50 Americanisms That Brits Apparently Hate

[DSQ]

Shopping trolly? I thought a trolly was sort of like a train or a subway sort of thing.

And if there are no train stations in England where do the trains stop? Or don't they for lack of a proper noun to use for describing a place for a train to stop?

I also noticed a lot of these complaints are even about improper use of English. I don't like it when I have to explain to a British family that in America biscuits are soft flaky portions of overly buttered bread and not sweet crunchy deserts. Which we call cookies. Something I'm sure disturbs them greatly. We don't have scones because advertising a sweet that sound a lot like the word 'stone' is impossible.

Oh well, if I were to go to Europe England would be the last country on the list of places to go. Every one there seems way to up tight for me.

I think the person is complaining about the double negative. If the building is a station of course trains stop there. So the word train is not needed. It is like saying ATM machine.

I can't help you about the biscuits thing tho. Maybe I can comtact the goventment to start a campain to change the meaning of the word over here so that I can aliviate your minor annoyance? (I kid, i kid xD)

England is pretty nice, i would recomend going there, people just like to complain but they are friendly to tourists.

 

[KoalaKid]

I like some British television shows like Doctor Who or the IT crowd, but I still have a hard time listening to the characters speak or taking the characters seriously (especially the bad guys). I could easily compose a list of British sayings that are equally annoying. for example I have never understood calling an elevator a lift, unless of course British elevators don't go down.

Because going down is being 'elevated'? I don't think either name covers both directions, but 'box that goes up and down' doesn't really roll off the tongue. "Lift" just has fewer syllables, so it wins

You know your right about the elevator thing; I don't know why I didn't think of that. maybe we could call it the vertical motion machine, a carrier, or a go-box?

 

[KoalaKid]

I like some British television shows like Doctor Who or the IT crowd, but I still have a hard time listening to the characters speak or taking the characters seriously (especially the bad guys). I could easily compose a list of British sayings that are equally annoying. for example I have never understood calling an elevator a lift, unless of course British elevators don't go down.

Because 'elevate' implies going down so well?

your right, so I suggest we call it a go-box, carrier, or a vertical motion machine.

 

[KoalaKid]

I like some British television shows like Doctor Who or the IT crowd, but I still have a hard time listening to the characters speak or taking the characters seriously (especially the bad guys). I could easily compose a list of British sayings that are equally annoying. for example I have never understood calling an elevator a lift, unless of course British elevators don't go down.

You can lift something down, you can't elevate something down

I think lift implies upward motion, but your right that "elevator" isn't really any better. I suggest we think of something entirely different to call it. here are a few suggestions: the vertical motion machine, a carrier, a go-box.

 

[randomrob]

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.

It's different because it's our bloody language, If you're going to use it, use it correctly.

No, it isn't. That's really nationalistic nonsense. You should feel ashamed.

Who are you to tell me how I should and shouldn't feel? Isn't that a bit Fascistic? If you are going to assert that it is nonsense, explain why. If people are making stupid alterations to the language of my ancestors I think I have a right to be pissed off. If you disagree, ask yourself this, do you think the Americans own their flag? If America made a colony and that colony rebelled and stole the stars and stripes, would you be angry? Would you be more angry if they started making tiny alterations to it?

 

[randomrob]

I'd like to see someone resolve this with the assertion made earlier that I, being of Irish, French-Creole, Gypsy and German descent, am actually none of those things since I live in the States. I mean, if you can "own" my language since people who lived and died eons before you were born and conquered the world before your more recent ancestors lost it and my more recent forebearers stole it while riding on the backs of literal slave labor, which I admit is shit syntax, then why would you not want to own my blood? Don't you want my blood? It has antigens, and is HIV- and MRSA-free!

Take my blood, please!

Seriously, though, tell me in what wars you fought for British expansion and I'll honor your assertion that it's your language. And since every time I post in this thread the response seems to come from someone who lacks intuition and dozes off to TL;DR land when I mention that I've already said it:

No, I don't hate British people. But you are not Orwell.

What's Orwell got to do with it? He was a British writer. Did I say I owned the language? No, I said the British own the language because we invented it. I just happen to be British which is why there is an our in my original post. And also why are you going on about blood? It is totally irrelevant to the discussion. If you're going to respond to my posts, please respond in a way that makes sense and directly addresses the point/s I made. If you don't think a language can be owned by the nation that created it. Fine, but don't expect me to agree with you.

 

[Amphoteric]

This ends the conversation pretty much

 

[airlife101]

Not entirely sure why people get so worked up about language and the differences between the American and British variations. Yes, English came from England and I can see the argument as to why some Anglophiles would disapprove of the variations and differences that have occurred within the Americas, but why get so worked up about it?

I mean, the US is separated from the UK by a vast stretch of water, and the ability to instantly share the written word between the two nations has only really come about in the past few decades with the invention of the internet. I will acknowledge that of course, the written word has been shared between the US and the UK, but not the scale that it has today with the dawn of email, texting, twitter, etc. It really doesn't surprise me that in the past few centuries that both British and American English have changed/evolved in various paths; each adapting to the different cultures either side of the Pond.

But should be really get frustrated and angry over the differences between our languages? Should we get out the pitchforks and burn anyone who dare say a word/phrase that has been developed from the opposite side of the Atlantic? Of course not, instead we should embrace and celebrate the variety of our words. After all, language is constantly evolving; always has been and always will be. So why should one get feel the need to halt the centuries of development of our spoken and written language?

