# Stereotypical Britishism **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 2, 2002, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941 "2002-05-02T21:04:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/1 "2002-05-02T21:04:35Z")
I’ll start: telly = television crisps = potato chips lift = elevator ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/2 "2002-05-02T21:05:56Z")
That title should read “Stereotypical Britishism **s** ” ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/3 "2002-05-02T21:15:33Z")
Isn’t it **Briticism** anyway, or is that in itself an Briticism/Britishism? (There’s nothing like adding to the confusion ina thread even before it starts!) :):)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![TN\_hippie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TN\_hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TN_hippie)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/4 "2002-05-02T21:24:58Z")
bonnet = hood of car torch = flashlight zed = the letter “z” a woman with a British accent = sexy! (IMHO) * * * cheerio, TN\*hippie ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/5 "2002-05-02T21:31:42Z")
tea with some flavorless cookie/cracker/buscuit thing. horrible dentistry cross-dressing cars and motorcycles with poor electrical systems that leak oil bollocks and shite, bollocks and shite, bollocks and shite! * * * There you have it, then! ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/6 "2002-05-02T21:34:09Z")
“biffy” for “bathroom” “flat” used for “apartment” And **TN\*hippie** all other languages I know (like German, French and other latin-based languages) that have “Z” pronounce it “zed” including other English speaking countries like Canada and Australia. “Zee” is an Americanism. ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/7 "2002-05-02T21:42:08Z")
I was in the queue down the offy waiting for some Thora to write out a cheque when this geezer comes in all narky like, demanding twenty Bensons. I tells him to leave it out but he aint having none of it, says he wants his fags and fuck the rest of us. I weren’t bothered but this suit type starts in on him and it all got a bit lairy, so I legged it. [sub]Biffy? I’ve never heard anyone say “biffy”.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/8 "2002-05-02T21:42:34Z")
“spend a penny” = pee “read a chapter” = well, you know 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/9 "2002-05-02T22:17:14Z")
Saying “ectually”. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/10 "2002-05-02T22:24:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Francesca \* > \*\* > [sub]Biffy? I’ve never heard anyone say “biffy”.[/sub] \*\* Could be regional and/or outdated. Most of my relatives and many of their friends from home use/used it. Used to be as common in their household as chips and egg. Since my father died I rarely hear it. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/11 "2002-05-02T22:25:09Z")
Several words were changed when the first Harry Potter book was published in America. For example: The word ‘philosopher’ in the title was changed to ‘Sorcerer’ ‘cooker’ became ‘stove’ ‘Sellotape’ became ‘Scotch tape’ ‘cinema’ became ‘movies’ ‘dustbin’ became ‘trash can’ ‘letter box’ became ‘mail slot’ ‘trainers’ became ‘sneakers’ ‘dressing gown’ became ‘bathrobe’ ‘sweets’ became ‘candy’ ---
**Author:** ![pendgwen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@pendgwen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pendgwen)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/12 "2002-05-02T22:30:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Charmian \* > \*\*“biffy” for “bathroom” > \*\* This is a stereotypical Britishism? In my experience a biffy is a pit toilet at summer camp in Eastern Washington. It was supposed to stand for bathrooms in forrests for you. I’ve never encountered the word in any other context. ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/13 "2002-05-02T22:34:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Celyn \* > \*\*Isn’t it **Briticism** anyway, or is that in itself an Briticism/Britishism? > > (There’s nothing like adding to the confusion ina thread even before it starts!) > > :):)🙂 \*\* You’re probably right. I didn’t know that this was a real word though, so I didn’t consider its spelling. ---
**Author:** ![eirroc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f1d935/32.png) [@eirroc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eirroc)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/14 "2002-05-02T22:42:51Z")
You say toma-to, and I say tomato… ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/15 "2002-05-02T22:54:43Z")
Re. “biffy” - I’ve got a vague recollection of seeing it in a very old-fashioned book. But I can contribute that the bathroom might often be called the “bog”. Oh, and to “wash up” , to us, tends to mean to wash the dishes, not one’s person. and asking usonking us in Britain “what’s up?” can be confusing because it carries an implication of “what’s wrong?”, rather than simply "how are you / how are things?! (or whatever the heck it does mean.) 🙂 And then there is “fanny” , of course! ---
**Author:** ![Doubting\_Robert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e495f1/32.png) [@Doubting\_Robert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doubting_Robert)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/16 "2002-05-02T22:56:15Z")
boot = trunk of car boot = shoe knickers = underpants vest = undershirt tyre = tire loo = bathroom made redundant = laid off wind screen = wind shield headlamp = headlight headlamp dipper = headlight dimmer chips = French fries tele = TV zebra = crosswalk (My dad had a Land Rover, and I watch a lot of British comedies on PBS.) ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/17 "2002-05-02T22:57:38Z")
Aaaaarghhh - I keep imagining I can edit here. OOPS ---
**Author:** ![Kwyjibo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/59ef9b/32.png) [@Kwyjibo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kwyjibo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/18 "2002-05-02T23:31:09Z")
Fannie = a womans ‘other’ bum ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/19 "2002-05-02T23:40:20Z")
Her post, translated (badly) into Nottinghamese: Iwuz in the queue down the beeroff waiting fuh some bird to write owt a cheque when this yooth cumzin all narkeh like, demanding twenneh Bensons. I tellzim to leave it out burreh ant avvin nonnaritt, sezzeh wantziz fags and fuck the rest orruz. I wont bothered but this suit type starts innonim and they adda barneh, so I boggered off. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2002, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941/20 "2002-05-03T00:50:55Z")
**Francesca** , the Bridget Jones of the SDMB. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereotypical-britishism/106941.md?page=2)