# 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:** 2
**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, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/21 "2012-09-27T15:59:36Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > That, and the fact that WWF doesn’t recognize it, which pisses me off regularly. The World Wildlife Fund doesn’t recognize the Regency period or the use of the word ‘quim’? (And my spellchecker doesn’t recognize the latter as well.) Hrrmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/22 "2012-09-27T16:01:55Z")
I have noticed, of late, “spot on” increasingly used by Americans on the net and telly. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/23 "2012-09-27T16:05:04Z")
Gastropubs would seem a bit odd in London. All the pubs I have visited- and I have a few to go- have the same menu as if they all had the same catering company. A little further out and the meals were tops. ---
**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, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/24 "2012-09-27T16:08:29Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Gastropubs would seem a bit odd in London. All the pubs I have visited- and I have a few to go- have the same menu as if they all had the same catering company. > > A little further out and the meals were tops. I understand that edible food in English pubs is a relative recent phenomena. 😛 But there’s quite a long history of it in the States. ---
**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, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/25 "2012-09-27T16:20:59Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > The World Wildlife Fund doesn’t recognize the Regency period or the use of the word ‘quim’? > (And my spellchecker doesn’t recognize the latter as well.) > Hrrmmm… I was thinking more World Wrestling Federation, who also don’t recognize the term. I know it because I read Victorian pron. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/26 "2012-09-27T16:22:03Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Gastropubs would seem a bit odd in London. All the pubs I have visited- and I have a few to go- have the same menu as if they all had the same catering company. > > A little further out and the meals were tops. [Brakes Brothers](http://www.brake.co.uk/food/the-list-online/frozen/multi-portioned-prepared-meals/)probably. Surprising how many establishments that they serve their multi-portioned prepared meals. They’re not bad, they’re just not great, but from the standpoint of the pub they’re excellent as they allow the menu to be changed frequently (you have a vast selection to choose from) and require few kitchen staff (they’re not microwave ready meals, so require a tiny bit of prep and presentation). Some really nice pub food not far from me in the leafier bits of Surrey that is entirely prepared onsite, but I get the feeling that even some of those use Brakes for stuff like desserts. ---
**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, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/27 "2012-09-27T16:47:22Z")
WWF = Words With Friends, a scrabble-type app game. I like playing that, but prefer WordFeud, because you can choose to use an international english dictionary, which opens up a lot more words. I bet THEY take quim! I’ll have to try it out… ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/28 "2012-09-27T16:51:46Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Gastropubs would seem a bit odd in London. All the pubs I have visited- and I have a few to go- have the same menu as if they all had the same catering company. To be fair, most American bars serve the exact same food as well. Walk into any random bar and there’s about a 90% chance the menu will consist of the following items: burgers, fries, nachos, chicken strips, and maybe pizza. ---
**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/29 "2012-09-27T17:25:49Z")
“The Britishisms are coming!” Aha, all those decades of watching Brit-Coms, Carry On movies, Top Gear, video channels like Weebl & Bob, etc will finally pay off! In an earlier thread it was established that “birds” is still used for young woman in modern UKian, so we can build off of that. We’ll need some UKians to review [this list](http://www.effingpot.com/slang.shtml) and alert us 'Mericans to which slang is out of date. Wonder soon how till the phrase “Wanker” enters into everyday USian language… ---
**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, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/30 "2012-09-27T17:37:26Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > Wonder soon how till the phrase “Wanker” enters into everyday USian language… You mean, it hasn’t? OK, then. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/31 "2012-09-27T17:38:45Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > \ > Wonder soon how till the phrase “Wanker” enters into everyday USian language… It hasn’t yet? My husband and I use that word daily (usually while driving), but we’re not USian. ---
**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, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/32 "2012-09-27T17:40:43Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > I have noticed, of late, “spot on” increasingly used by Americans on the net and telly. I was unaware that this was a Britishism. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/33 "2012-09-27T18:02:34Z")
Not exactly a Britishism but I’ve been noticing more and more “Keep calm and carry on” parodies. ---
**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, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/34 "2012-09-27T18:15:14Z")
> [@furryman](#): > > Not exactly a Britishism but I’ve been noticing more and more “Keep calm and carry on” parodies. KCCO! Thank Chive for that. ---
**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, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/35 "2012-09-27T18:51:17Z")
After years of Monty Python, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, Fawlty Towers, etc… many of my ‘witticisms’ are apparently British. Wanker is definitely among them, though I wouldn’t use it in proper company. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/36 "2012-09-27T18:52:58Z")
> [@SirRay](#): > > and alert us 'Mericans to which slang is out of date. I thought you wrote Mercians, and I was going to suggest that you might be about 1100 years behind the times. But you didn’t and so I now like a blooming pillock.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/37 "2012-09-27T20:14:30Z")
> [@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. But it’s used for men! It’s completely different usage. It’s quite normal and not at all offensive to refer to friends as cunt, you might say: “Aah, shut up, you ugly cunt” (you have to imagine a thick norhern accent or it doesn’t work) in a friendly way. OK I wouldn’t, but I know plenty of people who do. Cunt, as far as I know, is never used in a friendly manner in the US. Of course normally it is used to swear at people, but pretty much on the same level as calling someone a dick. To me there is a huge difference. I hate words like bitch or slut. Cunt, applied to a guy and used in a British accent doesn’t particularly bother me. In an USian accents and applied to a woman it is the same as using bitch or slut: utterly unacceptable. If someone said that to me we’d have to go and have a little talk round the back. I agree we don’t care as much though. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/38 "2012-09-27T20:24:07Z")
“Mind the gap!” announcements on our subways? Daughter, studying junior year in London, was often asked how things going in “The Colonies”. ---
**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, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/39 "2012-09-27T20:29:41Z")
> [@gracer](#): > > But it’s used for men! It’s completely different usage. It’s quite normal and not at all offensive to refer to friends as cunt, you might say: “Aah, shut up, you ugly cunt” (you have to imagine a thick norhern accent or it doesn’t work) in a friendly way. OK I wouldn’t, but I know plenty of people who do. Cunt, as far as I know, is never used in a friendly manner in the US. Of course normally it is used to swear at people, but pretty much on the same level as calling someone a dick. > > I agree we don’t care as much though. 😃 See, this was the opinion I have had, as an american watching too many british tv shows or movies or SOMEthing. “Stop being such a cunt” I had put up there with 'Stop being such a wanker.", ie asshole, jerkoff, whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Szlater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Szlater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Szlater)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984/40 "2012-09-27T21:36:33Z")
> [@Taomist](#): > > See, this was the opinion I have had, as an american watching too many british tv shows or movies or SOMEthing. “Stop being such a cunt” I had put up there with 'Stop being such a wanker.", ie asshole, jerkoff, whatever. Yeah, it’s way more offensive than that. That being said, when I was about fifteen I thought one teacher telling another teacher “Just because you have hair round your mouth doesn’t mean you have to talk like a cunt” in front of the second teacher’s class was the funniest thing ever. As a teacher myself now, I would report the first teacher for misconduct for acting that way, in front of children or not. I probably wouldn’t bother if it was a ‘less offensive’ phrase though (except if they did it in front of children, that would be seriously unprofessional behaviour). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-britishisms-are-coming/635984.md?page=3)