Is it perfect as it is?

 

[rt052192]

Im certain Americans could assemble as large a list of "Brit-isms" we find very annoying and hard to understand. It's called a cultural difference, just wow...

 

[somonels]

Does anyone know five americanisms that brits like?

 

[strobe]

Bizarre.... because my spell check has red wavy lines under both of those. However, sulfur and aluminum are red wavy line free!

Apparently, you also spelled IUPAC wrong Or so my spell check says.

This is weird. I don't remember setting anything when I joined up and my nationality isn't in my profile. Maybe The Escapist gives you a spell checker by IP? I wouldn't've thought so though, so maybe it is a setting you pick when you join up.

Way to go on your most excellent avatar.

 

[PhunkyPhazon]

...Maths? I have never ever ever ever ever heard that in my life. That just sounds stupid. I was expecting a list of annoying American stereotypes or something, not "They said 'issue' instead of 'problem'." This list is just whiny and trivial, and anyone who makes a big deal out of these things seriously needs to reconsider their priorities.

 

[SamuraiShinrai]

So much rage over this, doesnt bother me and I live in texas.

 

[airlife101]

Does anyone know five americanisms that brits like?

Most of the time our weather forecasts use the Celsius temperature scale to represent how hot/cold it is going to be that day, but for some reason when it's pretty hot (and in the 90/100*F region), they all switch over. Just so they can say "ZOMG! IT'S GOING TO BE 100 DEGREES TODAY! D:"

So there's one, four more to go.

Anyone else got any ideas?

 

[randomrob]

If you disagree with any level of nationalism (as you appear to) fine. I however believe that countries own their culture and that other countries dicking around with it is wrong. If you disagree then... Well I don't really care, go and deal with it. Also Nationalism does not imply small-mindedness. Am I not allowed to have a sense of pride or value over the culture of my country?

 

[funguy2121]

I'd like to see someone resolve this with the assertion made earlier that I, being of Irish, French-Creole, Gypsy and German descent, am actually none of those things since I live in the States. I mean, if you can "own" my language since people who lived and died eons before you were born and conquered the world before your more recent ancestors lost it and my more recent forebearers stole it while riding on the backs of literal slave labor, which I admit is shit syntax, then why would you not want to own my blood? Don't you want my blood? It has antigens, and is HIV- and MRSA-free!

Take my blood, please!

Seriously, though, tell me in what wars you fought for British expansion and I'll honor your assertion that it's your language. And since every time I post in this thread the response seems to come from someone who lacks intuition and dozes off to TL;DR land when I mention that I've already said it:

No, I don't hate British people. But you are not Orwell.

(1)What's Orwell got to do with it? He was a British writer. (2)Did I say I owned the language? No, I said the British own the language because we invented it. I just happen to be British which is why there is an our in my original post. (3)And also why are you going on about blood? (4)It is totally irrelevant to the discussion. If you're going to respond to my posts, please respond in a way that makes sense and directly addresses the point/s I made. (5)If you don't think a language can be owned by the nation that created it. Fine, but don't expect me to agree with you.

(1)Sort of answered your own question there.
(2)If it helps your nitpicking, you can remember that you/your also can refer to a group of people (the whole of the British people) and not just you. So yeah, you did in fact say that you, in the very obvious sense I described above, owns the language.
(3)Instead of repeating myself, why don't I just bold it for you? Look up.
(4)Again, I'll point out that the things I occasionally encounter and find irritating on here are not exclusive to a specific region - there are Escapists from all over who don't read before responding and some who don't even read all of a specific post addressing them before responding. Also, it was funny. I refuse to be totally serious with my every word in a thread about ignorant people in region X making ignorant comments about the people in region Y, and the ignorant responses from some of the more ignorant folk in region Y assuming that all people in region X are equally ignorant. See how little fun this is? You're ruining it!
(5)Oh, thank God, 'cos I was just about to say that!

Can we agree that language is an art form? Well, too bad, because it is. And if it is, it can no more be owned by one group than can music, film and macrame. And don't you dare talk shit about macrame!

 

[funguy2121]

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.

It's different because it's our bloody language, If you're going to use it, use it correctly.

It's not your language any longer. We took it from you along with the colonies. We now use a dialect of the English language, called American. We haven't spoken the "old tongue" in centuries, get over it.

Well then call it American then and abandon all pretense of speaking our language.

Sorry, I just had two more cents to add:

Are you using a translator program to speak to us? Then I'd say that we're speaking the same language, because the law of identity hasn't faltered. There is no pretense involved in fact.

 

[funguy2121]

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.

It's different because it's our bloody language, If you're going to use it, use it correctly.

No, it isn't. That's really nationalistic nonsense. You should feel ashamed.

Who are you to tell me how I should and shouldn't feel? Isn't that a bit Fascistic? If you are going to assert that it is nonsense, explain why. If people are making stupid alterations to the language of my ancestors I think I have a right to be pissed off. If you disagree, ask yourself this, do you think the Americans own their flag? If America made a colony and that colony rebelled and stole the stars and stripes, would you be angry? Would you be more angry if they started making tiny alterations to it?

Um, Texas?

That person's not a fascist for explaining in simple terms why you should be ashamed of your arrogance. Please stop abusing the term and marginalizing it. Cheney and Putin are fascists. People who disagree with you are not.