50 Americanisms That Brits Apparently Hate

[Voxgizer]

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!

I've got Irish ancestry myself, but could never imagine having the gall to tell someone from that country that I'm somehow more of a countryman than they are. That's just ludicrous.

(Also, Hero, your username and icon are awesome, sir.)

I also agree with the "could care less." I'm American and hear this phrase somewhat regularly, and it drives me batshit loony. Then again, anytime someone makes a statement like that particular one it drives me up the wall.

 

[JET1971]

"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"

The only time i have ever heard someone say deplane was when watching fantasy island.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x_QbVDlLbI

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

Clearly not the brightest bulb in the chandalier. Maths is multiple versions of math. adding is math, subtracting is math, adding and subtracting together is maths. Realisticly math/maths is short for mathamatic(s) and either version is just as valid as the other. Personaly I think maths sounds stupid in the majority of ways it is used considering you dont say "I am in earth sciences class" or "I am taking a histories lesson today".

math (noun)
Maths (Noun plural)
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maths
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/maths?region=us
http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/math?region=us

Compare the 2 Oxford dictionary definitions. maths is a mid 20th century abreviation and math is a mid 19th century abreviation for the same word. math would ofcourse be the more valid abreviation considering it is older as well as more widely used.

 

[Sansha]

Most of these 'Americanisms' sound like arrogant British dipshits spouting nonsense, like they have absolutely nothing else to think about.

I'm not American.

 

[HKFortyRevan]

I'm British and I'll join in with the people wondering what we're supposed to use instead of train station, 'cos I've never heard anyone call it anything else.
Heck, with the exception of "could care less" - which I didn't even realise was an "Americanism" - most of these either don't bother me or are stuff I hear regularly.

Also, what's with the women from Warrington complaining about gotten? Isn't gotten fairly common in Northern dialects?

 

[SFR]

It saddens me that most of these either are actual words or just simply never said.

Also: "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

Yes... We totally do say "for cheap". How can you be angry at something so minor but not even hear enough Americanized English to actually have an opinion on it?

Plus, isn't that grammatically correct? I wouldn't say "I purchased these shoes $5.12"; I would say "I purchased these shoes FOR $5.12". Similar, concept, is it not?

 

[Magicman10893]

...Most of the things on this list I have never heard before in my life or can be explained.

 

[Disco110]

The Word I hate is Americanisation. Stuart Craig, Blackpool, UK

 

[JET1971]

It saddens me that most of these either are actual words or just simply never said.

Also: "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

Yes... We totally do say "for cheap". How can you be angry at something so minor but not even hear enough Americanized English to actually have an opinion on it?

Plus, isn't that grammatically correct? I wouldn't say "I purchased these shoes $5.12"; I would say "I purchased these shoes FOR $5.12". Similar, concept, is it not?

We do say "I got it free" too, but we use that for when we break something loose like a stuck bolt or something wedged between 2 things.

Q. How is that rusted bolt coming along?
A. It took some effort but I got it free.

also free is the price so its the same proper use as saying "I got it for $5.12"

Q. I just bought these pickles for $1.99, how much were yours?
A. I got mine for free! HAHAHA, sucks to be you!!!
Alternate answer without the "for":
A. I got mine free of charge, SUCKER!!!!

 

[PeacanPie]

Half of these aren't British

 

[supermariner]

ahhh don't let it worry you my American friends
us Brits really love to moan, it's our national passtime
we're just letting off steam, don't take us too seriously

 

[lucaf]

could care less is the most retarded saying of all time. IT DOESN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE, ALL IT DOES IS SAY YOU DO ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT IT. well, that needed venting. I feel better now.

 

[lucaf]

You know what I say to that?

These are chips

Spoiler

Not these

Spoiler

:O

you cold bastard

 

[VampireViking]

I'm very surprised that one of the 50 wasn't about how "Americans" say Pants instead of Trousers.

 

[lucaf]

Wow, some of these were actually pretty hilarious. XD But others are just kind of whiny and nit-picky. Seriously, 46, how else are we supposed to pronounce Z?

I think they pronounce it "Zeh" or "Zae" (like "Zephyr" or "Zeta")

nope, we pronounce it as zed

 

[Pietato]

"The one that always gets me is the American need to use the word bi-weekly when fortnightly would suffice just fine."

I can only picture this person, and most others on the list, wearing a top hat and monocle while sipping tea on their velocipede and discussing the current state of the East India Trading Company. Several of these are words and phrases I've never heard, being from the "Midwest" of the US, and if I have heard them, they've come from someone with an accent. A heavy accent.

I blame Texas.

 

[Naeo]

Aside from the few that are legitimately wrong uses according to the dictionary, I'm getting a vibe from that list of "stop doing it different from me I don't like it". Expiration date versus expiry? Really? That is nothing but "stop doing things how I don't do them".

 

[Mr Fatherland]

I've got to say, "Math" instead of "Maths" rubs me up the wrong way. It's "Zed" and not "Zee", as in Zeb-ra as opposed to Zee-Bra. I say Trolley, always have, always will. To me a cart is what someone hitches onto the back of a car.

The one fellow countryman who deserves a punch in the jaw is the "Train Station" guy. It's a FUCKING train station, I bet he calls it a Locomotion Contraption Rendevous.

 

[Davichu]

I feel disgraced as a British person that I have to be stereotyped with some of these people. these are just a bunch of minor petty hates by a small group, there's nothing wrong with how americans pronounce, if anything it's quirky.

I love YOUR-ROE-PEENS for europeans and TOOB for tube, whenever you talk to an american is great because you both think wtf is this person saying when its actually not hard, and British can't make excuses for not understanding them, we have bloody scouses who sound like a cat being strangled.


36. Surely the most irritating is: "You do the Math." Math? It's MATHS (Hang on? If your going to get menstrual about it wouldn't it be mathematics; both are viable as they are abbreviations, if people really wanted to it could be called matics instead)