🇬🇧British Words That Are RUDE in America! 🇺🇸 | American vs British 

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*So all this time they were just calling me a cigarrette?*

Maybe they're called "rubbers" because you "rub" them on paper?

When I went to America the person I was staying with said “I like your pants” and I though my underwear was showing and got so embarrassed

There is another. In England, the phrase “blow me” means you’re taken aback or slightly amazed. In America it’s an insult or a sex act.

"Bun in the oven" is still the cutest way of saying "I'm pregnant."

The "C" word is much more acceptable in the UK whereas in the USA it is probably the absolute worst word someone could say in public.

My late father from NYC used to always refer to a restroom as "the facilities."

You said "homey" and I thought homie, like friend or mate

Homely means plain and unattractive. Age has nothing to do with it.,

Why do they call it taking a poop when your really leaving one?

LOL at the American smiling uncomfortably every time you guys say the "F" word! The other "F" word would get you less looks over here than that one!

“The bun’s in the oven.” That’s our version of up the duff

Homely DOES NOT mean "old" in America. What it means is plain, unimpressive, basic. So a homely person is someone who isn't dressed up or presenting themselves well in general. Just very basic.

Random British person: Where's the toilet? Me: In the bathroom?

“Preggers” “Ladies/ men’s room” or “rest room” if in public. “Bathroom” if at home or someone’s house.

Toilet is descriptive? I think you'll find 'shithouse' is a lot more descriptive

"So if you're turned off, don't worry you can turn back on" - top quote of the video

I’m in Britain and always thought homely meant it’s a place like home 😂

I’m planning a trip to Britain (I’m American) and am planning on taking my three sons. I watched a video of words not to say. Unfortunately, looks my son Randy is going to have to stay home. 😂😂😂

Brit, " Pardon me, where may I find the loo"? American, "Shitters down the hall on the left".

"Homely" doesn't mean old or like a hag. It simply means "unattractive". It's usually applied to young women who are considered plain looking or less than pretty.

I've never heard of "Preggy" but even my phone wants to correct me and say "preggo" -St. Louis

So Duff here in my part of the U.S. means butt so “up the duff” would loosely translate to up the butt.

Toilet can also be called "ladies room" or "men's room".

An eraser is a rubber because you rub things out with it. But then again, “rubbing something out” means something different in the US, too. Lol

There's also different meanings for "pissed". In the US it means pissed off/angry. But in the UK it means drunk.

Homely in India means traditional simple and beautiful!!

“Where’s the pisser?” “Can I use The John?”

We knew a family who moved here to the U.S. from England a few years back. Their little boy got sent to the principal's office his first day of school because his stupid teacher didn't realize that when he asked her for a "rubber" he just meant he needed an eraser. She thought he was asking her for a condom. I still don't get how she couldn't just use some common sense to figure out what he meant. The poor kid was like 8 years old and he thought he was getting in trouble for making a mistake on his paper.

Well, in Australia I heard that saying you're stuffed also means you're pregnant. But in America it just means you had too much to eat. 😅

I have heard people say someone pregnant is “knocked up,” in the US.

I saw a guy at church the other day. When he asked for the bathroom he said where is the litter box.lol

My mom (91) was born in Lancashire but has lived in the States since she was 18. When she came over with her military husband, they were greeted and welcomed by his entire family. That night, she said that she was going to bed and asked if someone would knock her up in the morning. She didn't understand why all the men raised their hands and all the women got mad. In England, it means to be woke up. In the States, it means to get someone pregnant.

when I was a young woman in the US Army, I had a boyfriend who used to say he had to go to the Little General's Room when he needed to go to the loo. Then one day we were out to dinner and I excused myself to go to the Little General's Room. Boyfriend looked at me and said, "But Maria, you don't have a Little General."

“I guess it's cause it feels like rubber?” 🤦

Pregnant..." she got a bun in the oven", " she got knocked up", and my favorite..."I slipped one past the goal post".

One word I've noticed has a difference in the US and the UK is the word "naughty." To me, at least, it seems in the UK, "naughty," just means being rebellious, or doing something you're not supposed to. Whereas in the US, the word "naughty" has sexual connotations. Like if someone is extra freaky in bed or something like that.

