Sometimes you feel like a Brit, sometimes you don’t
NS January 29th, 2010
Ways in which I have become Anglicised:
- My preferred swear words are Bloody, Shite and Bollocks
- I can eat a sandwich with spread (butter) on it and not gag
- I pronounce the ‘T’ in words like ‘beautiful’, ‘Peter’ and ‘dirty’
- I love me a pint of bitter
- I go for a walk on Boxing Day no matter how miserable it is outside
- I can find a way to complain about the weather, even if it’s sunny
- I get a bit irate sometimes at how the Council spends my money
- If it snows, I don’t shovel my walk because no one else has
- When I’m ill, all I want is a cup of tea and my hot water bottle
- I eat jacket (baked) potatoes with tuna or cheesy beans on top
- I listen to BBC Radio whilst doing the washing up
- I use the word ‘whilst’
- I say ‘windscreen’, ‘boot’, and ‘indicate’ instead of ‘windshield’, ‘trunk’ and ’signal’
Ways in which I am not Anglicised:
- I don’t mercilessly harass ginger (redhead) people
- I don’t constantly say “That’s so middle class”
- I hate brown sauce, Marmite and Branston’s pickle
- I refuse to consider hard sponge with marzipan on top to be “cake”
- I can say the word ‘bap’ and not giggle
- I will never believe anyone who says they had a proper cocktail at a pub
- It’s Santa, not Father Christmas
- I don’t believe that Halloween is just for devil-worshippers, criminals and Americans
- I refuse to consider the Sun, Daily Mail, Metro, etc.. “newspapers”
- I think British soaps (Corrie, Enders, et al) are absolutely rubbish
- Ditto for British dramas (not including period films)
- I still can’t get used to the teeth I see on some people in television
- I don’t intentionally set out to get shit-faced when I drink
- Seafood on pizza is just wrong, as is sweetcorn
- I will never say ‘aluminium’ or ‘bonnet’. It’s aluminum and hood, damn it!
- I think Jeremy Clarkson is a national disease, not a national treasure
- Britishisms , Funny Ha-Ha
- Comments(39)
But do you listen to The Archers?
3 years in the States as a kid left me with some American quirks – I emphasize the ‘t’ in fourteen, can’t call sneakers trainers and really do like peanut butter and jam (but not jelly.. I never got that American) sandwiches. Agree with you about British soaps, but our comedies are class.
NS Reply:
January 29th, 2010 at 10:35 am
@Brit In Bosnia, I’m afraid I’ve never listened to The Archers. Like I said, not a big fan of British dramas. Comedies are definitely world class!
That’s hilarious – what a great list. I think you’re more British than I am
I agree with you about Jeremy Clarkson. There’s only one national treasure and that’s the lovely, the erudite Mr Stephen Fry.
I hope that’s Radio 4 you’re listening to as you wash up. And hey, we love Halloween too. I prefer it to Christmas, I honestly get really excited by it!
NS Reply:
January 29th, 2010 at 10:34 am
@Part Mummy Part Me,
Completely agree about Stephen Fry. Can’t we just clone him and eliminate Clarkson altogether?
“I refuse to consider hard sponge with marzipan on top to be “cake””
I am British (although maybe just a tad Italianized) , with the above i couldn’t agree more.
Vile stuff.
NS Reply:
January 29th, 2010 at 10:32 am
@Sarah in Italy,
So glad you agree! Most people get offended when I say that, they love the stuff!
I don’t know where in Britain you are, but down here Hallowe’en is considered a fun holiday, not just for “devil-worshippers, criminals and Americans”… I also dislike Jeremy Clarkson. And I don’t like brown sauce, Marmite and Branston’s pickle, and I don’t tease ginger haired people. And, and, and – I pretty much agree with all of your second list (apart from the Father Christmas thing). I’ve never even heard of most of those things being typically ‘British’.
The main ways of telling if you’ve been adequately Anglicised: do you spell words with ‘ise’ or ‘ize’, and do you consider a cup of tea to be the answer to most, if not all, of life’s little problems?
