# Britishisms **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 24, 2004, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462 "2004-12-24T09:51:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/141 "2004-12-29T03:06:09Z")
On the topic of academics: You take exams in the US. You (I believe) write exams in the UK. I think that neither is satisfactory. The US version implies that you’re picking up the exam packet and carrying it somewhere, while the UK version implies that you’re scribing the exam (perhaps for someone else to then ‘take’ somewhere else?) ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/142 "2004-12-29T03:37:11Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > On the topic of academics: > You take exams in the US. You (I believe) write exams in the UK. > > I think that neither is satisfactory. The US version implies that you’re picking up the exam packet and carrying it somewhere Not necessarily—any more than when you take a picture, take a punch, or take an aspirin. > [@](#): > > while the UK version implies that you’re scribing the exam (perhaps for someone else to then ‘take’ somewhere else?) Yeah, it’s the teacher who _writes_ the exam! ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/143 "2004-12-29T11:08:46Z")
> [@Martha](#): > > Your second is closest: something like Edin-burruh; although come to think of it, I’ve also heard people say Edin-bruh. The coarser the accent, the nearer it sounds to _Em’bra_. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/144 "2004-12-29T12:14:53Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > On the topic of academics: > You take exams in the US. You (I believe) write exams in the UK. Nope, we take them, too. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/145 "2004-12-29T14:28:13Z")
More! (I keep thinking of these.) I noticed one British celeb saying “different to” and filed it under grammar glitch. Then I read the phrase in an online British newspaper. The other one is “bored of” (examples: “This war is different to the last one” and “I got bored of doing that.”) Are these phrases grammatically correct in the UK? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/146 "2004-12-29T14:34:04Z")
One more obvious one: Tights (UK) = pantyhose (US) After years of watching sports on CBC, I notice that the Canadian announcers will use collective verbs with the city names of teams. For example, they might say “Toronto are offside” as opposed to what Americans would say “Toronto is offside”. Is this also the case in the UK, where you might say “Manchester are winning” as opposed to “Manchester is winning”? Another Britishism I don’t understand: what are “elevenses?” Is that a tea break? ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/147 "2004-12-29T14:39:14Z")
UK English definitely treats a collective as a plural: Microsoft are buying out… The team are doing well… The Glee Club are hosting… Pink Floyd are inarguably… Queen turn out a great… etc. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/148 "2004-12-29T14:41:02Z")
Elevenses is a tea or coffee break taken mid-morning with or without a snack. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/149 "2004-12-29T14:58:58Z")
> [@LifeOnWry](#): > > I noticed one British celeb saying “different to” and filed it under grammar glitch. Then I read the phrase in an online British newspaper. The other one is “bored of” (examples: “This war is different to the last one” and “I got bored of doing that.”) > > Are these phrases grammatically correct in the UK? Yes. (Oh, BTW, we also ‘sit’ exams, which might have been what you were thinking of, **NinjaChick** ) ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/150 "2004-12-29T15:00:35Z")
> [@Rayne Man](#): > > Elevenses is a tea or coffee break taken mid-morning with or without a snack. 11 o’clock = “Time for a little smackeral of something” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/151 "2004-12-29T15:01:09Z")
> [@Kal](#): > > Spunk. In Britain, that means semen. I’ve heard and used “spunk” as “semen” in American usage as well. Perhaps it’s a regional thing. One peculiar Britishism I’ve always noticed is this: Is Bob coming over for dinner? US: I think so. UK: I would have thought so. Anything to do with vehicles seems to have a whole new vocabulary associated with it: US:UK Hood:Bonnet Trunk:Boot Windshield:Windscreen Side-view mirror:Wing Mirror Tachometer:Rev counter Station Wagon:Estate car Semi:Lorry Axleshaft:Halfshaft Turn Signal:Indicator Expressway/Freeway/Turnpike:Motorway Drive shaft:Prop shaft Muffler:Silencer Lug Nut:Wheel Nut Overpass:Flyover Jalopy:Banger Dampers:Shock Absorbers License Plate:Number Plate Exit ramp:Sliproad I also seem to recall “tire iron” having a different UK equivalent, but I may just be imagining things. Also, along with the university/college points raised, in the UK people “go to university” whereas in the US you would either say you “go to college” or you “go to XXX university.” I started using the British usage, as in “I went to university, then moved to Hungary,” and American speakers have called me out on that. It doesn’t seem like an unnatural construction to me, but apparently nobody here says that, so I must have picked it up from the Brits. “Bugger” (to have anal intercourse with someone) is considered quite vulgar, but the term “buggery” is an acceptable legal term, akin to “sodomy” in the US. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/152 "2004-12-29T15:07:18Z")
