If you liked this, watch 7 American English Words That Are Catching on in Britain now: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0KL9Jqr0vvw.html
Sorted is actually due to American and English militaries. Our troops get stationed in the UK and get used to saying it and then come back or get deployed with UK troops and come back saying it. While we always had the officer exchange program (officers swap countries to lead other nation's troops) It really ramped up in the 80s and exponentially ramps up after 2001. When you consider that 12.3 million people (almost 4% of the US population) joined the military in the 15 years after 9/11, all of them exposed to British words, and then released back into the wild, there really is no wonder why the popularity of those words increased. Adding onto the hit shows of Dr Who( before it became trash), and Downton Abbey, and Penny Dreadful; the English uses of words just skyrocketed.
Great lists... I use a lot of those American words, although there is one I am surprised you didn't mention which I wish would sink to the bottom of the pond and never re surface and that is the phrase 'reach out' which is being used instead of 'contact' drives me mad when I hear someone saying that. 😀
It's English, not British English and for a native speaker you seem to have a tenuous grasp of it. Also, try talking through your mouth rather than your nose. You're not in Oasis or a Python sketch. 🤢
Lost in the Pond is a beggar who tries to get people to subscribe. If you want those, EARN THEM! People will do them when THEY WANT to, not when you WANT THEM to. You do not deserve subscriptions.
Which region do you live in, if you don't mind? Regularity of American use of wonky seemed to be debated in the original community post about this, but it also appeared to be possibly regionally limited
@@tabularasa I was born in and grew up in New Mexico, but I have lived most of my adult life in Florida. My parents were originally from Pennsylvania and Illinois. I’m pretty sure wonky isn’t a southern thing because my parents were from the north and used it as well. Maybe wonky is a more common word amongst people who sew, knit or crochet. If your tension is off your scarf, blanket, pot holder or whatever you made will be wonky. If you can’t, maintain a straight line when sewing hems and seems especially with a sewing machine ,your garment will be wonky.
In my experience, Americans do use "sorted" to mean "resolved," but if we want that meaning, we don't use the word "sorted" alone. Instead, we say "sorted out." For example, "Let's talk for a few minutes to get our Christmas plans sorted out."
We do say "sorted out" but I've noticed we use it only for multiple tasks. For singular tasks we'll say "fix". Instead of "get your hair sorted" we'll say "fix your hair."
Recently I’ve heard a lot of people use “sorted” without “out.” I was sensitive to it because I was in the UK last year and there were signs up on the trains saying something like “see it, say it, sort it” (where I live it’s “see something, say something.”) I think the two Englishes are getting closer every day.
Little-known fact... The word 'fall' for autumn was originally used in England during Henry 8th's time, but went out of fashion. The word autumn entered English from the French automne.
A lot of American English (and spelling) is from old English. When we separated in the late 1700s, the language became stilted somewhat. A lot of the differences stem from us Americans being a bunch of hillbillies but it's fun to listen to Canadian RU-vidrs say words like: "Been" (pronouncing it like "bean") "Battery" (pronouncing it "bat-ry") And many others. (Don't get me started on aluminum.) Canada is still married to the UK and so there is a lot more shared language and culture with England north of the border.
W.S. Gilbert was once asked how "Bloodygore" was going, and Gilbert replied, "It's Ruddigore." The person then said, "It's the same thing," to which Gilbert replied, "So if I say 'I admire your ruddy complexion'-which I do-it's the same as saying 'I like your bloody cheek'-which I don't."
when I was a teenager I had heard the word "bugger" a few times with little context. I assumed in meant "to annoy" like we use "bug". I would go on to use the word in that context on a semi-frequent basis. Quite a few times I would approach someone and say something akin to "hey, mind if I bugger you for a moment?". I was pretty damn embarrassed when I learned the true definition of the word.
Haha. I didn’t realize its true meaning until recently. I never used “Bugger off!”, but would say things like “Bug off!” and “Stop bugging me!”. I always thought it referred to annoying someone like a bug often does (especially mosquitoes). I didn’t know about “buggery”… Well, at least the term haha.