NS Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:33 am
@Anji, I think it’s about half-half down here in the South East. My neighbours declined my invitation to our Halloween party “because they’re Christians” and I overheard other parents at my daughter’s pre-school talking about how crass and ‘American’ Halloween is. Cynical Londoners I guess! And yes, I spell things -ise now and think a cup of tea is high up on the list of ways to solve problems so I suppose I am!
Anji Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:50 am
@NS, Hey, I’m in the south-east too! Whereabouts are you?
i can not abide marmite!!! The great Mr Fry is the British Institution here.
I love this list, it really made me smile. I like peanut butter and nuttela or jam sandwiches too.
NS Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:34 am
@TheMadHouse, I *love* peanut butter with Nutella, I used to get that on a cinnamon raisin bagel when I was pregnant with my first and would get VERY strange looks from the bagel shop workers.
Like your list – after six months as a Brit in the States, I know what you’re on about.
I have to disagree on some things – I can’t stand Clarkson, the Daily Mail, brown sauce or harrassment of redheads. Soaps are one of those things you probably have to grow up with to appreciate – I’d still watch Eastenders out of loyalty because I followed it for so long as a teenager. Think you are right about contemporary TV dramas sadly (we used to be great, but at the moment the US is on top with the likes of Mad Men, House etc). But we do rock at the classics – you can’t fault the recent adaptations of Little Dorrit, Bleak House etc. In general I’d say British TV is superior…..
Halloween is certainly a much bigger deal in the States – but I think it is pretty well universally accepted in the UK now as being fun and harmless.
NS Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:35 am
@nappyvalleygirl, I know what you mean about loyalty to bad soaps. I watched ‘Days of Our Lives’ for about ten years as a child and then young adult. Ick!
Nobody can complain about the weather like Canadians. It can be a beautiful summer day and all of a sudden you are talking about how this won’t last and soon it will be -31 and there will be three feet of snow, etc.
And I love both Corrie and East Enders!
NS Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:35 am
@Capital Mom, I didn’t realise that Canadians were also weather complainers. Must be a Commonwealth thing.
haha! i needed a good laugh this morning and this helped a lot. no matter how long you stay in the land of marmite and marzipan i don’t see you changing your mind on some of these.
NS Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:36 am
@andrea, Nope, ‘fraid not!
Father Christmas? That’s just weird. Though that’s exactly how we say it in Italy. Which is, incidentally, where pizza comes from. And we have one with fresh seafood on it. And it is glorious. meatballs, or chicken, however? no way
NS Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:37 am
@Elisa @ Globetrotting in Heels, Yeah, I think the seafood on pizza thing is just a squeamishness thing on my part. I know it’s not England-specific but since the UK was my first taste of Europe, I always associate the two.
Hmmm, I consider myself very British (well, very English really) and I identify with every single thing on your ‘Not Anglicised’ List with the exception of Marmite, Branston Pickle and Brown Sauce. Also, I disagree about contemporary British drama (but then I would as husband works in TV and Film) while I find the obsession with period drama distinctly tiresome. Maybe you are more Anglicised than you thought!
NS Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:38 am
@Previously (Very) Lost in France, I don’t actually watch period dramas but excluded them from the list because the consensus seems to be that they’re better than the likes of the hospital and cop shows.
I love your list. And I love Brit in Bosnia’s comment about ‘fourteen’. I’d never noticed that, but yes, there is an emphasis on the T over here.
I can’t understand the pronounciation of the T in some words. eg I am quite used to people saying ‘dennist’, but then occasionally someone flummoxes me by saying ‘dentist’. Same with twenny and twenty. Is there a secret rule? Like when there’s an R in the month, you pronounce the T in dentist? Or is it that some people are very conscious that I’m English, so put in occasional Ts out of politeness to me?
NS Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:40 am
@Iota, It could be that or it could just be regional dialects and differences in the way they were brought up/spoken to. Where in the US are you, the Midwest?
