# Just How British Are You? (Even If You're Not) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 16, 2005, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529 "2005-06-16T12:58:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![merrily](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@merrily](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/merrily)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/21 "2005-06-16T13:56:58Z")
11 right, with the help of some judicious guessing. And it didn’t hurt that I knew roughly where St. David’s Day is in the year–I used to have a mad crush on someone named David. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/22 "2005-06-16T14:00:17Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > I got a 13/15, and I’ve never even _been_ to the UK! > > I got the saints’ days wrong (you’d think someone who was raised Catholic should know when Saints’ days are…), and the emergency number question wrong. 112? What kind of nonsense is that?! Pssst–they’re not Catholic saints! ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/23 "2005-06-16T14:02:21Z")
5 right - if it wasn’t for the history or manners questions, I wouldn’t have gotten any right. ---
**Author:** ![GomiBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@GomiBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GomiBoy)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/24 "2005-06-16T14:08:30Z")
1. Not bad for an expat. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/25 "2005-06-16T14:10:28Z")
I got 8/15. A seat on the district council. Cool. Wonder if Dibley\* has a spot open. I’d like to live there. The saint’s days question is possibly the first time I’ve ever put my Episcopal learnin’ to actual use as trivia. I’ll be sure and tell my Priest. He’ll be so proud to know that. 😃 \*I think _The Vicar of Dibley_ is a hoot. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/26 "2005-06-16T14:41:21Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > but, in other arenas…dog liscenses were abolished ? Why? was that a form of canine slavery or what? About 20 years ago, yeah. The cost of the licence had stayed the same since 1852, and at eightpence three farthings didn’t even cover the cost of ink to print the form.\* The government of the day realised that raising the cost to something worthwhile would not only cause a huge shitstorm that they could well do without, but would also mean that they had to spend money enforcing something that the majority hadn’t bothered with in years. In a rare show of common sense they chose to forget about the whole thing. \*Dates and figures cited may be at variance with reality. Information provided for purposes of humorous exaggeration only. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/27 "2005-06-16T15:00:08Z")
8 out of 15? Only 53% British? I was robbed! The spilt pint answer is simply wrong. And I’m pretty sure the mains voltage is no longer 240 Volts IIRC it’s a bit lower than that these days. Still, not a wussy 110V. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/28 "2005-06-16T15:46:20Z")
Considering that you can get five by guessing, and that Magna Carta is a freebie for any half-aware American, my score of 7 isn’t too impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Arwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Arwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arwin)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/29 "2005-06-16T15:53:48Z")
You got 9 right! 0-5: Seat in Heathrow arrivals… 6-10: Seat on the district council…11-14: Seat in Parliament…15: Seat on the throne Not bad for a Dutch guy. 😃 Got the ones I knew right, and the ones I guessed wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/30 "2005-06-16T16:10:48Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Pssst–they’re not Catholic saints! Well I think they all are both Catholic and Anglican saints, being pre Henry 8th. I got 9 right, but the test was stupid since it was to test if you read a particular government document about being British, not about how British you are. The lawyer answer was stupid. At least I learnt that dog licenses aren’t required anymore, though . ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/31 "2005-06-16T16:11:21Z")
With my Welsh villa-mate beside me, we cheated. We got a big FOUR right. I am making him give up his passport. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/32 "2005-06-16T16:24:32Z")
8 right. I guessed PG was PG Tips…oops. ---
**Author:** ![serious\_lark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@serious\_lark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/serious_lark)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/33 "2005-06-16T18:47:13Z")
I got 12, which apparently gets me that Parliament seat … If only it was so easy to replace Parliamentarians here in Canada 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/34 "2005-06-16T18:56:27Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > .dog liscenses were abolished ? Why? **insert Camilla joke here** \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/35 "2005-06-16T19:00:17Z")
Oh, and I got 10, so does that mean I’ll get one of those cool sash things to wear for state occasions, like I did in Girl Scouts? ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/36 "2005-06-17T13:38:54Z")
12/15 Yay! ---
**Author:** ![Sarah\_Woodruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sarah\_Woodruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarah_Woodruff)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/37 "2005-06-18T02:09:13Z")
11/15 - Seat in Parliament Mostly because I knew about the Coca-cola thing (Father Xmas) and the fact that I assumed the British Sense of Humour means they couldn’t resist the “who cares if the beak is qualified; but how much money will he fleece you for?” answer to the last question. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/38 "2005-06-18T03:50:23Z")
Five right. I suck. You have to be married for a year before you can get divorced? What’s all that about? ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/39 "2005-06-18T04:11:45Z")
I only got 7 right. Bah. :mad: 😉 > [@GorillaMan](#): > > it’s logical to have the system recognise it alongside 999. Ooh! Ooh! May I tell the one joke I know about 999? Thanks! **Q.** What happens if you call 666? **A.** A PC comes along, walking on his hands. > [@Kyla](#): > > You have to be married for a year before you can get divorced? What’s all that about? My guess it that it’s an effort to cut down on impulse marriages; if you marry on a whim, you can’t count on being able to get divorced right away. I never claimed that it was a _good_ joke… ---
**Author:** ![BrattiAtti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@BrattiAtti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrattiAtti)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2005, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529/40 "2005-06-18T06:49:03Z")
I only got 5 correct… but I did good in all the pub situations, and that’s what matters, isn’t it? 😃 (See? See? I knew my Irish heritage would come into play one of these days!) Yeah, I’m lame… and really tired… blame that instead of my juvenile sense of humor. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-how-british-are-you-even-if-youre-not/308529.md?page=3)