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Americans Abusing Britishisms: Please Help
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2012-10-17, 09:44

I've just read a very disturbing bit of social commentary and I want to enlist everyone's help in stopping the American usage of (and inevitable total destruction of) cool British sayings.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-19929249

For example: Chav used to be one of my favorite words, not because I reveled in the possibility of walking around American streets using it, but because it was a distinctly British and humorous way of describing familiar societal flaws we have here too.

Now apparently Americans are trying to be cool by using English slang, offering such classics as "innit" "lumpty" and "shag". I guess we can credit Austin Powers with giving Americans the go-ahead to use "shag" but still. What makes these words cool is that they're uniquely British and the accent that goes along with them. The idea of hearing a bunch of American teenagers (or worse a bunch of middle aged suburban guys) trying to use these words, makes me cringe because it will "kill the cool".

Please remember: friends don't let friends "talk British". Let the British do it; they're so much better at it than we are.

We can stick to awesome words of our own that the British don't use as effectively, such as "douche bag" "bitchin'" and many variations on teh word "fuck". We are the masters of fuck; let it be known.

...into the light of a dark black night.
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Yontsey
*AD SPACE FOR SALE*
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Cleveland-ish, OH
 
2012-10-17, 10:44

I honestly can say I never hear anyone say things like that. I know the words, but never have heard it used in public or even random conversation.
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AWR
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: State of Flux
 
2012-10-17, 10:49

Surprised not to see Lads. Knickers is a kindly word, though; its use should be encouraged. Panties pales in comparison on my hornometer.

Last edited by AWR : 2012-10-17 at 11:22.
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ThunderPoit
Making sawdust
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Minnesota
 
2012-10-17, 10:54

I blame Karen and Matt.
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FFL
Fishhead Family Reunited
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Slightly Off Center
 
2012-10-17, 11:06

Blimey! Well that's a bit of all right, innit?
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2012-10-17, 11:12

Lads is sort of an old Irish throw-back I think and probably doesn't fit into this particular linguistic conundrum (scratch "use linguistic conundrum in a sentence" off bucket list). People have been using that for decades here) probably since the big Irish immigration period. I myself use lad on occasion and don't consider it a "saying of the isles" nearly as much as the others.

Flat I'm not sure about. I don't know if that's been commonly used in teh US for a long time or not. But the thing about flat is it doesn't have the pizzaz of some of these other gems. I don't think I'd be concerned if I heard someone using the word flat, although it might sound a little odd depending on who it comes from.

I suspect this problem is more prevalent in places like New York and LA where there is more exposure to British actors and whatnot. All I know is I want to preserve the beauty of words like chav, innit and bloody for generations to come. Think of the British children; they're our future!

...into the light of a dark black night.
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AWR
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: State of Flux
 
2012-10-17, 11:23

Have you been anywhere in Britain recently?
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kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2012-10-17, 11:30

Cocks. All of 'em!
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2012-10-17, 11:30

AWR: Does 2006 count? Spent a couple weeks in England and Wales. Mind you I wasn't hanging out with chavs so I didn't get to see someone say "listen you chav twit... you fucking spide shite... go tell your 30 year old grandmother to stop buying you Burberry lids on lay-away! You're only 3, you shouldn't be wearing that crap!"

(actually I think "lid" is an 1990s Americanism but I'm not positive.)

...into the light of a dark black night.
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AWR
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: State of Flux
 
2012-10-17, 12:24

Mind you! Is that a Britishism??

Mind the gap.

A good slog from the station?

2006 counts for visiting but not for recently.

Spoiler (click to toggle):
My only (half joking, half crying) point being that, as you're probably aware already being a Beebhead, the race to the bottom in the UK as in the States has only been picking up speed in recent years. And perhaps it's not the people down there who are actually trying to improve their times, but income and opportunity inequality continues to expand. Not to derail otherwise STELLAR thread.
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2012-10-17, 15:55

Beebhead? At first I thought that meant something like "British Groupie", then I looked it up. WTF does Justin Beeber have to do with this? Can canadian pop-dweebs be chavs? If he starts wearing Burberry maybe we can just refer to all chav-like beings as "Beebs".

...into the light of a dark black night.
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Xaqtly
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Join Date: May 2004
 
2012-10-17, 18:46

I started watching Monty Python over 20 years ago so I'm just going to claim that I'm an honorary Brit and continue to spew British phrases at people. I still call people moistened bints.
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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2012-10-17, 21:10

I will tell you RIGHT NOW that the viral vector was Harry Potter, but the payload has been the renovation of Dr. Who.

That's right, all of the smarmy fucking "me too" American kids have latched onto Dr. Who and are risking life and limb by standing anywhere near me and saying shit like "custard and fish sticks".