I’m an American who likes to watch British house-hunting programs (don’t ask me why). Even though I now know what they mean when they say a house is homely, it still startles me and I have to translate it into American English. But even worse is when they say that a property has outhouses. In American English, an outhouse is an unplumbed outdoor toilet, a privy. Not exactly a selling point for a country estate. You wouldn’t hear an American home buyer saying “It would be nice if it had an outhouse or two.” In the U.S., we’d call that an outbuilding or a shed. Or we’d specify “I’d like a garage, a greenhouse, and a potting shed.” And by the way, we wouldn’t say we have pot plants in our yard, we’d say potted plants. If you say you have pot plants, people would think you’re growing marijuana.

When I first moved to the U.K. I was sternly warned about using the terms “fanny pack!” To Americans it’s is just a belt pack. On your side of the pond it’s vulgar meaning a sexual act!

Speaking of pregnancy, to an Aussie 'can I knock you up?' means can I come by and wake you up, but in the States, it would mean 'can I get you pregnant?' This actually happened with some Aussie guests and it was so funny to hear the story.

Also in U.K. if you cannot be bothered to do a task or make a necessary journey, you simply say:- “ I can’t be arsed”!!’

You missed fanny. That means something very different here in the UK 😂

I believe the “Johnny” you’re looking for is actually “John” and means toilet. i .e. I need to go to the John.

Great video! 20 years ago was the last time I said, "Aw, you're up the duff! Congrats!" to a friend of a friend who walked through the door displaying a large baby bump under her long mac. Yea, didn't go down well though :( turned out that a gust of wind had got trapped under her mac and she was patting the bump to get the air out.

We say 'knocked up' for made pregnant and back in the 80's when I was staying in the UK a hotel clerk asked my wife if she wanted him to knock her up in the morning. She looked at me, then him and said, 'well that's certainly a nice service but my husband might not appreciate it'. The clerk said, 'oh I can do him as well!'. I had heard the colloquialism for a wake up call when I worked there in the late 70s but my wife was taken aback. I just grinned and said 'sure.... 7:30 would be a good time. '

Calling a women "homely" doesn't mean old in the US. It means plain, unattractive, or simple in appearance. Generally when you refer to some one (usually a women) in the US as being homely you are saying that she is very plain in appearance. It's not a term we use very often which is most likely why she thought it meant old.

When I was a kid, “wearing a rubber” meant you had lost your other waterproof shoe cover...golashes.

In hippie days, we said "Where's the head?" (restroom), which was apparently military in origin.

An eraser is called a rubber in the UK not only because it's generally made of rubber, but also because when used it literally rubs out what you want to remove from the paper. On a different note, if you say something like, "I rubbed one out last night" it refers to the act of masturbation.

I think it's interesting that the Brits found saying "restroom" and "bathroom" as too literal ("there's no bath in there..." "it's not really a place of rest...") and the American found saying "toilet" as too literal...

Glad you mentioned the word toilet. I am an American and I was in London several years ago. I think every time someone said toilet or I saw a sign that said toilet, I cringed inside!!

One of my English friends would say scheme and it always threw me. She meant scheme as in "plan" whereas I heard "sneaky plan"

I don’t say loo or toilet I’m from Scotland so I say “the bog”

My dictionary agrees with my understanding of "homely", which is not "old", but lacking in physical attractiveness--not as bad as "ugly", but on the way to it. A casual, informal, and a little funny, way of saying someone is pregnant is to say she has a bun in the oven. Some terms we use to avoid saying the "T" word would be "little boys' (or girls') room, the john, the can, the throne, or the powder room.

The whole "rubber" for "eraser" thing cracks me up every time!! "honey, my rubber broke!!" "oh no better use Plan B!!" "no, no, my eraser! It broke!" lmao!!!

You guys have really cheered me up, like your videos there fun.

A rubber is not only made from rubber but to use a rubber you must rub to erase.

Homely just means ugly or unattractive. It doesn't mean old or dirty or anything like that.

In the USA if your pregnant you have a "bump" 😂😂😂😂

I live in Salem, Oregon, USA, and when I was at the capitol one time, I saw there was an actual little rest room outside the restroom! I just thought that was so funny.

ohhh now the mean girls joke makes sense ‘come on, everyone take some rubbers - they won’t put them on themselves!’ as a brit, i was so confused 😂

Pretty sure your British rubbers are called that because they "rub out" mistakes.

