# What Britishisms most baffle Americans? What Americanisms most baffle Brits? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 18, 2024, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941 "2024-10-18T08:53:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 40
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/781 "2024-11-04T15:35:41Z")
I am obsessed with clotted cream. I put it on shortbread and bagels. Top it off with some jam or jelly and my world rocks. ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/782 "2024-11-04T15:37:12Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > > [@iamatractorboy](#): > > > > Aeroplanes have become airplanes, anti-clockwise has become counter-clockwise, shops have become stores. > > > > And now I sound like an anti-American and I’m absolutely not. > > You mean counter-American? Ha, very good! ---
**Author:** ![iamatractorboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iamatractorboy/32/21261_2.png) [@iamatractorboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamatractorboy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/783 "2024-11-04T15:39:24Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > There simply is no need to constrain oneself to using ‘fewer’ to describe countable items; it is not a requirement and it serves no purpose but adherence to unnecessary formality. Ah, but would you use ‘much’ and ‘many’ interchangeably? I’m willing to bet people would find that odd. But yes sorry for the hijack. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/784 "2024-11-04T15:41:07Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > > [@Treppenwitz](#): > > > > Gotten” is an old British English word but faded out of use and hasn’t been part of British English for - I dunno - centuries? > > It does sound funny, except the normalized term: ill gotten > > “My Covid was mild since I had gotten my vaccines.” Sounds weird. Are you British and saying it sounds funny? Because as an American that sentence sounds totally normal to me. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/785 "2024-11-04T15:43:56Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > > [@jnglmassiv](#): > > > > > [@Treppenwitz](#): > > > > > > Gotten” is an old British English word but faded out of use and hasn’t been part of British English for - I dunno - centuries? > > > > It does sound funny, except the normalized term: ill gotten > > > > “My Covid was mild since I had gotten my vaccines.” Sounds weird. > > Are you British and saying it sounds funny? Because as an American that sentence sounds totally normal to me. In rural western PA the use of gotten is still fairly common. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/786 "2024-11-04T15:47:11Z")
I mean… yes? It’s a normal American word. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/787 "2024-11-04T15:51:54Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > Because as an American that sentence sounds totally normal to me. American, Chicago and I know it is correct but the word _gotten_ simply looks, feels & sounds a little awkward. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/788 "2024-11-04T16:10:45Z")
As a non native speaker, I wonder if the division between forgot/forgotten is the same as between got/gotten. Is forgotten more common in American English? Because I’m always confused what form to use, or I have forgotten what I learned in school, respectively. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/789 "2024-11-04T16:58:36Z")
I might use it _exactly because_ it sounds odd. Language is a tool and once you own the tool, it’s yours to use any way you like. Slicing bread with a bandsaw might not be the safest and most effective way to do the job but it certainly gets people to perk up and pay attention. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/790 "2024-11-04T17:22:32Z")
But even here, what you’re asking about is _consistency_, which is not a thing that English does anyway. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/791 "2024-11-04T18:27:42Z")
When I was at school in the 1950s, we were told that “_got_” was an ugly word best avoided. In most situations _I’ve got_ is better expressed as _I have_. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/792 "2024-11-04T19:05:19Z")
That doesn’t help with the past though. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/793 "2024-11-04T19:39:50Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Hah, you might be best placed to answer - what’s the difference between a plain digestive biscuit and a Graham cracker, other than shape? I like both graham crackers and digestives, but the main difference is in the crunch: graham crackers snap like a twig (and are great for dunking), while digestives have that nice crumbly thing going on. Once in a blue moon, I treat myself to those chocolate-covered digestives—mm mmm good! Neither one is too sweet, which is a major win in my book. American cookies? Way too sugary for me. If they dialed down the sugar by half, my taste buds and my pancreas would throw a party! That’s the way the cookie crumbles. 🍪🍪🍪 ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/794 "2024-11-04T19:44:43Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > > [@MrDibble](#): > > > > Hah, you might be best placed to answer - what’s the difference between a plain digestive biscuit and a Graham cracker, other than shape? > > I like both graham crackers and digestives, but the main difference is in the crunch: graham crackers snap like a twig (and are great for dunking), while digestives have that nice crumbly thing going on. Once in a blue moon, I treat myself to those chocolate-covered digestives—mm mmm good! > > Neither one is too sweet, which is a major win in my book. American cookies? Way too sugary for me. If they dialed down the sugar by half my taste buds and my pancreas would throw a party! That’s the way the cookie crumbles. I used to put a slice of bread in the graham crackers/ginger snaps containers so they would mellow out and be less crispy. I like a soft cookie. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2024, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/795 "2024-11-04T19:49:21Z")
I’m the same way with breakfast cereal. I let it soak in milk for a while so it turns to mush. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/796 "2024-11-05T00:06:40Z")
Which brings me to something I’ve been wondering about: the word “guy”. All my life, I’ve assumed that Americans say “guy”, while the British say “chap” or “bloke”. And yet, in recent years I’ve noticed, watching British TV, that the word “guy” has completely taken over, and the more British (to my ears) alternatives have more or less disappeared. Did the British always call people “guys”? I’m assuming that it’s British originally (probably from Guy Fawkes), but I don’t know if it remained popular in its home country. Is it another Americanism that modern Brits have re-adopted? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/797 "2024-11-05T01:34:13Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > My wife is from Buffalo and my favorite hot dog may just well be Ted’s Hot Dogs I feel very fortunate that Tempe has the only Ted’s [location outside upstate New York](https://www.tedshotdogs.com/locations). I usually have the Polish dog, though. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/798 "2024-11-05T01:36:56Z")
I go there at least once a year. It works. Never through about trying their Polish. Maybe next time. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/799 "2024-11-05T02:27:33Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > "My Covid was mild since I had gotten my vaccines.” Sounds weird. And to me (Texan) “I had got my vaccines” sounds weird ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/800 "2024-11-05T02:49:39Z")
That sounds weird to me too. (New York.) It’s the “had got” that sounds wrong. Funny I was actually just writing an email earlier today where I used the word “gotten” and didn’t even realize til after when I noticed it because of this thread. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941.md?page=39) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941.md?page=41)