Britishisms used in American English

[Ellie]

We've been saying "wonky" for years. I'm pretty sure we got it from Dave Barry. :D

"Queue"--only when people are talking about Netflix.

 

Twit...well, Alan Rickman used it Quigley Down Under, but I wouldn't have recognized it as being British.

 

Sometimes I say gobsmacked, but no one else I know IRL life does. And I know for sure I got it from BBCAmerica. It's such a handy word, innit? :D

 

I've never heard any of the others used IRL, in central Texas, or San Jose, Calif, or in southeastern Virginia/N.C.-Outer Banks, other than from friends who are British.

[LibraryLover]

Some words I think of as entirely British are 'bump' for pregnant tummy, jumper for sweater, and "Brilliant!" used as "Cool!" I've been hearing those a lot. Bump has taken over American tabloids. It's much less cumbersome that pregnant tummy etc. Takes up less room on the mag cover as well. ;)

 

Maybe this knowledge now will keep Random House or Bloomsbury from 'translating' British English into American English. That bugged the crud out of me in Harry Potter. When we first discovered HP it was through a British copy of The Philosopher's Stone (gift), and got the 'American' release of the second book. I was bothered. After that, I ordered the British versions. I did let my kids stand in line at midnight at the book stores, however, so we have HP doubles, except for Philosopher's Stone.

Edited October 18, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Nan in Mass]

:iagree:

 

Americans would find bum to be a polite way of saying butt. We would use bum and bottom interchangeably.

 

Perhaps this is regional? Bum and butt are both equally impolite here and bottom is polite. I've been surprised to hear some people say bum, ones with the same sort of manners as me. That is one of life's small mysteries solved, I guess lol!

 

Nan

[stripe]

We had the telly programme here too, but I always assumed that the name referred to clinking glasses and saying 'Cheers'.

 

Laura

 

I agree with you, this is not the toasting "cheers," this is the "toodleoo" type of goodbye type or thanks.

 

My husband noticed when he moved to the US that no one said something or other, so he stopped saying it, but I can't remember what it was!

 

What I most like about my British relatives is their saying, "Right!" before doing something, as an exclamation sort of like "Okay then."

 

I have picked up saying "toilet." I don't know if it was a reaction to my daughter saying the thing she was sitting on to pee was a "bathroom," or the absurdity of saying that the neighbors were taking their dogs out to "go to the bathroom." I just say it to my husband and kids, though, not others. I dislike "loo."

[stripe]

Perhaps this is regional? Bum and butt are both equally impolite here and bottom is polite. I've been surprised to hear some people say bum, ones with the same sort of manners as me. That is one of life's small mysteries solved, I guess lol!

 

 

Yeah, I definitely think "bum" is seen as more polite, but I don't know if talking about one's rear end is ever really "polite," no matter what the term used! Like I said, I've noticed "ass" taking over, and I don't care for that at all.

 

Although maybe if I said "arse," it would be okay. :glare:

[LibraryLover]

Of course literature and media exposure will affect word usage. The British 'classics', including poetry, is a part of many American chilhoods. Many of us grew up with Christopher Robin, Mary Poppns, Peter Pan, Mother Goose, Peter Rabbit etc. That early exposure does affect vocabulary and speech patterns. The first books I cleary remember my mother reading to me werethe Mary Poppins books. I know Mrs Banks had two set of twins, and was quite annoyed to find only Jane and Micheal were in the film. I also knew Mary Poppins was t supposed to be so pretty. ;) I grew up hearing my mother say 'Spit Spot' instead of hurry up/quickly. ;) which she did take from the books. Spic and span is American for perfectly clean. Spit spot can also mean that as well, I thInk. Or no?

Edited October 18, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Laura Corin]

Yeah, I definitely think "bum" is seen as more polite, but I don't know if talking about one's rear end is ever really "polite," no matter what the term used! Like I said, I've noticed "ass" taking over, and I don't care for that at all.

 

Although maybe if I said "arse," it would be okay. :glare:

 

In British terms, from less to more polite, I'd rank the words:

 

Arse, bum, bottom.

 

Laura

[LibraryLover]

I didn't hear the word 'bottom' used for bum until I was exposed to preschool teacher language. We alway said 'bum' in our house, along with tummy. Those are the words I used when my own childre were young. I think they sound sweet and mild.

[stripe]

I think about 75% of the time, American adults say "ass." (No "arse" for us, yet.) 20% for "butt." 5% other.

 

I hear almost no one say "bottom." Maybe only mothers talking to small children.

[redsquirrel]

I think it depends on where you live. I grew up on the US side of US/Canadian border and my father is Canadian. I live in the north east of the US. I think that influences it quite a bit. For example, I was taught to write colour, not color. I write a cheque, not check.

