Brits Say the Darndest Things

When Will first approached me about applying to Oxford University my thoughts went something like this:

"Whew! At least he picked an English-speaking country."

Or so I thought...

According to our shared dictionary we technically communicate with the same language. But there is one gigantic difference that separates us from our British brethren.

They are SO stinkin' adorable!!!

My first clue was on the airplane ride to London. The stewardess came over the intercom, reminding passengers that the airline attendants would soon be collecting our "rubbish" in the "rubbish bins." And that was the moment that I fell head-over-heels in love.

This love fest with British accents and British words just keeps growing the more time we spend here. Yes, I've experienced some of the typical "ah you silly American" moments--the most recent originated from a 3 year old ("These aren't pants--these are my TROUSERS," followed by bouts of laughter. Apparently "pants" are their word for underpants. My bad). But I don't mind the giggles or the attempted American accents when I remember that I do the exact same thing to them in my home. And now on my blog. So I have collected some of my favorite words/phrases over the past few months that have tickled our fancy. Enjoy!

1. "Cheeky blighter!" I think this was supposed to be a negative comment to my dear husband, but we both belly laughed when we heard it. Why can't Americans use such delightful phrases like that, instead of the crude and rude alternatives we seem to favor so much?

2. "Maths." Yes, as in plural. As in Will is "reading for his DPhil in Maths."

3. "Acclimatized." I used the word "acclimated" (as in "we have quickly acclimated to the weather over here") and was met with a blank stare. Then, "...is that like acclimatized, or did you make that up?". I have now switched to acclimatized just to avoid confusion.

4. "Fritta." I was asked to make a fritta the other day at work and before I could betray my confusion my boss reminded me to "make sure the bread sits in the egg for a few minutes to soak up as much egg as possible." Could it be... french toast? Yes! Whew. Saved face on that one.

5. "Holiday." I know I know, you've probably all heard this one before. But there's a big difference between singing "it's a jolly holiday with Mary" and actually listening to people discuss where they are going on holiday. I love it.

6. "Pushchair." I kept trying to convince the 3 year old to climb into the stroller and finally, with a huff, she turned to me and said "it's not a stroller it's a PUSHCHAIR!". It's really a very obvious word, isn't it?

7. "Stroppy." As in, "now don't you go and get all stroppy with me." This one I had to google. Apparently it is used to refer to someone who is ill-natured or in a bad temper.

8. "Fag." I was mildly offended when I first heard "you want a fag?". Oh. Cigarette. Right.

9. "Cheers." Ok, I know you've all heard of cheers as an alternative to "thank you," but we have one friend here who blends them constantly! His redundant "cheers, mate, thanks!" makes me grin every time.

10. Instead of a specific word, there is the very confusing way of speech/accent. There have been so many instances where I have been asked questions that I absolutely do not understand. My new rule of thumb to ask twice for clarification and, if I'm still confused, just smile and nod when they repeat themselves for a third, indistinguishable time. Who knows what I have agreed to thus far, but it seems to be working!

Oh British people, how I enjoy you! Now if only I could convincingly pull off your accent...

Cheers, y'all.