No, I don't think I've heard them referred to as "Johny" or "rubber Johny" here.... but we do call them "Jimmies"..... just a different "J" name. As for "homely" here in the US... she was on the right track, but I'm pretty sure it just means "unattractive" or at the very least "Very plain.... boring.... dull." Depending on how it's said I guess it could be a "kinder" or more passive-aggressive way to call someone "ugly." That said.... again, with context, it also means the same thing it apparently ONLY means in the UK.... that something is very cozy or comfortable. Like "this hotel room is surprisingly very homely." That said..... I'd say the more common way the word is used here is in the more passive aggressive way in referring to someone as unattractive/ugly/plain looking..... again depending on how it's used/context will determine its level of offensiveness. "Homely" in that way would be the opposite of saying someone looks "stunning" or "gorgeous/handsome." Not necessarily that the person is hideous, because even "pretty people" can look rather "homely" at times. I'd say a more accurate description would just be "unkempt".... like if you're sick, or maybe you've been unemployed and all you wear around the house are dirty sweat pants and stained t-shirt you'd be looking rather "homely." But again, if said insultingly..... it's pretty much meaning "you're ugly..... grotesque." Bottom line is it REALLY depends on the context in how one uses it. To refer to a place as being cozy or comfortable though is probably the least used way to use the word here... but it does also mean that here as well. I wouldn't say it's SUPER common to use here, but if it is it's generally toward the negative connotation of calling a person unkempt looking if not outright ugly. Generally, people will just outright say a person looks ugly or unattractive, or if a room or home is "homely" they'll just say it's "cute and cozy" or "warm and comfortable" etc. Homely.... I wouldn't say is a very common word used here. But it is used. Just not to the level of say "fag/faggot" or "rubbers" haha. "up the duff"..... no. I don't think "duff" is even in the American vernacular. Sounds like how we'd use "knocked up." Both use the word "up" so that's the only reason I'd equate the two. It too isn't really a derogatory way to refer to a woman being pregnant, just a very informal way of referring to a woman being pregnant, "She couldn't come out to the bar with us tonight because she just found out she's knocked up." I guess it's pretty common here in the US to refer to it like that. I mean Judd Apatow did make a movie not too terribly long ago literally called "Knocked Up" starring Seth Rogan, Paul Rudd, and Katherine Heigl and it was pretty popular. It was about Seth Rogan's character hooking up with Katherine Heigl's character after meeting at a bar and he "knocked her up." As for "toilet"..... I was in the Navy and have been to many European countries and they're all the same in the usage of this word. I too found it weird initially to the point when I was in France I even asked the one bartender why they refer to it as just "the toilet" and he said "because it's where the toilet is." Fair enough, haha. I guess "bathroom" to them is more in reference to what we'd deem a "spa" or a "bath house" or pretty much any room with a bath in it. They take the word "bathroom" much more literally than we do.... pretty much they take everything bathroom related very literally... I mean they do refer to it as "the toilet." I wonder why they just call it "the toilet" though and not "the toilet room." I mean I am asking for the location of the room itself..... I'm pretty sure I'll find "the toilet' once inside, haha. To me it's just weird because it's like wanting to ask a person "where's the kitchen" and instead asking "where's the oven?" Like the American here said it's just VERY specific. Because like she said, while there is no actual bath in the room, there is other stuff in their than just the toilet..... like a sink to wash your hands.... so therefore it's like the bathroom at your house. I mean do UK/Europeans refer to it as "the toilet" in their own homes? I mean I am assuming they have a bathtub or at least a shower in there as well as a sink. Is it still "the toilet" at home? Also.... why is this ROOM referred to as what's inside of it? Again, it's like referring to the dining room of a restaurant as "the table" or you living room as "the TV" it's just weird to me to call a room by what's located inside said room. Like why is it "the toilet" and not "the sink" or "the mirror" what made you all land on "the toilet?" I'd say the sink is used just as much if not more than the toilet.... I'd hope. I mean if you use the actual toilet you're going to use the sink I'd hope afterwards. Or you could just ask to go there to use the sink to wash your hands before you sit down and have a meal. I mean it's just weird to as "where's your toilet" when all I want to do is wash my hands..... it's like I'm going in there to wash my hands in the toilet or something. Hence "bathroom" or "restroom" in the US. This is probably one of a VERY few times I'd say the US is much more proper than the UK or any other country for that matter. Which is weird because it's in reference to something you'd think Europeans would be VERY uptight about.... human waste. Very personal matters. Nope. "Where's the toilet." I will say though... you do have "loo" which does sound very snobbish, but then when you look up the etymology of that term and where it came from.... pretty gross, haha. "There are several theories about the origin of this informal British term for a toilet. The first, and most popular, is that it derived from the cry of 'gardyloo' (from the French regardez l'eau 'watch out for the water'), which was shouted by medieval servants as they emptied chamber pots out of upstairs windows into the street." Not exactly very "upper class" if you ask me, haha. A word used that meant pretty much "watch out for the turds I'm about to throw out my window" is how they refer to the bathroom. Bathroom is just so much more.... cleaner. If you really want to vomit though... actually go and use a bathroom in the middle east. I pick on the middle east because these were EVERYWHERE.... even the airports, but I did run into a few in Italy and France as well. The bathrooms are DISGUSTING. They're of the "no actual toilet' variety or at least what a westerner would deem a proper toilet. They're essentially just bowls on the ground you squat over and do your business. I still am not sure how one shits in one without the turds falling into their pants around their ankles. Then of course, at leas in the Mid East..... there's no toilet paper to clean up with. Not even a true bidet. But instead a removable shower head-like thing you use that's hung up by the "toilet"... aka bowl, and you literally just spray your ass with it. Again..... no toilet paper..... so shit gets REALLY messy and VERY wet. It's fucking disgusting. When I was out in Saudi Arabia for work I had a #2 hit me like a ton of bricks and I HAD to use one of these..... quite possibly one of the most miserable, humiliating experiences of my life. ONLY way I could think of to do my business was to pretty much get half naked and remove everything from my lower half so I wouldn't shit into my panys and underwear around my ankles. Then..... I had to literally hose off.... then I waited until everyone left the bathroom, quickly put my pants back on, ran to the sinks and grabbed a stack of paper towels. Ran back to the stall, disrobed again waist down and wiped up the water that was EVERYWHERE. I mean you're literally spraying your ass standing up.... it's NOT a bidet. How does the water not run down your legs or worse yet..... the shit you're literally hosing off your asshole. It was DISGUSTING as all hell. I felt like I was in a world of barbarians that hadn't discovered the wheel yet. I know I sound EXTREMELY elitist here..... but it was beyond disgusting. And I definitely don't think of myself as elitist. I don't even use bidets because again..... why the hell would I want water running down my leg when I stand back up.... it just makes no sense to me. But at least in bathrooms that utilize bidets.... they STILL HAVE TOILET PAPER HANGING ON THE WALL. Not so in the Mid East. It didn't dawn on me that it's probably not as much of a hassle or issue with locals because they all where those tunic or I think they call them "thwabs" Americans would call them essentially dresses. They just hike that shit up and do their business...... but still.... you literally have to hose yourself off. Even if you're wearing a tunic how does that not get... messy. I don't want to sound like a dick but I feel this is likely a reason things smell a bit..... differently out there to put it kindly (the people smell.... there I said it.... but that's also because A LOT of arabs don't wear deodorant either... at least the ones I was working with.... so picture that. THESE are their bathrooms in public places and a lot of them don't wear deodorant and it's the Mid East.....a "cool" day is like 89 degree F..... it stinks there, no offense to any arabs here..... but it stinks, and Saudi Arabia is dripping with money. I mean the cop cars are fucking luxury vehicles for fucks sake.... you'd think they'd have modern fucking toilets not some stone age shit).

