Words that could be confusing and embarrassing in the UK & US
http://www.hash.st/ockholm/ukus.html
I guess this list might be useful.
An understatement. In fact, I would advise the OP to remove the words ‘England’ and ‘English’ from their vocabulary all together for safety’s sake.
Non-Brits often use ‘British’ and ‘English’ interchangeably, which causes no end of upset amongst my non-english compatriots. Remember that many Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish reside in England, so don’t expect their location (or even accent) to suggest they will be English. English people won’t mind being referred to as ‘British’ - we’ve all just spent the last 2 months draping ourselves in British symbols thanks to the Olympics, so ‘British’ patriotism (as opposed to ‘English’) is riding high.
However, if you are certain you are talking to a Scottish, Northern Irish or Welsh person, they will most likely be charmed if you call them such, instead of just British, eg ‘we find our Scottish customers like…’ as opposed to '…our British customers… They will appreciate a ‘foreigner’ knowing the difference.
Actually, a good ice breaker might be to say something like ‘I’m not good with accents, where abouts in the UK are you from’? This would require you to refresh your knowledge of British geography, and remember that people, naturally, tend to feel very proud of their ‘bit’ - not just Scotland, Wales etc, but also regions within England - ‘The North East, The Midlands, The South West etc’. Also note that some British people of immigrant origins prefer to think of themselves as British rather than, say, English, which some view as an ethnic description which they do not feel they belong to.
Of course, all Brits like to open conversations with a discussion of the weather. You can keep this going for hours and has the benefit of being entirely non-political. Which reminds me, don’t bring up religion, we regard it as utterly private.
Hey Brits! What words should I NOT use when calling you?
Never say you’ll blow up their house.
A GF of mine in high school was born in GB, but raised here by her Veddy British parents, with dad being a preacher.
I stopped by to pick her up for a date one night, and dad asked what we were planning on doing tonight. I replied “nothing much - just bumming around.” As he got up from his chair, she grabbed me and rushed me out the door and into the car, yelling “go! go! go!”
Apparently you don’t tell a British preacher you’re bumming with his daughter…:smack:
That wasn’t the point. No one refuted that it is a slur in Britain. But the OP in that abortion of a thread wanted it proclaimed as the worst slur imaginable worldwide. When it clearly isn’t. Pretty much unheard of in the US. Its the go to nickname for Pakistanis in their own country. What is true for the UK is not necessarily what goes in the rest of the world. I’m more tuned into it than others due to my love of British TV.
What did he think you meant?
One of the Ministers from Auchtertool kirk is German, but he lives in Kirkcaldy. Was it a wrong number?
Mmmmmm Auchtertool Angus and Pudledub Bacon. Mmmmmmm
Buggered if I know.
When Talking to a Scot - dont call him an Englishman - and yes I still use ‘telly’ - but as for fanny - Scots love the word - check the Irn Bru advert
To us Americans, it means hanging out, doing nothing in particular, wasting time.
To him it meant having sex or having anal sex.:eek:
She explained this as we drove away. We arranged things where we would meet somewhere, or she would pick me up after that, since dad didn’t want to see me anymore.
I was 16 - what did I know from boots, lifts, torches, and bumming!
Had my first sales calls to you pommy bastards today and all went well. There was even one gentleman who was of a coarser sort who I feel complimented me by making no allowances for my obvious foreignness with his accent or vocabulary–and I understood every word. (Thank you, Onslow! May you rest in peace. 
)
Hey, only Ozzies get to call us Pommy bastards. You take that back! 
We got your first loads of convicts, bro. The US has a common heritage with Australia.
I just watched Matt Lauer ask Sarah Ferguson if she had spunk as a kid. Tee hee.
That is brilliant. I’ll have to find that clip online.
He went on a riff about spunk. He must have said it five times.
I know the slang usage, obviously, but is the word also used to mean “pluck” in the UK?
In the US also. See the first episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Yes, but nobody ever actually uses it that way because of the other meaning. I gather it means roughly the same as “hottie” in Australia, for what it’s worth.
A) that’s a misrepresentation of the thread. B)This is a global board. C)When a culture has a neutral or positive connotation for a word, it’s polite to avoid said word when in contact with a culture where that word has a negative connotation. D)No one gives a fuck about your tv habits.