> [@LifeOnWry](#): > > More! (I keep thinking of these.) > > I noticed one British celeb saying “different to” and filed it under grammar glitch. Then I read the phrase in an online British newspaper. The other one is “bored of” (examples: “This war is different to the last one” and “I got bored of doing that.”) > > Are these phrases grammatically correct in the UK? Most of us would say “different from”. However don’t forget that english is hugely different in the various regions of Britain. Also on the “public school” thing. No one has got this right. They are called public schools to differentiate then from the only other educational establishments at the time - the monasteries. At that time the only way you could learn to read and write was to take holy orders (we still have echoes of this in words like “clerk” and “clerical work” ). The aristocracy weren’t going to let their eldest sons join the church so they set up non-monastical schools for the “public” ie the laity. So now you know. Owl - went to the oldest of the Public Schools. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/153 "2004-12-29T15:11:04Z")
I just want to say this is the most fun thread ever. Perhaps it’s just that I am easily entertained, but I actually feel like I am learning something! ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/154 "2004-12-29T15:16:59Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Bugger" (to have anal intercourse with someone) is considered quite vulgar In that context, yes, but it’s also a mild expletive. > [@](#): > > but the term “buggery” is an acceptable legal term It’s an obsolete term in legal contexts, and pretty much everywhere else too. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/155 "2004-12-29T15:19:03Z")
> [@LifeOnWry](#): > > More! (I keep thinking of these.) > > I noticed one British celeb saying “different to” and filed it under grammar glitch. Then I read the phrase in an online British newspaper. The other one is “bored of” (examples: “This war is different to the last one” and “I got bored of doing that.”) > > Are these phrases grammatically correct in the UK? Funny, I just saw \*\*jjimm \*\* use that exact phrase in another thread, and thought… well that’s different! ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/156 "2004-12-29T15:20:15Z")
One slight correction to\*\* pulykameel’s\*\* excellent list on transport. UK lorry is equivalent to a US truck UK Artic ( articulated ) is equivalent to a US semi ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/157 "2004-12-29T15:24:20Z")
Oh and another that I haven’t seen (but may have missed) mention of: US: He’s in the hospital UK: He’s in hospital. ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/158 "2004-12-29T16:08:35Z")
(Sadly a latecomer to the thread - my first ever visit to MPSIMS!). > [@Kiminy](#): > > I was at an international market with a lot of British food products, and came across a Cadbury candy named Violet Crunch (or Crush?). Is it really violet flavored? I’m not familiar with “Violet Crunch” but we do indeed have violet flavoured sweets - [Parma Violets](http://www.aquarterof.co.uk/product_info.php/Ai/9/products_id/241) ave been around _forever_, and any good quality chocolatier includes a dark chocolate-covered violet cream (topped with a crystallised violet) in their repertoire. My favourite. 🙂 > [@Rayne Man](#): > > Yes , you are correct about the University of Wales. My son attended UWIC (University of Wales Institute Cardiff) other branches of the same University are located in Bangor and Swansea. You forgot Aberystwyth! Best three years of my life. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/159 "2004-12-29T16:18:23Z")
Soap opera (us) - Drama series about impossibly good-looking people leading improbably wonderful lives. Centred round an oil barons club or fashion house. Soap opera (UK) - Drama series about working class moles leading implausibly horrible lives. Centred round a pub. Dogging (us) - hounding someone relentlessly Dogging (uk) - Something different entirely (don’t google if you’re at work!). ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462/160 "2004-12-29T21:54:31Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > On the topic of academics: > You take exams in the US. You (I believe) write exams in the UK. And here we tend to use the verb “to have” when we’re talking about exams: I can’t go out tonight - I \*have \* an exam tomorrow. I \*had \* my Physics exam yesterday and I thought it was really hard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britishisms/281462.md?page=9)