This brings back fond memories of when I was in the US Army and stationed in West Germany at GHQ Rheindahlen. I got a "proper" education from my British "mates." I use all these words along with wing (fender), boot(trunk), bonnet (hood) and referring to a truck as a "lorry." I do love and respect my UK cousins. "God Save The KIng!"
I drive a MINI Cooper and just the past weekend,, I had to point out where the bonnet latch was. Of course, it is ion the right side. The MINI has a boot, too.
Yes I’ve used it since I can remember (and I am almost 58) and even my parents and grandmother used it frequently and most if their lives. However, it could be regional usage. It has caught on in areas that rarely used it before. Influence from British programs being easier to see? Maybe. People moving due to life changes and taking that regional speech with them? Also maybe. And maybe a combination of the two. The last one is my guess.
I grew up in Texas and am nearly 50 years old and the word "wonky" has been part of my vernacular all of my life. I actually assumed it was a southern US word since it's used so much where I grew up. I don't think this is a recent addition to American English, at least for Southern US English. Maybe this is the case for Midwestern US English, but it's been commonplace in Texas for my entire life.
Another Texan here: I've also used "wonky" since I was a child, as well as "knackered." My older relatives were big fans of British television shows on PBS back in the early 80s, so that may have been the culprit.
I was once in Florida on a small fishing boat with my dad and a local guide. About half way through the trip, the local guy turned to us, dead serious and squinting - "What language are you guys speaking? Norwegian?!". We're Geordies of course (northern/newcastle). Things were pretty awkward from then, as he was strapped (of course) and seemingly didn't believe that we were British anymore..
As an older Canadian I picked up most of my English words and phrases from Monty Python, on The Buses, Benny Hill, and Are You Being Served with a bit of James Herriot thrown in. It’s off to bed for me now, I’m knackered.
Yes this one is familiar to me. There was a British family who lived in our neighborhood and we picked it up from them. I love the word knackered because there is no word on the USA side of the pond that expresses a general state of malfunction or disrepair or in some cases of medial or mental state. This useful word also hinds of the knackery where things go to be disassembled, recycled, or the glue factory for old horses. LOL And of course the phrases, I'm gonna knacker you or You need a knacker... take on a life of their own. WHen I hear them they are normal so I get a chuckle from them. Bloody Hell or Forking Hell are ones I hear often and am probably responsible for. I use Forking Hell instead of the F-bomb version to take the edge off of it but it still ruffles a few feathers. Love you Brits. You Lot are masters of humor and dry sarcasm. Love it.
@@KlodFather One of the words/phrases we always used to hear in the North of the UK was 'bobby-dazzler' which you don't hear people say much now. It means 'outstanding, fancy, sparkling' , for example 'that red and blue hat you're wearing is a right bobby dazzler'!' I've always liked that phrase, I don't know why!
A few words that I’ve tried to implement in my daily life and get other people on board are “Mate,” “Bloke,” “innit,” and “cheers.” I just like the way those words sound and flow. I have a delusional sense of belief that I, alone, can make these words catch on lol
I've heard both wonky and dodgy used commonly my entire life over here in the pacific northwest. I've never even thought of them as british. At this point I don't even think they are.
"Sorted out" is more specific than "finished". It means that there was a problem that is now solved, and also that the true nature of the problem was not at first understood but looked highly feasible.
I will say that "sorted" by itself is usually only used in American English to describe a system of organization, as in "sorted by color." But the British meaning you mention of "resolved" has always been used in American English, but it requires the preposition "out" along with it. A Brit might say, when a problem has been resolved, "I'm glad we got that sorted," while an American in the same situation would say "I'm glad we got that sorted out." Sometimes, the American phrase even adds a modifier, with the phrase "all sorted out" (and even "mostly sorted out" in cases where there are still a few details to be fixed) being common, as well. But "sorted out" is a tried-and-true American English-ism, I've been using it since I was in elementary school, and I just turned 68 recently.
I knew a South African girl that used sorted out, meaning to discipline somebody. Watching British TV and films from 60 or 70 years ago, they used to use "up" when using the verb queue, as in to queue up, just like to line up in American English. I don't know when the Brits started dropping the up from queue. The South African girl also used proper. I saw an American TV show from 60 years ago that used "do the marketing" for going grocery shopping.