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Great post! I’m fascinated by cultural differences (which can also occur in different regions of the same country). I spent 4 months in Germany and learned to love quark, afternoon coffees (oh, those German pastries!), the emphasis on recycling and the environment, the underground telephone and power lines, Nutella (which I can now get in the States), the modern furnishings, separate bed covers (my husband and I swear by them!), the public transportation, the history, news that is truly international, the church bells, the green spaces and so much more. My biggest shock (after the separate bed covers) was that libraries aren’t free. I also had to get used to the postal system’s yellow insignia, doors opening the “wrong” way, lack of air conditioning, roundabouts, no free coffee refills, marzipan, the formalities of addressing people, the speed limits (or lack thereof), apartments rather than single family homes and so on. Thanks for reminding me of these cultural gems and quirks.
NS Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:40 am
@Ellen, No free libraries?! How strange. That must be a German thing, the libraries are free here!
Ellen Keim Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:47 pm
@NS, I know–Like I said, I was shocked. Imagine a civilized country which has a strong emphasis on education not having free libraries!
The most curious American term for me is “bangs”. How on earth can that mean “fringe”? It sounds rude to me.
Surely most British people also hate The Daily Mail. It’s not something you could ever read in public that’s for sure.
As I Brit I like to keep things British and don’t like creeping Americanisations, they are fine to be heard in America but not here – Santa, store (that is the worst – what is wrong with shop?) and yes, the spellings – ize and or instead of ise and our.
NS Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:44 am
@Reluctant Blogger, I agree with you about ‘bangs’, I can’t say it now, it sounds so….wrong. Unfortunately, I see ‘normal’ people reading the DM every day, in public. My in-laws (who are upper-ish middle class and not bigots as far as I know) get it delivered to their door every day! I shudder when I see it there on their table.
I hadn’t realised that anyone felt so strongly about store as opposed to shop! They both mean the same thing, surely? That said, I tend to use ’shop’ most of the time.
I hear lots of other people here calling the jolly elf ‘Santa’ and/or Father Christmas so I think I’m safe to keep calling him what feels natural to me. I could force myself to say Father Christmas but it’s a real mouthful and I like preserving *some* of my sayings and traditions.
Marzipan, ick. I used to think British soaps were great, then i moved abroad and didn’t watch them for years, they recently arrived in Finland i was shocked to see how rubbish they are!
NS Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:45 am
@Heather, I’m loving the universal disgust with marzipan. We need to get together and get the substance banned!
Great list! Bollocks and shite are great words and I miss them. Has got me thinking about my own creeping Americanism. I’ve pretty much converted (Trunk for boot, gas for petrol, and even find myself saying “Wah-derr” in steand of wor-tah for the stuff that comes out of the taps) but I still can’t shake saying “Garridge” rather than “Gar-ah-ge” for the place I keep my car.
I hate to break it to you, but here in San Francisco you will find seafood on pizza!
And I have always loved and envied red hair, used to dye my mousy brown a bright flame color with henna!
NS Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:46 am
@geekymummy, My husband has a funny story about having to say ‘wah-der’ repeatedly to a fast-food drive-thru employee to make himself understood. People in Indiana were perpetually flummoxed by his accent.
I love bollocks and shite, but I urge you to include “sodding” in your repetoire. It just sums things up sometimes.
NS Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:47 am
@Expat Mum, You’re right, I should say ’sodding’ more. I suppose that’s what I use ‘bleedin’ for though.
I’m not British, but having visited there, one thing I don’t think I could ever get into would be their/your greasy eggs and beans on toast. Funny, I’m vegetarian too, but brown beans really gross me out.
Why is it windscreen, indicate and boot but not bonnet?
NS Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:49 am
@A Free Man, Because when I say ‘bonnet’ I imagine Little Bo Peep looking for her sheep, not a person looking at their car’s engine. Looking under the bonnet just seems a bit pervy and rude, really.
That’s a great list and really made me smile. Although 100% British I have to agree with all you said (perhaps it’s my love affair with America) and your comment above has just had me in stitches, getting rather strange looks from my little boy.
Beki x