"Facilities" is also a formal way of saying restroom. May I use your facilities?

If something goes “ Tits up “ in your life, it means that something important has gone wrong in your life and not the way you had planned it!

This is too funny! I had some British friends in college and the first time one of them asked me where the toilet was, I was very confused and answered, "Um, it's in the bathroom..."

"In a family way" was how I was raised referring to UTD.

I love this. Apparently I’m too late as this was from four years ago. But I am very close friends with a Bloke from Aylesbury and we just have a blast, sort of blasting each other on words that are rude to each other’s nation. And your five words on this video were ones that we laugh about quite often especially toilet. Let me see if I can I subscribed but hopefully I can watch other ones. As he is having a huge party with the world cup ha ha. Thanks so much !!!

Jess really nailed why Americans cringe when they hear the word toilet.

"Up the duff" lol. I Have to start using that one in America.

That whole bathroom/toilet discussion... That's the main reason why I always refer to them as restrooms when I'm out in public. Lol

Instead of asking “where’s the toilet?” in the US, we might ask “where’s the John?”. Or a bit crass, you might hear a male say he needs to hit the head.

Actually, homely means unattractive, not old.

Don't say Toilet. Don't say Loo. Say Shitter.

"where's the shitter" is probably more crass 😂

I love how different Americans are from Brits and vice versa. I wish people could just accept we’re different and that it’s ok. Love from Minnesota!