I see "sorted" on its own in US English more and more, but really only in the context of cars/car issues. Guessing that's influence from something like Top Gear.
I started saying, "And Bob's your uncle!," after watching too many British panel shows like WILTY, and my boyfriend told me to just knock it off. Now he's picked up the expression and sees just how wonderful it is. The one Brit I dated in my life was a Liverpudlian who said "actually" more than anyone should be legally allowed to.
@@linguaphile42, but do you have an Aunt Fanny? The expression in full is: "Bob's your uncle, and Fanny's your aunt". 😆 It was a music hall hit in the early 1950… they really knew how to live it up back then!
“Chuffed” is my absolute favorite, and I got it from watching all the British RU-vidrs I love. Crossing my fingers that “…and Bob’s your uncle!” will catch on sometime soon in the US. 😅
Oh wow, is "crossing fingers that" not generally understood where you're from? Since that's a literal reference of a gesture (🤞) I thought it might be more universal :)
@@JfromUK_The phrase they were quoting was "and Bob's your uncle". They are crossing their fingers in hopes it will catch on with other people in the US because they like it😊
My dad was English; so of course growing up my brother and I picked up British words. Until recently, using "proper" and "sorted" drew funny looks, but I've noticed that's stopped over the last few years.
My own vocabulary has been heavily modified to include bloody ‘ell and the like for a good 25 years already as I have been an American expat living and working with Brits, Aussies and Kiwis (many of each) as the sole ’merican pilot at our company in Asia since moving here in the 90s They made it one of their missions to get my vocab sorted right proper they did. 😂
I (a US native), recently received an email from my web designer (a UK expat) suggesting that we get together for a 'chinwag'. Although I am well-versed in both tongues, I had never hear that term before. The term was self-explanatory. We chatted over a cuppa.
A Londoner here: we used chinwag all the time when I was growing up. Just means a chat. Pow wow, was another one, meaning a similar thing, but maybe a bit more serious. I am 71 years old. I don’t think young people use it now.
@@yossarian6799 Are you winding me up? Perhaps people heard it in Western films, which were very popular when I was young. Other foreign expressions: “I’m going to take a shufti”, meaning take a look - I think the British troops brought that back from North Africa. It is Arabic for “look”. Also a cup of “cha”, meaning a cup of tea. Is that from India? “Cow tow”, meaning making yourself subservient, is from China, I think.
I've heard chin wag for at least my entire adult professional life - a couple decades. 40 year old US native here. I'm also an army brat though, so I have been exposed to several different dialects along the way
Thank you for the new Briticism! I deliberately use them when I'm in the mood to do so. I am a twenty-four-year-old Autistic American (who still resides in the US and has unfortunately never travelled overseas; I don't even have a passport as of now) who is fascinated with language in general (I'm a legitimate logophile and was shocked to learn that there's a word for people just like me!). In particular, I am enamoured with British English as a result of growing up believing that it was "true English" and that foreign dialects were no more than "knockoffs". (I intend no offence to anyone with a zeal for their version of an imported language.)
"Gutted" is one I've heard with more frequency. I think most people here were exposed to it through The Great British Bake Off, which became extremely popular to stream during the pandemic when everyone took up baking as a hobby.
I’ve been using “wonky“ for quite a while, but I have mostly heard it used as generally not quite right, and that’s the way I’ve used it. On the other hand, generally when I’ve heard the word “chuffed“ it has been from British RU-vidrs.
Same here. Growing up we had a couple of wonky kids in school. Being from northern Minnesota we usually used 'catty wompas' when something was askew. 'Chuff', was a new one for me.
Chuffed is a joke word here - no one uses it in real life. The 80s satirical puppet show Spitting Image used to use it as a way to avoid stronger swear words. "I gonna chuffing kill you!"
Personally, I have made it my one man mission to incorporate the word "faff" into American English. There really is no alternative, and a multitude of errands and responsibilities do call for it.
@@Kingdom_Of_Dreams That too. But it is also a noun. eg, "No dear, I will not individually crimp all these pasta shells for your mother's birthday luncheon. It's too much of a faff."
