Eh, language is fun to play around with. “Do whatcha like.” ~Digital Underground
And you can have ™ when you pry it out of my cold, dead hands. I just figured out how to do it! 
Hey, come to think of it, my name is a Britishism. Anyone got a problem with that?
Yeah, I’m in the same boat of people who watched too much British comedy as a child and was spoonfed Monty Python. My parents use Britishisms. I don’t even recognize that I’m using them pretty frequently.
Here’s an anecdote for you: the first book I ever read cover to cover – we’re talking when I was about three or four – was a compilation of Oscar Wilde’s children’s stories. This isn’t a brag (you think I understood half of those words?); it’s just a statement – that stuff was ingrained into my wee little claylike brain. In the second grade, I vividly remember a spelling test where I spelled gray “grey” and color “colour”.
Naturally, I got them wrong – especially because the teacher had us give the papers to our fellow students to grade. I took my paper up after class and said “Mr. Rickerson (I think that was his name), these are right. They’re not wrong; you know that. I’ve seen these spellings in books.”
“Yes,” he said, “but those are the British spellings.”
“But they came up with English, didn’t they?” I was an annoyingly logical child. “So their spellings aren’t WRONG.”
“But we’re in America.”
“But we’re speaking English.”
He shrugged. “I’m not going to make an exception to the spelling rules and teach different spellings to the whole class. It will just confuse them.”
“Then will you change my grade?”
“No. I’m teaching you proper American spelling.”
Can you tell I’m still bitter? 
Huh? I’m an American (if that matters) and I spell it “grey.” I’ve always spelled it “grey.” How is it affectatious (I think the word you wanted there was simply ‘affected’)? I know some people spell it “gray,” but I didn’t know there was a preference. 
Actually, everyone I know seems to prefer “grey” over “gray.” I prefer “gray.” Which makes me a freak.
I am guilty of overuse of Britishisms - just another victim of British books and movies and tv. (I do know who I am, thank you, Alias. ) The really unfortunate thing, though, is that I also use words like “dude” and “rad,” which can lead to some really awkward sentences. “Pardon me, dude, but if you would pass the tea whilst I butter these scones, that would be rad of you.” While I try to catch all the weird little quirks of my speech before I actually use them, I can’t think too much about what I’m going to say, or I’ll never actually say it. So to anyone who’s really annoyed by how I talk, I’m sorry, but it’s this or total silence on my part.
insert obvious joke here
I speak English, and because I’ve lived with Australian, Kiwi, Canadian, and Bristish roommates in my tile overseas, I’ve unconsciously picked up soem of their lingo. Given that the British have adopted some of our vocab, I have no problem borrowing a word or two from them, like “telly” or “zebra crossing”. Using proper grammar, BTW, does not count as a “Britishism.” OTOH, using rhyming slang and sounding like an extra from Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels by a Yank should be illegal.
A little off-topic, but this is one pet peeve I’ve had recently. I’ve seen a lot of products that are low in carbohydrates advertised as “carb-friendly.” This makes absolutely no sense–would you advertise a product low in fat as “fat-friendly”? Or low in salt “sodium-friendly”? Why not just “low-carb”?
When I started on this board, I lived in England, and had lived there for the previous six years. I wrote like I was from England because that’s how I wrote. When I moved back to the States in December 2000, I used to post using British spelling and phrases. At one point (I can’t remember when) I just decided I was going to stop going that, and revert to American spelling. But, since I’m still writing material for my university in England, I will occasionally mess up here. So, if it’s me that does it, that’s my explanation.
Is it? I’ve never heard the word outside of Red Dwarf. Admittedly it is a British show, so maybe that’s enough to qualify it as a Britishism
I really detest the word “hubby,” used like: “Hubby just took out the trash.” In fact, I get a pretty irrational reaction of insane rage whenever I hear it. It’s almost a term of disrespect - the guy’s name’s not Hubby, for christ’s sake. It’s not even a very good abbreviation. I reminds me of those baby product advertisements …
“For when baby has a rash on his ass!” “For when hubby has a rash on his ass!” When I marry, if anybody calls me “hubby”, I may not be able to keep myself from wringing the person’s neck.
look!ninjas, I also prefer “gray” so you’re not a freak… although I haven’t heard “rad” since the 1980s.
I hate it when people can’t write ‘listen’ but instead spell it as ‘lissen’, like in ‘lissener’.
What?
I don’t like when people say “parental units.”
I know this is asking a lot, but could you please let us keep the dog’s bollocks???
I’m willing to concede that. 
Extra’s don’t talk, do they?
About the English/American spelling; What if you live between both countries and use both expressions?
It’s not a misspelling of “listener”; it’s the name of a character in a novel.
Amen. I think people use “um” as a way to soften the words to come, but it really just makes the post seem snarkier. I hate the word “um!”
Also, I read so much British fiction as a kid that I thought a flashlight was called a torch. I was at my grandfathers lakehouse and we were rooting around for something in a dark corner of the cellar. I asked him if he had a torch, and he looked at me like I was nuts.
Almost as bad as those nurses who say ‘Doctor will see you now!’ :mad:
I guess the Britishism in question is the absorbtion of a catchphrase or joke into mainstream language - everyone understands ‘smeg’ to be a mild expletive, even if they’ve never heard of Red Dwarf. Everyone understands “It is an ex-<noun>”, without having seen the Dead Parrot sketch. etc etc, with “What a plonker”, “Stupid boy”…