# 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:** 60
**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:** [April 9, 2025, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1181 "2025-04-09T16:53:57Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > What’s the British version of our “dime store” meaning cheap, and “nickel and dime” meaning to charge extra for every little thing? As Patrick mentions above, it’s probably something like Poundland (or, more generically and in my opinion, likely, ‘Poundshop’). This being not just cheap but derogatory. Eg “Farage is just a poundshop Trump”. Not sure about the Nickel and Dime equivalent. ---
**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:** [April 9, 2025, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1182 "2025-04-09T17:05:58Z")
If I’m talking to someone smart, I’ll say, _“Penny for your thoughts?”_ If I’m talking to someone not quite lighting up the marquee, it’s more like, _“Farthing for whatever’s rattling around in there.”_ I don’t like to overpay. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2025, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1183 "2025-04-09T18:11:26Z")
Funny how you have to pay one penny for someone else’s thoughts, but you have to pay _two_ cents to give your own. ---
**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:** [April 9, 2025, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1184 "2025-04-09T19:46:35Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > What’s the British version of [snip] “nickel and dime” meaning to charge extra for every little thing? That’s a very good question, and one I’m struggling to answer. The best I have so far is “to keep the meter running” (as in a taxi) but that’s not common and t doesn’t fit every situation. Ryanair have a reputation for that sort of thing, but I see no evidence of it (them?) being used as a verb. There is this joke though. Michael O’Leary (Ryanair CEO) goes into a Dublin Pub O’Leary: A pint of Guiness, please. Barman (who recognizes him): That’ll be one Euro. O’Leary: One Euro? That’s very reasonable. Barman: Now, will you be wanting a glass with that…? j ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2025, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1185 "2025-04-10T00:03:58Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > The picayune was an old Spanish coin, worth half a real, or one-sixteenth of a dollar - in other words, worth very little. Maybe that’s why it gives me an Old West feeling. I also get an Old West vibe from the word mosey. ---
**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:** [April 10, 2025, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1186 "2025-04-10T08:41:30Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > Not sure about the Nickel and Dime equivalent. A very old phrase over here is “candle-end economies” (imaging someone sticking together used ends of candles to make a useable one), but perhaps that’s not quite the same thing. I too was thinking of Ryanair’s business model [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/uVASZ2lCY5Y/maxresdefault.jpg "Fascinating Aida - Cheap Flights") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVASZ2lCY5Y) ---
**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:** [April 10, 2025, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1187 "2025-04-10T09:20:40Z")
> [@Chad\_Sudan](#): > > Until this week, I’d never heard of a “shell suit.” I guessed maybe it was like an unstructured jacket. No, it is a brightly colored polyester track suit. It was like a close-fitting elasticated fabric inner layer (similar to a cycling garment) with a baggy, bright-coloured, thin ‘shell’ layer attached mostly at the borders of the garment. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2025, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1188 "2025-04-10T10:08:41Z")
I really hope that’s true. It’s what i’d do. ---
**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:** [April 10, 2025, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1189 "2025-04-10T16:21:34Z")
Shell suits were all the rage for about 5 minutes. Actually it was probably more like a year or two in the late 80s, early 90s. My Italia 90 World Cup England squad shell suit was my pride and joy when I was about 9 years old. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2025, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1190 "2025-04-10T16:30:55Z")
> [@Chad\_Sudan](#): > > Until this week, I’d never heard of a “shell suit.” I guessed maybe it was like an unstructured jacket. No, it is a brightly colored polyester track suit. You encounter the term “shell” or “soft shell” in US outdoor clothing. Brands like Patagonia and Columbia as well as hunting clothes. They’re light, somewhat water resistant, outer layers that are usually designed to be part of a layering system so they can provide warmth but it’s not the main goal. ---