I'm hearing "hoovering up" (as a general term for data collection etc) on US podcasts a lot more. Hoover never used to be the de-facto verb for vacuuming when I was growing up in the (North east) states (in the 80's) but was one that instantly stood out when I moved to the UK (...doing the hoovering...) Seems the verb is catching on over the pond now too, though possibly only for non-vacuuming tasks... IDK.
I used to work for a manufacturing company where the director of research and development was a brilliant but mercurial Britt. When one of his creations catastrophically disassembled itself in the lab, he described the results as a "Right, proper, bloody mess," which I believe to be the best third-level intensifier that can be spoken in polite company.
If I might be so bold as to steer you in the direction of a bit of classic BBC comedy from the early 1980s'; A programme called "The Young Ones", which ran for two series (Seasons). Alot of slapstick, innuendo and quite bad language. Ever wanted to hear a punk rocker shout "Sod off ugly po-faced git"? Then this could be "Just your cuppa Rosy Lee, Govner."
I've heard (and used) "wonky" regularly and often since growing up on the US East Coast (both North & South), and I was born in the 1950s. In addition, I can remember my mother-in-law using it regularly (especially when I hung her Christmas decorations), and she was a lifelong Wisconsinite.
I spent many happy formative years in England as a pilot for USAF. The use of language and how it was applied was wonderful. The context and the reasoning behind common phrases was illuminating. I adopted numerous words, but the one that always stayed with me was cheers, mate. Something so simple given without expectation but heart warming to the core.
@@edjarrett3164 Yep. I lived in King's Lynn from 1977 to 1987 and remember going to spot planes at Mildenhall around that time. I was only a child but remember Mildenhall was great for KC135s, as well as visiting RAF jets such as Jaguars, Buccaneers and other jets. Not forgetting of course F-111s from Lakenheath and their fenland bombing runs,
@@andyhinds542 I remember how totally wierd it was when I saw all the plane spotters when I first visited. Later, on a quick trip to London, I picked up the latest log of aircraft arriving and departing Mildenhall. I was really surprised how accurate the log entries were. They included all our KC-135Q aircraft, the RC135s and the SR71 tail numbers. Short of the actual mission routings, it was strikingly accurate especially considering the classified nature of our missions.
@@edjarrett3164 Don't you have plane spotters, bird spotters or train spotters in US. There's accurate books for each. with photos, best places and time to see them. And people mark them off until they've seen them all.
I have lived my entire life in the American Midwest, and have heard "wonky" for the last 30 to 40 years. Not all the time, but often enough. The others are "newer", and indeed seeing more use!
@@BJJISTHEGAYPARTOFMMA yeh but north and south are so different, the dialects and accents are world's apart, even the economies are so different we could have different currencies 😂
@@BJJISTHEGAYPARTOFMMA 😂 it's mad that that's so true, it's why so many houses up north are leased by landlords in the south, the HS2 would have changed/will change that...I don't keep up to date on news so no idea what's happening with thst
Yes, Games Workshop, who produces Warhammer, very much exposed me to lots of British terminology through various publications. More recently (last 15 - 20 years), their PC and mobile games have really brought a lot out. The green skinned Ork / Orc races in their games have been assigned a British Cockney accent. This gave me access to many of the phrases you used here as a teen / early 20’s person.
I have been using wonky all my life. My mother would say that you just needed to cook wonky meat a little longer to make sure that it was safe. A depression era child upbringing never left her.
After many years working overseas, I still tend to use "cheers" when saying good-bye in person or on the phone. Knackered is my favorite. A perfect description of tired/completely worn out. I am also quite fond of "Bob's your Uncle".
@@alphabetaomega265bobs your uncle and Fanny’s your aunt - there you go that’s how it’s done straight forward - ‘simplles’ can be used due to the insurance tv advert (Compare the Merecat)
That sofa/couch/settee, that short sleeved shirt and OMG that carpet - I'm sure many of us in our late 40s/early 50s saw that old photo of you and were like "that's just like me at home at that age".
@@TheInkPitOx Oh that's interesting; I don't know where you're from but where I'm at here in the UK all three can & are used interchangeably, although you do tend to hear settee a lot less often nowadays.
I’ve used “wonky” for as long as I can remember - wonderful word! And then there is “gobsmacked” - I just love the way it sounds and is so perfectly descriptive!
