# British English "what?" vs.  "pardon?"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-what-vs-pardon/400982>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [April 20, 2007, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-what-vs-pardon/400982 "2007-04-20T19:30:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-what-vs-pardon/400982/61 "2007-04-22T19:51:23Z")

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I’ve always used “excuse me?”, “pardon?” or something like “I’m sorry, I didn’t get that” or some such.

To me, though I’m American, “what?” sounds almost rudely abrupt and in many cases is used as an “I can’t BELIEVE you just said that!” or “You’re KIDDING” type expression.

“Huh?” just sounds moronic and lazy. And I am moronic and lazy enough to use “huh?” occasionally, when it comes to just friends and family (then I always mentally kick myself and think UGH that sounded so lovely, NOT!), but never in business or social interactions.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2007, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-what-vs-pardon/400982/62 "2007-04-23T00:02:33Z")

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Unless I missed it, I haven’t seen ‘eh?’ mentioned in this thread. It’s approximately on a par (in terms of politeness) with ‘what?’

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**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2007, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-what-vs-pardon/400982/63 "2007-04-23T06:38:05Z")

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[QUOTE=Peter Morris]  
Actually it’s gypsies’ kiss.

Rose Lee = tea, and nobody uses it in real life.  
[/QUOTE]

No it isn’t, it’s going for a Gypsies.

It’s also Rosie Lee for tea.

Be told 😛

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**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2007, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-what-vs-pardon/400982/64 "2007-04-23T21:43:25Z")

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[QUOTE=chowder]  
No it isn’t, it’s going for a Gypsies.

It’s also Rosie Lee for tea.  
[/QUOTE]

What? 😕

that’s what I said, isn’t it?

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**Author:** ![Eolbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Eolbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eolbo)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-english-what-vs-pardon/400982/65 "2007-04-24T08:13:11Z")

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[QUOTE=Malacandra]  
Or going for a snake’s {hiss}.

I was always brought up to consider “pardon?” less confrontational than “what?”, and my reading of this question is that the upper-class reversal of this is a shibboleth.  
[/QUOTE]

At least in Commonwealth English ‘pardon’ is typically a contraction of “I beg your pardon” so maybe its a residual memory of class distinctions in play. The upper classes don’t need to beg anyone’s pardon so they just said ‘what?’, the lower classes while dealing with their social superiors might have learnt a bit of grovelling. “Begging your pardon guv”

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