Re: the origin of the word "restroom". Showing my age here. In the 30's, 40's and 50's, upscale department stores, restaurants, museums, hotels and clubs would have a beautifully decorated foyer adjoining the "loo." This room contained sofas, upholstered chairs, lighted make-up tables, even desks. This is where you went to " rest" from shopping, dancing, viewing art, etc. While you were resting you could also step into the next room and use the loo. The foyer was the "rest room." Over the years " going to the rest room" became a euphemism for going to the loo. I remember we bring a very tiny girl in a petticoat dress and white glove shopping downtown with my mother. She took me to the rest room to lay down and rest on the sofa because I was missing my nap and thus cranky. I recall it vividly. Pale yellow satin upholstery with pink roses, and matching drapes. Crystal chandelier, plush carpet, complimentary spritzers of perfume...and the sound of flushing toilets from the next room.

Homely doesn't mean old, it means unattractive.

In America, homey is also a slang term for friend, and it carries the nuance of mutual love, trust, and respect. You feel "at home" when you're with them, thus they are your homeys. So, Joel, Lia and Jess are homeys! It has several variations too, like home boy, home girl, home slice, home skillet, etc. It's weird, yes, but entertaining too.

My dad was British. One time when I was eleven or so, a friend called and asked for me. He said, "She's in the toilet." When I got to the phone, my friend gave this nervous laugh, a bit like "that's really weird, strange," and not in a nice way. She commented on what Dad said. I had to explain he meant the bathroom, but that that's how he says it. On another note, a word you hear in the U.S. for being pregnant is "preggers." Though usually, in public, you might just say that you're pregnant, or "expecting." In the South (not sure about the rest of the country) they might say a woman "has a bun in the oven." That one is so bizzarre to me! It just sounds so ... wrong. lol I love this channel. So many questions I wish I could ask my dad, but he died in 2005. I wish I had more recordings of him :(

Homely just means "ugly" ...nothing to do with age.

Loved this video guys! Really enjoyed the colalb with Jess. And totally hilarious as well! Great job! Love and cheers! 👍💗😘🇬🇧

Closest we have to up the duff is " knocked up" Alot of times if I don't say restroom I will say " facilities"......" where are the facilities?".....

Great video!😊

Brits seem to use c*nt quite often. Not just as a swear word or an insult, but also as some kind of compliment. "Your mate Jack, he's a cheerful c*nt, isn't he?" They also use it a lot when they're having some playful banter. "Why are you walking an emu, you daft c*nt?" In the US, however, it's considered to be incredibly rude

English & American differences e.g UK = Rubber US = Eraser

"Bathroom" and "restroom" are used more-or-less interchangeably in the U.S., but usually I say "bathroom" when in a private residence or hotel room (where there might be a bath or shower), and "restroom" when in a public place, shop, school, office, etc. Occasionally I also see "W.C." for water closet, but that's not very common here.

Love your content... great show

I've heard "duff" in the US as a slang for rear end similar to "tush" or "kiester." When I first heard you guys say that phrase it seemed rude because it sounded so much like "taking it up the rear." O_O

Where I come from in the US “homely” when referring to a person (more often a. Woman than a man) it means unattractive. Cannot remember the last time I heard it used though.

Oh my gosh!! You guys make me laugh so hard!!!

6:15 i swear he was going to say “give her a top that says UP THE DUFF” 😂😂😂

I would add "nappy" to the list of words that are offensive in the US. In the UK, it means what Americans call a diaper. In the US, however, it is a derogatory/racist way to describe African American people's hair. Also, where I'm from in the southeastern US, "homely" means not particularly attractive, and is mostly used to describe women and girls, though it may occasionally be used to describe men or boys, who aren't necessarily thought of as ugly, but they're not considered attractive either. One other note - I lived in the UK for five and a half years, but I feel really certain that I knew the phrase "up the duff" long before I moved there in 2005, although I suppose it's possible I learned it watching British films or television programming.

The phrase "can you get my dad-" lol a ad played

Keep doing these kinds of videos they are so funny 😂 ❤️😅

I think in the US, "toilet" is usually considered more crass than saying "bathroom" or "restroom"

"Up the duff" might be quite confusing to some Americans, as duff can be a mildly demeaning word for buttocks: "Get off your lazy duff and get to work." Thus, up the duff might be suspected by some Americans to be some sort of allusion to "up your bum."

Restroom was originally (if I am remembering correctly) called that because ladies would go into a room between the restaurant and the actual room that we today call the restroom to rest and potentially loosen their corsets and it usually had chairs or a chaise lounge in it.

Which English accent uses water cycle for bathroom or toilet ?