50 Americanisms That Brits Apparently Hate

[strobe]

Some of them I actually agree with, because they're grammatical errors (regardless of the region). The rest, though, is more "It's OUR language, they should have to talk like us!".

I think we stopped using "fortnight" over here in the US by the end of the 19th century; the same as "score" (twenty). And "maths"? Isn't that a plural?

Yes, yes it is. I reckon "maths" should be a plural because it's an abbreviation of "mathematics" which is an abbreviation of "mathematical sciences". Took this from my experience but I probably have more than most. Oh, here's an irrefutable source too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathematics

Yeah well ... I don't like that they weasel an extra letter into aluminum.

Aluminum isn't a thing, its definitely not a metal that people make foils out of. Hell I'd be happy to spell sulfur incorrectly (that's what is accepted internationally [by the IUPAC]) if the USA would spell aluminium correctly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium

(I love this spell checking because it agrees with sulphur and aluminium)

 

[Declaro]

The one I seriously don't get is 40, because the way the people around me use it, the joke is that it's grammatically incorrect.

Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if some dumb asses say it thinking it is correct...

 

[Kukakkau]

Lot of these are valid but some are jsut stupid "24/7" is fine and easier, "can I get a" is fine, it's polite and "train station"... there isn't an alternative for that. Unless it was London in which case it's the "tube station"

Gift certificate instead of gift voucher annoys me, especially when it takes 10mins to explain to the shop worker the simple concept for him to finally understand... Then say they have family from somewhere in Scotland too... they live in Wales

 

[WhySoElitist]

I think rather than calling it British or American english we should say 'so and so's use of english'. It has yet to develop into two separate languages.

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.

The very idea of 'British English' disgusts me, english is english, you can have 'American English' but other than that english is english.

How can you have American English but just plain old English any other time? New Zealand English has it's own little quirks, as does Australian.

it is called english because it is from england. "american english should be called american.
captcha: befflehem exorcismic

 

[Something Amyss]

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?

It's kind of like when you say "the worst" to something trivial. "Stubbing your toe is the worst."

I know cancer survivors who would disagree.

Not only is the list nitpicky, but not all of them are really Americanisms. I've heard too many Brits say "wait on" to take the blame for that.

 

[Alexnader]

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".

parcell, gon' say del go up de saw say

 

[Febel]

Oh look, british people writing into a newspaper to complain. *Yawn* Most of these are overreactions but in their defense if I ever heard someone say "deplane" I'd be forced to punch them in the neck. On principle.

 

[Moeez]

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[/spoiler]

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

Time to bring this graph out to explain:
http://25.media.tumblr.com/b9vfl4b63qupdex5jxaD3wEMo1_400.jpg

 

[Arafiro]

AND HOW THE HELL DO THEY PRONOUNCE 'Z'.

Zed.

Complaining about 24/7, shopping cart, take-out, season and issue is just stupid.
And seriously, fortnightly?! What is this, the 1500s?

Bi-weekly just sounds silly, why wouldn't you say fortnightly?
Also, I've pretty much never heard anyone call a trolley a "shopping cart" and would be confused if somebody did. Same with take-out, if somebody said "I'm going to go get a take-out" I'd be rather confused at first.

But, just to reiterate, it's a bloody shopping trolley. It's not a cart.

 

[GigaHz]

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[/spoiler]

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

Time to bring this graph out to explain:
http://25.media.tumblr.com/b9vfl4b63qupdex5jxaD3wEMo1_400.jpg

This response wins.

 

[DJ_Bunce]

Bless you guys - I'm a Brit, teaching English as a foreign language, and while we cringe at spelling "colour" without the "u", you will do the same reading it with the "u" in.

If you guys wanna say "my bad", you go crazy. If we wanna say "i'm goin chippy", then let the northerns saying it go crazy.

We really don't care all that much - in my experience its the Americans that seem to be irked by it the most. I can't go anywhere without SOMEONE taking the piss out of my diction or dialect.

Relax people, diversity happens. Live with it

 

[GigaHz]

AND HOW THE HELL DO THEY PRONOUNCE 'Z'.

Zed.

Complaining about 24/7, shopping cart, take-out, season and issue is just stupid.
And seriously, fortnightly?! What is this, the 1500s?