 

Autumn has always been the standard around here. Yes, 'Fall' gets used but it is interchangeable with Autumn. As someone mentioned, it is a not uncommon girl's name so it can't be that unusual. I say autumn, and rarely say fall, and no one thinks anything of it. I know the local ps around the corner has a big sign out front saying "Happy Autumn". No one will think twice about it.

 

Bloody, I hear occasionally. Again, my dad said it and I occasionally say it, if only to save me from bursting out with a slightly stronger curse word. :lol:

 

I tend to say 'bottom' and not butt or bum. I see 'butt' as being the least polite of all of those. I put bum in the same category as bottom.

 

Cheeky I heard a lot when I was a child. My gran said it...she was Canadian. I say it occasionally to the boys. Cheeky is just on the right side of positive behaviour, but not by much. Sassy means you have crossed over. Cheeky gets a 'don't do that again mister' reaction. Sassy means we are going to have words.

 

Chav, nope. Never heard it. I know what it means, but would have to explain myself if I used it. It would not be a natural thing to come out of my mouth.

 

Cheers as thank you or good by or well done I hear a bit. Mostly for thank you. It wouldn't stand out.

 

Fancy I sometimes hear people use in regards to their kids. It is milder than a crush. Usually used to describe the behaviour of a very young child who may not realize what they are doing. Example "I think my (7 year old) son fancies your daughter. Isn't that cute!"

 

Flat as a word for apartment, I have heard all my life. I didn't know it was a specifically British word.

 

Frock, heard rarely. My FIL might say "what a lovely frock" and it would mean the dress was extra special.

 

Gap year has def been on the rise.

 

Holiday has been used interchangeably with vacation for a while, that I can think of. Didn't Madonna have a song titled "Holiday" back in the 1980s? It can't be that unusual.

 

Innit and kit I haven't heard in this country.

 

Knickers I have always said and heard. I tend to say that instead of panties.

 

Mates I hear quite often. It is usually used by men to describe their friends. I hear Lads as well. Lads seems to have been around longer than mates.

 

Loo, never. That might draw some questions. People know what it is, but it would sound affected.

 

Mobile I hear a little bit. I know people who travel and it gets used by them and then a friend picks it up etc, etc.

 

Mupper and numpty I have never heard. Well, muppet yes in relation to the actual Muppets.

 

Pop over is something I have heard and said all my life. It would never occur to me that it was a British thing.

 

Queue I have heard and used all my life.

 

Round Abouts are in my town. That is what the signs call them. It doesn't seem out of place or odd.

 

Row is something my Canadian dad said and I grew up saying. I use it sometimes, but I don't expect people to know what I mean. My kids hear it because I say it.

 

Shag ..well... Austin Powers, baby!

 

Skint I haven't heard in common usage but I would know what it meant.

 

I wouldn't know sussed is a British word. I know I heard it growing up. I heard teachers use it in school. I use it.

 

Twit cannot be just a British word. Twits are known world wide. You can also twit someone, but that isn't nice.

 

Wonky is also not something I would connect to a British vocab. Wonky gets used often by everyone. Snarky is also a very common word.

[laughing lioness]

We use twit all the time at home

 

 

My friend and I decided it was an acronym that stands for "tiny woman in training."

[posybuddy]

Heh...I sometimes catch myself by using "arse" when I mean "ass". :blush:

 

Like somehow it's less crass because fewer people will be familiar with what I mean, or something. Hey, I never said I was logical.

 

Agreed that around here "bum" would be considered less coarse than "butt", a word that seriously grates on my nerves. Only mothers talking to small children use "bottom".

[Farrar]

Yes, I think Americans are using Britishisms more lately.

 

I also thought "autumn" was silly on the list. I've always heard them both.

 

A few I have never heard used by an American, like chav or muppet. But others, such as gap year and roundabout are nearly Americanized, I think. And others, like bloody or kit, seem to be used more now with a slight Anglophilia or vague affectation to them.

[Parrothead]

Yes, I think Americans are using Britishisms more lately.

 

I also thought "autumn" was silly on the list. I've always heard them both.

 

A few I have never heard used by an American, like chav or muppet. But others, such as gap year and roundabout are nearly Americanized, I think. And others, like bloody or kit, seem to be used more now with a slight Anglophilia or vague affectation to them.

I hear kit fairly often. It is used as "supplies" by people in military or paramilitary professions. Kind of along the lines of mess kit but expanded to include other items.

[LittleIzumi]

I adore "gobsmacked." I agree about exposure to British lit and TV being a large factor in my normal usage of most of those Britishisms. I grew up with autumn instead of fall, though.

[momofkhm]

I hear kit fairly often. It is used as "supplies" by people in military or paramilitary professions. Kind of along the lines of mess kit but expanded to include other items.

