50 Americanisms That Brits Apparently Hate

[cynicalsaint1]

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

Really?
Well maybe I should corner you in an elevator and beat you with a flashlight, eh?

Seriously though, most of these I've either never heard in my life ('Deplane'? Really people say that?), the rest are mostly nitpicks, a couple are actually annoying but I hear so rarely that I'm surprised to hear them called 'Americanisms' such as 'winningest' that's just stupid.

Its mostly a bunch of snobbery from people who don't seem to realize that, hey language tends to change over the years, and there can be more than one dialect of a given language.

 

[scott91575]

god most of these are just Pedantic Grammar Nazis

You need to sort out where your capital letters go. Also an apostrophe wouldn't go amiss after 'god'.

Apostrophe? So if you think it should read "god' most of these are just pedantic grammar Nazis." Is there some new use for an apostrophe where it can separate an interjection from the rest of the sentence?

 

[dragonburner]

Mostly full of grammar nazis. Others just seem to hate certain words or phrases, which is weird. Some are just kind of "holier then thou" about certain phrases. I've never heard of deplane. I have never heard "wait on" in high usage either. Also eaterie. And "scotch-irish."

 

[Lax Motive]

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

That is the only one I can understand being a problem because it bothers me too. And is actually a completely different meaning. The rest are really stupid things to be annoyed about. I mean I just chock it up to cultural differences. I thinks it's kinda fun that we say things differently

 

[Naal]

How ghaaaastly~!

I'll take this list with me when I go to England and try to use those words as often as I can in a conversation.

 

[Amphoteric]

Has anyone posted this?

Stephen Fry is clearly against all this pedantic bullshit, and as a Brit I feel ashamed that these idiots take so much umbrage with words most Americans never even use e.g. "ridiculosity".

You made me very happy posting that video, I must say.

Stephen Fry has spoken! This debate is over

Best video I've seen in ages.

Stephen Fry is one of the most brilliant men alive.

 

[Thaa'ir]

My Goddess, I had forgotten how emotionally charged a topic language can be...

EDIT: One Britishism I wish we used here in the States is "bloody." I caught myself saying that constantly after I beat Fable 2.

 

[cthulhumythos]

while there are some i've never heard, i realize i probably shouldn't go to the uk anytime soon.

also, whats the other pronunciation of z besides zee? 'cause i've only heard it one way,

 

[Roland07]

What is it with the Brits and teeth? Whenever they were angry they seemed to feel it in the teeth.

Also, I though Math was the plural...

 

[Hipsy_Gypsy]

I don't see a problem at all with most of them as in I use a quare few and thought absolutely nothing of it. I didn't know some of them even existed up until reading through this here but I do agree with a few to some degree. Again though, I just find a lot of it incredibly... nit-picky, for lack of a better word.
You should hear half the lingo that the Northern Irish come up with! "Scundered" and "wick" being feelings of silliness and embarrassment etc. but that's just two plucked from a huge list.


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[TheDarkestDerp]

Most of this list sounds like simple nit-picking over expression of concept or use of bad grammar. And... although some of theses are from the UK, most of the list seems to be quotes from Americans... so I'm a bit confused to why it's listed as annoying to Brits.

*shrug* That aside, I can understand and agree with many of these. "It is what it is" has always immediately raised my hackles. "As opposed to what, numbnuts? It is what it isn't? If that's all you have to add to the conversation, please just leave yourself out next time, 'kay?"

 

[Hipsy_Gypsy]

while there are some i've never heard, i realize i probably shouldn't go to the uk anytime soon.

also, whats the other pronunciation of z besides zee? 'cause i've only heard it one way,

It be "zed"! Although "zee" fits in with the rhyme a lot better, lmao.

My Goddess, I had forgotten how emotionally charged a topic language can be...

EDIT: One Britishism I wish we used here in the States is "bloody." I caught myself saying that constantly after I beat Fable 2.

Next thing you know you'll be sipping on tea and chowing down on crumpets!


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[Cmwissy]

It's a joke.

Browsing the thread, so many Americans have said we're "Overreacting". These people need to understand that a staple of British humour is to over/under react. It's just how we are.

The list is hilarious, by the by - And I'm sure most sensible Brits/Americans will take it in jest.

On a more serious note, can we please stop arguing over who the language belongs to? It belongs to the long dead Anglo-Saxon/Norman aristocracy that ruled the native Briton Celts from the post-Roman to Tudor period.

Also, can you guys stop saying stuff about tea and crumpets? We don't see it as charming or quaint. The majority of English people fit the bill of 'Rough, working-class, cynical, drunk' similar to our Scottish, Welsh and Irish neighbours (No offense to you guys, you know we love you.)rather than 'Preppy, Upper-class chinless twit, crumpets.'

while there are some i've never heard, i realize i probably shouldn't go to the uk anytime soon.

also, whats the other pronunciation of z besides zee? 'cause i've only heard it one way,

'Zed'.

 

[Codeman90]

Seems like the British are a bit more uptight and insecure about their language then I thought they were. Well at least some of them are.

 

[Dupeo]

There is an H in herb. Tyler - Canada

 

[Tharwen]

Isn't 'bi-weekly' twice a week, whereas 'a fortnight' is a period of two weeks?

Soo... in fact 29 is completely wrong unless I'm mistaken.

The rest are just people complaining about how Americans have a different vocabulary to us, which is sort of pathetic (except the ones which genuinely are grammatically wrong).

 

[miketehmage]

As a Scotsman I have more issues with the article rather than Americanisms...

For example Number 39. Where apparently the correct phrase is Scots not Scotch. Actually, I'm pretty sure it's Scottish.

I also cannot believe they left out the change of Aluminium to Aluminum. You didn't change any other element ending in "ium" Eg Litium or Calcium... why Aluminium?

But I Definitely do agree with the last one... "I could care less" (Meaning I don't care). But if we break it down, saying I could care less, means that I could care to a lesser degree than the amount I am caring right now. When really what you mean is "I couldn't care less." as stated.

 

[MordinSolus]

...Why are the British complaining about us AGAIN?

Boston tea party. . .

It took a second, but I got it. Haha.

 

[Jonesy911]

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.

Seriously though it's maths not "math". It's mathematics not mathematic

Since when was the word "Mathsematics" spelled with an "s" after the "t" ?

It's an abbreviation, like you said, so the s should be understood and abbreviated.

You clearly don't know how abbreviations of plurals works then

 

[Acier]

Oh noes! Cultural idioms from a culture that's across a sea is upsetting some people in a different country because they're different! Despite radically different languages being geographically closer! The humanity!

But seriously, people still do this?