# The Britishisms are coming! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 27, 2012, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984 "2012-09-27T09:00:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/1 "2012-09-27T09:00:56Z")
[Apparently](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19670686) British English is making just as many inroads into American speech as Americanisms are making in British speech: > [@](#): > > One new entrant into the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2012 was gastropub (a gentrified pub serving good food), which was first used, according to Kory Stamper, in London’s Evening Standard newspaper in 1996, and was first registered on American shores in 2000. > > “The British pub is a very different critter from an American bar,” she says, but bars with good beer and food are springing up in many cities in the US, and the British term is sometimes used to describe them. > > Twee (excessively dainty or cute) is another “word of the moment”, says Stamper, as is metrosexual (a well-groomed and fashion-conscious heterosexual man) which “took off like wildfire”, after it was used in the American TV series Queer Eye. There was even a backlash against it - a sure sign, she says, that the word had “absolutely made its way into the American vernacular”. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/2 "2012-09-27T09:49:46Z")
Jolly hockey sticks for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/3 "2012-09-27T09:57:22Z")
I’m not surprised to see back-migration of words from the colonies in Europe to the Motherland here in America. Oh… wait… ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/4 "2012-09-27T11:39:51Z")
Gastropub hasn’t made it to here in the heart of the Midwest, but we’re still struggling with electrification. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/5 "2012-09-27T13:16:16Z")
I’ve certainly seen an uptick in emails answered with the word “Cheers”. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/6 "2012-09-27T13:40:28Z")
“Twee” has been used on this board ever since **SkipMagic** became a Mod. Before that, even. The rest of the article is a load of ballocks. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/7 "2012-09-27T13:42:20Z")
I suspected as much last night when Russell (a dreadlocked black man) referred to “a bit of slap and tickle” on _Survivor_ last night. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/8 "2012-09-27T13:46:29Z")
How timely, I was just reading a book with stuff I didn’t quite get, I wrote a few down; “…the old, the young, the halt, the blind…”, The halt? Say what? “…they were not more than 2 guns out of pawn…”, ??? “Indian lawn”, again ??? ---
**Author:** ![Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Springtime_for_Spacers)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/9 "2012-09-27T13:51:59Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > How timely, I was just reading a book with stuff I didn’t quite get, I wrote a few down; > > “…the old, the young, the halt, the blind…”, The halt? Say what? > > “…they were not more than 2 guns out of pawn…”, ??? > > “Indian lawn”, again ??? Halt is lame, it’s archaic, King Jame’s Biblical even, so not an actual Briticism. Pawn: hock, the rest of the guns have been used as security for a loan. Indian lawn, lawn is a fine cotton material, it’s from India. Again it’s archaic, whatchu readin? ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/10 "2012-09-27T14:02:20Z")
But who do they mean by, ‘halt’? And I get that pawn means hock, but, are they trying to say they are poor? Unorganized? Own too many guns? (“One Day” by David Nicholls) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/11 "2012-09-27T14:05:21Z")
No, no. “Halt” isn’t lame, it means “lame.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/12 "2012-09-27T14:10:04Z")
It would be funny if Indian lawn is also [lame](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lam%C3%A9_(fabric)). ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/13 "2012-09-27T14:20:46Z")
> [@](#): > > No, no. “Halt” isn’t lame, it means “lame.” :smack: D’oh! Thanks for clearing that up! ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/14 "2012-09-27T14:24:43Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Gastropub hasn’t made it to here in the heart of the Midwest, but we’re still struggling with electrification. I’ve been seeing “Gastropub,” sometimes styled in two words as “gastro pub,” around the Toronto area for 5-7 years. So you’ll get it soon. Frankly, “Gastro pub” might be my least favourite neologism of all time. It’s a sensationally ugly word for something that it is supposed to be pleasurable and imply the availability of tasty food. “Gastropub” sounds like an intestinal parasite, the larval stage of something that infests you. “Sir, we’re putting you on an IV to try to kill the gastropubs that have burrowed into your large intestine.” ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/15 "2012-09-27T14:41:30Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > But who do they mean by, ‘halt’? > > And I get that pawn means hock, but, are they trying to say they are poor? Unorganized? Own too many guns? > > (“One Day” by David Nicholls) I read ‘two guns out of pawn’ as either close to ‘one paycheck away from living on the street’, or to say that if they didn’t have guns to hunt with, they’d be pawning everything for food. Either way, close to dire straits. Also, today had someone use the 'c_nt’ word in Words With Friends \ and apologize profusely. I didn’t mind, thought it was funny, but isn’t c_nt, in england, just another word like asshole or jerk? I always thought quim was the word to avoid, there. C\*nt just seems less offensive coming from an englishman, somehow. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/16 "2012-09-27T15:03:16Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > Also, today had someone use the 'c_nt’ word in Words With Friends \ and apologize profusely. I didn’t mind, thought it was funny, but isn’t c_nt, in england, just another word like asshole or jerk? I always thought quim was the word to avoid, there. C\*nt just seems less offensive coming from an englishman, somehow. No, “cunt” is just about as offensive as it’s possible to get using a single word in the UK. We just don’t care as much. The only reason to avoid “quim” is that you’ll sound like someone from the Regency period if you use it. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/17 "2012-09-27T15:09:13Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I’ve been seeing “Gastropub,” sometimes styled in two words as “gastro pub,” around the Toronto area for 5-7 years. So you’ll get it soon. > > Frankly, “Gastro pub” might be my least favourite neologism of all time. It’s a sensationally ugly word for something that it is supposed to be pleasurable and imply the availability of tasty food. “Gastropub” sounds like an intestinal parasite, the larval stage of something that infests you. “Sir, we’re putting you on an IV to try to kill the gastropubs that have burrowed into your large intestine.” I couldn’t agree more. I don’t recall ever seeing it here but I’m sure some places must use it. Bleh. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/18 "2012-09-27T15:30:11Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > No, “cunt” is just about as offensive as it’s possible to get using a single word in the UK. We just don’t care as much. > > The only reason to avoid “quim” is that you’ll sound like someone from the Regency period if you use it. Aha, thanks! Ignorance fought! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/19 "2012-09-27T15:52:05Z")
> [@WotNot](#): > > The only reason to avoid “quim” is that you’ll sound like someone from the Regency period if you use it. That, and the fact that WWF doesn’t recognize it, which pisses me off regularly. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/20 "2012-09-27T15:56:56Z")
We’ve had a gastropub for several years, despite being a smallish place smackdab in the middle of flyover country. I feel so hip and cool, to find out y’all don’t have one! The SO keeps wanting to try it, I suppose I’ll have to now. 😛 I’m not really surprised to hear this, as popular as Brit programming has become over here. Fair fucks to 'em, is what I say! I know that’s where I first got it - too much British television during/since my formative years. Now that I’ve spent the last decade hanging out with an actual Britisher, though, it’s even worse. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984.md?page=2)