 

I heard it last night on the 5 minutes I was watching CSI. Something "It's just my kit. My supplies."

[Elizabeth in MN]

I say "take away" rather than "take out" now, and "twit" has been in my vocabulary for a long time. I'd never say "Chav" because it's classist IMO.

[KrissiK]

I've heard "twit" used forever. That's an old one. "Flat" is not unusual. I love the term"wonky". It just sounds funny.

[KungFuPanda]

These are all familiar to me but not necessarily commonly used in my area. The starred ones didn't seem as specifically British as the others.

Autumn*

Bloody

Bum*

Cheeky

Cheers

Fancy

Flat

Frock

Gap year*

Gobsmacked

Holiday

Kit*

Knickers

Loo

Mate

Pop over

Proper*

Queue

Roundabout*

Row*

Shag

Twit*

Wonky*

 

 

I'm just going to coast off this list. These words are in common use. While I won't argue that they're not British, I do wonder why the author thinks it's a new thing to hear them in the states?

[Jayne J]

Autumn, wonky, gobsmacked, pop over, proper, and twit are Britishisms? Huh. I've used them all my life and never thought they sounded particularly British. Must be all the British children's classics I read or something.

 

Also, The Muppet Show was filmed in London? :eek: :001_huh: I was going to post that "muppet" was rightfully an Americanism adopted by the British, but maybe not. I do know Jim Henson was American, but maybe he picked up the word in London. Huh.

[Rosie_0801]

I grew up hearing Canadians saying "bum," and to me, it sounds much more polite than "butt." (I say neither.) Frankly I think most Americans would consider all of these polite, because what's now all the rage is "ass."

 

I nearly dropped my teeth when talking to my younger Polish cousin and she said "ass." She learned most of her English from American movies and I forgot that word wasn't as bad in your dialect. I wasn't allowed to say "bum" as a kid. I think here, butt is a smidgen more polite than bum.

 

 

Rosie

Edited October 19, 2012 by Rosie_0801

[SonshineLearner]

My words from the article..

 

When I lived next to a couple from England, I used the words around their kids...

So... kinda use or joke... from the tap... plaster, ice lolly, and of course... Love.... :)"love, do such and such... lovie..." :)

 

Autumn, Yup :)

 

Bloody, No, as I hear it's more of the "F" word, I did use it more before I heard that. I also have a hard time saying, "Rear Ended" as that isn't what I want to think of... once my friend told me what that meant...

 

Bum, Not really, I say "Tush" from my New Jersey days of being a nanny

 

Chav, nope

 

Cheeky, Nope... I say Fresh or sassy or just... rude

 

Cheers, nope... I thought... How cool... right before it I realized it was popular, but then noticed my husband's ex-wife was signing her emails with "Cheers"...

 

Fancy, nope... not in this way...

 

Gap year, sometimes..

 

Gobsmacked, not really... a couple times for emphasis... or fun :)

 

Holiday, yes... I like this one :) Back from my English Friends...

 

Innit, nope

 

Kit, nope

 

Knickers, nope

 

Loo, nope

 

Mate, nope

 

Mobile, nope

 

Muppet, nope

 

Numpty, nope

 

Pop over, yes

 

Proper, sometimes

 

Queue, no

 

Roundabout, yes, as we have them now...

 

Row, no

 

Shag, no

 

Skint, no

 

Sussed, no

 

Twit, yes

 

Wonky, no

[LibraryLover]

I nearly dropped my teeth when talking to my younger Polish cousin and she said "ass." She learned most of her English from American movies and I forgot that word wasn't as bad in your dialect. I wasn't allowed to say "bum" as a kid. I think here, butt is a smidgen more polite than bum.

 

 

Rosie

 

 

SO cute. Butt was bad in my family. Bum was fine. Ass was like the F word. lol

[Seeking Squirrels]

Some of these I've never thought to be British, simply English, as in the language.

 

I have heard and/or used regularly and have never viewed as a Britishism:

Autumn - This one really surprised me. I remember learning it as Autumn as a small child. (I'm 31)

Bum - Same for this one

Gobsmacked (Not very regularly, I guess, but never thought of it as British)

Proper

Roundabout

Mobile

Pop over

Queue

 

These ones I've heard used, but realized they were originally British:

Cheeky

Fancy

Cheers

Holiday

Mate

Row

 

And a few that I've heard used, but not very often and some may have only been in British literature:

Bloody - knew it was British

Twit - didn't know

Wonky - didn't know

Shag - knew

Loo - knew

Knickers - knew

Frock - didn't know, thought it was more old fashioned

Flat - knew

Sussed - didn't know

 

Gap year I only recently heard in the last year or so and it was in reference to the year some people switch curriculum between SL's P4/5 and Core A. I didn't know and wouldn't have assumed that it was British.

 

The rest I haven't heard of.