Bi-weekly just sounds silly, why wouldn't you say fortnightly?
Also, I've pretty much never heard anyone call a trolley a "shopping cart" and would be confused if somebody did. Same with take-out, if somebody said "I'm going to go get a take-out" I'd be rather confused at first.

But, just to reiterate, it's a bloody shopping trolley. It's not a cart.

This has been discussed in the thread.

Bi-weekly is twice a week. Fortnightly is once every two weeks. Completely different definition, both are appropriate for their given context.

Take out and Take away both convey the same meaning. You are taking OUT the food to eat it away from the restaurant, or at home. You are taking AWAY the food for the same purpose.

Funny that if you google trolley definition, the second meaning below the first result is 'Shopping cart'. Explain that one haha.

 

[rreetteepp]

I would just like to say as a british person i have no problem with any of those... well the "i could care less" thing is a bit odd but i wouldent get angry about it. its not british who are saying these things its finikey annoying people who just happen to be british lol

 

[WhySoElitist]

AND HOW THE HELL DO THEY PRONOUNCE 'Z'.

Zed.

Complaining about 24/7, shopping cart, take-out, season and issue is just stupid.
And seriously, fortnightly?! What is this, the 1500s?

Bi-weekly just sounds silly, why wouldn't you say fortnightly?
Also, I've pretty much never heard anyone call a trolley a "shopping cart" and would be confused if somebody did. Same with take-out, if somebody said "I'm going to go get a take-out" I'd be rather confused at first.

But, just to reiterate, it's a bloody shopping trolley. It's not a cart.

bi-weekly means twice a week just like bi-annual means twice a year
i just assumed everyone knew that

 

[funguy2121]

Wow. Looks like ignorant people are the same the world over (I hope "the world over" isn't a phrase that causes anyone discomfort). By the way, the fanny pack is an object, not an anachronism. And I've never heard some of those phrases. The first one is quite funny. Requesting something that you want is apparently offensive to some.

An exercise, then. Enter a thread, any thread with at least 2 pages. I can almost guarantee that you'll find posters from Austrailia, the UK and the US on there, and probably other countries. And posters from all countries will use third-grade-level (that's 7-year-olds if you're not familiar with the States' educational system) syntax, spelling and grammar.

Stupid people outnumber us smarties in all countries. Everyone can now dismount their collective high horse.

 

[Aj Hedgehog]

If it's not train station, then what is it?
Train town?
Train land?
Train world?
The train zone?
The trainery?
Deadly Rails: Revenge of the Trains?
Platform 9 3/4?
Oh, it's platform isn't it? I literally just figured that out.

Can I just say that I find the word "snogging" to be an absolutely vile word that is in no way indicative of its meaning?

It's either platform or it could be Railway Station (however I would love to call it a trainery XD)
Either way it is pretty pathetic for people to get wound up about these. I never took BBC news as a troll before now

 

[Arafiro]

bi-weekly means twice a week just like bi-annual means twice a year
i just assumed everyone knew that

I guess when putting it that way it does mean twice a week.
I'd never heard it before, and my initial assumption based on the wording was that it was every 2 weeks (so, fortnightly).

 

[funguy2121]

AND HOW THE HELL DO THEY PRONOUNCE 'Z'.

Zed.

Complaining about 24/7, shopping cart, take-out, season and issue is just stupid.
And seriously, fortnightly?! What is this, the 1500s?

Bi-weekly just sounds silly, why wouldn't you say fortnightly?
Also, I've pretty much never heard anyone call a trolley a "shopping cart" and would be confused if somebody did. Same with take-out, if somebody said "I'm going to go get a take-out" I'd be rather confused at first.

But, just to reiterate, it's a bloody shopping trolley. It's not a cart.

bi-weekly means twice a week just like bi-annual means twice a year
i just assumed everyone knew that

I'll jump in here. Why wouldn't you say "fortnightly?" Perhaps because the age of Tory wigs is dead and gone? No serious person would say "fortnightly," even if their name was Winkelvoss (natch).

 

[molester jester]

OK im British and even i think that list is stupid, and the people that sent in those suggestions are complete fucking idiots. " Oh the Americans use different expressions from us they are butchering the precious English language " Grow the fuck up, unless you are currently speaking old English then you can not complain about the modernization of the English language.