**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:** [April 15, 2025, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1191 "2025-04-15T15:53:58Z")
> [@iamatractorboy](#): > > > [@garygnu](#): > > > > What’s the British version of our “dime store” meaning cheap, and “nickel and dime” meaning to charge extra for every little thing? > > As Patrick mentions above, it’s probably something like Poundland (or, more generically and in my opinion, likely, ‘Poundshop’). This being not just cheap but derogatory. Eg “Farage is just a poundshop Trump”. > > Not sure about the Nickel and Dime equivalent. And a good example in The Guardian today… Reform a ‘racist and far-right’ party, says teaching union after Farage attack – UK politics live [Reform a ‘racist and far-right’ party, says teaching union after Farage attack – as it happened | Politics | The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2025/apr/15/uk-politics-latest-news-us-uk-trade-steel-keir-starmer-sudan-nigel-farage?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-67fe62ae8f08195611b683d9#block-67fe62ae8f08195611b683d9) ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2025, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1192 "2025-04-15T16:03:59Z")
> [@Chad\_Sudan](#): > > Until this week, I’d never heard of a “shell suit.” I guessed maybe it was like an unstructured jacket. No, it is a brightly colored polyester track suit. > > According to the _Daily Mail_, a 2012 poll found that the shell suit was considered “the worst fashion item of the past 50 years.” For once, the Daily Mail is not wrong. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2025, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1193 "2025-06-01T12:47:20Z")
Some people thinking understanding the difference between British and American terms is hard… But it’s not arugula science. [joke stolen from Reddit] ---
**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:** [June 1, 2025, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1194 "2025-06-01T14:59:40Z")
> I’d never heard of a “shell suit.” I guessed maybe it was like an unstructured jacket. No, it is a brightly colored polyester track suit. > **[Dailymotion](https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7k9x0b?t=1110)** ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2025, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1195 "2025-06-01T15:54:39Z")
(I’d be wary of confusing a poundshop with a knocking shop) When finally Googling “Steeleye Span/Steely Dan” the Britishism “naff” appears in the results. I’ve heard it before, but there’s always an eventual tipping point when one stops assuming from context and bothers to look up an unfamiliar word. _“Naff” implies a lack of style or good taste, often suggesting something is cheap, low-quality, or unstylish_ ---
**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:** [June 1, 2025, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1196 "2025-06-01T20:18:08Z")
The phrase ‘naff off’ was also used in 1970s BBC prison sitcom _Porridge_ to keep the dialogue nice and family friendly, in lieu of, well, you can probably guess that. ---
**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:** [June 1, 2025, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1197 "2025-06-01T20:40:12Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > “Naff” implies a lack of style or good taste, often suggesting something is cheap, low-quality, or unstylish Is it similar to the American “Tacky”? ---
**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:** [June 1, 2025, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1198 "2025-06-01T21:22:36Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > …the Britishism “naff”… There’s no consensus, but there’s a good case that the word comes from [Polari](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polari), a clandestine gay slang from the middle years of the last century (when homosexuality was a crime, and so talking in Polari could be a useful way of concealing meaning). The supposed etymology (an acronym - Not Available For - uh - Fun, meaning “straight” and therefore no good) is probably not true. But here’s an example of the word being used in Polari: Julian and Sandy, two outrageously camp characters on [Round The Horne](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round_the_Horne) (which was a national institution of radio in the 1960s - remarkable given the legal status of homosexuality). [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/GdnyBSi0YE0/maxresdefault.jpg "JULIAN & SANDY - Bona Rags") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdnyBSi0YE0) Naff is used at about 1.58 and 3.44 (“Irish” = Irish jig = wig). Most of the Polari in this episode is after the 4.30 mark (“wasp” simply refers to the rugby team Wasps, so far as I can tell). j ---
**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:** [June 2, 2025, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1199 "2025-06-02T06:52:49Z")
That’s my understanding of “Wasp”. Also in that clip “Big saggy 'Arris” could, in the context of old clothes, mean Harris tweed; but, as the audience clearly understands, it can also be another piece of rhyming slang: Arris (short for) Aristotle (rhymes with) bottle + glass (rhymes with): Arse ---
**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:** [June 2, 2025, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941/1200 "2025-06-02T09:57:04Z")
Some other examples from the clip, showing the mixture of original slangs (though none of these were in common use then, let alone now): eek: from ecaf (backslang for face) omi: from theatrical/carnival Italian “uomo” for man (Though where lallies - for legs - come from, no idea, unless it’s the scriptwriters’ invention) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941.md?page=59) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-britishisms-most-baffle-americans-what-americanisms-most-baffle-brits/1008941.md?page=61)