# 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:** 45
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2024, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/881 "2024-11-11T22:29:36Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Big deal back East. Most Westerners like you and I are simply baffled. Yes. I am baffled. 🙃 > [@Ellecram](#): > > Just came back form the UK/Ireland. Some of the telephone booths have been converted into defibrillator stations. I just saw that last week in a TV show. ---
**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 11, 2024, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/882 "2024-11-11T23:52:03Z")
> [@Zyada](#): > > Vowels are tricksy. If you didn’t grow up with the sounds, it’s hard to hear the differences Not just vowels although they are generally the defining characteristic of an accent. The reason Japanese get confused between our R and L sounds is theirs is kind of between the two. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2024, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/883 "2024-11-12T00:48:02Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Reminds me of a certain Monty Python skit I only vaguely remember where some posh Brit has one of those 12-word names, each of which is ridiculous. The [election night skit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Election_Night_Special) perhaps? It includes Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lim-bus-stop-F’tang-F’tang-OlĂ©-Biscuitbarrel (Silly Party) and Malcolm Peter Brian Telescope Adrian Umbrella Stand Jasper Wednesday (pops mouth twice) Stoatgobbler John Raw Vegetable (whinnying) Arthur Norman Michael (blows squeaker) Featherstone Smith (whistle) Northcott Edwards Harris (fires pistol, then ‘whoop’) Mason (chuff-chuff-chuff-chuff) Frampton Jones Fruitbat Gilbert (sings) ‘[We’ll keep a welcome in the](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We%27ll_Keep_a_Welcome)’ (three shots) Williams [If I Could Walk That Way](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_this_way_(film_line)) Jenkin (squeaker) Tiger-drawers Pratt Thompson (sings) ‘[Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raindrops_Keep_Falling_On_My_Head)’ Darcy Carter (horn) Pussycat (sings) ‘[Don’t Sleep In The Subway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Sleep_In_The_Subway)’ Barton Mainwaring (hoot, ‘whoop’) Smith (Very Silly Party). > [@PatrickLondon](#): > > the convention of shaking hands with all your fellow passengers when you board a train, and helping a stranger with the crossword. And don’t forget to try the famous echo in the British Museum Reading Room! ---
**Author:** ![spikebrennan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@spikebrennan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spikebrennan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/884 "2024-12-20T13:07:42Z")
“
whilst American “twat” rhymes with “caught”.“ Careful- the word “caught” (particularly the vowel) varies in pronunciation across the U.S. to the extent that it’s a bit of a shibboleth for spotting certain regional accents. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2024, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/885 "2024-12-20T13:38:57Z")
Yep -in my accent, “twat” rhymes with “squat” or “cot” which has a completely different vowel from “caught” ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2024, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/886 "2024-12-21T19:28:18Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > Middle school and junior high both serve as transitional stages between elementary school and high school, offering different teachers for different subjects. Depending on the school district, they typically include grades 6 through 8 or, in some cases, up to grade 9. > > I went to middle school, but I always thought junior high just sounded cooler. I went to a “senior public” school in grades 7 and 8. 😀 It was a separate school from the neighbourhood public schools (k to grade 6), and preceded high school (grades 9 to 12 and the optional pre-university grade 13). ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2024, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/887 "2024-12-21T22:12:49Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > The entire rules of Cricket. > {BAFFLED} Yeah, I’ve heard cricket described as “What happens when golf gets drunk and decides to pretend it’s baseball.” 😀 Ever since I discovered that my great-grandfather was a famous cricketer, I’ve been trying to understand it. To be fair, I’m not a very sporty person, so my knowledge of baseball isn’t all that great either. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/888 "2024-12-22T00:23:26Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > And don’t get me started on the way Americans say the name ‘Craig’
shudder
 đŸ€Ș ‘Kreg’? ‘Cause that’s the way I say it in Southern Ontario. ---
**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:** [December 22, 2024, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/889 "2024-12-22T03:01:06Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > And don’t get me started on the way Americans say the name ‘Craig’
shudder
 đŸ€Ș Do you not pronounce it “Cray-g”? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/890 "2024-12-22T03:16:41Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > Another one you don’t hear so much nowadays is “doolally” meaning “confused” or “deranged”, from the British military hospital at Deolali in India, where “heatstruck” soldiers might end up. That’s really interesting. It’s definitely a word my English relatives used, especially my stepfather (from Manchester). ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/891 "2024-12-22T03:44:55Z")
No, Americans say “Cregg”. ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/892 "2024-12-22T03:56:33Z")
It’s my dads name and we all say cray-g. I guess I’ll let him know we have been saying wrong for over 75 years. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/893 "2024-12-22T04:03:01Z")
I was calling a colleague Cray-g for years before he told me I was pronouncing it wrong, and it should rhyme with Greg. Though the way he said it sounded more like it rhymed with prig. He also pronounced Sales as “sills” to my ears. He was an upstate NY native, close to the PA border. ---
**Author:** ![pirviii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pirviii/32/3233_2.png) [@pirviii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pirviii)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/894 "2024-12-22T04:06:33Z")
There are some weird dialects and accents in the North-Eastern states. ---
**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:** [December 22, 2024, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/895 "2024-12-22T04:47:40Z")
No
 I say “Crayg” and I have only ever heard it pronounced “Crayg.” Who says “Creg”?? Is this one of those midwestern things? ---
**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:** [December 22, 2024, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/896 "2024-12-22T07:42:51Z")
What have I started here?! Haha. It’s actually interesting that not all Americans pronounce it as ‘Creg’. I think I assumed it was universal in the US due to the pronunciation of the boys’ friend’s first name in _South Park_, and the many James Bond fan videos I’ve seen where they say ‘Daniel Creg’. But it is definitely ‘Craig’. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/897 "2024-12-22T09:54:11Z")
One that’s not baffling (it’s obvious what’s meant) but a curious difference - where does the (to my ears redundant) “of” come from, in phrases like “Is this too crazy of an itinerary?” “not as big of a deal as it really is” “people are just waking up to how big of a change it is” Is it a recent thing, or am I just noticing it recently? ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/898 "2024-12-22T10:18:45Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Ever since I discovered that my great-grandfather was a famous cricketer
 Impressed. Can you say who it was? j ---
**Author:** ![colinfred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colinfred/32/21338_2.png) [@colinfred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colinfred)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2024, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/899 "2024-12-22T10:26:20Z")
All the “ofs” they steal from “couple of” have to go somewhere. ---
**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:** [December 22, 2024, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/900 "2024-12-22T12:33:13Z")
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