50 Americanisms That Brits Apparently Hate

[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"

 

[Mcupobob]

Jeebs Christ, I had know I idea that some little things I don't really think about and our just apart of me and my culture could make someone thousands of miles away pissy. Thank Gob for the Internet.

 

[CRRPGMykael]

Mmmmmmmyeesssss,brits complaining about how America "ruined" their language with their pronounciation and neologisms...they even made a Top 50 list based on the answers of random people.What's new these days...look,Britan,would you just...well...GTFO?

 

[Woodsey]

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

Most of the others are meh, but this is particularly widespread and particularly retarded.

 

[savandicus]

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

On the subject of 36 it is something that incredibly annoys me. Maths is the short for Mathematics. Any phrase that uses the word maths makes sense if you replace it with mathematics because that is the implied meaning.

I have just been doing some maths. Means I have just been doing some mathematics.

If you use the 'word' Math it suddenly makes no sense in ANY sense because there is never a time where mathematic fits into a sentence.

I have just been doing some mathematic? Foolishness.

Maths is a puralised word just like you have words that never recieve an s. If you say or type Math in a sentence ever (Unless your pointing out how foolish it is). Then you might as well start saying: I have some sheeps. I saw some mices/mouses today. I ate some rices this morning.

Agreed on 38 though, there are much better things Americans say to complain about. Like hold down the fort.