American -> British glossary

They'd steal those...some Force Lightning comes to mind.

 

It would only start a world war off if people started wacking chavs with lightsabers....... why do you think I have a parks saber here
you can imagine it though
"keep your eyes on the blue light chav" smack straight on the nose

 

ok here's the one that got me in trouble,

I kept on forgetting that pants are trousers.

saying things like "dude, can I borrow your pants"

were quite amusing for my English friends.

 

^^ This is why all the threads in JCC about posting with no pants on always throw me a bit.

I mean, come on

 

Although I think someone's said this already, but I like to say Americans arn't the most popular people over here.

Most people (and I don't think this by the way) think Americans are fat, stupid and ignorant. That's just how it is. So I would be careful about what you say to people. Especially don't ask people if they've seen/met the Queen.

 

Yes, because I will be one of those people slapping you up the back of the head.

The same goes for asking us if we live in London...You'll not only get a slap, but it will be preceeded by a resounding "**** OFF!!!" (We'll, that's because the majority of people don't live there, and everyone hates London...at times, even the people that live there! )

It's probably the most ignorant thing an American can say to a Brit...I'm already preparing for the barrage at C4.

Oh, don't say that you love British people AND Scottish people...They're the same ****ing people for crying out loud.

 

My friend (who was from London) told me that if an American ever asked him the all too common line 'You from London?' He would say somewhere completely different that they would never know of like Wellwyn Garden City or Essex!

He also said his friend ALWAYS said a place that also exists in USA like 'Hampshire' or 'Birmingham', just to remind them where they come from!! He said the confused look on the Yanks face is so worth it! and always return the look as if they are dumb if they dont know of it, why should they think the world knows everything about USA when they know f... all about us!

I tried this for the first time only last week when a girl with a clipboard by the London Eye asked 'where in London are you from?', it was in that unmistakable winey American accent! I replied 'Im not from London I just flew in on holiday this morning'
She smiled, 'Oh where did you fly in from then?'
'Manchester' I said.

Priceless dumb expression! Absolute gold-dust! Thoroughly recommend everyone to try it

 

Whiney American accent.... O Honey...

Wait.. that makes no sense.

Ya well, word of advise, be careful who you try that on. England isn't exactly a happening topic in America and when it is mentioned, then it's usually about something that happened in London. So most of the time when an American says London in the place of England, its a slip of the tounge. So be patient because i know i for one won't react kindly (at all...) if you try to insult my intelligence like that.

 

I'm sorry to hear how Americans are perceived in the UK but I have to admit, there is some truth to it, especially the fat part. The bottom line is, we will be there as Star Wars fans who just happen to be from America.

 

As a pure-breed redneck who has lived in the UK for almost three years now... I have these words of advice for Americans making the trip over for the celebration:

Do not be fooled by the money exchange:
example in generic terms: can of pop = one american dollar - same can of pop = one british pound - but one british pound = almost two american dollars.
If you don't keep this in mind, you will go broke very quick!

Going to England is often like looking in a cracked mirror, everything is the same but slightly different. We both speak English but it's only the definations that are adjusted. Like an American purse is an English handbag, and and English purse is an American wallet/coin purse.

Also, English tend to call things by what they do, not by what they are as Americans tend to. The best example is "washing up liquid" is "dish soap". To the English it's liquid soap to do the washing up with, but to American's it's soap for dishes. Keep this concept in mind if they mention something and you have to think twice about what it is.

Also, English people are not Europeans, they are English, just forget your geography lessons for the weekend. Also, Irish are Irish, Scottish are Scottish, and Welsh are Welsh - they are not English if you value your life. It would be like calling someone from Alabama a Yank, or an Oklahoman a Texan... first person who calls me a Texan gets dumped in the channel!

To the English, all Americans are Yanks because they don't understand the fine line of Yank versus Southern versus Midwestern due to the American Civil War. Politely explain that you are not a Yank, but a RedNeck instead and proud of it. At least, that's what I do. But I'm not a Texan!

English people LOVE to make fun out of each other, or as they call it, take the piss. Unfortunately, unless you've been here or know the fine points of British humour, it sounds like they are, well, trying to be mean. Don't take offense, give as good as you get and you may even make a best friend out of it. If they were being serious, well, they had it coming...

Some English do look at Americans as fat, well, all countries have their problem areas, I could start naming the British ones just as easily as I can name American. If they try to play that card, just like with everything, it's a sign of the ignorance and vulnerabilty of the other person.

Same with ignorance if they try to play that off. Trust me, English people can be as dim-witted about things an American knows as second nature and visa versa. "No, San Diego is not a state... neither is Philadelphia. Vancouver is in Canada!"

Lastly, you will get the same "where are you from" "is that near..." questions as you will likely ask other English people. So, for the record people, I have not been to New York, Cali, Florida, or Las Vegas... I know nothing more about those places than you do.

If anyone has any questions about what to expect or certain areas, like I said, I've been here three years in September and married with a job and everything... so I've heard and seen most of it. I'm happy to help here on the thread or even at the convention... find Tim, he can find me... though I do stick out a bit... I'm the short, fat, American who talks like a character from King of the Hill... but I'm not a Texan!

 

Or, you know, call us British. Much easier, and saves you the embarrassment of calling a Geordie a Scot or a Glaswegian an Englishman. Plus, technically, we are European. We're in Europe, we're part of the EU, and we're primarily of European blood (not much pure Celtic/Breton blood left).

 

My passport says British, and yeah, I don't mind being lumped with Scots/N. Irish/Welsh. But I think tbh we get called English more often than British. As for European, I'd love to be part of that bigger group in some ways, without losing my identity of course, but I think more often than not, with the UK being separated by a small stretch of water and language as a barrier, we are often considered outsiders in lots of things - politics, sometimes culture, etc. And RedGold's view is of someone living within Britain not born of Britain, so you may see differently Cobra, but her view is quite valid - it's not of someone who has never visited us.

 

Yeah, it's the English thing that annoys me. I can't see why anyone (other than the most nationalist of SNP or Sinn Fein suppoerters) would overly mind about being called British

And I know her view is valid. I was just see Britain as part of Europe, whether it wants to be or not And your point about language barrier is a bit silly, because most countries have a different language from each other Denmark's seperated from Sweden by sea and language, but it's still a part of Scandinavia

 

Hey, Cobra, why don't I call ya a Brumie and we call it a day, huh?

The point I was trying to put across is that Americans, or any one not from these parts, need to realize that there is a social and cultural different between the different areas, even if this country is about the size of my home state! It's one thing to say "Call everyone a Brit to be a safe" and another to say "There is a nationalistic pride between the various just like in the US, this may help avoid insult or help you out of a sticky situation."

Sorry if I didn't get that fully across the first time.