Britishisms I've adopted

Hi, I want to share my experience)))
have you ever heard those?

We say Vs They say
cookie; cracker = biscuit

coveralls = boiler suit
trunk (of a car) = boot
fanny pack = bumbag
plastic wrap = cling film
fish stick = fish finger
bangs (hair)= fringe
confectioners’ sugar = icing sugar

The reason for this is that
fanny = bum
pussy (lady parts) = fanny

All of these slang terms are similarly mild, not offensive, but obviously this is rather confusing.

Also
wasted (drunk) = pissed
pissed (angry) = pissed off

At least slightly related (as regards the sex element, anyway): in the 1980s and 90s – maybe longer – it seems to have fallen out of favour nowadays; at the more intellectual end of British society, a much-used metaphor for having sex, was “discussing Uganda”, or “Ugandan discussions”. The expression was originated, and used with great frequency, by the British satirical magazine Private Eye: it stemmed from a minor marital-infidelity scandal on the political scene, where the erring couple, caught in flagrante, tried to claim that they hadn’t been doing anything wrong – they’d just been discussing the then volatile political scene and doings thereon, in Uganda.

I’ve got a few, but I haven’t seen “wrecked” (exhausted) listed yet. Spent the day with my cousin, out saving his turf, and I am utterly wrecked.

Just for the election season I’ve adopted two Britishisms.

One is that everyone I don’t like is called someone’s poodle. As in, Ted Strickland is Hillary Clinton’s poodle, Ted Cruz is Donald Trump’s poodle, Bo and Sunny are Michelle Obama’s poodles etc. etc.

Also, I greet every stupid politician’s remarks with what the back-benchers in Parliament chant on TV.

“All college will be free.” “Heah, heah, heah, heah, heah.”
“They’ll pay for the wall.” “Heah, heah, heah, heah, heah.”
“Vaccines are corporate.” “Heah, heah, heah, heah, heah.”
“What is Aleppo?” “Heah, heah, heah, heah, heah.”

For some reason, Mrs. J. has started refusing to watch the news with me. :confused:

Murmuring “Heah, heah” like a House of Commons backbencher can be useful - I’ve done it myself - and you can also shout “Resign!” when a politician has unforgivably screwed up.

When someone comes up with a withering one liner - Oh I say!

All this time I thought they were chanting “Hear! Hear!” I figured it was meant to be inn support of whomever was talking. :smack:
Does “Very well.” count? I caught myself texting that today.

They are.

It is. “Hear! Hear!” indicates enthusiastic agreement. If you want to signal disagreement you say “Oh!” or “Shame!”

I love Britishisms when the British do it. I cringe, with embarrassment but more with annoyance, when an American does it.

Ooh. I’ve got one!

I’ve taken to calling British women’s arses “fannies”.

Wot?

I’ve scrolled past this thread fifty times and always read it as “birtherisms”
My contribution is the only thing I can say in a British accent is “Bloody Fookin’ 'ell” when I stub my toe or hit my finger with a hammer.

I would love to use twee, but I’m sure I wouldn’t use it correctly, so I just use it with my daughter who knows what I mean.

It’s just the perfect word for some situations.

I’ve referred to the entirety of a series on DVD as “the lot,” and I’ve referred to a DVD release that contains “the lot” of a series as a “lot DVD release” or “lot release.”

That’s not how any British person would describe a complete DVD series. "Have you got it all?, “Yes, I’ve got the lot” but that’s really it.

I picked up “fiddley” from watching Edd China on Wheeler Dealers. I have a stable full of scooters and working on them is often a fiddley job.

Fanny and faff (used as a noun or verb) are two of my favourites that haven’t been mentioned yet.

Would usually be written “fiddly”, fyi (London native)

I’m not quite sure what you mean by “noun or verb”. In my experience (London native):

“fanny” is always a noun, a mild slang word for female genital area.

“faff” is always a verb, and invariably in the form “faff around” or “faff about”, to mess around with an implication of procrastination or inefficiency in carrying out some task or objective, as in “Stop faffing around and just get on with it”

Glad you asked. :slight_smile:

Fanny: Are you done fannying about? Can we go now?

Faff: That trip to the mall was a complete faff.