What The British Say And What They Mean

Yeah, I would say the first two columns are accurate... the third worries me slightly. I may have to re-evaluate how I speak to some people

Yes, this list is fairly accurate - the tone of voice is the important thing, British people use a sort of dry, understated humour in, uh, well, most conversations really. If the tone of voice sounds ever so slightly like it might be being said by Batman's Butler Alfred, it will usually mean the opposite of the literal meaning. Having lived with Americans, I always found this was the thing that perplexed them, not the superficial linguistics differences (pants vs trousers, lift vs elevator, etc).

For an excellent guide on this kind of thing, have a leaf through Kate Fox's book 'Watching The English' - it's readable anthropology - not bad at all!

It's usually best if people just say what they mean.

I'm British and I say most of this list is utter bollocks. What I mean is, most of this list is utter bollocks. What others should undertand is, most of this list is utter bollocks.

An Australian version of this is needed including "Your Shout", "Yer nar" and the reversal of "Mate' and "Cu#t".