Because my dad was a stickler for speaking correctly, the word gob wasn't allowed in our house as it was considered coarse slang. (Kid as in child wasnt allowed either!) As a result, although gobsmacked is perfect in many ways, I still wince when I hear it!
I've been saying "wonky" since early childhood in the late 60s...my Daddy said it was short for "cattywampus". We here in New England also use "sorted" quite often..."well, he got that sorted".
Yeah, one thing I've found a lot from these videos is that new englanders (which I'm one of) have used a lot of British slang for a looooong time. So many things he brings up I'm like, "But, I've been saying that my entire life...?" Heh. It really shows just how much things vary by the part of the US you're from.
@@Saphire1993 I'm so delighted by this thread. I thought cattywampus was just a northern Minnesotan thing. It's so nice to here other people actually use it too.
@@Saphire1993I was born in York, PA and I’ve used this word (cattywampus) my whole life - all 76 years of - and I still do! Many people do not understand😄😄😄😄
"Sorted" surprises me, as well. Having lived in the USA my entire life, I have used "sorted" since I was able to talk. The first time I used it in the presence of my wife - as in, "Great! That's sorted. Now we can focus on the next issue" - she looked at me as if what I had said was not English, at all. I think her reaction was to give me a very odd look, while slowly repeating, "...sorted?".
I’ve been using wonky since the 1970’s never realized it was British in origin. My ww2 veteran grandfather used it, usually to describe an apparatus that needed attention/ fixed before it was proper broken.
The only time I have ever heard "chuffed" in the US is when it refers to a sound the tigers and other large cats use as a happy greeting to each other and their human care takers .
My nan taught me "Chuff-chuff" for "Railway locomotive" when I was little. This puzzled me because even when I was 3 the trains went "Gnnnnnrrrooorrrrrrrr"!!!
I’ve said wonky all my life and love the book Wonky Donkey! I follow Julie Montague, The American Viscountess, and she’s uses brilliant all the time. I had no idea it was largely British usage.
gobsmacked in Warhammer (the tabletop war game) is used by the Ork faction, because they have a thick cockney accent layered on all their lines, and they use a lot of cockney british slang. Due to its popularity in the USA, Warhammer has thus imported quite a few british-english slang terms into american-english speakers' lexicons.
Let's also add that The Warhammer is Ghal Maraz, an enchanted war hammer, so that our friendly Brit what makes the videos will know what a Warhammer is and maybe be gobsmacked.
I was surprised to encounter gobsmacked in American usage because I don't associate them as using "gob" for mouth. If you don't know what a gob is, how do you know what's being smacked? But apparently they do.
can you start adopting the term rubbish bin rather than trash can so your neighbours think you’re slowly becoming a crazy british person when you put the bins out
Using “cheers” for purposes other than celebrating a drink is becoming more common in the USA, typically as a greeting or a thank you. I started using it about 10 years ago when a British coworker said it to me while I was holding the door open for him. It is also fun to use as an email sign off when I dump a load of work on one of my colleagues. 😂
I watch a LOT of British tv & youtube videos. I've picked up "let's get crackin'", stop wafflin', & several others that of course refuse to come to mind at this moment. But honestly, some of these words &/or sayings were quite common when I was growing up here in Texas. I must assume that my ancestors were originally from England? Had to laugh at "Harold Potter"! That was hilarious. 🤣🤣
I've also used "stop waffling", "I'm waffling", etc for as many years as I've been alive (quite a few). I've heard the "let's get crackin'" phrase, although I've seldom used it. Also "wonky" has never not been in my vocabulary, as well as the vocabulary of those around me, along with a few more that he's mentioned as carry- overs from Britain. So they must have been far earlier carry- overs than what he's thinking, or they aren't carry-overs at all...
I like your (obviously put on for the camera) weary, almost despairing, teetering-on-the-edge-of-losing-your-temper-but-you-must-get-through-it-somehow energy. It's very British.
I've been using 'Wonky' all my life and I'm 31. My mom used it all her life and she's 70. Both sides of my family moved to America in the 1880's-1890's, so they didn't bring it over.
As someone that grew up watching British TV and reading British children’s book I honestly can’t distinguish between British and American English words.
