care less"...as, in the context it's generally used in, that makes very little sense.

Also, I don't really understand:

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

What else is it supposed to be called? Just....a station? I don't know...

Also, one of these people is from my home town, and one is from the little town just next to it. How lovely.

 

[Burs]

During my primary and secondary school education I was taught welsh as my first language and only taught English for two hours every week. Even I have problems with some of these horrible grammer errors (see what happens when you break away from the empire; you forget how to speak!) however I believe that "winingest" and "that'll learn you" are just the chav-speak of the future peasentry.


PS: Good thing about being Welsh no American designs himself/herself and pretends to be welsh.

PPS: However Hollywood where are our films! we fought the sassenachs hand, tooth and nail until we got a welshman on the throne, wheres our Llewlyns our Oweins! Unlike the English and the Scots where the peasentry spoke english (yes the scots spoke english not gealic back then) and the nobility spoke french! In wales everyone spoke welsh!

 

[BlastedTheWorm]

No mention of "could care less" surprises me.

Seriously. "Could care less"? That's just fucking stupid. I believe David Mitchell said it best.

 

[Use_Imagination_here]

... A lot of these are useful expressions.

The other half makes me want to punch someone.

 

[Balobo]

Also, I might add, some of these appear to be by Americans and Canadians. Silly Yanks. Them Canadians are 'aight though. Commonwealth, represent!

"I'm British, I get to decide which country's population is 'aight or not. Yank yank yank"