FUCK that shit.

Moffat's version of Dr. Who is a catchphrase-ridden, quick-cut dipped ride through the worst sort of McGuffin-flavored tripe that's been on television in years and the little shits who are wearing fezzes and bowties need to be kicked directly in the nads until they toughen up and quit doing shit like this....


"THIS" happened a few weekends ago during a ghost tour.....

The overly-dramatic young girl leading the tour asked where we were all from, and when she got to one young man he mumbled something about "wibbly wobbly timey wimey" and I almost SLAPPED THE BACK OF HIS LITTLE FUCKING HEAD!!!!!

Little shit.

Moffat: are you listening to me?

THROW AWAY the fricking sonic screwdriver!

Pussy.

Learn to write without a crutch.



...

Steve Jobs ate my cat's watermelon.
Captain Drew on Twitter
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2012-10-17, 21:36

Drew understands.
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2012-10-17, 21:37

Quote:
Originally Posted by Xaqtly View Post
I started watching Monty Python over 20 years ago so I'm just going to claim that I'm an honorary Brit and continue to spew British phrases at people. I still call people moistened bints.

But only if they lob a scimitar at you? Actually I'm guilty of one other Britishism but it's not nearly as cool as the other words I mentioned and therefore i can't be accused of trying to sound hip / cool and failing miserably... but I use the phrase "well played" at least once a month. I don't know for sure if it's from the isles, but I think it is (it's a Britishism that is also a golfism I believe).

I use it like this:

Me: Stop using British slang you uppity cunts!

Drew: Fuckin' right! Moffat's version of Dr. Who is a catchphrase-ridden, quick-cut dipped ride through the worst sort of McGuffin-flavored tripe that's been on television in years.

Me: Well played, ya bloody red-headed-pirate-scalawag. *cough* (but usually I stop at "Well played")

...into the light of a dark black night.
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Bryson
Rocket Surgeon
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: The Canadark
 
2012-10-17, 22:12

I'm a real British person (with a full-on "BBC English" accent to boot - elocution lessons seemed like a waste of time when I was a kid, but I'm thankful for them now) living in North America, and I agree - if only because they're intruding on my turf! The sweet accent is my thing, peasants.
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AWR
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Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: State of Flux
 
2012-10-18, 01:58

Red-headed? That's a typo for Ginger (ginjah)?
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turbulentfurball
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2012-10-18, 02:46

Quote:
Originally Posted by Moogs View Post
Beebhead? At first I thought that meant something like "British Groupie", then I looked it up. WTF does Justin Beeber have to do with this? Can canadian pop-dweebs be chavs? If he starts wearing Burberry maybe we can just refer to all chav-like beings as "Beebs".
Here's a British monkey singing about Justin Bieber. Fittingly, from the Beeb (nickname for the BBC) Do not underestimate this link's awesomeness.
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Kickaha
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Join Date: May 2004
 
2012-10-18, 04:22

Yanks will stop speaking Limey when the good folks on the other side of the pond give up 'Ok'.

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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2012-10-18, 06:43

Quote:
Originally Posted by AWR View Post
Red-headed? That's a typo for Ginger (ginjah)?
GO NOT GET ME STARTED on how annoyed I am at suddenly being referred to as a 'ginger'.

These little smegheads have NO idea of the OTHER meaning of the word as a term for homosexual, long used in what seems a derogatory fashion (correct me if I'm wrong on that interpretation) - or the institutional abuse of red haired people by the English.

At least the little fuckers' ignorance seems well-intended... adoring, even.

...

Steve Jobs ate my cat's watermelon.
Captain Drew on Twitter
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Kickaha
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Join Date: May 2004
 
2012-10-18, 07:43

Quote:
Originally Posted by drewprops View Post
GO NOT GET ME STARTED on how annoyed I am at suddenly being referred to as a 'ginger'.
*LAUGH* First time I *ever* heard the term was on a bus between Peterborough and Polebrook in the UK. Three little old ladies got to chatting with me, and they were fawning over my hair, and called it 'ginger'.

It wasn't until oh, South Park, that I ever heard it used derogatorily. Now I'm all fuckin' GINGAH POWAH.
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2012-10-18, 10:08

What are we saying here... that Captain Drew's real hair color is not "Irish Red"?

Furbulent: thank you for clarifying the meaning of Beebhead. I couldn't find any reliable reference to it and was offended that anyone would attempt to bring up Beeberz in this awesome thread of Britishism.

If Beebhead = a BBC junky, guilty as charged.

BTW

all I can say to this

Quote:
I'm gonna take a pick-axe to his pretty face
is

...into the light of a dark black night.
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