I use wonky but I was surprised knackered isn't catching on. I have used it and love the phrase because it sums up the feeling of tired and exhausted so well.
I’m 70 and we used it in my childhood in Tennessee . Hadn’t heard chuffed. Gobsmacked I learned when visiting the UK in the early 80’s. All I can say is your video is Brilliant !
My favorite British word that I've adopted is "dodgy". I learned it from watching Ian Wright on Lonely Planet/Pilot Guides/Globe Trekker (depending on the year and market, the show went by several names) about 25 years ago. I had a number of British folks in my life then and my parents were anglophiles so they all understood me. I've started to use "brilliant" more often thanks to Duolingo's Scottish Gaelic which often has us using the word "sgoinneil" to describe things. "Brilliant" has an uphill battle though as it would have to unseat "cool" as my go to word to describe something amazing/useful/ground breaking/smart, etc. I'm surprised I didn't see "posh" on this list. Use of that word by Americans must have gone way up thanks to the Spice Girls.
@@patrickporter6536I’m American and I use dodgy to mean evasive when responding to questions. After looking it up I found it can have several meanings but the one used in my circles as a journalist is that of people who give answers without actually giving answers. In Oliver Twist the Artful Dodger was dubbed so for doing this.
@@anndeecosita3586dodgy outside of "journalism" means of a very questionable nature. Often I hear it in reference to food, as in it might taste terrible and possibly make you sick. For people it can mean a possibly dangerous person; so in general the word is used for risk.
For years, I puzzled over the American expression, OH 'DARN -it', that was often used in their Films, anfd TV series. Only recently have I realised that it meens DAM-IT. a very innocent expression. that I assume, the religious immigrants took with them , on the Mayflower etc.because DAM, was blasphemous ? tut tut. Not to mention the female genitalia mix-up ---FANNY AND ASS ( or ARSE ) that being another example. ARSE is a proper word, ASS ,meens a kind of DONKEY.
@@patrickporter6536 I am very particular about how I use certain words and for whatever reason these words I use in different specific contexts. Things are "dodgy" but people, animals are "sketchy". "Sketchy" was also a term I heard a lot when I went to raves (approx. 2000-2010) to describe the feeling of coming down from a stimulant.
Wonkey. I'm an American and I remember wonkey being used most of my sixty years. But Catawompus is probably related but I've heard that even more my entire life.
70-year old woman here... some British words I've used for years: brilliant (the British way), cheeky, sorted, rubbish, wonky, bloody hell, bollocks and pissed (to mean drunk)! I must be British at heart! 🤣🤣🤣
My grandmother was born and raised in Wales. She met my grandfather, a US soldier, during the war. She still had a fairly thick accent at the end of her life. I picked up a lot from her and try to keep it with me
The British expression I've found myself using, because I can't for the life of me figure out what the American equivalent is supposed to be, is saying someone has "gone off" or been "put off" some food, meaning they've gone from liking it to being disgusted by it. There was an incident at one point that I need not bother you with the details of, that put me off Reese's peanut butter cups for a couple years. Them's was dark times.
Gone off would be Spoiled or Gone bad. Put off would be turned off but a lot of Americans will say something is off putting which is pretty much the same.
@@Roboclinegone off would not only be for out of date food, works with no longer liking something also. I use it all the time, I’ve gone off cycling now, it’s boring.
@@Roboclinegone off wouldn’t be spoiled/spoilt in this case as it’s not referring to food that has gone off, but the person has gone off the food. I’d say put off implies that the person may already like the food but also may have not actually tried it but was initially intrigued or appetiser before something changed their mind. gone off implies that the person already really liked the food and nothing necessarily caused them to dislike it, they’ve just changed tastes. that’s how i see it as a brit though, just the contexts i see them used in
Proper brilliant Laurence! My most used import (and go-to expletive) is *'bugger'* -- British profanity in general seems utterly adorable and carries no cultural baggage even though I'm well aware of what the words actually refer to.
"Bugger" has been "Declassified" as a swear word in Australia as it's so prominent and is an exclamation of something that has gone wrong. There are even TV adverts (Toyota iirc) where even the dog says it !
Good stuff! I'm not sure about "chuffed" catching on here in the states, but I do see/hear "queue" much more here in recent years... and I'm all for it.
Interesting that you mention the word " queue " as I've noticed it now being used more frequently on the national tv news channels here in the US . Assume it will soon be used a lot in our daily conversations .
Love your channel! I would like to offer a theory that the decline of the use of proper in both countries is because of the rise of casual culture. People don’t wear proper clothes to go out anymore they wear t-shirts. It used to be mandatory to wear proper footwear when traveling, now people travel in flip flops ( a good way to get your toes stepped on). It used to be implied, if not written in a proper dress code, that you wore proper clothes to work. In my experience the minimum standard was a pair of pants with a belt and shirt with a collar ( shirt tucked in if it has round tails, untucked is ok if it has square hem). Not just in attire, meetings are casual nowadays, nobody reports to the boss, you just talk to the boss like any regular person, that would have been considered disrespectful not very long ago. Meetings are casual too. The only time I frequently hear the use of proper is at a bar, getting a draft beer. We all want to know that we are getting a proper pint and not getting shortchanged. Not trying to call it right or wrong, just observing the culture change, hence the language. Cheers!
Also I keep trying to introduce wonky as a general term in my friend and work groups and it hasn’t caught on. As a mechanical engineer my coworkers and nerdy friends tend to only use wonky as a semi-technical term meaning out of rotational balance, harsh vibration, or unsymmetrical; i.e., “The rotor is going wonky at 10k RPM but it stabilizes above 12k. We probably have a harmonic issue or undetected flaw”
I’m not only an Anglophile but I’ve been back and forth across the pond some 45 times and I even lived in London for a while back in 1977. I’ve incorporated many Brit words into my everyday lexicon including chuffed, brilliant, and gobsmacked to name just a few. Most of the time, I don’t even think about it unless the person to whom I’m speaking gives me a funny look and then I’ll provide a “translation”.
I’d give an honorable mention to “ginger” to describe a person with red hair. I distinctly remember a comic over a decade ago where someone told a cop that a ginger did something and they looked confused because they thought they meant the spice. It may have had more regional use but as I’ve gotten older people around my age know what I mean when I mention someone as a ginger. I think its use in a South Park episode helped popularize it further
I think over there though it's a derogatory term, along with much of Europe. Maybe that explains the whole "Only a ginger can call another ginger, ginger" thing my mom, and sister technically, liked to spout just because.
I don't think "ginger" is a Brithism. It has been used to refer to red hair since the late 18th century, and before that for the red feathers of some roosters. If we count 18th century words, then almost everything can be considered a "Britishism," since most American residents from that time were recent British imports.
Might be regionally dependent because I have always known it to be associated with redheads. However there is some Irish ancestry in my family stemming from US slavery times. I grew up hearing my family use the term redhead stepchild to mean someone being the unwanted, mistreated person.
@@colinwilson6942 At college we had someone who had this remarkable talent for leaving class after everyone else but getting to the cafeteria before anyone else. He was our ginger ninja.
I was raised by my grandparents, who were of the WWII generation. I remember my grandpa saying things like " you kids, bollocksing around". He'd say this in reference to us being well, kids. My grandma told me years later that he picked it up from some guys he worked with in the service. It wasn't for years that I researched his service and realized he probably got it from some RAF guys he worked in conjunction with while in the Army Air Corp. Anyway, thanks to him, a bunch of elementary school kids in rural Pennsylvania were saying Bollocks in the 1980's with zero frame of reference. Long live slang.
Brilliant! One of my favourite words. From my part of England it can be used as a positive as well as negative. You could say 'that is the bollocks', meaning that is excellent, or 'that is bollocks' as a negative. Essentially reversing the meaning by omitting or adding the word 'the'!
The idea of 80s kids running about school shouting "bollocks" to each other without any idea what the word means or what it is for, is absolutely hilarious.
Learn something new in every one of your videos. Today: “chuffed”. Thanks! My British workmates a few years back presented me with a “proper” English dictionary so that I would speak “brilliantly”.😊
Knackered is such a good word to describe something (or someone) completely worn out 😅 I am appreciating words I use already just from discussion! That's a proper selection of Britspeak you have there ;)
I've used "wonky" for some years, and also "proper" and "sorted out." I think the Harry Potter books and Dr. Who have influenced my vocabulary. All of the words you mention are somewhat familiar due to British literature and television programs.
Warhammer is space fantasy war game played on table top (literally what it sounds like) played with miniature figures. That's a very watered down explanation, but the fact you used to live in Indianapolis you may have heard of Gencon, a large table top convention that covers board games, card games (like Magic and Pokemon) Dungeons and Dragons (though you're more likely to find Pathfinder games there) and war miniature games like Warhammer. Among many other things.
I took 2 linguistic classes and the word 'sorted' would be an interesting one because "American Flapping" would make it sound like its own thing. Example. British - "Sor-ed" where the T is silence and American Engish - "Sor-dd-ed" where we turn the T sound into a DD. I spent a good bit of my time living close to the Appalachian Mountains, we used a lot of older British words like 'Yonder' & 'Reckon'.
Today I learned that Gobsmacked is a British phrase. I picked up Proper a bit ago. It made describing things much easier. I also use Bloody Hell a fair amount.
I’m definitely with you on”WONKY”. I’ve worked for two small London, UK based companies over the past 20 or so years. I was always in a U.S. office but as a small company the UK and US offices interacted on a regular basis including bi-annual company conferences alternating between tween the US and the UK. I definitely picked up the “WONKY” word years ago and I guess I’ve been randomly, albeit unintentionally, introducing it with my professional and social circles. Another UK-ism that sometimes earns strange looks is “QUEUE”. More recently I’m encounter “BESPOKE” more frequently instead of the ~Americanism “CUSTOM” or “CUSTOMIZED”.
"Queue" is such a great word, though! It can mean either the line you're standing in, or the act of standing in line. (At least, we Americans would use "line" and "standing in line" instead of the more useful "queue.") One of my favorite examples of using the word as a verb (in its gerund form, I think it's called) is in the film version of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," when Arthur Dent, faced with an enormous bureaucratic line in order to file a form with the Vogons, says confidently "I'm British! We know how to queue!"
@@DougVanDorn So, true. I had a gf in the 90's who was working in the US, but was from Wales. She used the word "queue" and I had no idea what she meant, but was too embarrassed to ask lol. It was only when she used it again as we approached a long "line" waiting to get into the movie we wanted to see that the light bulb came on. I also learned the word "snog" from her.😉
To me, a software engineer, a queue is a first-in-first-out data structure. Sort of analogous to a line of people waiting to get into a place. Like what those Brits call a…um…queue.
My husband and I picked up "sorted" and "mind" and "proper" (and others) during our last trip to London. We used them just between us as a nostalgic nod to London for a while, but soon added them to our normal speech. It isn't only because of "Mind the Gap" from the tube stations anymore. "Brilliant" also makes a regular appearance, but we haven't shortened it to "brill" yet in normal conversation. I've been using "wonky" as long as I can remember and didn't even realize it was a British term. We've also been influenced by watching "Keeping Up Appearances" and others. We both love Brit TV and films.
I've noticed that "no worries" has really caught on here in America. My British friend used to say that, then I started to. All of a sudden a few years back I started hearing out more and more.
A phrase we use here and used in Britain but has different sentiments is ,"never mind" here in the states it seems we use it when frustrated about an illusive something someone did or didn't do. In the UK I found the phrase used more as, " its OK really not that big of a deal" When working in London and a coworker said in the higher pitched tone "never mind. " I spun around thinking I was going to see an angry face, but saw a smiling one instead. 😊
The main meaning of never mind in the US has always been "don't bother worrying about it, it's ok", as you said it's used in Britain. As in, "never mind that order I sent in, I don't need it anymore", not necessarily annoyed, just simply saying don't worry about it. Literally, pay it no mind, or attention. You can verify that in the dictionary. Young people may tend to use it as an expression of annoyance, along with an eyeroll, but they snarkify many normal words and phrases that way.
I watch soooo much international TV, movies and RU-vid that I can't help but pick up words from all over. As an American who has never gone outside the US, I am still familiar and even use, UK style, ALL the words you mentioned today (and then some).
